Dropbox alternatives with more free storage in 2026

Your storage job determines the alternative

Dropbox Basic includes 2GB of storage. MEGA lists 20GB and client-side encryption, while a Google Account includes up to 15GB shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. OneDrive includes 5GB and integrates with Windows, and Proton Drive starts free accounts at 2GB, rising to 5GB after a three-task setup checklist, with end-to-end encryption. The official plan links beside each product below support those current limits, and the free cloud storage comparison adds iCloud to the list.

Before picking by storage size alone, separate three different jobs: sync keeps a folder identical across devices; storage parks files in the cloud; backup keeps multiple historical copies you can restore from after a mistake or ransomware event. Every tool below handles sync and storage well: none of them are real backup tools. If you delete a file locally and it syncs, the cloud copy is gone too.

A 2 GB sync folder fills quickly

Dropbox’s desktop client keeps a familiar sync folder across devices, but the Basic plan’s 2GB allowance leaves little room for photos or active media projects. Referral bonuses may expand an individual account, but they are not part of the base allowance and should not drive a comparison.

Dropbox still handles desktop sync, shareable links, and version history well, so the alternatives below trade Dropbox’s familiar client for more space, stronger privacy, or closer ties to an office suite.

How we checked these free plans

For this September 2026 check, we created new free accounts on MEGA, Google Drive, Proton Drive, and Box, and used an existing free Microsoft account for OneDrive, which gets the same 5GB allowance. We recorded the storage each account reported, installed the desktop sync clients, and tried uploading a 357.5MB file to Box to confirm its file-size cap. The screenshots below show what each account displayed at the time; they do not measure sync speed or transfer performance, and free allowances can change after publication.

Five alternatives to Dropbox Basic

1. MEGA: best for maximum free storage and privacy

MEGA gives the largest free allowance here. The New Zealand service’s plan comparison lists 20GB on the free plan, and its security overview describes client-side, user-controlled encryption. Desktop clients are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with mobile and browser access as well.

Free accounts can share files and folders by link, but the extra link controls are paid. When we opened a link’s settings, the expiry date and password options were both marked Pro only; the free account could still send the decryption key separately from the link.

Free accounts use a variable transfer quota, so MEGA is less predictable for public download links or repeated movement of large media files. It fits personal sync and encrypted storage better than a distribution workflow. Encryption also does not remove the need for a strong password and recovery-key backup; losing both can make the account unrecoverable.

2. Google Drive: best for productivity and collaboration

Every Google Account gets up to 15GB shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. A Google account created since March 9, 2026 is held at 5GB until its phone number is verified.

Google Drive competes less on raw storage than on what comes with the account. That shared pool sits beside Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, desktop sync, mobile apps, and search across file contents. Pick it when shared documents matter more than encrypted storage. Docs, Sheets, and Slides are compared with LibreOffice and OnlyOffice in the free Microsoft Office alternatives guide.

Drive search also matches text inside documents. When we searched our new account for a phrase from a test document’s body, Drive returned that document.

We also installed Google Drive for desktop. After it uploaded a 345KB test document, the app reported the folder as up to date.

The tradeoffs sit on the privacy and accounting side. Drive does not provide personal end-to-end encryption for ordinary files, and the shared storage pool means an established inbox or photo library can leave much less than 15GB for Drive.

It suits anyone already using Gmail, since the storage pool is shared anyway, and teams that collaborate in documents more than they sync raw files.

Check the account’s storage dashboard before migrating. Gmail, Google Photos, and Drive all draw from the same pool, so the usable space depends on what is already stored there.

Try Google Drive Free (opens in a new tab)

3. OneDrive: best for Windows users who want zero-setup sync

OneDrive’s main advantage is that it ships with supported Windows versions. Its free plan currently lists 5GB, and Microsoft’s storage FAQ says that same allowance also holds Outlook.com attachments.

It integrates with File Explorer on many Windows installations, although it can be removed, disabled, or absent on a managed device. Signing in with a Microsoft account can activate the 5GB sync folder. You also get iOS and Android apps, web access through Microsoft 365 for the web, shareable links, and version history. The workflow is familiar to Dropbox users, but selective sync and organization differ.

OneDrive Free provides 5GB, compared with Google Drive’s maximum of 15GB and MEGA’s 20GB. Full desktop Office apps and advanced collaboration controls require a paid Microsoft 365 plan. OneDrive offers more room than Dropbox Basic, but a collection that is already growing past 2GB may soon outgrow 5GB as well, especially when Outlook attachments draw from the same allowance.

The zero-setup advantage makes most sense for Windows-first users with a modest file footprint who value not adding another sync client to their machine.

Set up OneDrive Free (opens in a new tab)

4. Proton Drive: best for privacy-first cloud storage

As of September 2026, a new Proton Drive Free account starts with 2GB of end-to-end encrypted storage, which is what our new account showed. Proton’s storage guide adds 3GB, for 5GB in total, when the owner completes three setup tasks within 30 days of sign-up: add a file or folder, create a shareable link, and set up a recovery method. The Drive plan comparison lists that 5GB maximum.

