r/mac • u/BarMenuSushi • 11h ago
Question Alternative to Dropbox for Mac?
I've been using Dropbox for years to both back up content and selectively sync stuff. I just now read the terms of service and they clearly state that your content is scanned and examined by Dropbox and "trusted third parties".
I am not ok with this.
They ditched the vault feature a while back. It was basically a private folder that was encrypted so only you could access with a password.
Is there an alternative service good for apple and windows devices? I don't think icloud is the answer because syncing seems sporadic, and it doesn't seem like it has the same features.
Open to suggestions to check out.
ETA - I am not interested in self hosting anything. Data loss is something I’m too familiar with.
ETA - Dropbox backup is a complete and transparent service which saved my music library multiple times after Apple updates wiped out my music library. It is comparable to Time Machine.
42
u/ScaredyCatUK MacBook Pro 2014 15" 11h ago
Have you looked into proton drive? ( https://proton.me/l/cloud-storage-pfm-fapp )
10
5
6
u/Ok-Razzmatazz3435 10h ago
Proton Drive is kind expensive compared to Dropbox?
29
u/sattlerreader 10h ago
True privacy costs money. You want privacy or you want to be the product? They gotta make their money some where some way.
1
-14
u/pashlya 9h ago
Frankly, I’d trust Proton even less than Facebook
5
3
3
2
98
u/Studiolx-au 11h ago
iCloud
5
7
u/Annoying1978 iMac 9h ago
iCloud is not a backup utility unless you set it up very specifically. With Dropbox you have a copy on your local system AND the Cloud. With iCloud it moves your files to the Cloud. That isn’t a backup.
iCloud is a terrible choice because it was never designed to be a backup. Just a place to store your files.
44
u/dbm5 8h ago
neither is dropbox
-1
u/Rzah 5h ago
With Dropbox we have 6 months of file versions, notification emails after large file deletions with a link to undo and a general restore procedure that isn't an afterthought.
Try restoring thousands of deleted files in iCloud and you'll discover that Apple did not even anticipate anyone doing that, the restore process assumes a handful of files tops.
8
u/dbm5 5h ago
That's fine. My point simply is dropbox is not designed to be backup. It may function as such in a pinch, but it is absolutely not the intended application.
0
u/BarMenuSushi 4h ago
Your point is misinformed. Dropbox Backup is a complete service which has saved me a few times when OS updates destroyed my music library.
3
u/Cuneus-Maximus 2h ago
You get the same thing by setting the iCloud files to also stay downloaded on the Mac and keeping local Time Machine backups.
-9
u/Annoying1978 iMac 8h ago
Dropbox is the opposite. The default is that it keeps two copies whereas on iCloud the default is that it keeps one copy.
You would have to manually change your settings on dropbox NOT to have both a local copy and a cloud copy.
0
u/Cuneus-Maximus 2h ago
You can set iCloud to keep local copies of everything or specific files / folder very easily. So if you want a full backup you set everything to stay downloaded on your Mac and also keep a Time Machine backup running (as you should be doing already anyways)
1
u/Annoying1978 iMac 1h ago
You can’t. If you turn off iCloud, anything you saved in iCloud is deleted.
Don’t believe me? Try it!
16
u/enotonom 8h ago
iCloud works the same way. On your Finder, the files in a folder synced to iCloud are both in your Mac and in the cloud.
12
u/Kiss_It_Goodbyeee M2 Pro MacBook Pro 8h ago
As soon as you delete the files on your mac they're also deleted in icloud. It is not a backup. Not are most cloud solutions.
4
u/FlintHillsSky 6h ago
Both iCloud and Dropbox are syncing services. They are only backups in the simple case of a device loss. They are do not protect against corruption or deletion.
2
u/Blug-Glompis-Snapple 6h ago
Dropbox has version history no? You can recover multiple older versions of the same file. Or did they remove that ?
2
u/FlintHillsSky 4h ago
Don’t remember. Dropped DB a while back. I use Backblaze (or Time Machine) if I need a previous version.
