Dropbox vs Google Drive vs OneDrive vs pCloud
Four consumer cloud-storage providers with very different free tiers — the brand-name original with the smallest free 2 GB, the most generous 15 GB free tier bundled with Docs collaboration, the Windows + Office default with 5 GB free, and a privacy-focused Swiss specialist with up to 10 GB free and one-time lifetime plans — compared on free storage, devices, sync, egress, encryption, and pricing.
| Dropbox | Google Drive | OneDrive | pCloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier note | The original consumer cloud-storage + file-sync name — Dropbox Basic gives 2 GB of free storage with cross-device syncing, file sharing, and a polished app on every platform. The old 3-device sync limit was lifted in 2025, so Basic now syncs unlimited devices. Paid Plus from ~$9.99/mo for 2 TB; the deep third-party-app integration ecosystem is Dropbox’s real moat. | The most generous free cloud-storage tier of the big four — Google Drive gives 15 GB free per Google account, shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos, with built-in Google Docs/Sheets/Slides collaboration, real-time co-editing, and sharing links. Paid Google One from ~$1.99/mo (100 GB), ~$2.99/mo (200 GB), or ~$9.99/mo (2 TB) shared with the family. No real desktop sync app, but the web + mobile apps are best-in-class. | Microsoft’s cloud storage, tightly bundled with Windows + Office — OneDrive Basic gives 5 GB free per Microsoft account with cross-device sync, Personal Vault for sensitive files, and deep Windows/Office integration. Paid standalone 100 GB from ~$1.99/mo, or Microsoft 365 Personal from ~$6.99/mo for 1 TB + the Office desktop apps. The natural pick if you already live in Windows + Office. | The privacy-focused Swiss cloud-storage specialist — pCloud gives up to 10 GB free (2 GB on signup + bonus tasks) with cross-platform sync, file sharing, and built-in file versioning, plus optional client-side encrypted pCloud Crypto folders. Uniquely offers one-time lifetime plans (e.g. 2 TB lifetime) instead of monthly billing, and unmetered download bandwidth with no per-GB egress. Paid Premium from ~$4.99/mo (500 GB) or lifetime pricing. |
| Bandwidth | included | included | included | included |
| Builds | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Requests | 2 GB storage free forever | 15 GB storage free forever (shared with Gmail + Google Photos) | 5 GB storage free forever | up to 10 GB storage free forever |
| Custom domains | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Paid from | $10/mo | $2/mo | $2/mo | $5/mo |
| Generosity ★ | 29 | 37 | 37 | 34 |
| Last verified | 2025-09-01 | 2025-09-01 | 2025-09-01 | 2025-09-01 |
| Visit site | Dropbox ↗ | Google Drive ↗ | OneDrive ↗ | pCloud ↗ |
Data verified 2025-09-01.