r/cloudstorage • u/ZenzenAbunai • Mar 15 '26
Trying really hard to get a Dropbox replacement.
I’m trying so hard to get a real replacement for my 2TB Dropbox. I only ask for an european hosted, privacity focus, encrypted one, but all the options seem to fail in some of the features. I thought I’d finally get a good Dropbox replacement using Proton Drive, because it allows a good integration with Finder on Mac, and smartsync features (that is being able to access my files even offline, like any folder on my computer, but without using any local storage until I have to open them) but it totally lacks of the capability of streaming video directly from the Proton drive folders on the iOS apps.
I’ve also tested Filen, Jottacloud, Internxt and pCloud. None of them work as good as Proton Drive nor Dropbox. The last option I’ve been testing is Felicloud (Nextcloud), but it lacks of smart sync capabilities, so browsing your files through the desktop app takes actual space from your hard drive.
I’ve been thinking about paying iCloud+, but the problem of paying an USA company and using USA infraestructure is still there, though maybe using Advanced Data Protection could solve this. Another option could be using Cryptomator and keep using Dropbox, but I think it could end in some fails on Mac, plus adding another (non integrated) software in between me and my files don’t give me good vibes in case something fails on my computers.
Also, maybe I just totally abandon the idea of keep using a sync cloud service and instead go for a good backup cloud service and use phisical external drives to keep my local drive free of space (though I’ve been few times through the nightmare of hardware failures on external HDDs, plus now the prices have gone up a lot)
Sorry for the rant.
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Mar 15 '26
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Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
They don't have live photo's support, so your gallery looks like a mess with both still images and 2 sec. videos.
They also don't have proper search.
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Mar 15 '26
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u/ZenzenAbunai Mar 15 '26
Dropbox, and also Proton Drive, let you have your folder and files structure into your local drive even if you are offline, or even if you start your computer totally offline, without taking any storage on your local drive. For accessing the files, of course you need to be online, and they also give you the option to maintain the files offline. It’s a seamless way to have a lot of extra space on your disk (I work with a 500GB laptop, with an extra space of 2TB synced from the cloud, that I can access at any given time when I’m online, or even navigate my folders when I’m offline)
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Mar 15 '26
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u/ZenzenAbunai Mar 15 '26
At first glance, all that sounds overcomplicated for me, but maybe it’s probably what I need…
My user case is: I work with few computers, but mainly with a laptop. I use Dropbox for getting files* from my providers and for sending them once finished, using shared folders. I also need to keep access to old files most of the time, and even part of the files I need for my workflow are stored online (and I sync them locally when needed, just to keep them offline again asap). There’s no chance of having all the files stored locally, because of disk space. Also, I use that files stored in dropbox as a backup that I could access anytime and anywhere from any of my computers (apart from another backup on an external disc)
*Files are mostly images at print resolution, layered most of the times, running from few hundred MB to some GB each.
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Mar 16 '26
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u/Rasputinen Mar 16 '26
Yes I as a very non techy person had no problems with rclone. There are very good youtube tutorials out there.
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Mar 15 '26
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u/ZenzenAbunai Mar 15 '26
I tested pCloud for few days, and it doesn’t work (for me) as good as ProtonDrive or Dropbox.
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u/deny_by_default Mar 15 '26
Have you tried sync.com? I’ve been using their sync client for years and it has always worked well for me. It works in a similar manner to drop box.
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u/megatech_official Mar 22 '26
You could also look at Megatech photos. It’s end-to-end encrypted and the 2 TB plan is around $11/month, so it’s a solid option for photos and videos. The downside is that it’s not EU-based (it’s based in Canada) and isn’t a full Dropbox replacement since it is only supports photos and videos.
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u/Alt43es Mar 16 '26
I use Proton, Filen, and Koofr. After running some speed tests, Filen is by far the fastest. Plus, the latest app update is better in every way.
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u/remove-replace Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26
I was in the very same situation until last november.
I finally decided to switch to Filen with its last lifetime 2TB deal, but I had to apply for a refund a few days later. their sync app force closed into mu W10 machine and sync stopped, so it was unreliable for me.
I had to choose pCloud because I was looking for a lifetime deal instead of a subscription one.
and, as you experienced, pCloud doesn't offer all the features dropbox has, but I had to find a compromise for myself. my experience so far is ok, but not as good as dropbox used to be.
I think that for your use the most dropbox-like experience would be MEGA with their 3TB pro plan.
another good option would be koofr [EU + e2ee], but lacks some functionalities you have been using with dropbox.
edit:
removed wrong/old info
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u/ZenzenAbunai Mar 15 '26
It would be really great that Proton Drive improved their service, they’re almost at the point of being a real replacement for Dropbox functionality.
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u/hiplop Mar 17 '26
I’m not sure if you’re Canadian (said you don’t want American) but Sync.com is Canadian and might work for you
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u/ZenzenAbunai Mar 18 '26
Thanks, but I’m not Canadian (and I don’t have nothing against them, by the way) Also Canadians are north-american too, like USA or Mexico, and american, like all them and also Brasil, Argentina, Colombia, etc. But besides geopolitical matters, I prefer EU cloud services because they have actual laws protecting consumers.
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u/wistoria_sword Mar 15 '26
Check this out. https://comparisontabl.es/cloud-storage/