Box and Dropbox both store files in the cloud and share them by link, but they are built for different buyers. Box is content governance for organizations: permissions, retention, audit trails, Box Sign and workflow, priced per user with a three-user minimum on every business plan. Dropbox is sync and sharing for people and teams: a folder on every device, uploads up to 2 TB, Dropbox Transfer up to 250 GB and Replay, its video review add-on. That difference settles most of the choice before any price does, so this comparison starts with what each product is for.
Box's plans are Individual, Personal Pro, Business Starter, Business, Business Plus, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus; Dropbox's are Basic, Plus, Standard, Advanced, Business Plus and Enterprise. Box figures below come from box.com/pricing, read on 2026-10-20 (the page states "from $5 per user/month" and lists storage and upload limits; the per-plan amounts render by script and were read from Box's own sign-up page through Google's index the same day). Dropbox figures are the US list verified on dropbox.com/plans on 2026-09-14, with the upload claims from Dropbox's own Box comparison. The wider field is in best Dropbox alternatives, and the creative-platform comparison in Dropbox vs Brault.
How do Box and Dropbox compare at a glance?
Box leads on governance; Dropbox leads on the everyday file work of a creative team.
| Criteria |  Box |
 Dropbox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Content management for organizations: permissions, retention, audit, e-signature, workflow | Cloud storage with desktop sync, sharing, Transfer and the Replay review add-on |
| Free plan | Individual: 10 GB, 250 MB per file | Basic: 2 GB, Transfer up to 2 GB |
| Entry team plan | Business Starter, $5 per user a month billed annually, 3 to 10 users, 100 GB | Standard, $15 per user a month, 3 users minimum, 3 TB for the team |
| Unlimited or large storage | Business and above: unlimited, from $15 per user a month billed annually | Advanced: 15 TB for the team at $24 per user a month |
| Largest upload | 2 GB (Starter), 5 GB (Business), 15 GB (Business Plus), 50 GB (Enterprise), 150 GB (Enterprise Plus) | 2 TB per upload, per Dropbox |
| Sending files out | Shared links with expiry and passwords | Transfer: 50 GB on Plus, 100 GB on Standard and Advanced, 250 GB on Business Plus |
| Video review | None built in | Replay add-on, $10 per user a month billed annually, on Plus and above |
| Desktop sync | Box Drive streams files on demand | Dropbox folder with selective and on-demand sync |
| Price for one person | Personal Pro, 100 GB, 5 GB per file | Plus, $9.99 a month, 2 TB |
Box: box.com/pricing read 2026-10-20 for storage, user minimums and upload limits; per-plan amounts ($5, $15, $25, $35 per user a month billed annually; $7, $20, $33, $47 monthly) from Box's sign-up page as indexed by Google on the same day; the pricing page's billing toggle states a 25 % saving on annual billing, and the EUR view read in a browser on 2026-10-20 shows the same structure (Business €13.50 billed annually against €18 monthly, three users minimum). Dropbox: US list on dropbox.com/plans verified 2026-09-14 (Plus $9.99 a month, Standard $15 and Advanced $24 per user a month, 3 users minimum); upload and Transfer figures from dropbox.com/compare/box and help.dropbox.com.
Which one should you choose?
The question to answer first is whether you are buying a system of record for a company or a working folder for a team.
Choose Box if
- Legal, finance or compliance need retention policies, audit trails and classification on every file
- Contracts move through the same system: Box Sign is included on business plans
- Storage has to be unlimited for a growing headcount, from $15 per user a month
Choose Dropbox if
- The team works from a synced folder on Mac and Windows and the files are large: 2 TB per upload
- You send finished work to clients: Transfer is included, up to 250 GB on Business Plus
- One person needs 2 TB without a team plan: Plus is $9.99 a month
Which one is better for security and governance?
EdgeBox
Box is built around governance, and the business plans show it: granular permission roles, retention and legal holds through Box Governance, classification and threat detection through Box Shield, customer-managed keys through Box KeySafe and data residency through Box Zones, with Box Sign for e-signatures included. These are sold as add-ons or on the higher plans, and they are the reason regulated organizations buy Box rather than a file-sync product. Dropbox covers the essentials well (two-factor authentication, device management, password-protected links with expiry, and encrypted folders on Business Plus), but it does not sell retention, legal hold or classification as a product line.