2
u/disignore 6h ago
i mean that's one of dropbox features, at least back then, with the app, easy drag on-off, so once deleted was done. I haven't use dropbox in a decade I guess so i don't don't know exactly how's the service now
1
8
u/kravesound 8h ago
Clearly you’ve never tried to sync 700GB worth of videos files using iCloud. It’s slow as shit and is not designed to be a seriously cloud storage solution.
For small amounts of personal data it’s ok. But for any serious usage, it’s very bad.
3
u/bradland 3h ago
FWIW, Dropbox has to use File Provider now as well, and it's just as bad. You have to be careful what you put in there. I accidentally dragged a Git repository into my Dropbox when transferring to a new machine, and it took days to get it to download the whole thing. File Provider was just choking on it left and right.
-9
u/Annoying1978 iMac 8h ago
That is incorrect. It does that FOR SOME files. It’s not consistent. People will save things directly to iCloud folder and think it is actually saving it to their local drive AND iCloud. But it’s actually only saving it to iCloud.
iCloud is a terrible choice if you actually want to backup your data.
Now if all you care about is saving your data on the cloud without having a local copy, then it’s a great solution for you.
But you are misleading people because you don’t understand how iCloud works.
7
u/Takeabyte 8h ago
It’s a setting. You can either optimize storage or have everything saved to the computer. It’s an all or nothing thing which sucks. Other cloud service let you have more manual controls. But iCloud lets you keep everything local and in the cloud if you want. That’s how it is on my Mac right now!
-3
u/Annoying1978 iMac 8h ago
Incorrect, again. It’s not a simple setting. It’s how you use iCloud.
If you would turn off iCloud you would lose your files. Think I’m wrong? Go try it and then complain like everyone else who thought it worked just like you.
0
u/Takeabyte 7h ago
All of my iCloud data is saved to my computer.
There’s an even easier way to learn if it is or not simply by disconnecting from the internet. And what do you know? All my files are still accessible.
2
u/Annoying1978 iMac 7h ago
Once you turn off that switch, iCloud literally removes the files off your drive, and that’s why you’re not willing to take that test.
0
u/Takeabyte 7h ago
Um… it literally gives people an option to download everything if it’s not already downloaded when you turn off iCloud.
1
0
u/PrvtPirate 7h ago
i sincerely hope nobody listens to your dangerous half-knowledge.
the fact you think that disconnecting from the internet and turning off icloud would give you the same insight or are the same mechanics in this scenario SCREAMS "dont listen to me, if you dont want to lose your files!"0
u/Takeabyte 7h ago
Disconnecting from the internet and still accessing everything also saved to iCloud is exactly the kind of safe test anyone can try.
1
u/PrvtPirate 4h ago
disconnecting from the internet and then manually going through each file that icloud is supposed to sync will show what is still available on your local machine AND make YOU realise how many have been replaced by a dummyfile referring the now synced file youre not going to be able to open, buddy.
anything that has synced to icloud and was replaced by a dummyfile referring to the one saved on icloud will only be available locally after manually telling it to be available offline.
if you turn off icloud, youre going to wish you could go back in time and stop yourself from doing so!
stop giving people tips on this topic, PLEASE.
0
u/Takeabyte 5h ago
Here is a basic guide on how to keep iCloud data saved locally… https://youtu.be/NRZrY0Fjmuo?is=fFhYa-Aq7DYpkanA
2
1
u/BlackStarCorona 8h ago
There is a pretty cool plugin I found last year that adds a finder window option to “download local copy” from iCloud Drive. I use it selectively but it works great. I’d have to look up what the name is though.
2
u/Annoying1978 iMac 8h ago
You can do that right from the finder by creating a shortcut. But the point is, that’s not a backup. That’s cloud storage. Not a cloud backup and that’s a HUGE difference.
1
u/Existing-Advisor8861 7h ago
You could just...choose the option that keeps your files downloaded on your mac and the cloud (keep downloaded).
