DropBox Vs Box.Net - Two Online Collaboration and File Sharing Giants Compared

By Manav

Well I wrote a post on Dropbox Giveaway and Features, and via the comments on that post I came to know about Box, a similar kind of service, wanted to try out Box, but unfortunately even the trial for the Box needs a credit card, and I don’t have one, so I could not try it out personally but based on the introduction and information on the homepage of Box, I tried to compare it with Dropbox, so here is the comparison in tabular form.

Features
Restrictions on file type Upload/Share No-restriction No-restriction
Access from anywhere Yes Yes
Collaborate with anyone Yes Yes
Edit documents and photos online No (Editing requires download and upload after editing) Yes
Keep a safe copy / Backup Backup is not available but, a restore facility is there, even if u delete the file by mistake you can restore it back Available
Uploading Normal uploading feature, by browsing the file from storage media. Uploading via E-mail is also available, simply e-mail the file.
Publishing Not available You can host your photos and other files on Box
Multiple file upload Supported, simply drag n drop. Supported, simply drag n drop.
Embeddable code No such facility Provided, can be used for hosting files.
Sharing Limit Right now in Beta, according to proposed plan, after release Beta user will continue to enjoy it for Free, whereas only 1GB of space will be available for Free users, and there will be tiered paid options. 3 Tiered options (Lite, Individual and Business) available, Lite version is free and 14 days trial can be taken, for other versions if you can provide the credit card details
File Size limit As such no file size limit is imposed, but uploading large files is obviously cumbersome, however 2 uploaders are available which make handling of large files a bit smooth.. 10Mb for Lite and 1GB each for Individual and Business.
Custom Branding (Ability to add your logo on pages seen by your sub-users) Not available Available for Business version.

From the above table its quite clear that superiority of one over other depends more upon the kind of user you are, its like basic and general sharing is pretty convenient with Dropbox, whereas very professional kind of requirements can be fulfilled by Box.

The need of credit card details even for trial version of paid options of Box, is heart breaking, I think the Box team should give it a thought.

So which one of these meets your needs, which one do you like, feel free to Share your thoughts


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About The Author of this article:
Manav is one of the co-author of this blog and writes on various interesting softwares, PC tips and more. You can read more of his articles here.

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  • 6 Comments and Link-Backs to “DropBox Vs Box.Net - Two Online Collaboration and File Sharing Giants Compared

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    5 Comments from Friends and Readers

    • Kendra, June 10, 2008:

      Hi Manav-

      Kendra from Box.net here- nice post…I just wanted to make sure you saw that there is a free option that does not require a credit card number.

      When you are on http://www.box.net, click on the ‘Create your Box’ drop-down and select ‘Lite’. You will be asked for your Name, Email address and a password.

      Please let me know if you have any trouble, I am happy to help with any questions you might have.

      Take good care,

      Kendra
      kendra@box.net
      http://blog.box.net

    • Joel, June 10, 2008:

      I dont understand why people just leave out live mesh in the comparison. I have tried both of these as well as live mesh and I am using only live mesh now on the daily basis.
      Not everything from Microsoft has to be bad, just like windows live writer.

    • Jennifer, June 10, 2008:

      On the subject of file backup, sharing and storage …

      Online backup is becoming common these days. It is estimated that 70-75% of all PC’s will be connected to online backup services with in the next decade.

      Thousands of online backup companies exist, from one guy operating in his apartment to fortune 500 companies.

      Choosing the best online backup company will be very confusing and difficult. One website I find very helpful in making a decision to pick an online backup company is:

      http://www.BackupReview.info

      This site lists more than 400 online backup companies in its directory and ranks the top 25 on a monthly basis.

    • Jasmine, June 10, 2008:

      I never used box.net. But I’m interested anyway to try it as it is enable user to editing online. Uploading and downloading just for editing is sometimes annoying.

    • Mugo Petersen, July 16, 2008:

      box.net.. 5 GB for 7.95$/mo??? who in their right mind would pay that much for 5GB????

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