Dropbox (free for 2GB to $49.99 per month for 500GB) is among the simplest, most elegant file-synchronization tool we've used. The premise behind Dropbox is it gives you access to your files no matter what computer or device you have at hand. The service stores files with strong encryption on multiple servers and lets you get at your files quickly, easily, and for the most part elegantly from virtually any Internet-enabled device.
Dropbox is both a Web-based and downloadable product. It works equally smoothly on Windows, Mac, Linux, as well as mobile devices including iOS (see our review of Dropbox for iPad, for example), Android, and BlackBerry. Dropbox synchronizes only files stored in a single dedicated folder, so if you prefer to synchronize folders you already have on your system without moving them into the Dropbox folder, Dropbox may not be for you (try SugarSync instead). But its smooth and hassle-free operation makes it one of our Editors' Choices for file-sharing and backup solutions.
PricingAs a freemium service, Dropbox offers a few different pricing levels. First, there's Dropbox Basic, which gives you 2GB of storage at no cost. You can earn more free space through referrals (an additional 500MB per person, up to 16GB) and by recommending the app through other social methods, such as connecting your Twitter account.
Second, if you need more space, you can pay $9.99 per month for 100GB (or $99 per year); $19.99 per month for 200GB (or $199 per year); or $49.99 per month for 500GB (or $499 per year). These paid plans are known as Dropbox Pro.
Finally, a tier for small businesses is also available, called Dropbox Teams, for $795 per year, which provides 1 terabyte of storage for five users, plus an additional 200GB for every new user added ($125 more per year per additional person). Dropbox Team account holders also get administrative tools, telephone tech support, and access to unlimited version history.
If "free" is your magic word, you may be easily swayed toward a very good competing service called CX (4 stars), which offers a generous 10GB free space to start. SugarSync, our other Editors' Choice for file-syncing, gives you 5GB free space, which is more than double what Dropbox offers.
How to Get DropboxDropbox is available as a download from the company's website. Don't look too hard for it in the Mac App Store because it's not there. The iOS version is in Apple's mobile app market (as it must be), and the Android and BlackBerry apps are in their respective marketplaces, too.
When you download and install the client, you'll have to sign into your Dropbox account or create a new one. Next, the program will create a new folder on your computer called "Dropbox"; you can choose where to install it, or let accept the default location (you can always move it later). A shortcut icon also appears (top menu bar in Mac, system tray in Windows) that lets you open your Dropbox folder with just a double click. From this same icon, you can also reach other preference settings, such as the folder's location and throttles on upload and download speeds.
Like its rival services, Dropbox stores synchronized files in the cloud so they're available on any machine where you've installed Dropbox or that has an Internet connection. Dropbox's storage preserves copies of earlier versions of the files in My Dropbox, so you always have the most current copy on your computers. We like that you can still access older versions (or files you deleted or moved) with just an Internet connection. One attractive feature (also available in SugarSync) is Dropbox's bandwidth-saving ability to upload and download only the parts of files that change during revisions. We made changes in a 125MB file and found that Dropbox only needed to transfer 2 to 3MB of data to update the file. That's a decent bandwidth savings.
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