Gone are the days of towering piles of paper and filing cabinets. Nowadays, storing your files in the cloud is more convenient and makes finding them much easier. However, it’s crucial to use a secure cloud storage system.

Google Drive and Dropbox are both popular options with strong security features, but one of them offers better security. We’ll explain which is safer for your files.

Key Takeaways 

• Both Google Drive and Dropbox use 256-bit encryption and TLS/SSL encryption protocols.
  
  

• Dropbox is more secure than Google Drive because it has more advanced security features.
  
  

• Google Drive is the better choice for collaboration and backups.

Which Is Safer? Google Drive or Dropbox?

Both Google Drive and Dropbox have advanced security features to protect your online data from data breaches and loss. 

The Google Workspace Trust Center uses analytics to detect threats and send out alerts. Data loss prevention (DLP) is another layer of security that prevents sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, from being leaked. 

So, which one is more secure? 

While both software have impressive security features, Dropbox beats Google Drive when it comes to securely sharing files and has easier-to-manage security features. 

Both software use 256-bit encryption, which is currently the strongest form of encryption available. In addition to 256-bit encryption, Dropbox also deploys Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) for transferring files with an additional 128-bit encryption layer. 

In addition to encryption, passwords play a big role in file security and permission controls. This advanced file sharing and permission feature is available in the business plans.

Other security features Dropbox offers on its premium business plan are suspicious activity alerts, ransomware detection and recovery, and password-protected transfers. 

Google also has some impressive security features according to Fintan Murphy, the CEO at Damson Cloud. He explains:

“Google encrypts your data within Google Drive both at rest and in transit. So that ensures that your information remains secure when it’s moving between your computer and Google Drive and when it’s actually in Google Drive itself.”

In addition, Google Drive offers two-factor authentication features, such as adding a password or a one-time code that can be sent by phone or email. Other security features that Google Drive uses include single sign-on (SSO) services, which allow for secure access to different services using the same login page credentials. 

Google Drive does offer more security features, but because most people use the same password across multiple services and don’t log out of their Google account every time they use it, this puts them at more risk than using Dropbox.

Alternatively, you can choose Trustworthy as your secure storage partner. The platform is committed to ensuring your and your family’s personal information is secure, thanks to security features like AES 256-bit encryption, multi-factor authentication, security keys and biometric authentication.    

Google Drive Overview

Google Drive is a free (with options to upgrade) service from Google that offers businesses and individuals a free alternative to storing and accessing documents online. 

In addition to storing files on its cloud, Google Drive competes with Microsoft Office by offering free web-based applications like Google Sheets, which is like Excel or Google Docs and can be used to create documents. 

When using these Google applications, synching to your Google Drive is quick and easy, which makes it an excellent option for those looking for a free, streamlined working station. Many people choose Google Drive because of its ease and because it offers 15 GB of free storage, which is more than enough for the average person. In addition to storage, Google Drive also has features that allow users to share files securely with others. 

A common concern for many people still new to switching from paper to the cloud is missing files. To combat this, Google Drive has a comprehensive file history and data recovery system, which is used in the Google Vault. When setting up your Google vault, you can set a data retention policy that will determine how much of your data will be saved and for how long. You can set this option to save your data for as long as forever if need be. If you accidentally delete or manage to lose a file, you can simply restore it. 

A secure alternative to Google Drive is the Trustworthy Family Operating System®. It offers a secure and convenient way to store all your important files, such as medical information and bills, in one location.

Dropbox Overview

Dropbox is a favorite alternative to Google Drive and offers many of the same features, namely online file storage. When Dropbox first came out in 2007, it started purely as a file-synching service for Mac users. Only later did the software add Windows integration and other features besides file syncing.  

Both businesses and individuals can use Dropbox to store, manage, locate, and share their files from one location. This is done through the asset library, where users can set permissions to grant access to files and editing permissions.

