The Battle Between Copy, Dropbox and Drive!
At Esotech we’re early adopters and generally at the forefront of new technologies. As cloud based file sharing emerged we were using Dropbox, Google Drive, and now Copy as soon as they were available. We still use all three so we can share files with clients on the platform they prefer, but yes, we do have a favorite and we will share that with you later.
We learned a lot about Dropbox, Drive and Copy, all three work well, and in fact it is tough to choose one; so we created this comparison guide to help you decide which is best for you. Below the table we discuss each and at the very end we share our favorites and why we love them.
Now, if we were to put them head to head to head, who would win? Would it be the rookie, Copy? The faithful and trusted Dropbox? Or the popular Google Drive? Let’s find out…
Dropbox, Google Drive and Copy Cloud File Sharing Comparison
|
|
Copy |
Dropbox |
Google Drive |
|
Free Storage at Sign Up |
15GB |
2GB |
15GB for Drive, G+ and Gmail |
|
Additional free storage after sharing |
5GB each referral, no limit! |
125MB connecting to social media.
500MB referring to another person, max 16 GB |
0GB Gimme a break Google! |
|
Paid Storage Space |
250GB for $10/mo 500GB for 14.99/mo
|
100GB for $9.99/mo. 500GB for $49.99/mo. |
25GB for $2.49/mo.
100GB for $4.99/mo.
16TB for $799/mo. |
|
Available on Mobile? |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Audio Player? |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Edit Online or within app? |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Suite of apps within the storage cloud? |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Works with Google Docs |
No |
No |
Of course |
|
Shared Storage Policy |
Spread among shared |
Equal among shared |
Owner of Files / Folder |
About Dropbox
Dropbox was launched in 2008 and pioneered cloud based file sharing and was an instant hit with their social media campaign offering free additional storage for sharing on Twitter and Facebook and referrals to friends. Dropbox was a first of its kind simple solution for sharing files between peers via the cloud and offered a simple interface for sharing folders and files with a reliable sync/update.
Upon signup you are given free 2GB storage. This may seem like a lot to some people, but for others, it doesn’t even hold half of their precious photos of their poodle Fluffy. Because of this, Dropbox has put together different packages to purchase, for more cloud space. Also, when connecting your Twitter or Facebook you are then given more free storage. (Refer to table.)
Dropbox
Dropbox is available to access via web and download on platforms such as Windows, Mac & Linux. To download, visit Dropbox.com. You can also download the Dropbox app on iOS, Android and Blackberry systems.
One thing to appreciate about Dropbox is it’s user interface. It is very simple to use, easy to understand and clean.
When sharing files, Dropbox shares by the folder. Say you are interested in sharing photos that you and your family took over the weekend. You would set up a folder to be shared and share it between accounts. You then can drag and drop the photos you would like to share into this folder and wa-la, it will appear in the other person’s dropbox cloud storage as well, where they can access it, download it, do whatever they would like with it.
Google Drive
The success of Dropbox inspired Google to develop Drive which was also a hit since it is immediately available to all gmail users, works with Google Docs and offers more free storage.
Google Drive sets itself apart by offering more than just a cloud storage! It provides you with easy to access suite of apps including Docs, Spreadsheets, PicMonkey for editing images, and DocuSign for collecting and sharing signatures. Now while all of these are great features and certainly used by us, they can only be accessed while connected to the internet.
Google Drive supports 30 different file formats. This is great due to the minor lack of file formats Dropbox and Copy can support. What else is nice about this is you can edit online with Google Drive. Dropbox nor Copy offers that. You would have to download the item first, then edit with your own software built on your computer or smartphone.
When sharing on Google Drive you are given the ability to share a specific file with another user and can classify what exactly this user can do between either just viewing it, or being able to edit it as well.
Copy
Copy is the new kid on the block and with Dropbox and Drive very well established they and no user base to start with as Google did, they had to step up in a big way to make it worthwhile for users to switch over, try it, and most importantly share it (social referrals).
We have been satisfied users of both Dropbox and Google Drive, but Copy got our attention with their aggressive social sharing offer (5GB free storage with each referral!) and the 5 GB of free storage to start with so we gave it a try.
Upon signing up with Copy, you have 5 GB of free storage. Like Dropbox, you will be given more space when you share your specific link and have others join. For each person who signs up, you will be given an extra 5 GB! Not only will you get more storage for having someone sign up with your link, but that person themselves gets an additional 5GB storage! That blows Dropbox and certainly Google Drive right out of the water!
Sharing on Copy is much like Dropbox. In order to share with others, you share an entire folder. What sets Copy apart, however, is say you created the folder. This means that these files are on your storage plan. Whoever you have shared these files with, are not being inconvenienced by your files and in return, it does not take up their personal storage plan. They are still able to access them as if they were their own files, however. MAJOR PLUS!
Ding Ding Ding!
My favorite thing about Dropbox, Copy and Google Drive alike, is the ability to transfer files between my mobile device and the PC. Let’s admit, some of us cell phone users have hundreds of photos, videos, apps and more and just need that extra space. Not only does it free space on our devices, but it also shares it to other devices that we may like these files on.
Overall Dropbox, Copy and Google Drive are all good for their own reasons. It basically sums up into personal preference, and what specifically you need this storage cloud for.
Our favorite? We have settled on Copy as our favorite. Not just for the extra free storage to start with and from referrals, we like the interface better and the way the sharing and sync works.