Which one is better for large files and desktop work?
EdgeDropbox
Dropbox accepts uploads up to 2 TB on its paid plans and Box caps the upload per plan, from 250 MB on the free Individual plan and 2 GB on Business Starter up to 150 GB on Enterprise Plus, so a 60 GB ProRes master needs Box Enterprise but fits on Dropbox Plus. The desktop experience follows the same line: Dropbox's folder with selective and on-demand sync is the product the company was built on, while Box Drive streams files on demand and is designed for browsing a corporate content library more than for editing large media locally.
Which one is better for sharing with clients?
EdgeDropbox
Both share by link with passwords and expiry dates, and both let a client open the link without an account. Dropbox adds Dropbox Transfer on every paid plan, a one-way delivery page with a size ceiling of 50 GB on Plus, 100 GB on Standard and Advanced and 250 GB on Business Plus, with logos and backgrounds from Standard. Box's shared links are built for collaborators inside and outside the organization, with the access levels and expirations an admin would expect, but there is no branded delivery page, and the per-file upload cap applies to anything a client downloads.
Which one is better for video review?
EdgeDropbox
Dropbox Replay adds frame-accurate comments and version comparison on video for $10 per user a month billed annually on top of a Plus plan or higher. Box has nothing comparable, which Dropbox states on its own comparison page. Neither is a review tool first: a team that reviews cuts with clients every week usually compares the Replay add-on with the best video review software, where the entry options are Frame.io at $15 per member a month and Brault with review included on the free plan.
Which one is cheaper?
EdgeDropbox
For one person, Dropbox: Plus is $9.99 a month for 2 TB and Box has no equivalent individual plan with that much storage. For a team of three, the two meet in the middle: Box Business Starter is the cheapest entry at $5 per user a month billed annually, but it caps storage at 100 GB and uploads at 2 GB, and the first unlimited-storage plan, Box Business at $15 per user, costs the same as Dropbox Standard at $15 per user with 3 TB. Box's monthly prices are higher than the annual ones ($7, $20, $33 and $47 per user for the four business tiers), so the annual column is the one Box leads with.
How much do Box and Dropbox cost side by side?
Per year, billed annually, for the plans a creative team would actually buy, with Brault alongside as the reference for a platform priced by storage rather than per user.
| Need | Box |
Dropbox |
 Brault |
|---|---|---|---|
| One person, 2 TB | No individual plan with 2 TB (Personal Pro is 100 GB) | Plus $120 (2 TB, 50 GB transfers) | Pro $144 (2 TB, 50 GB transfers, branded page) |
| Three people, entry plan | Business Starter $180 (100 GB, 2 GB per file) | Standard $540 (3 TB, 100 GB transfers) | Pro $336 (2 TB, 3 users, review included) |
| Three people, large files | Business $540 (unlimited, 5 GB per file) | Standard $540 (3 TB, 2 TB per upload) | Pro $336 (2 TB, 250 GB per file) |
| Five people, 5 TB | Business $900 (unlimited, 5 GB per file) | Advanced $1,440 (15 TB) | Growth $888 (5 TB, 4 users + 1) |
Per year at US list prices billed annually. Box per-user amounts as read on Box's sign-up page on 2026-10-20 ($5 Business Starter, $15 Business); Dropbox as verified 2026-09-14 (Plus $9.99 a month, Standard $15 and Advanced $24 per user a month). Brault Pro $12 a month with 1 user included and up to 3 at $8 each; Growth $70 a month with 4 users included and $4 per extra user; verified on brault.app/pricing 2026-10-20.
What the headline price leaves out
- Box's upload cap is per plan. Unlimited storage on Business still means 5 GB per file; a studio with 20 GB masters needs Business Plus (15 GB) or Enterprise (50 GB), at $25 or $35 per user a month billed annually.
- Dropbox review is an add-on. Replay is $10 per user a month on top of the plan, so three people reviewing video on Standard pay $75 a month, not $45.
- Three seats is the floor on both. A two-person studio pays for three on Box Business Starter and on Dropbox Standard; the single-user path is Dropbox Plus or a storage-priced plan.
Where does Brault fit?
Brault is a different fit from both: it is a creative file platform rather than a corporate content system or a sync folder, so the library, the client review and the branded delivery are one product, priced by storage.