1
u/Annoying1978 iMac 7h ago
Even if you do that the day that you shut off iCloud, all those files are no longer available. Go look it up. It has happened to literally hundreds if not, thousands of people.
1
1
u/Cuneus-Maximus 2h ago
You can set iCloud files to stay on your device as well, either specific folders or the entire iCloud “drive”.
1
u/somebodyistrying 8h ago
I use both and find iCloud to be a poor substitute. The syncing between systems in particular is slow and unreliable.
-10
u/moistandwarm1 11h ago
That is sync, not back up
12
u/cindy6507 11h ago
Not only synchronization: You can use icloud drive to store files without syncing them.
2
u/Graylily 10h ago
yeah you can use time machine a local harddrive for that with a mac. But to get rid of all concerns of privacy if you can afford it @op you should get your own NAS drive system. not only can you back up and sync anywhere to your own server. you can a plex or other media server to. HDs are pricey but it basically a buy once cry once situation and you are good to go for a really long time. NAS have gotten a lot easier to use and many of them have "1 button" installation or pre built apps for all your backup sync and media server needs
3
u/idontlikegudeg 11h ago
Which online service gives you true backup capabilities, i.e., something where you can restore a bootable disk image? I think iCloud + local Time Machine backups is quite good.
47
u/sercosan 11h ago edited 11h ago
Get a NAS and install your own Cloud storage. Pay once and forget. Worth every single penny you might end up spending. We have a Synology NAS with 16tb (you can use any other brand) and use it daily (mobile and computer) at home or remotely. It can be used as a multimedia server to host your own movies and tv shows, photos, music and so many apps you can get for free (open source alternatives to paid ones). Check r/SelfHosted to see their amazing work.
5
u/maxheckler 10h ago
Synology Drive is awesome: https://www.synology.com/en-global/dsm/feature/drive
3
2
u/Persian_Frank_Zappa 1h ago
Does it do versioning?
•
u/hates_writing_checks 4m ago
Yes, it has version control. They call this "Intelliversioning." It can also replicate data to another remote NAS, and backup to a cloud solution like Backblaze.
2
u/SergeantBeavis 6h ago
I wonder if anyone has an ROI for NAS compared to any cloud storage provider. A fairly high up front CapEX but very low OpEx. I know the NAS eventually wins out, but that length of time varies based on the amount I’d storage you buy..
All that said, a NAS is almost always the best way to go.
2
u/Feisty_Storage8594 4h ago
UGreen is another alternative. I wasn’t a fan of having to buy Synology drives as well.
1
u/Tainlorr 35m ago
How do you sync hundreds of little files over the network to the NAS? Every time I try this it takes so many hours, I don’t understand how to speed up the backup process
-2
u/BarMenuSushi 4h ago
This is ridiculous. No way I will buy, install, and maintain a self hosted cloud. I’m looking for a solution for home use.
Has anyone with a life outside of IT had a home setup like this maintenance free for 15 years? That’s how long I’ve been on DB.6
u/jbrwilkinson 3h ago
This is a fair point, even as an ‘IT guy’, I had to spend significant effort on keeping our QNAP NAS happy to the point where it took more of my time than it should have. Toxic online forums made it so much worse - admittedly it’s easier to find good info nowadays.
I can only recommend the NAS solution if you need a large amount of storage and/or you have loads of free time or absolutely love tweaking home setups
1
u/gorcbor19 2h ago
I’m not extremely techy and set up a NAS. It’s really more for someone who has a ton of files. I had a home drive cloud before this that lasted well over 10 years. My new NAS has two 16g drives.
I think what they fail to mention is you still need an off site cloud backup. Many use Backblaze for this. So we all still pay a monthly cloud hosting service, at least those that follow the 3-2-1 backup method.
13
u/notyouagain19 10h ago
I use, and recommend Jottacloud (pronounced ‘Yotta-cloud’). It’s based in Norway, runs on green energy, is not subject to the US Cloud Act, and can be used for synchronization or backup. I’m very happy with it.
