Dropbox vs. OneDrive: What cloud memory is better?

Microsoft Onedrive and Dropbox are the cloud memory most frequently used in the private environment. In this article we compare the two providers in terms of functions, performance, speed, safety and price and help to better respond to which of the two clouds: OneDrive Oder Dropbox?

1. Dropbox and OneDrive replace mobile data carriers

Both OneDrive and Dropbox are classic cloud storage providerThey are then used to store their files such as documents, images, videos, etc. The loading and download of files can be made via the provider website or via clientWhich are available for different platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.

Microsoft integrated OneDrive in Windows 10 And it also stores system settings, passwords, courses and data of some apps such as Onoote for Windows 10.

The folders can be synchronized between the local PC and the cloud memory to keep the database updated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldlisvze9s

Detailed individual performance of OneDrive and Dropbox: In this article Dropbox against OneDrive we only briefly face the essential criteria. If you want to know more about cloud services, we recommend the detailed article «What is Dropbox?» Or «What is Microsoft OneDrive?».

2. Functions of the website via the browser

Both suppliers offer Access to Cloud memory via the browser. The user can create folders, upload and download files, move, delete, remove them from the garbage and also manage the versions.

The files can be released via connections and can therefore be recalled without the provider's account. However, if you want to assign other rights as only «reading», the link receiver must also have an account with the provider. Instead of a link, invitations to actions may also be sent.

Both services offer garbage for a maximum of 30 days and also a version managementTo restore a file in a previous state. Both functions are available only through the provider website e not on local customers.

Both Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox have integrated online Microsoft Office Office Office Online reduced in the range of functions compared to Office 365, so that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint documents can even be modified directly via the website.

Dropbox Paper is an addition to the classic office and above all it speaks it Work in a team A. The user sets a Dropbox document and can therefore create a document on which other users can also work through various elements such as text, images, tables, times, activities and completion, source code, average from other services.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmsq1ukoa08

OneDrive, on the other hand, offers your menu item for photos and summarizes all images in a separate section, It doesn't matter in which folders they are stored in the cloud. The images can be viewed in a temporal sequence or from places if Exif information is available for the registration site.

The images are then displayed from places. The user can also create photographic albums and then view images with reduced preview images. Dropbox, on the other hand, offers only an images viewer.

3. Possibility of customers and apps

Dropbox and OneDrive each offer software in the form of a desktop on Windows, Apple Macos or mobile for iOS and Android. While OneDrive also a client for Xbox One For example, it offers photos and videos on TV, offers Dropbox also a client for Linux.

Under Windows, both clients bind to the system via the system tray or context menu and explore and create a local cloud folder, which is synchronized with online memory. Customers offer other options for both providers:

• Free choice of the local synchronization folder
• Selective synchronization so as not to upload certain folders from the cloud to the local PC
• Limitation of bandwidth for loading and download
• Optional automatic photo loading in the cloud

OneDrive uses the advantage of the house and is also integrated directly into Microsoft Office as a memory targetIn Office 365 it is even used as a primary storage objective.

But Dropbox can also be viewed as a position in Microsoft OfficeIf you activate the corresponding function in the settings.

Both Dropbox and OneDrive offer option files if necessary. The cloud content are displayed locally as available, but downloaded only when used. This saves space for rarely requested files. In Dropbox, the function is only available in a paid storage planWhile OneDrive also offers the function in the free variant.

OneDrive offers a specific specialty for Windows with the protection of foldersDropbox cannot invent. In the protection of folders, the User Personal Folder How documents, images, videos, etc. are redirected. automatically synchronized in the cloud become.

This by elegantly bypasses OneDrive that almost all the cloud memory can only manage a local synchronization folder. If you want to save your files in the cloud, you must give up the concept of Windows folder with folders for documents, images, photos, music, etc. In Dropbox and save the files in the local Dropbox folder.

4. Dropbox is unsurpassed at speed

Although both customers can continue to go down and download and must not transfer the files again during the movement, The Dropbox client works considerably faster during synchronization. This not only affects the examination of which files must be synchronized, but also the transmission itself.

On the one hand, the reason for this is that Dropbox Differential synchronization dominated by files. To this end, the client determines which components of a file have changed to the bites and It transmits only the changes instead of the entire file. Dropbox is also able to do it Double files to be recognized And he must not transfer it several times.

Addendum: In the meantime Microsoft has also implemented the differential synchronization for all files in OneDrive.

5. What is safer, Dropbox or OneDrive?

There are no fundamental differences in terms of safety. Both services offer 2 factors to access the account and encrypt the transmission between client and cloud. Both suppliers also save the encrypted data in their data centers, which are not in Germany (but in the United States/EU),

The exception is OneDrive for business. The Microsoft service contract shows that, for example, naked images cannot be distributed through the service and that Microsoft can block the service. If this also applies to reveal the photos of the holidays it is not clear. However, the contract provides an indication that Microsoft could at least view the content. It shouldn't be different with Dropbox.

For this reason we recommend all providers Encryption in the cloud.

6. Free offers and memory plans with more storage space

OneDrive offers 5 GB of storage space in the free variant, while Dropbox has always been very stingy with only 2 GB. However, this archiving volume is not enough for most users for significant use as backup. A large support from free offers should not be expected.

Both suppliers also offer paid storage plans with multiple storage volume. With Dropbox, the cheapest offer with Dropbox Plus from 10 euros per month for the 1 TB storage space begins.

OneDrive, on the other hand, offers 50 GB for 2 euros per month. For 7 euros per month you can already get 1 terabyte and also the complete office 365 in the subscription.

The following overview compares the offers for Private customers.

7. Dropbox vs. OneDrive – Fazit

OneDrive offers more memory and office 365 at an unbeatable price

If the Dropbox VS. question OneDrive is decided only on the price, OneDrive clearly has the front. For the price of a Dropbox subscription with a Terabyte, OneDrive you can get the entire Office 365 subscription for a maximum of 6 users with a Terabyte memory each.

Dropbox offers better speed

However, Dropbox can also mark if the focus is in particular on quick synchronization. In our test we found that the Differential Synchronization Dropbox has a huge advantage, in particular with large files. This saves a lot of time, especially in loading asynchronous connections and precious volume of data for mobile data connections.

The Dropbox website was also easier to operate in the test than OneDrive. There is no choice for Linux users: only Dropbox offers a Linux client.

8. Alternative provider compared to Dropbox or OneDrive

In our article Dropbox Alternatives: Cloud Memory in comparison, we compared other cloud storage providers, which, for example, one Position of the server in Germany OR Access to Cloud Storage via Webdav etc. offer. Perhaps there is also a supplier here who satisfies your needs even more.

(33 votes, media: 4.70 out of 5)

Loading …