Box vs Files.com (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Box grades higher than Files.com: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Box grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Box
Business content storage with e-signatures, workflows and AI
Files.com
Cloud SFTP, managed file transfer and automation platform
Which one is for you
Pick Box if
- Fits if your company wants unlimited storage priced per user, from 3 users up
- Works for teams that send contracts for signature from where they're stored, or plug files into Microsoft 365, Salesforce or Slack
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're one person wanting more space, as every paid plan priced here needs at least 3 users
- Pricey if you want the unlimited storage and the AI, which start at $15 a user against a $5 category middle
- Not for you if you're on Linux, since Box Drive is Mac and Windows only
- Tight if you stay free: 10 GB, no file over 250 MB, 1 version kept and 5 signature requests a month
- Watch out: uploads cap at 2 GB on Starter and 5 GB on Business, and Enterprise Plus is billed yearly only
Pick Files.com if
- Fits if your job is moving files between partners over SFTP
- Works for an IT team that needs automations and an audit trail
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you just want storage: $199 a month is the starting point
- Tight if you need SSO or a custom domain, as those start on Power at $499
- Watch out: extra users cost $12 each and storage $100 per TB a month
- Watch out: usage is metered, with 1 or 2 TB of monthly storage and transfer included before overage
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABoxGood | 2.0GPAFiles.comFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStorage in this category has a middle price of $5 a month, and the dearest tenth starts at $9.99. Box's entry plan is $5 a user but needs 3 users, so $15 a month minimum for 100 GB. The parts people actually come for, unlimited storage, Box AI and unlimited signing, start at $15 a user. | D$199 a month is well above the category's $16.50 dearest-tenth line, though this is a managed file transfer platform, not personal storage. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for one person with 10 GB, which sounds fine until you read the caps: no file over 250 MB, 1 version kept of anything you edit, 5 signature requests a month. A phone video can breach that upload limit. | C7 days free with no credit card, and no free plan after it. |
| Features | BStorage and sharing, plus Box Sign for e-signatures, workflow automation and Box AI, with Box Drive opening files on a Mac or PC without filling the disk. The listing's own upload ceilings, 250 MB free and 2 GB on Starter, keep it off an A. | CSFTP, FTP, automation and a web interface, but SSO, a custom domain and the on-premise agent need Power, and the SLA and HIPAA BAA need Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 191,000 App Store ratings. On a computer, Box Drive puts your Box files in Finder or Explorer, so there's nothing new to learn. | CNo store rating on record, with connections, users and automations to configure. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and Box counts more than 1,500 connected apps, Microsoft 365, Salesforce and Slack among them, with API call allowances on the paid plans. No Linux app, mind. | BWeb only, with an API and 2 integrations listed. |
| Best for | company files with signing and workflows built in | IT teams moving files over SFTP with automation |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Box and Files.com. How we grade
Price against what you get
Box starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Files.com starts at $174.92 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Box scores higher and starts $169.92 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, none scores higher than Box for less, and 22 score higher than Files.com for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Box also covers file sync.
At a glance
| Box | Files.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 per user / month, billed annually (minimum 3 users) | $199 per month, or $2,099 per year |
| Free plan | Individual plan: one user, 10 GB of storage, a 250 MB file upload limit, 1 file version and 5 Box Sign requests per month. | None |
| Free trial | Free trial offered on Business Starter, Business, Business Plus, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus | 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Box, Inc. | Files.com |
| Price read from | peony.ink (not the vendor's own page) | files.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Box
- Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users.
- File upload size is capped by plan: 250 MB on the free plan, 2 GB on Business Starter, 5 GB on Business and 15 GB on Business Plus.
- Enterprise Plus is sold on annual billing only, and Enterprise Advanced is priced through sales.
- The downloads page lists Box Drive for Mac and Windows only, with no Linux app.
Files.com
- Entry pricing starts at $199 a month, which is above typical consumer cloud storage plans.
