Think Outside The Dropbox: Better Alternatives For Small Teams

Large organizations often use Dropbox when they need many Terabytes of storage saved for their users. Dropbox Plus is only 10$/user/month and gives 2 TB of storage, while their standard package is $12.50/user/month for 5 TB of file storage. The advanced Dropbox account package is $20/user/month for unlimited encrypted storage within the Dropbox folder. While this much storage space makes sense for larger companies, it may not make much sense from both a pricing and workflow perspective for smaller teams who only occasionally upload significantly smaller files. Luckily, a host of cloud storage services out there can work great for smaller groups if Dropbox is not suitable for you.

Is Dropbox Suitable for Small Teams?

For smaller teams that only need modest file sharing between clients and team members, consider looking at the technology you already have! So many programs have free built-in file sharing and backups capabilities. For example, if your company uses Amazon Prime, you already have unlimited photo storage and 5 GB of video backup, excellent for photography teams. The Amazon Drive has a desktop application similar to the Dropbox desktop app as well. Microsoft Office 365 also comes with OneDrive, another option that provides 1 TB and features creating links and folder syncing for your computer.

A downside of Dropbox for small companies is that it doesn't have any white-label branding for recipients. While the Dropbox brand is recognizable, many scams are run through fake links imitating large brands like Dropbox. Using an alternative that allows for personal branding helps customers know that their uploads and downloads are secure and private.

Dropbox also, unfortunately, doesn't have robust collaboration tools like many of its more innovative counterparts. While Dropbox Transfer and copying Dropbox links with expiration dates are great for getting documents to teammates and clients, their collaboration tool Dropbox Paper is pretty basic. With the Paper feature, you create a document that becomes collaborative, where you can edit, tag users with permissions, add tables, videos, and images, or pin comments. Unfortunately, this function has to be accessed through your browser or in the mobile app for both Android and iOS and has far fewer features than its competitors.

Dropbox Alternatives for Small Teams

Dropbox may not be the best for small teams with its limited functionality. The pricing doesn't always make sense for smaller groups that don't need massive amounts of storage. The features don't always meet the needs of companies who need to organize files in a structure other than a traditional file repository. Luckily, there are alternatives that your team can consider.

Google Drive

Many companies already know the Google suite, including Google Docs and Google Drive, making this a no-brainer pick for companies looking for a solution with no additional cost. Google Suite is ubiquitous, accessible from mobile devices, and has easy-to-copy link sharing for co-workers or clients. The share button provides a handful of accessible permissions options for sensitive data, making both you and your clients feel safe. Google Drive comes with 15 GB free, and you can upgrade to 100 GB for only $1.99 a month!

If you want a more professional option, Google Workplace has recently replaced Google's Suite for Business options, giving you full access to Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, and the rest of the Google Suite. The Google Workplace Bundle starts at $6/user/month and gives your team features like 30 GB of storage with custom business email thrown in.

AssetSpot

Is your team looking for a way to share and protect finished assets and collateral? AssetSpot isn't a traditional direct file-sharing software. Still, it helps you securely share your digital assets while also creating a space for version control (a notorious problem known amongst Dropbox users), document categorization, and custom field searching. If your manager or head content creator struggles to keep the team's projects organized, secure, and easily accessible, AssetSpot may be an excellent option for your team. You can try AssetSpot for free with 5GB of storage to see if it is a good fit for your company.

Asana

Are you looking for a better way to manage your projects and files related to them? Asana may be a great alternative to a dedicated file-sharing tool for your team. Asana helps you plan out and assign projects, letting you hit your goals on time and easily see where your team may be lagging. On your tasks and subtasks, you can easily attach files to keep things organized and all in one place, helping to get employees the files they need as soon as they need them, solving the problem of that one co-worker who can never seem to find the correct file in the company directory. Asana also allows your team to collaborate on files asynchronously, uploading revisions and comments as they update their to-dos. For tiny teams with basic needs, Asana has a free option with three project views and unlimited projects, tasks, and storage.

Summary

While Dropbox is an excellent solution for many large enterprise companies, there are several alternatives for smaller companies that can provide a handful of other vital tools for them to succeed. The more your company can combine its tools into one product, the more streamlined its workflow. Consider the different needs of your team, and find out what alternative products may prove to be a massive benefit to your tech stack!

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