Dropbox vs Google Drive: which is right for a small business?

How do Dropbox and Google Drive differ in approach?

Dropbox is a storage company, and Google Drive is part of an office suite. Dropbox's business plans are built around files: syncing to every device, sharing links with passwords and expiry dates, large transfers, PDF editing, e-signatures and video review, plus Dash for finding company content across tools.

Google Drive for business comes inside Google Workspace, so the same plan includes Gmail on your own domain, Calendar, Meet, Docs, Sheets and Slides. Most teams choose Drive because they want the suite; teams that choose Dropbox usually already have email elsewhere and need serious file handling.

How much do Dropbox and Google Drive cost?

Google Drive is cheaper per user, and Dropbox gives more storage at the start. Google lists Workspace at $7, $14 and $22 a user a month for Business Starter, Standard and Plus. Dropbox Standard is $15 a user a month billed yearly, or $18 monthly, and Advanced is $24 a user billed yearly or $30 a user monthly, with at least three people required.

Storage is counted differently. Dropbox gives the whole team 3 TB on Standard and 15 TB on Advanced. Google pools storage per person: 30 GB on Starter, 2 TB on Standard and 5 TB on Plus. A small team storing video or design files is better off on Dropbox Standard than on Workspace Starter.

Which is better for sharing and signing files with clients?

Dropbox, on the entry plans. Standard includes password-protected and branded sharing, file transfers up to 100 GB, PDF editing including existing text, unlimited self-signing and three signature requests a month. Google adds eSignature with Docs and PDFs, and appointment booking pages, from Business Standard.

How do their AI features compare?

Google includes Gemini in the Workspace price, and Dropbox meters its AI in credits. On Business Starter, Gemini works in Gmail and Vids; from Standard, it also works in Docs, Meet and more, and Google says company data in Gemini isn't used to train models. Dropbox's AI, for select teams, organises and renames files in bulk, drafts new work from existing files and answers questions grounded in them, with AI actions you approve and can undo, using 250 credits per person a month.

How do they handle security and recovery?

Both encrypt files and add more protection on higher plans. Dropbox lists 256-bit AES and SSL/TLS encryption, multi-factor authentication and remote device wipe, with ransomware detection and recovery, end-to-end encryption and audit logs on Advanced, and deleted-file restore for 180 days on Standard or one year on Advanced. Google lists ransomware detection, client-side encryption and Vault as premium features on some Business and Enterprise plans.

Where does Mojobase fit?

Mojobase is a third option when your files are mostly documents the team writes and the AI should read, and it's built for 1 to 25 people, and it works well for teams up to 100. Its Documents app is one shared drive for documents and files, beside hosted email on your own domain, calendar, tasks and customers, and the AI answers questions from your files with quotes and links. It isn't a sync client, and it has no spreadsheets or slides, so teams that need large-file syncing are better served by Dropbox, and teams that live in Sheets by Google Drive. It costs $39 a month for the first person and $25 for each after, with the AI included.