Dropbox

KEEP IT

The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying.

File sync and sharing: a folder that stays identical across machines, with version history, shared folders and links, and clients on every platform.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Do not write a sync engine. Set me up with an existing one over storage I control.

WHAT TO SET UP
- Syncthing for device-to-device sync, or rclone with a scheduled job against S3-compatible storage
- Pick one and document why; do not run both over the same folder

WHY NOT BUILD IT, IN THE README
- Conflict resolution, partial writes, case-insensitive filesystems and interrupted transfers are where sync engines are won or lost
- A wrong merge silently destroys data, and you will not notice for weeks

THE SETUP
- One folder per purpose, never one giant folder
- Ignore patterns for build artefacts and caches, checked in with the config
- Conflict files kept, never auto-resolved, and a weekly job that lists them

VERSIONING
- File versioning enabled with staggered retention: hourly for a day, daily for a month, weekly for a year
- Versions stored on a machine that is not the one you edit on

BACKUP IS NOT SYNC, AND THIS IS THE POINT
- Sync propagates deletion; backup does not
- A separate append-only backup to object storage with versioning and a lifecycle rule, plus a restore test on a schedule

SHARING
- A small signed-link service in front of the object storage, with expiry and download counts

Include a runbook for a conflicted folder, a deleted-everywhere file, and a full restore.

What you lose

A sync engine that handles conflicts, partial writes and interrupted transfers correctly on three operating systems
Block-level delta sync, so changing one page of a large file does not re-upload it
Version history and rewind across a whole folder after a mistake or ransomware
Sharing links with permissions that non-technical people can use
Storage durability that is somebody else’s problem

If you would rather not build

pCloud — paid, one-off lifetime pricing

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Syncthing

Continuous file sync between your own devices, with no server in the middle.

syncthing/syncthingfree · open source

Nextcloud

Self-hosted file sync and sharing with clients on every platform.

nextcloud/serverfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

20/100

Verdict no at 20: this is one of the few places where "do not build it" is the whole answer. Syncthing and rclone are excellent, and the prompt spends its length on the distinction people get wrong — sync is not backup, and confusing them is how folders disappear.

History

tracked since 9 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about Dropbox

answered from the record above

Is Dropbox free?

No — the plan we track is $11.99 a month. Plus at $11.99/month billed monthly, around $9.99 annually, for 2TB; team plans are per user with more storage.

Can you replace Dropbox by building your own?

KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 20 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Dropbox cost?

$11.99 a month on Plus — $143.88 a year. Recorded 9 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Dropbox?

A sync engine that handles conflicts, partial writes and interrupted transfers correctly on three operating systems; Block-level delta sync, so changing one page of a large file does not re-upload it; Version history and rewind across a whole folder after a mistake or ransomware; Sharing links with permissions that non-technical people can use; Storage durability that is somebody else’s problem. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Dropbox?

Yes: Syncthing, Nextcloud. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

Related entries

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