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Google Drive and Dropbox seem like direct replacements for each other, but as similar as they are, there are important differences that can make one or the other more useful depending on your needs.
In fact, there are organizations that use both in tandem.
A quick rundown of their differences:
- Price - Google Drive is significantly cheaper
- Integrations - Both have plenty of integrations, but Google Drive is part of Google Workspace which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets.
- Storage limitations - Dropbox works better with larger files allowing for faster and more frequent uploads.
- Video - Dropbox supports more file types and allows for streaming videos without downloading them.
Should you use both Google Drive and Dropbox?
So why would you use both cloud storage platforms if they’re similar?
Here are a few reasons why you’d use both Google Drive and Dropbox:
Save money. Both platforms give you free storage, so you can take advantage of the free space by saving some files in each.
Different use cases. A lot of people use Google Workspace, which comes with Google Drive, and save their organization’s files there while using Dropbox with its expiring password feature (among others) for files shared externally, like with clients.
Business docs vs creatives. Google Drive has built-in tools for business collaboration such as Slides, Sheets and Docs. Dropbox handles large files and video better which makes it a good choice for storing videos and images.
The problem with using Dropbox alongside Google Drive
Many people use both platforms for these reasons, but they’re are drawbacks:
- It’s very hard to stay organized since you have files in two different platforms and will need to switch back and forth.
- Sharing is a hassle. Two platforms means you can’t share a single folder with anyone and will need to send separate links to files and folders without a centralized view. This will make it very hard to work with co-workers and clients.
We’ll show you two ways to combine both Google Drive and Dropbox:
There are two ways to integrate Dropbox with Google Drive that will allow you to see all of your files in one place.
The first way is through Dropbox’s official integration, which is more like a workaround. The other way is by using Neatly to aggregate all of the files in one place for easy organizing and sharing.
How to add Google Drive files to Dropbox
Dropbox option #1: Creating new Google files
Dropbox no longer offers a native integration with Google Drive, but they do allow you to save shortcuts to Google Drive files.
You can connect your Google Drive account with Dropbox from within your Dropbox account. Then you can create Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides from within Dropbox.
This will save a shortcut to the Google file inside whichever Dropbox folder you want.
Drawbacks
- No native Google Drive sharing and access controls - you’ll need to use Dropbox’s
- Shortcuts are only for file created through the Dropbox UI, not for files already created in Google Drive
Dropbox option #2: Adding existing Google Drive files
The other option is to copy Google Drive files into Dropbox. This means the entire file will be uploaded to Dropbox.
Simply use Dropbox’s UI to connect your Google Drive account, select the files you want, and import them into a Dropbox folder.
Drawbacks
- Creates duplicate files in both platforms
- Uses storage space in both platforms
There is no way to add Dropbox files to Google Drive unless you want to download them from Dropbox and upload them to Google Drive.
A better way to share files, documents and slides Google Drive and Dropbox
You can use Neatly to integrate Dropbox and Google Drive since Neatly is a digital asset manager specifically made for Google Drive users.
This option doesn’t require duplicating files and allows you to organize and share both Google Drive and Dropbox files in one place.
How to use Neatly to view all of your Google Drive and Dropbox files in one place
Connecting Neatly with Google Drive only takes a click which happens during the signup process.
Once you sign up, you can start adding Google Drive and Dropbox files.
Syncing entire Google Drive folders into Neatly.
Bulk uploading specific Google Drive files or choosing from your latest created files in the File Feed.
Creating Google files like Google Docs, Slides and Sheets directly in Neatly.
Finally, Neatly lets you paste links as well, so you can add links to web pages (like a report in your CRM), shareable links from other platforms like Dropbox, etc.
Why you should use Neatly to connect Google Drive and Dropbox
- Native integration with Google Drive.
- Save files wherever you want and still view them all in one place.
- You get a cleaner and easier interface to work with that’s designed for how you work.
- Users see only relevant files using Neatly’s access controls.
- Users get notifications when new, relevant files are added.
- The ability to paste links into Neatly makes it cross-platform. You can save files for Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, bookmarks, and more all together for easier organization and sharing.
- Neatly also includes project management tools.
- Neatly saves you money. Dropbox costs $15-24/mo. per user, much more than a Neatly user.
Want to try Neatly? Sign up for free.