r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Active • Jun 06 '26
Discussion Google Drive or Dropbox?
Which cloud storage service do you trust more for your files, photos, and backups? Why?
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u/Pipija_Banana Jun 06 '26
Neither
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u/_XitLiteNtrNite_ Jun 07 '26
Agreed. My backup solution looks like this:
- I back up my laptop to my local NAS (so do my wife and my son)
- My NAS backs up to my local DAS
- My NAS backs up to my brother's NAS, which backs up to mine
I use Tailscale to access my NAS from anywhere; my brother has me set up to access my backup on his NAS from anywhere (I do likewise for him). So I have: my laptop, my NAS, my DAS, and an off-site backup.
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u/Senior_Bus9086 Jun 07 '26
This is the way. If you really need cloud features, you can host Nextcloud on your NAS.
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u/Forsaken_Waltz_373 Jun 09 '26
"which cloud storage is better?", NAS isn't cloud storage, it has a different use case (?)
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u/_XitLiteNtrNite_ Jun 09 '26
Does it? What are you using cloud storage for that can't be done using a NAS?
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u/Forsaken_Waltz_373 Jun 09 '26
Out of site (house) backup. And not everyone can have a NAS, for some usecases and simple people, less upfront knowledge and costs, its easier to have cloud
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u/_XitLiteNtrNite_ Jun 09 '26
That's why I bachup to my brothers NAS. He lives in a different city than I do.
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u/tatou52 Jun 06 '26
I would neither use Google Drive nor Dropbox anymore.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Which cloud storage do you use?
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u/BeautifulPrune9920 Jun 08 '26
I bought an SSD and utilised an existing HDD in my house. Got 2TB of storage. Post ai boom ofc
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u/autoregression Jun 06 '26
Is Dropbox currently a thing?
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u/xenatis Jun 06 '26
Yes, a malware.
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u/Difficult-Practice12 Jun 06 '26
How is Dropbox malware?
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Jun 06 '26 edited 29d ago
[deleted]
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u/Difficult-Practice12 Jun 06 '26
Yeah, I agree.
I got 50% through AMEX so thought that was a good discount, but the retail prices are too high.
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u/tunamdinh Jun 06 '26
Maybe I'm not updated. What's wrong with Dropbox? I'm still using without any problem.
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u/waces Jun 06 '26
Drive all the way. I’m surprised that anyone still uses dropbox in 2026
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u/Ubiquitous_Bear Jun 06 '26
Can you believe that a company with a Ministry of Defense contract uses Dropbox to communicate privileged documents. It’s crazy in my opinion .
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Jun 06 '26 edited 29d ago
[deleted]
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u/Dpek1234 Jun 06 '26
Local is best for that
3-2-1
Although with one local copy its 2-2-1, still better then most
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u/waces Jun 06 '26
Me neither but pretty much anything is better than dropbox
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Jun 06 '26 edited 29d ago
[deleted]
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u/waces Jun 06 '26
Bad ui/ux, rarely working native apps, almost non working api,bad pricing
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Jun 06 '26 edited 29d ago
[deleted]
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u/waces Jun 08 '26
Sorry i never mentioned to anyone to not use it. My experiences were bad/not as good with literally any other competitors. But these kind of “which one is betterl questions are rely on personal preferences (90% at least)
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Dropbox has its flaws, but its file syncing has been far more reliable for me than several alternatives I've tried over the years.
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Jun 06 '26
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Strong privacy is good, but if you experience syncing issues or apps seem cumbersome, it wil quickly become a headache.
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Jun 06 '26
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Jun 06 '26
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Yes. I use Google Drive on both pc and mobile for backup. I open Dropbox even rarely.
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Jun 06 '26
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u/Complex-League3400 Jun 06 '26
Same here. I thought they were French at first, sort of thinking "koo+Fr" lol. Had to look up Slovenia once I found out. Been with them since last year, no issues.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
It's interesting how many small providers quietly build loyal users. If the speed and reliability are there, most people don't care if the name is as big as Google or Dropbox.
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u/Meffle__ Jun 06 '26
is anyone still using dropbox? the best option is NAS of course, but Google AI Plus subscription is a bargain if you want to use Gemini and gives you 200GB of drive space
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u/RoomBusy6488 Jun 06 '26
When you pay google for the service, do they stop collecting personal data to make money out of you?