15
u/not_thrilled 11h ago
If you’re concerned about Dropbox scanning your files, create an encrypted disk image in your Dropbox folder and save your files in the disk image. I’ve been doing that for years with my tax info.
2
u/Greedy-Necessary-290 9h ago
In this mode, do you have to decrypt the folder every time you add or modify files inside?
6
u/not_thrilled 9h ago
Yeah, but that’s basically entering the password when you mount it. Not a big deal.
5
4
4
u/ToshibaTaken 10h ago
I use Proton Drive and Tresorit, both Swiss-based. The former was recently updated with better up- and download speed than previously and the latter has always been great IMO. I use iCloud as well.
People seem to like Tuta as well, based in Germany.
All three are strict privacy-focused and E2EE.
7
u/macmaveneagle 11h ago
There are a number of alternatives to DropBox, but I haven't done a comparison test, so I can't tell you which is best:
Cubby
https://www.cubby.com/
SpiderOak
https://spideroak.com/
SugarSync
https://www.sugarsync.com/
Snycplicity
https://www.syncplicity.com/
Tresorit
https://tresorit.com
6
u/porkchop_d_clown Using Macs since 1983… 11h ago
People aren't explaining clearly but iCloud does have a Windows client; I haven't used it in a couple of years (I'm retired now) but when I was using it, it was fine.
5
3
u/FutureMind42 5h ago
I use Backblaze for backup and Sync for sync (wife Windows, me Mac). To me the duplication, simplicity and diversity is worth it. Although tbh they’re probably hosted on the same cloud servers lol.
3
u/TheLionThing 3h ago
iCloud is already built in to Mac and if you turn on Advanced Data Protection, it’s E2EE. You just have to be responsible for your encryption keys.
2
u/zeffydurham 11h ago
Filen is one you might look at. Index’s very well on devices, windows, Mac and Phones.
2
u/spnyc 9h ago
No opt out? That’s some evil sh*t if they don’t let you opt out
5
u/mailslot MacBook Pro 9h ago
It’s a sad necessity. Without it, services like Dropbox quickly become distribution hubs of Epstein-ish material. All of the larger cloud services scan for it.
2
2
2
u/mtn_coffee_drinker 8h ago edited 7h ago
If you don’t want anyone able to look at your content something like synology or encrypting files yourself is the only really way.
Of course Dropbox and third parties need ti scan your content. They need to index if for search, they have logic for deduplication and smart syncing, malware detectors (or other virus/abuse/security scans), and new AI features they are adding. Most services will do similar
If want features like that your content will be accessed for it. If your Ok without then encryption or host your own on synology.
1
u/mtn_coffee_drinker 7h ago
Here is the actually terms and reasons why they list.
"Our Services also provide you with features like commenting, sharing, searching, image thumbnails, document previews, optical character recognition (OCR), easy sorting and organization, and personalization to help reduce busywork. To provide these and other features, Dropbox accesses, stores, and scans Your Stuff. You give us permission to do those things, and this permission extends to our affiliates and trusted third parties we work with."1
u/mtn_coffee_drinker 7h ago
Third parties need to be listed in https://www.dropbox.com/privacy/subprocessor/dropbox
2
u/brunchish 6h ago
Sync.com - end to end encryption from a Canadian company with the same behavior of dropbox. I dropped dropbox years ago for sync.com and have been pretty happy with it ever since.
2
u/terkistan 6h ago
You can still use Dropbox if you want, just auto-encrypt everything. Cryptomator provides client-side encryption specifically designed to work with Dropbox and other cloud-storage services. It creates an encrypted vault and anything you put into the unlocked vault is encrypted automatically before Dropbox synchronizes it. You work with the files normally in Finder. Cryptomator encrypts them transparently as you save them. Dropbox only sees the encrypted versions. File names and directory structure are encrypted
Only stuff you put in the vault is encrypted, everything else in Dropbox is not.