Our new account also opened with a 10-minute countdown. Proton says files uploaded during those first 10 minutes do not count toward the storage quota.

Compared with Dropbox, the main difference is the encryption model rather than capacity. Proton says file contents, filenames, and folder names are end-to-end encrypted. The same account can also access Proton Mail and Proton VPN, although each free product has its own limits.

The tradeoffs are practical. Even after the setup tasks, 5GB is smaller than MEGA, Google Drive, or Box, and Proton’s collaboration tools are narrower than Google Drive’s. Both Proton Drive and MEGA describe end-to-end or client-side encryption, so compare their recovery models, sharing behavior, apps, and legal jurisdictions rather than treating encryption as a unique Proton feature. Keep the account password and any recovery key in a free password manager.

MEGA asks you to export a recovery key. Proton’s sign-up did not continue until we saved a recovery phrase, offered as a PDF download or as copied text.

We installed the Proton Drive app for Windows and set it to sync the Desktop folder. The app reported the folder as synced and showed the same 2GB allowance.

It works best as a privacy-first secondary store rather than a primary sync folder, unless your file footprint fits inside the free allowance.

Try Proton Drive Free (opens in a new tab)

5. Box Free: best for business document workflows

Box offers a 10GB free personal plan with a 250MB upload limit, and its sharing controls are aimed at business documents.

Unlike Dropbox’s consumer-first design, Box sits between consumer and enterprise cloud storage. The 10GB free tier is generous for document-heavy workflows, and the integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace mean you can open and edit files in their native applications directly from Box. Web access, desktop sync, iOS and Android apps, link-based sharing, and limited e-signature integration are all included.

The hard constraint is the 250MB maximum file size per upload, which rules Box out for video files, raw photo archives, design files, or any large media library. When we tried uploading a 357.5MB test file, Box refused it with a message that the file exceeds the 250MB limit on the current plan.

Advanced workflows, automation, admin controls, and reporting all sit behind paid Business plans. If your storage is mostly documents and presentations rather than media, that file-size cap is rarely a problem in practice.

It suits small businesses whose storage is mostly contracts, reports, and spreadsheets, and who value Box’s business-oriented sharing controls over consumer convenience.

Try Box Free (opens in a new tab)

Compare storage and privacy

In September 2026, our new accounts reported 20GB on MEGA, 15GB on Google Drive, 2GB on Proton Drive before its setup tasks, and 10GB on Box. Our free Microsoft account reported 5GB, shared between OneDrive and Outlook attachments. Each storage screen appears in that service’s section above.

Checks before moving files to a free plan

Storage numbers do not tell the whole story

Transfer limits, sync behavior, collaboration, and where files land on a device can matter more than the headline capacity. MEGA’s variable transfer quota and Proton Drive’s smaller allowance suit different jobs.

Sync is not a backup by itself

If you delete or overwrite a file and that change syncs, the cloud copy changes too. Recovery windows vary by provider and plan, so check the current retention policy before relying on it. A dedicated backup tool, compared in the free backup software guide, keeps independent copies according to a defined schedule and retention policy.

Test the desktop client before migrating

Web interfaces can look similar while selective sync, conflict handling, and operating-system support differ. Test a representative folder and conflict before moving the only working copy.

When Dropbox’s paid plan makes sense

Dropbox’s paid tiers make sense for teams that already depend on its sync client, Paper, or online-only file access. That continuity can be worth paying for when a migration would disrupt shared folders. On the free tier, the 2GB cap remains the deciding weakness.

Dropbox Plus costs $9.99 a month billed yearly for 2TB. The nearest tier from each alternative, from the pricing pages in September 2026:

MEGA’s Pro I gives the most space for the money, while Microsoft 365 Personal matches Dropbox’s price with less storage but adds Word and Excel. Dropbox Standard, at $15 per user a month, is the step for teams. Box shows its prices in US dollars, and tax is added according to the buyer’s country.

When paid cloud storage is worth it

Stay on a free tier while your files, sync requirements, and version-history window fit inside it. Paying starts to make sense when you split files between services to avoid a cap or lose an edit after the recovery window expires.

Free tiers are sufficient until you either run out of space consistently, need team admin controls, or want guaranteed uptime SLAs. At that point, compare the current paid pricing directly rather than relying on old roundups; storage providers change regional prices, bundles, and promotional terms often. For teams that want the privacy of MEGA with full device backup and version history, the paid tier is the next step from the free 20GB.

Sign-up offers can make the first month look cheaper than the renewal. Proton offered our new account 200GB of Drive Plus for US$1 for the first month, with renewal at US$4.99.

Choose space, collaboration, or encryption

Rank space, collaboration, and privacy before choosing, because each service here leads on a different one. For space, MEGA’s 20GB comes with a variable transfer quota. For collaboration, Google Drive puts Docs beside the files, and OneDrive is already in File Explorer on Windows. For privacy, Proton Drive and MEGA both encrypt on the device, and the recovery key is the part to protect. Dropbox Free is hardest to justify when storage is the main requirement; its 2GB allowance is the smallest in this comparison.