While Google Drive is built for seamless integration with Google web-based applications and others, Dropbox also integrates with systems like Microsoft and Slack. Many businesses will use Dropbox with Microsoft Teams and Outlook to streamline their processes. 

Like Google Drive, Dropbox allows secure, easy file sharing, but it does one thing better than Google Drive. Dropbox allows users to share entire folders with other users and even has its own built-in messaging system that businesses will find useful.

Dropbox is also free and offers users 2 GB of free storage with an extra 500 MB of storage space for every friend they refer to the software. You can earn a maximum of 16 GB of data by referring your friends. 

With Trustworthy, you don’t need to refer your friends to get storage space. Use Trustworthy to access helpful features like data auto filing, filing and filename recommendations, and the convenient document summarizing tool for quick access.  

Google Drive vs Dropbox: Which is More Affordable?

Costs are important when deciding which cloud storage software to use. Regarding pricing, Google Drive does come out on top because it offers 15 GB of free storage space compared to Dropbox’s 2 GB of free storage. 

However, if you take advantage of Dropbox’s referral program, you can add an additional 16 GB of free storage space. However, this requires some work on your part, which is why Google Drive is the better option if you want storage space without hassle.

If you’re looking at the paid plans, Dropbox is the more affordable option. Both cloud storage services offer paid plans that come with additional storage. For example, Dropbox’s cheapest plan is $9.99 per month for 2 TB of storage, which is still cheaper than Google’s most expensive plan, which is $20 per month for 2TB. Dropbox also offers plans with up to 15 TB for 3+ users, which is a more affordable option for businesses than Google Drive’s paid plans. 

Google Drive vs Dropbox: Comparison of Features

In addition to security and costs, you should also compare the other features of both of these cloud storage services before deciding which one is better for you. 

Speed and Synching 

Sync speed is something you need to consider when making your choice because the wrong choice can frustrate you with slow sharing and downloading speeds. 

When it comes to speed, Dropbox is the fastest option. When Google automatically saves files, it downloads and uploads the entire document to sync it, which causes delays in version history. Dropbox syncs changes to the file in sections rather than the entire document, which is much faster. 

File Sharing   

Both Dropbox and Google Drive have impressive file-sharing features. Dropbox is easier to share folders from because they can be shared directly from Windows Explorer and by using a Dropbox link that can be quickly shared to your messenger of choice. Dropbox offers link expiration on its free plan, while Google Drive doesn’t.  

Backups and File Recovery

If you’re looking for a cloud storage service that offers long backup periods, you may want to consider using Google Drive over Dropbox. Thanks to Google Vault, you can set your policies to save your data for as long as you want, including forever. Dropbox also allows long-term backup but does not specify how long it will last as long as it does not exceed your storage limit.

Both offer great file recovery features, but many people will find that Google Drive’s restoration project features are quite complicated compared to Dropbox. 

Support 

Support is important because when you need help, nothing is more frustrating than poor support, and Dropbox excels at this. Compared to Google Drive’s sometimes inconsistent support, Dropbox support is the better option. 

Integration 

Both Google Drive and Dropbox offer some impressive integrations with programs like Microsoft Office, Slack, and Adobe. Dropbox even integrates with Google Drive. However, because of the popularity of Google’s suite of free web-based applications, Google Drive is the better option for integration.    

Collaboration 

Both of these cloud storage services offer easy-to-use collaboration. However, Google Drive shines in this feature. Unlike Dropbox, Google Drive allows users to edit documents simultaneously online without having to download them. 

• Related: Trustworthy vs. Google Drive

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the downside of Dropbox?

One downside of Dropbox is that you get limited free storage space compared to Google Drive. 

Why choose Dropbox over Google Drive?

Dropbox is more secure than Google Drive, and it offers faster file synching. 

Is Dropbox slower than Google Drive?

No, Dropbox is much faster at uploading than Google Drive because it does not sync the entire document like Google Drive.