Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox all do the same basic job: keep a copy of your files online and sync them to your phone and computers. Where they differ is what they’re tied to. Drive is part of Google’s apps, OneDrive is part of Windows and Microsoft 365, and Dropbox stands on its own.
The short version: pick the one that matches the apps you already use every day.
Free storage and plans at a glance
| Google Drive | OneDrive | Dropbox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 15GB, shared with Gmail and Google Photos | 5GB | 2GB |
| How you pay for more | Google One plans | Standalone storage plan, or Microsoft 365 with 1TB per person | Dropbox Plus and higher plans |
| Built-in office apps | Docs, Sheets, Slides | Word, Excel, PowerPoint (web, or desktop with Microsoft 365) | None of its own; works with Google and Microsoft files |
| Best on | Android, Chromebook, any browser | Windows | Mac, Windows and Linux equally |
Prices change often and differ by country, so check the plan pages linked under Sources before you buy. Free allowances were correct when this guide was updated.
Google Drive: the all-rounder for Google users
If you have a Gmail address, you already have Google Drive. Its 15GB free allowance is the largest of the three, but it’s shared with your Gmail inbox and Google Photos, so a big photo library uses it up quickly.
Good:
- Docs, Sheets and Slides are built on top of Drive and remain the easiest way for several people to edit one file at the same time.
- Search is excellent. It can find words inside PDFs and scanned images, not only file names.
- Paid storage through Google One is shared with up to five family members on the same plan.
Watch out:
- The free 15GB fills up faster than it sounds, because photos and email count against it.
- The desktop app (Google Drive for desktop) is solid, but very large files sync more slowly than with Dropbox.
OneDrive: the natural choice on Windows
OneDrive is built into Windows. Your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders can be backed up to it automatically, and Files On-Demand shows everything in File Explorer without filling your drive, downloading each file only when you open it.
Good:
- The best value is through a Microsoft 365 subscription, which bundles the Office apps with 1TB of OneDrive storage per person. If you’d pay for Office anyway, the storage is effectively included.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint save to OneDrive automatically and let several people edit the same file.
Watch out:
- The free plan is only 5GB.
- It’s less pleasant to use on a Mac or Android phone than on Windows, and its photo features are basic next to Google Photos.
Dropbox: the sync specialist
Dropbox started the whole category and still focuses on doing file sync well. It copies only the changed parts of a file when you save it, which makes it fast with large design, audio and video files, and it behaves the same on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Good:
- The most reliable and fastest sync of the three, especially for big files and big folders.
- Clean, simple apps on every platform, and sharing links work well for people without an account.
Watch out:
- The free plan is just 2GB and is limited to a small number of devices, so it’s realistically a paid service.
- Paid plans usually cost more than Google’s or Microsoft’s for the same space, and there’s no office suite included.
What about iCloud?
If you mainly use an iPhone, iPad and Mac, iCloud Drive is the easiest option because it’s built into all of them. It starts with 5GB free, which most people outgrow quickly once iPhone backups and photos are switched on. It works on Windows through the iCloud app, but it’s at its best inside Apple’s world.
Which one should you choose?
- Students and everyday users, especially on Android or Chromebook: Google Drive. The free space goes furthest, and Docs is the easiest way to collaborate.
- Windows users who use Office: OneDrive with Microsoft 365. You get the apps and 1TB for one subscription.
- Freelancers and creatives who move large files across Mac and Windows: Dropbox. You pay more, but the sync is the best of the three.
- All-Apple households: iCloud, with one of the above for sharing files with people outside Apple’s world.
Whichever you pick, cloud sync isn’t the same as a backup: delete a file on one device and it disappears everywhere. All three keep deleted files for a while (check the recycle bin or “deleted files” view), but keep a separate backup of anything you can’t replace.
