Top 10 Dropbox Alternatives

People tend to have a love-hate relationship with Dropbox. It is so convenient and it simply works. No way to argue that fact. Sending a quick link to somebody of your new photo collections or syncing recipe ideas over to multiple computers has never been easier. 

The simplicity of using Dropbox has made it to one of the most known cloud storage and syncing services on the web, with an almost insultingly high valuation just short of 10 billion USD. Setting it up is really simple: just create an account, install Dropbox on a machine and violá you end up with a working system,but if you're looking for something different or we may say dropbox alternatives then here we have 10 such dropbox alternatives for you.

ownCloud

ownCloud may be proven a great alternative to Dropbox because it performs the same task just as Dropbox i.e “file hosting”. It is a self-hosted open source platform that gives you web services under your control because unlike Dropbox, you can install ownCloud Server on Windows and Linux operating systems.

This Dropbox alternative allows users to sync and share files, calendars, contacts, news/RSS, bookmarks, notes, music, pictures and much more across all your devices.

TeamDrive

TeamDrive is a German software and cloud service provider offering file synchronization, storage and sharing. Just like as Dropbox, its free version comes with 2 GB storage and if you want to book more space, only one member need to pay to allot more space.

TeamDrive client software can be downloaded for free on Windows, MAC and Linux. Its mobile apps are also available for Android and iOS that can be downloaded from the relevant app store.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service provided by the tech giant Google, which offers cloud storage, file sharing and collaborative editing to its users.

Google Drive gives you access to your work from anywhere, across your Mac, PC, mobile devices and on the web. You can simply download Drive on your Mac or PC to sync files to the cloud from your computer automatically Moreover, if you publicly share files on Google drive, they can be searched with web search engines.

However, Google Drive’s premium plan may be bit costlier for you, so you can use its free plan that is made up for individuals and for those who don’t need more than 15 GB of storage space.

Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive is a file hosting service that allows users to upload and sync files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser or their local device.

It has changed its name multiple times as it was previously called as SkyDrive, Windows Live SkyDrive and Windows Live Folders. It has now four different plans along with a free one for individual, businesses and organizations. Its free plan offers 15 GB of free storage capacity.

Box

Box.com is great way to share, manage and store information over the internet and with it’s  exclusive additional features it makes up for the best DropBox Alternative.  Apart from providing a huge 5GB storage space for personal accounts  it also allows you to integrate with Google Doc’s and many other services. For Business and enterprise accounts you not only get an extra storage space but also trusted Data Security. You can save multiple versions of a file to download previous versions for reference and to use the same sharing link, even as new versions are uploaded.  It also features a unique feature where you can comment on files uploaded or start a discussion around a folder.

Wuala

Wuala is a Linux friendly secure Dropbox alternative. This Swiss-based service boasts tens of thousands of users with millions of files being actively saved, stored and accessed already. Wuala has Cross platform native client support with extended privacy and sharing options. You get 1GB cloud space for free but users can gain more space by ‘trading idle HDD space’ or by inviting other users.

SugarSync

SugarSync has a beautiful User Interface and its advantage over DropBox is accentuated by more functionality features like keeping photos separate and the ability to edit files from within the web interface. Other prominent features include the ability to sync individual folders outside of a common shared folder which does not require additional space on your computer because you won’t need to copy the files you need to share into the common shared folder. This features opens door for plethora of other unique features and functions like you can sync you Desktop and all your computers will have the same files on Desktop or you can sync you Photo folder to always automatically keep it updated

SparkleShare

Sparkleshare is the solution for those who have problems with Dropbox not being an open-source service. Like Dropbox, SparkleShare sets up a local folder which is automatically kept in sync, though not in the cloud. Instead, you and your friends/coworkers set up connections to each other’s shares. Since you will be hosting your own server, there is no need to worry about the monthly fees. A Linux release is the first item on the agenda, with OS X and Windows versions to follow. Mind you, it is yet to be released officially.

CloudMe

The feature that distinguishes this DropBox alternative from other listed so far is the creative Web Desktop, that allows you to have your own Desktop in the Cloud. You can then customize and increase productivity of your own Web OS by installing apps and create a working environment. This also enables you to to directly listen to your own music, look at images and edit photos. The Cloudme.com supports all the platforms including iOS and Android which means you can also directly Back-up and share information from you smartphones and mobile devices. The email support, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk, Yahoo and AIM integration makes this best Dropbox alternatives which is further accentuated with its free 3GB stirage space.

Live Mesh

LiveMesh is arguably the best free alternative to Dropbox, from Microsoft. It provides 5 GB of free online backup space, as compared with 2GB of Dropbox. It also keeps your data in sync online, as well as on multiple computers. What’s more? Live Mesh even lets you connect to your computer remotely using any browser. Live Mesh works on Windows, Mac, and even your cell phone. The remote access feature works on Windows only.


That’s all guys, this is the list of 10 best and free Dropbox alternatives. Give us a chance to update this list and add any other Dropbox alternative to this list so let us know via comments.