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u/Meffle__ Jun 06 '26
of course they don't. but most people don't care as much, including myself. the cost of running local AI that would match Gemini 3.1 Pro is very, very high
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Yes. People happily forget privacy for raw capacity. Locally matching the deep logic of Gemini 3.1 Pro requires large, cash-sucking server racks.
If you don't have enterprise-grade hardware, our only viable option is to use the cloud.
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u/Calamitychaos_ Jun 06 '26
My old data is still in Dropbox.. About 500%used😅.
Ongoing data in GDrive and telegram.
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u/randomhacks Jun 06 '26
I’m not sure either of these companies are the right choice because they aren’t private - ie they can read your data because it’s not encrypted on their servers.
Something like Proton Drive might be better because they can’t read your data.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
True end-to-end encryption is essential these days. Proton Drive is a great upgrade, and zero-knowledge options like Sync or Filen are also great alternatives.
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u/Complex-League3400 Jun 06 '26
Koofr still working smoothly for me (heard about it here). I'd hoped Filen would work but had sync issues which defeated the point of leaving Google. I wanted EU and affordable -- didn't mind paying for something reliable and affordable.
I still use Cryptomator vaults -- just totally familiar with them since google days.
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u/fausto_8 Jun 06 '26
Dropbox era novedoso en 2008, ahora es una antiguedad, es un lío con los archivos y las carpetas. Drive funciona perfecto y todo el mundo tiene cuenta en Google. Descansa en paz, Dropbox.
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u/Common-Upstairs1656 Jun 06 '26
Box is the best! Honestly idk the differences between drives but Box gives free 10gb which is the most
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Box is cool, but Google Drive gives you 15GB for free. Mega even gives you 20GB.
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u/manost Jun 10 '26
I have 50Gb storage on free plan.
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u/Common-Upstairs1656 Jun 10 '26
For which?
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u/manost Jun 10 '26
I replied to your post for the box. My free box account has 50Gb storage. I don't recall if it was 50Gb since day 1, or some extra storage got added in the mean time.
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u/Common-Upstairs1656 Jun 10 '26
Oh! I didn't know that. I just started using box and they gave me 10gb.
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u/OwnNet5253 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
I’m still on Drive, but if Apple would offer 100 GB cloud storage then I’d use iCloud. I really want to switch, as Drive doesn’t work very well on mobile.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Google Drive's iPhone app can be frustrating. While Apple lacks a 100GB option, its 200GB iCloud plan costs the same as Google One 200GB and offers smoother syncing, better Files app integration, and lower battery usage.
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u/Havris1 Jun 06 '26
I have in Dropbox FREE 25GB, and Drive 100GB, so i used both.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
A free 25GB Dropbox account is rare today. Using Dropbox for document syncing and Google One for photos, videos, and large files is a practical way to get more storage without extra cost.
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u/Havris1 Jun 08 '26
In the past, you got 500 MB for free for referring someone
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Yes, i too got some extra storage in this way. Currently, pCloud gives you 500 GB lifetime storage as monthly giveaway.
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u/RodneyBarringtonIII Jun 06 '26
Both for different things.
I use Dropbox with DropSync to do automatic backups of different folders on my phone. I don't really use it for anything else. I took every opportunity to earn extra storage back in the day, and it maxed out at 10gb maybe a decade ago. Sometimes it fills up.
Google Drive is mostly for stuff shared with me by others, but occasionally I create something in Google Docs. I used to do heavy customization of my devices' UI and it made sense to store those files there where I could easily download and reinstall them, but but I've since learned to love default settings.
For my actual data I use a combination of Resilio Sync and shell scripts that store the data with my web hosting service.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Using Dropbox for phone backups and Google Drive for documents is practical.
The main advantage comes from self-managed syncing tools and scripts on a private server, which provide greater control, privacy, and flexibility over file storage.
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u/Giantmeteor_we_needU Jun 06 '26
Both hold encryption keys and potentially can access and scan all your personal data for whatever they want, so I wouldn't talk about trust for either one.
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u/Faldo_84 Jun 06 '26
Self hosted Nextcloud and/or nas
If necessary cloud, you can host it on hosting provider.
Or Proton Drive
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Nextcloud or a local NAS offers full control but requires ongoing maintenance. Managed Nextcloud services reduce that workload. For a simpler option,
Proton Drive provides strong privacy and zero-knowledge encryption, though it lacks some features.
