Google Drive vs Dropbox vs OneDrive vs Box: Cloud Storage Compared (2026)

Cloud storage looks like a commodity until you need to recover a file deleted three months ago, send a 40 GB video to a client, or remove a former employee's access to every shared folder in one click. Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and Box all store and sync files, but they are built around different ecosystems, and their prices, storage limits and recovery windows differ a lot. This guide compares them for individuals, families and small businesses, with every price and limit checked on the official pricing pages on November 13, 2026.

What to Look For in Cloud Storage

• Storage per dollar: how many gigabytes or terabytes you get, and whether storage is per person or pooled.
• Recovery: how long deleted files and old versions are kept, and whether you can roll back after ransomware.
• Sharing: password-protected and expiring links, download controls and sharing policies.
• Large files: the upload or transfer limit when you send video, design files or backups.
• Apps and ecosystem: which office suite, email and tools it connects to.
• Admin and compliance: user management, SSO, audit logs, HIPAA or FedRAMP support for regulated businesses.

The PURIST Fit Score: How We Compare Them

Scores are PURIST's editorial judgment for individuals and small businesses, based on the official pages listed at the end. No vendor paid for its position.

The Comparison Table

The ranking rewards value and included apps, which matter most to small teams. For a regulated business that needs unlimited storage and compliance support, Box would rank first. For creative teams that send large files every day, Dropbox would.

Pricing for Individuals and Families

All prices are in US dollars as shown on the official pages on November 13, 2026.

Google One offers savings of up to 16% with annual billing. Microsoft lets Personal, Family and Premium subscribers expand storage up to 10 TB, and offers a one-month free trial on those plans.

For one person who needs about 1 to 2 TB, Microsoft 365 Personal is the best value at $99.99 a year, because it includes the Office desktop apps. A family of up to six gets 2 TB to share, plus Office for everyone, with Microsoft 365 Family at $129.99 a year. For pure storage without Office, Dropbox Plus gives 2 TB for $9.99 a month.

Pricing for Businesses

Google Workspace showed its prices in euros from our location on the day we checked, so we do not quote US dollar figures for it rather than convert them. You can see the current US prices on workspace.google.com/pricing. Box's pricing page was also served in a regional version, with prices in US dollars.

What a five-person team pays

Microsoft is the cheapest per terabyte by far, and Business Basic also includes business email and Teams. Dropbox and Box cost more because they are file platforms first, with stronger sharing and recovery tools.

Recovery, Versions and Ransomware

Dropbox publishes the clearest recovery windows: 30 days on Plus, 180 days on Standard and a full year on Advanced. Microsoft lists ransomware detection and file restore across its plans, which matters for small businesses without an IT team.

Sharing and Large Files

For agencies and creative teams that send big files to clients, Dropbox's transfer limits and Box's high upload limits on higher plans are the deciding factor.

Security and Compliance

• Google Workspace: Business Plus adds Vault to retain and search data, eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management. Enterprise adds data loss prevention, data regions and S/MIME encryption. Workspace states that Gemini does not use your company data to train models on the Starter plan.
• Dropbox: Advanced adds tiered admin roles, end-to-end encryption, advanced key management, compliance tracking and single sign-on. The plan comparison also lists audit logs and HIPAA compliance options.
• Microsoft OneDrive: business plans include data encryption in transit and at rest, sharing policies and identity management with Microsoft Entra ID for up to 300 users.
• Box: Enterprise plans list support for HIPAA and HITECH, FedRAMP Moderate (FedRAMP High at additional cost) and SOC 1, 2 and 3 compliance, with advanced admin and security reporting.

Service by Service

Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive is the best value for anyone who uses Word, Excel and Outlook. Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1 TB and the desktop apps for $99.99 a year, Family stretches 2 TB across six people, and Business Basic gives each employee 1 TB, business email and Teams for $7 a month. Ransomware detection, file restore, Personal Vault and password-protected links are included.

Strengths:

• Most storage per dollar, with Office included.
• Ransomware detection and file restore.
• Business plans for 1 to 300 users with email and Teams.

Limits:

• Best inside the Microsoft ecosystem; less natural for Google or Mac-first teams.
• Several consumer prices shown were first-year offers that renew at the regular price.

Best for: Microsoft Office users, families, and small businesses that want email, Office and storage in one plan.

Google Drive

Google Drive is the obvious choice for Gmail and Google Workspace users. The free 15 GB is the largest free tier of the four, and Google One plans are cheap for small amounts of storage, starting at $0.89 a month for 30 GB. For businesses, Drive comes inside Google Workspace with Gmail on your domain, Meet and Gemini, from 30 GB per person on Starter to 5 TB on Plus.

Strengths:

• Largest free tier and cheap small plans.
• Real-time collaboration in Docs, Sheets and Slides.
• Workspace plans bundle email, video meetings and AI.

Limits:

• Business Starter's 30 GB per person fills quickly with video or design files.
• Fewer published details on recovery windows and transfer limits than Dropbox or Box.