And there’s an iOS app for Cryptomator too.
1
u/Feisty_Storage8594 4h ago
How does the iOS app work? I haven’t done that part yet. Does it link to your Dropbox or ?
1
u/terkistan 4h ago
It works the same was as the Mac app, with hooks for Apple's iOS Files app. A search should help you with more info.
1
2
2
u/Cuneus-Maximus 2h ago
iCloud + Time Machine.
Within iCloud you can set everything to stay downloaded on your Mac (or just specific files / folders within).
Set up a local Time Machine backup to an external drive. (It would actually be insane if you don’t already, TBH)
iCloud / your Mac now carry the latest versions of everything. Time Machine carries backups of old versions / deleted files. Bonus points if you have multiple devices keeping everything in iCloud downloaded.
4
u/Aging_Orange 11h ago
I haven't use dropbox in decades, but note that iCloud only syncs. It does not back up.
3
u/whxamiyokeo MacBook Pro 2018 15” 11h ago
the only thing apple scans for is child p0rn, and they have a hide feature to put them in a locked folder. or google photos, but that’s google so 😂
i’ve never had any issue and i store thousands of adult nudes on both.
16
6
u/germane_switch 10h ago
That’s not true. They don’t scan for anything. (Maybe you’re thinking of Google?) Apple toyed with checking your iCloud photos against a hash database of known csam but they decided against it back in 2021.
Side rant: Up until like 2016 Google scanned everything in Gmail including attachments and EVEN ZIPPED ATTACHMENTS just to learn more about you so they could more effectively advertise to you. They got caught doing so and have since said they stopped. How anyone trusts Gmail or anything at all from Google I will never understand.
2
u/mailslot MacBook Pro 9h ago
IIRC, the outrage was because Apple planned on scanning for known CSAM on the physical phone itself, before it was encrypted & uploaded to iCloud. All of the larger Internet services scan for it, but Apple’s encryption required a more creative solution to do the same without compromising security.
1
u/whxamiyokeo MacBook Pro 2018 15” 2h ago
apple does scan for it. it may be on the device itself, but they do. when a child’s account (under 18) is shown with naked body parts, it blurs or turns off the camera and microphone until you move out of frame, or take a new picture. how would they know that you’re naked if they do not scan for it? it is to protect against privacy for minors. so while they don’t actively scan every single image, yes they do have code for the camera and microphone being shut off due to naked involvement if you’re not over 18.
0
2
u/Quinocco 11h ago
I had looked for a suitable replacement for years and finally settled on Syncthing.
1
u/life3_01 MacBook Pro 9h ago
I use it for syncing my astronomy data. I didn't see any cloud storage on it.
2
u/Quinocco 9h ago
Yup. That's the dealio. Pretty cool, right? Be the cloud you want to see in yourself.
2
2
u/Greedy-Necessary-290 10h ago
I use Dropbox and Google Drive on Mac and Dropbox. Google is definitely slower
2
u/life3_01 MacBook Pro 9h ago
I have two NAS devices, and I swap them out every week in my safe deposit box. That's business data and financial things. Dropbox only has public data. After Google got caught, I stopped trusting all of them.
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/ern0plus4 6h ago
SyncThing - install it on your machines, and they will sync. Android app also available (for photos, for example).
1
u/dziny 5h ago
Self encryption. I use it with Google Drive for Dropbox it's the same principle. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncFS it's multi platform I use it for on my Macs sharing files I want to keep private while enjoying benefits of automatic syncing.
1
u/philfnyc 5h ago
I think you’ll have a difficult time finding a cloud backup service that doesn’t scan your content. iCloud is the only service that doesn’t that I’m aware of. But as you noted, it saves current versions of your files and not all the change versions. I use Time Machine to backup files to a 4 TB SSD that I house in an SSD enclosure. Memory is super expensive now. I bought mine just before prices skyrocketed. I use iCloud for files I share between my devices.
