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Pros:
One of the easiest file, photo, and video sharing platforms around. Works just like a thumb drive for any computer. Includes basic photo sharing albums to share with friends.
Cons:
Free account is nice but limited at 2 Gig. Largest size account stores up to 100 Gigabytes. No private key encryption options. Client program is resource intensive.
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Dropbox Review Summary

Bookmark and Share Dropbox Account Review - Read below to find out if Dropbox is right for you. Get detailed online file sharing reviews below

Quick Stats:

Pricing Free account is excellent with 2 Gig unlimited storage. Dropbox pro accounts offer either 50 Gigabytes for $9.99 a month and 100 Gigabytes for $19.99
Intro Offer

Try it out for Free with a 2Gig account! Or go Pro - Current Dropbox Pricing and Best Offers

Backup Options Dropbox is not really a backup solution, but more of a "sync" solution. No automatic backups are performed, only files that are in the cloud are on the dropbox folder.
Photo Sharing Options Yes, photos uploaded to the public folder are displayed in a basic gallery format via a secure URL
Video Sharing Options Does not stream videos, but your friends can access them the same way they access other files
General File Sharing Options Great, make any folder public and invite friends to view and collaborate via a secure URL
Offline Access? Yes, you can access your folder when not connected to the internet (although any changes on other computers will of course not be accessible)
Mobile Device Access You can access your files on custom designed dropbox iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps. Or access your files on any internet connected device with a web browser.
File Size Limits Via their desktop application, there is no file size limit. Via the browser upload, there is a 300 MB size limit.
Versioning Yes, previous versions of files are automatically kept for 30 days.
Mac and Linux Versions? Yes, Dropbox has both Windows, Mac, and Linux versions

Dropbox Overview

Dropbox started with a simple concept, create an online file folder that functions just like a plug and play USB drive on your computer, but have it accessible anytime, anywhere, on any computer or mobile device. They have been an incredible success because they have stuck with this "keep it simple" philosophy.

What is the difference between Dropbox and Dropbox Pro?

The main difference between the Free and Pro dropbox accounts comes down to how much space you need. All accounts come with unlimited bandwidth. The free account is limited to 2 gigabytes of storage, while two tiers of pro accounts offer more.

Dropbox Upsides

  • Simple to Use: Once installed on your devices, it functions just like any other windows folder.
  • Available Offline: Not connected to the internet? No problem, you can still access a non-synced version of your files.
  • Photo Gallery: Not many other services let you share your photos gallery style.
  • Share anything: As long as the folder is less than 2 gigabytes, you can share it with anyone and collaborate remotely. Very useful!

Try Dropbox Today and See For Yourself: Go to Dropbox.com


Dropbox Downsides

Dropbox is a great piece of software, and as noted above it does not try to be everything for everybody. As a simple file sharing service, it is great. But, as one would expect with that mindset, there are some serious drawbacks that may give some users pause. Among them:

  • Available Space: These days, 100 gigabytes is not really that much space, certainly not enough for a full backup. For photographers shooting a lot of raw images, it isn't an adequate backup solution.
  • Backup: Because its not big enough for all my files, I have to pick and choose what goes into my dropbox, and make sure I have other backup copies of my data somewhere else. This is certainly not a "set it and forget it" backup solution like Mozy or Livedrive. So as a total backup solution, Dropbox just doesn't cut it for me.
  • Security: While dropbox encrypts everything, they use their own key. Because there is no way to use your own private key, you must trust that nobody at dropbox is going through your files. Or, if a hacker gains access to their servers, your files could be potentially compromised.
  • Access: Because dropbox counts your shared folders against your personally quota, free users cannot collaborate on any shared file over 2 gigabytes.
  • Client Program: Is a bit resource intensive, I actively noticed that it significantly slowed down my netbook. However on my newer Intel i5 laptop, I didn't even notice that it was running. So depending on your desired device, this may be a good or bad thing.
  • Photo Gallery: How can this be both a negative and positive you ask? While they are one of the only online file backup companies that offer one, it is quite basic and many photographers that are used to the features of SmugMug (SmugMug Review), Zenfolio (Zenfolio Review), or PhotoShelter (PhotoShelter Review) accounts will be sorely disappointed.

Bottom Line: Is Dropbox Pro Worth the Price?

Dropbox is a nifty tool, and I personally have a basic Dropbox account that I sometimes use to keep my various devices in sync. It is easy to use and very often a useful to share some quick files or folders with friends and family. But, its not my only file sharing and backup solution for reasons discussed above. Despite some of the downsides, I think Dropbox is a great tool and useful to solve some selected file sharing problems, so I would recommend it and say its worth the price.


Try Dropbox Today and See For Yourself: Go to Dropbox.com