- Best forStudios and agencies that store, review and deliver creative work from one library with their brand on every link
- Pricing$0 Free, $4 Lite, $12 Pro (2 TB, up to 3 users at $8 each), $70 Growth (5 TB, 4 users), billed annually (verified 2026-10-20)
- Free planYes: 2 GB, frame-accurate review, branded links, 5 transfers a month up to 2 GB
- Watch outNo desktop sync folder like Dropbox and no retention or legal hold like Box; Pro tops out at 3 users
Review and delivery on the plan
Brault previews 50+ formats in the browser, including camera RAW and PSD, finds files by what is in them with Brault AI Search, and lets a client comment on the exact frame from a link that opens without an account, on every plan. Brault Transfer (BTransfer) sends up to 50 GB on Pro and 250 GB on Growth from a page with your logo. Three people on Pro pay $336 a year with review included, against $540 on Dropbox Standard before the Replay add-on. Dropbox keeps the edge on the synced folder and the 2 TB upload, and Box on governance; the direct comparison is in Dropbox vs Brault.
Frequently asked questions
Is Box the same as Dropbox?
No. Box and Dropbox are two different companies with two different products. Box, founded in 2005 in Redwood City, sells content management to organizations: permissions, retention, audit trails, Box Sign and workflow, priced per user with a three-user minimum on business plans. Dropbox, founded in 2007 in San Francisco, sells file sync and sharing to individuals and teams, with a desktop folder, Dropbox Transfer and the Replay video review add-on. The names are similar; the buyers are not.
Which is cheaper, Box or Dropbox?
For one person, Dropbox: Plus costs $9.99 a month for 2 TB, while Box has no 2 TB individual plan and its business plans start at three users. For a team of three, the entry prices are close: Box Business Starter is $5 per user a month billed annually ($180 a year for 100 GB) and Dropbox Standard is $15 per user ($540 a year for 3 TB); Box Business, the first plan with unlimited storage, is also $15 per user ($540 a year). Brault Pro covers three users and 2 TB for $336 a year billed annually.
Which has the larger file size limit, Box or Dropbox?
Dropbox. Its own comparison page states 2 TB per upload against a maximum of 500 GB on Box. Box caps the upload size per plan: 250 MB on the free Individual plan, 2 GB on Business Starter, 5 GB on Business, 15 GB on Business Plus, 50 GB on Enterprise and 150 GB on Enterprise Plus, as listed on box.com/pricing. For video masters and RAW archives, the Box limit on the plan you can afford is the number to check first.
Is Box or Dropbox better for video review?
Dropbox, through Dropbox Replay, which adds frame-accurate comments on video as a paid add-on at $10 per user a month billed annually on top of a Plus plan or higher; Box has no equivalent, which Dropbox points out on its comparison page. Teams that review cuts with clients every week often move that job to a review tool: Frame.io at $15 per member a month, or Brault, which includes frame-accurate comments, drawing on the frame and branded client links on every plan, Free included.
Is Box or Dropbox better for a creative agency?
Dropbox fits a creative agency better than Box in most cases: the desktop folder, 2 TB uploads, Transfer up to 250 GB and the Replay add-on map to how studios work, while Box is built for governance, retention and e-signature in regulated organizations. Agencies that outgrow Dropbox on branding, review or client delivery compare it with a creative platform such as Brault, which keeps the library, frame-accurate review and branded transfers on one plan from $0, Pro $12 a month billed annually for 2 TB.
Key takeaways
- Box is content governance for organizations (retention, audit, Box Sign); Dropbox is sync and sharing for people and teams. Pick by the buyer, not by the storage number.
- Box business plans start at three users: $5, $15, $25 and $35 per user a month billed annually, with uploads capped at 2 GB, 5 GB, 15 GB and 50 GB per plan.
- Dropbox Plus gives one person 2 TB for $9.99 a month; Standard is $15 per user with 3 TB for the team, 2 TB per upload and Transfer up to 100 GB.
- Video review exists only on Dropbox, as the $10 per user Replay add-on; Box has no equivalent.
- Brault covers three users, 2 TB, frame-accurate review and branded transfers for $336 a year billed annually, without Box's governance or Dropbox's sync folder.