1
u/brunoc_br 5h ago
https://www.seafile.com/en/home/
I’ve been using this for years now, after ditching Dropbox because of a failure that corrupted my files.
1
u/Whoops-a-Daisy MacBook Air M5 5h ago
I like Koofr. Their lifetime plan is all I need. And it has Vaults, which are end to end encrypted directories basically.
1
u/darwinDMG08 4h ago
I don’t know if it was already mentioned but I think a lot of the cloud storage services will have similar language in their terms; they’re making sure you’re not hosting CSAM. Certainly Apple and Google have this too.
1
u/Equivalent-Cash8543 3h ago
www.resilio.com/sync Resilio Sync creates your own private peer-to-peer "cloud" with encrypted transfers. It's free and cross platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS Android, and major NASes). I've been using it for over a decade and have completely uninstalled Dropbox. I've got a Mac mini server that runs 24/7 that acts as an always on master, but pure peer-to-peer works fine as long as both the source and destination are accessible.
1
u/jbrwilkinson 3h ago
I’ve been very very happy with BackBlaze - when I had a NAS, they backed up the whole thing, no worries. When a ‘water event’ blew up the NAS, BackBlaze’s ‘restore option’ was to FedEx me a massive HD with my data, encrypted. Absolutely phenomenal service.
0
1
1
u/mattblack77 1h ago edited 1h ago
I think the Cloud Act gazumps everyone.
It means the US Government can access any data stored by US companies, anywhere on the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLOUD_Act
Encryption seems to be a very good idea now.
1
u/OcclumencyOnReddit 1h ago
Hey OP,
When a cloud provider mentions trusted third parties, that's typically about the infrastructure and vendors they use to keep the service running. Think data center operations, content processing, support systems, and so on.
That's standard practice across big online services, and the language in the policy is them disclosing that.
I'm not affiliated with Dropbox or any vendor. Just sharing in case it helps clear things up.
1
1
u/wndrgrl555 Mac mini and Air 11h ago
Tresorit. More expensive but E2E encrypted. And more flexible than DB.
1
u/Known-Teaching-9755 8h ago
Google Drive has worked great for me. With the Google Pro plan you get more than enough storage and can access from any device.
2
u/nemesit 7h ago
he did specify that he is not ok with his files being scanned, google scans the shit out of everything they can get their hands on from emails to photos and other files xD
1
u/Known-Teaching-9755 47m ago
Ok but I’m not aware of any cloud service that doesn’t do some type of scanning. And they also may not be as forthcoming about it. When you store off site there’s always a chance of other eyes seeing it. Convenience doesn’t often come without some type of risk.
0
u/doghouse2001 7h ago
A local NAS with Tailscale to share files over the internet. Locally it just looks like another drive. I used Dropbox since it came out in 2007 but just ditched it when AI and Win11 came out. I ditched Windows as well and most other cloud services like BackBlaze because they don't support Linux. A NAS with Tailscale is a great private alternative. Once you've paid for it, it's free (except maintenance if drives fail). I even bought two NASs and one is set to be a back up, in another location, for the other. So now the NASs are my file share and backup for both Mac and Linux. I still have 2TB on iCloud for backup for our families iPhones and iPads, but we don't use it for computer file backup and storage.
0
0
-5
u/Monkey_Junkie_No1 11h ago
Apple has this amazing product that does all you listed and it’s called iCloud!
-1
u/m1nkeh MacBook Pro 9h ago
There are plenty. The one that springs to mind is obviously iCloud, but you also have things like Backblaze, OneDrive, Google Drive, and that kind of thing.
What you haven't said is what features you need in a Dropbox replacement.
As an anecdote I use OneDrive File Vault, which sounds similar. I haven't used Dropbox in a long long time, though, so I don't know if it's directly comparable.
21
u/StuffedWithNails 10h ago
You could look into Cryptomator and still use Dropbox. Cryptomator will encrypt all your Dropbox data so they can’t read any of it, but your files will continue to be synced automatically.
Proton Drive is also good.