Six great Dropbox alternatives

You have Dropbox, right? C’mon, who hasn’t at least tried it? For those who haven’t, Dropbox is a simple way to sync files from one computer to others, and share files with family, friends, and co-workers.

Dropbox has cemented itself as a staple of any multi-Mac user’s toolbox. It works near flawlessly, and couldn’t be easier to use. But there are plenty of alternatives out there that offer similar services, if not exactly the same ones.

Here are a few that I’ve tried and really like. Most offer paid upgrades for more storage and features, but all are free to use if your syncing and storage needs are light.

Copy

Copy is named quite ironically, because it’s a virtual copy of Dropbox as far as how it works. A folder is created in your Home folder your Mac and everything you put in it gets synced through the cloud with your other Macs (or PCs). The Copy web app is nicer to work with than Dropbox’s website, IMO. I love the features Copy offers, like the ability to easily set up shared folders, notifications, and bandwidth restrictions for uploads and downloads.

Copy starts you off with 15GB of storage. Like Dropbox, Copy offers a referral bonus program which gives you 5GB of bonus storage for every friend who signs up with your personal link. Your friend also gets an extra 5GB when they sign up. So if you use the link above to sign up, you should get 20GB of storage right from the start. Pretty sweet! Copy is already fairly popular, and integration with other websites and iOS apps is popping up every day. The iOS app is really, really nice, too!

Dump Truck

Dump Truck is another service that works just like Dropbox and Copy, though not quite as popular. The service isn’t nearly as feature-rich as Dropbox or Copy, and the referral bonus program only offers 500MB of bonus storage per referral, with a 16GB bonus limit. Still, I’ve used it and it worked flawlessly. A free iOS app is also available, and paid upgrades are available as well.

Box

Box has been around a long time, I could be wrong but I think it pre-dates Dropbox. It’s probably the most feature-rich service in the genre. In fact, the amount of features available is somewhat overwhelming. Box is definitely designed for the power user, and corporate teams out there. Not only do you get seamless file syncing on your desktop, but you have the ability to collaborate with others on office documents (much like Google docs). The iOS app is excellent, as is the website; which is where most of the featured goodies are available. I signed up via the iOS app a long time ago when they were offering 50GB of space, but you start with 5GB of free space now.

One really cool feature with Box is the ability to use an app like Transmit (FTP app) to mount your Box storage as an external hard drive on your desktop—making it obscenely easy to work with files. With the exception of Dropbox, no other service offers as much integration with apps and web services as Box does, including a great iOS app. Paid upgrades are available as well.

The ‘direct’ approach

The previous three alternatives all use the cloud to act as a middle-man when syncing your files. Your folders and files first get uploaded to a server in the cloud, then downloaded to each device linked with your account. If that presents a security concern for you, you might want to try one of the following services. Just know that no app or service is 100% safe when it comes to security.

AeroFS

AeroFS is much the same service as BitTorrent Sync in that it syncs folders on different computers directly, with nothing stored in the cloud. It’s fast, private, and there is no limit to the amount of syncing you can do beyond the size of your hard drive. I’ve not used AeroFS, but from what I’ve read the only downside is that it is a Java application, so it tends to use more resources (RAM and CPU) on your Mac. Paid upgrades are available.

Cubby

Cubby is similar to Dropbox, but offers DirectSync—which allows you to sync files directly between computers. The cool thing about Cubby is that you can designate any folder(s) you wish to be synced at any time. Files that use DirectSync don’t count against your initial 5GB of cloud storage, which is only used if you want to access your files via the web or mobile devices. You can also earn up to 25GB of referral space. Paid upgrades are available as well.

BitTorrent Sync

BitTorrent Sync offers something a bit different in the file sync arena. Rather than syncing files via the cloud, BitTorrent Sync shares a folder you specify directly with your other Macs securely via peer-to-peer. Nothing is stored in the cloud, and your data is secured with private keys you must enter on each computer you wish to sync with. Because this is essentially a torrent network (although a private one), some hosts and/or company servers may block the network traffic. And of course, both computers must be on in order for it sync. The upside is that there is no storage limit beyond the size of your hard drive.

Recommendations

Because Dropbox is so widespread, it’s hard not to use it. I’ve been using it for a few years and love it. But lately, I’ve been giving Copy and Box more attention. Both are superb alternatives, and I actually like both of them more than Dropbox—if for no other reason than they appear to be more secure than Dropbox.