- Extra users, connections and storage cost extra, such as $12 per full user and $100 per TB a month.
- SSO, a custom domain and the on-premise agent need Power; the SLA and HIPAA BAA need Enterprise.
- Usage is metered: 1 TB or 2 TB of monthly storage plus transfer is included before overage.
Key features
Box
- Box Drive
- A desktop app for Mac and Windows that opens Box files from the computer without taking up much local disk space.
- Box Sign
- E-signatures are built in: 5 signature requests a month on the free plan, 10 on Business Starter, and unlimited from the Business plan up.
- Box AI
- Box AI is included from the Business plan. Enterprise adds 1,000 AI Units a month and Box Hubs, and Enterprise Plus raises the allowance to 2,000.
- External collaboration
- The Business plan charges for each external collaborator, while Business Plus and the Enterprise plans allow an unlimited number.
- File version history
- The free Individual plan keeps 1 version of each file, Personal Pro keeps 10 and Business Starter keeps 25.
- Integrations and API
- Box lists more than 1,500 apps and AI agents that connect to it, and paid business plans include a monthly allowance of API calls.
Files.com
- SFTP, FTP and WebDAV
- Hosted inbound and outbound endpoints for SFTP, FTP and WebDAV, with an API, CLI and SDKs for scripting.
- Automations and sync flows
- No-code flows move files on a schedule or on a trigger such as an inbound file, email or webhook.
- Share links and inboxes
- Share files with access-controlled links, or collect files from others through inboxes by email or web.
- Web, mobile and desktop apps
- Includes collaborative document editing and preview, plus a desktop drive for file-server replacement.
- Access and security controls
- Role-based access, 2FA, IP allowlisting and password policies on every plan; SSO from Power and SIEM integration at Enterprise.
- Regions and compliance
- Starter stores in one region and Power in one or two. Enterprise uses up to eight, with a HIPAA BAA, DORA addendum and SLA.
Plans
Box
Individual$0
Single user with 10 GB of storage, a 250 MB file upload limit and 5 Box Sign signature requests per month.
Business Starter$5
per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
Minimum of 3 users: 100 GB of storage, 2 GB file uploads, 25 file versions and 10 Box Sign requests per month.
Business$15
per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Minimum of 3 users: unlimited storage, 5 GB file uploads, Box AI, unlimited e-signatures and 50,000 API calls per month.
Business Plus$25
per user / month, billed annually ($33 billed monthly)
Minimum of 3 users: unlimited storage, 15 GB file uploads and unlimited external collaborators.
Enterprise$35
per user / month, billed annually ($47 billed monthly)
Minimum of 3 users: 50 GB file uploads, 1,000 AI Units per month, Box Hubs and 100,000 API calls per month.
Enterprise Plus$50
per user / month, annual billing only
Minimum of 3 users: 150 GB file uploads, 2,000 AI Units per month and support with 24-hour coverage.
Files.com
Starter$199
per month, or $2,099 per year
10 full users, 50 system users, 2 outbound connections and 1 TB of monthly storage plus transfer.
Power$499
per month, or $5,269 per year
20 full users, 100 system users, 5 outbound connections, 2 TB, SSO, on-premise agent, AS2 and GPG.
EnterpriseCustom
Quoted from $10k a year: SLA, HIPAA BAA, multi-region storage and full onboarding.
Ways to pay less
Box
- Annual discount
About 25% lower with annual billing
Box's pricing page has a monthly or annual toggle that advertises a saving for paying annually. The listed prices put Business at $15 per user annually against $20 monthly.
Files.com
- Annual discount
12% off with annual billing
The pricing page says annual billing saves 12%, and two- and three-year terms carry volume pricing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Box or Files.com?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Box starts at $5 per user / month, billed annually (minimum 3 users), and Files.com starts at $199 per month, or $2,099 per year. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Box or Files.com?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Box has a free plan. Files.com does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Box and Files.com run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Box lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.