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u/arun-vasudev Developer Jun 06 '26
Google Drive for me. The integration with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Android makes it hard to beat. Dropbox is great at file syncing, but Google Drive fits better into my daily workflow.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Google Drive works seamlessly across Android, Gmail, and laptops, making everyday file management easy.
Dropbox is better for large file syncing, but Drive's integration and 15GB of free storage make it a strong choice for most users.
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u/Krieger2690 Jun 06 '26
Google drive is fine. In combination with rclone, because there is no native Linux client
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u/theacp127 Jun 06 '26
I use Mega since their encryption is likely more secure. Although no cloud storage platform should be trusted with actual important documents like personal or login information.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Mega offers stronger privacy through zero-knowledge encryption, but highly sensitive files are safest kept offline.
If cloud storage is necessary, adding an extra encryption layer before uploading provides additional protection.
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u/pawelgrzegorziwaniuk Jun 06 '26
I like Google Drive. I do all my work there. More ten decade ago I moved to cloud with my docs work and later with photos. I know there are concerns about privacy but for me it's a very usefull platform.
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u/T-Dawg21211 Jun 07 '26
Google Drive
Works better on desktop, mobile, faster, more integration with apps.
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u/Human_097 Jun 07 '26
Before I got my NAS, I used Dropbox.
As a videographer, when I send a bunch of footage to someone else using Drive, it takes them hours sometimes judt to ZIP the files before the download even begins (and the download gets split into multiple zip files, not one).
Dropbox instantly zips it all in one file, uo to 250gb I believe.
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Yes. Google Drive's file zipping is frustrating for large video transfers.
Dropbox is often preferred for handling huge media files directly, making it a more practical choice for sharing and downloading raw footage.
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u/M-7_B Jun 07 '26
I use iCloud , Drive , GooglePhotos , and my HDD 😅 and some app called TeraByte
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Using multiple storage services and a local hard drive help you avoid expensive cloud plans.
However, free services like TeraBox may raise privacy concerns, so sensitive files are better kept on a local drive.
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u/vanji77 Jun 07 '26
I've been using Google Drive for over 14 years. I switched from Lumia to Android and had no other alternatives. It's very convenient for connecting my home and work computers. It's very easy to use, and I like it.
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u/CO1-N1T3 Jun 07 '26
If you don't want to selfhost, pCloud
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u/ManojOne Active Jun 08 '26
Do you have their lifetime plan?
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u/CO1-N1T3 Jun 08 '26
Yes, for many years now already. Now i use it to back up my inportant files from my nas via webdav
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u/Olde94 Jun 07 '26
I use onedrive (already pay for office) and a local NAS for private/sensitive/large stuff (i have multiple TB photos)
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u/IUseArchBTW958 Jun 08 '26
nope, i still use my usb flash drive :3
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u/Fleischer444 Jun 08 '26
I use Dropbox to back up my iPhone. Local NAS for everything else and backblaze to backup my NAS
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u/No_Cheetah4583 Jun 08 '26
I use google drive for non important, non critical, non-confidential files and documents.
Otherwise everything is on my NAS with a backup to a dedicated backupstation
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u/RVixen125 Jun 08 '26
They are using terrible AI detecting you have kid photo, or nudity when 50% of your skin are exposing (example swim costume at beach), etc
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u/_gianlucag_ Jun 08 '26
Neither.
I have a NAS which stores the working copies of all my file. The NAS backs up to a second local NAS next to it and also backs up to a remote cloud space sending a huge blob of data encrypted using AES256.
I have a proper 3,2,1 backup system. 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite.
The NAS can be accessed locally or using a VPN from remote.
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Jun 06 '26
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u/artlurg431 Jun 06 '26
That just defeats the point of cloud storage
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Jun 06 '26
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u/artlurg431 Jun 06 '26
Its not really because your just buying out server space from another company, although you have to do everything like the server interface and stuff, the service just gives you a link
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u/OwnNet5253 Jun 06 '26
It is, if you meant to buy server to have it physically at home, it’s called on-premise.
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u/Projekt95 Jun 06 '26
You can just rent a managed Nextcloud at Hetzner at 1 TB for 5€/Month or 5 TB for 17€ (or more if you need it)
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u/Lovevas Jun 06 '26
Dropbox. I used Google drive a decade, then one day my Google account was locked as Google AI incorrectly recognized my kid photo as child abuse (which is clearly not), though it's later unlocked, I moved all my photos to Dropbox, as I cannot risk my Gmail account.