Best for: Gmail users, Google Workspace businesses and teams that work in Google Docs.

Dropbox

Dropbox is the best service for file sync and sharing itself. Its recovery windows are the longest and most clearly published, transfers reach 100 GB on team plans, and its sharing tools, from password-protected links to download controls and branding, are built for sending work to clients. It works the same way regardless of whether your team uses Microsoft or Google.

Strengths:

• Long, published recovery windows: up to one year on Advanced.
• Large file transfers up to 100 GB on team plans.
• Neutral between Microsoft and Google ecosystems.

Limits:

• More expensive per terabyte than Microsoft or Google.
• No office suite or email included.
• Only 3 e-signature requests a month on Plus, Standard and Advanced.

Best for: creative studios, agencies, photographers and video teams that move large files.

Box

Box is built for businesses that put security and compliance first. Business plans include unlimited storage and unlimited e-signatures, and Enterprise plans support HIPAA, FedRAMP and SOC compliance with detailed admin controls. Upload limits grow with the plan, up to 150 GB per file on Enterprise Plus.

Strengths:

• Unlimited storage on Business and above.
• Compliance support for regulated industries.
• Unlimited Box Sign e-signatures on Business and above.

Limits:

• Three-user minimum on business plans.
• External collaborators cost extra on the Business plan.
• Threat detection requires the Shield add-on.

Best for: healthcare, legal, finance and government contractors, and growing companies that need unlimited storage with strong controls.

Which Service Fits You

• One person using Office: Microsoft 365 Personal.
• A family: Microsoft 365 Family for 2 TB and Office for up to six people, or Google One if everyone uses Gmail.
• A small business on Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Business Standard.
• A small business on Gmail: Google Workspace Business Standard for 2 TB per person.
• A creative agency sending large files: Dropbox Standard or Advanced.
• A regulated business: Box Business Plus or Enterprise.

How to Migrate Without Losing Files

1. 1 Map your folders and sharing before moving anything, including who has access to what.
2. 2 Clean up first: archive old projects and delete duplicates to cut migration time.
3. 3 Use the vendor's migration tool where one exists, such as the Google Workspace Migrate tool listed on Standard plans.
4. 4 Move one team at a time and check shared links and permissions after each move.
5. 5 Keep the old service read-only for 30 days before you cancel it.

Automations Around Your Cloud Storage

1. 1 Client folder creation: a new client in your CRM creates a standard folder structure and shares it with the right people.
2. 2 Invoice and receipt filing: attachments from email are saved to the right folder and renamed automatically.
3. 3 Offboarding: when someone leaves, their sharing is reviewed and ownership of their files moves to a manager.
4. 4 Backup copies: critical folders are copied nightly to a second service.

See our guide to Google Workspace automation and our Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 vs Zoho Workplace comparison to choose the wider suite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Google Drive or Dropbox?

Google Drive is better value for Gmail and Google Docs users, with 15 GB free and plans from $0.89 a month. Dropbox is better for sharing and recovering files, with transfers up to 100 GB on team plans and recovery windows of 30 days to one year. Dropbox Plus costs $9.99 a month for 2 TB.

What is the cheapest cloud storage for 1 TB?

Among these four, Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99 a year includes 1 TB plus the Office desktop apps. Microsoft 365 Business Basic gives each user 1 TB for $7 a month paid yearly.

How much does Dropbox cost?

Dropbox Basic is free with 2 GB. Plus costs $9.99 a month for 2 TB, Standard $15 a user a month starting at 3 TB for the team, and Advanced $24 a user a month starting at 15 TB, as shown on Dropbox's plans page. Enterprise is priced by quote.

How much does Box cost?

Box Individual is free with 10 GB. Personal Pro costs $16 a month and Business Starter $8 a user a month with a three-user minimum. Business costs $24 a user a month, or $17.30 billed yearly, with unlimited storage.

Which cloud storage is best for small businesses?

For most small businesses, the one that matches their email and office suite: Microsoft 365 for Outlook and Office users, Google Workspace for Gmail users. Teams that share large files with clients often add Dropbox, and regulated businesses often choose Box.

Does OneDrive protect against ransomware?

Microsoft lists ransomware detection and files restore on its Microsoft 365 plans, and file restore and version history on its business OneDrive plans.

How long can I recover deleted files on Dropbox?

30 days on Plus, 180 days on Standard and one year on Advanced, according to Dropbox's plans page.

Sources and Method

Prices, storage, limits and features were checked on the official pages on November 13, 2026: one.google.com/about/plans and workspace.google.com/pricing; dropbox.com/plans and dropbox.com/business/plans-comparison; Microsoft's OneDrive plans and pricing pages for individuals and business; and box.com/pricing. Google Workspace showed prices in euros from our location, so its US prices are not quoted. Box's page was served in a regional version with US dollar prices. Where a page did not state a feature, the tables say "not stated" rather than guessing. Fit Scores are PURIST's editorial judgment. Confirm current prices on each official page before you buy.