Default Folder X vs Dropover (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dropover grades higher than Default Folder X: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dropover grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Default Folder X
Faster Open and Save dialogs and folder access on the Mac
Dropover
Mac shelf for collecting files before you drop them somewhere
Which one is for you
Pick Default Folder X if
- Fits if you open and save files across many folders every day
- Works for people who want a keyboard shortcut straight to a favorite folder
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want something free, as a $39.95 license is needed after the 30-day trial
- Not for you if you're on Windows, since it's macOS only, on 10.13 through 27 for version 6
- Pricey if a household shares it, because licenses are per user and each person needs one
- Watch out: free updates stop at the next major release, which the vendor says comes every 5 to 7 years; upgrades are paid
Pick Dropover if
- Fits if you move files between many windows and apps on a Mac
- Works for people who upload a file and share the link regularly
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use Windows or a phone, since it is Mac only
- Tight if you stay on the free app: every drop waits 3 seconds after the trial
- Skip it if you buy outside the App Store, as it is sold only there
- Watch out: business license seats are not available yet, though the FAQ says they are planned
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADefault Folder XFair | 2.8GPADropoverGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$39.95 once per user, good on every Mac where you're the sole user, and buying two or more drops it to $34.95 each. That's more than a year of this category's middle subscription but well under two, and updates are free until the next major release, which the vendor says comes every 5 to 7 years. | APro is $7.99 once, an in-app purchase, well under a year of this category's middle subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free version. You can try it free for 30 days with the download from the vendor's site, and the listing doesn't say a card is needed. After that it's the $39.95 license. | BA 14-day full trial, then the free app keeps working with a 3-second wait before each drop onto a shelf. Livable, but slow. |
| Features | COpen and Save dialogs are a narrow corner of the Mac, and Default Folder X covers it: a toolbar in every app's dialogs, menus of recent and favorite folders with shortcuts, a default folder per app, Quick Search, and a drawer under Finder windows. One small job, nothing beyond it. | BShelf, sharing and uploads to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, S3 and Imgur, built-in actions, folder monitoring and shortcuts. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record, but there's nothing to set up: it works inside the Open and Save dialogs you already use, so there's no new app to learn. Clicking a Finder window makes the dialog jump to that folder. | BNo store rating is on record, but you install it, shake and drag, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, one operating system. Version 6 runs on macOS 10.13 through 27, and macOS 10.10 to 10.12 need the older version 5.6.6. It works with the Finder, iCloud and AppleScript, and it's on Setapp. | DMac only, macOS 13.0 or later, sold through the Mac App Store alone. No Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | faster Open and Save dialogs on a Mac | gathering files on a shelf while dragging on a Mac |
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: Default Folder X and Dropover. How we grade
Where they differ
- Dropover also covers workflow automation and file sharing.
At a glance
| Default Folder X | Dropover | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.95 one-time purchase (single-user license) | $7.99 one-time (Dropover Pro) |
| Free plan | None | Free download with a 14-day full trial; after it, the app keeps working with a 3-second wait before you can drop onto a shelf. |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days with the download from the vendor's site | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | St. Clair Software | Tappable Software |
| Price read from | stclairsoft.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Default Folder X
- macOS only: version 6 runs on macOS 10.13 through 27, and macOS 10.10 to 10.12 need the older version 5.6.6.
- There is no free version; after the 30-day trial a $39.95 license is required.
- A license covers updates until the next major release, which the vendor says typically comes every 5 to 7 years; upgrades after that are paid.
- Licenses are per user, not per computer, so each additional person needs a license of their own.
Dropover
- Mac only, and sold exclusively through the Mac App Store; the App Store listing states macOS 13.0 or later.
- Business license seats are not available yet; the FAQ says they are planned.
- Without the Pro purchase, every drop onto a shelf waits 3 seconds once the 14-day trial ends.
Key features
Default Folder X
- Enhanced Open and Save dialogs
- Adds a toolbar to file dialogs in every app, with hierarchical menus that expand as the mouse moves over folders and a larger field for typing file names.
- Recent and favorite folders
- Remembers recently used files and folders, re-selects the last file opened, and gives favorite folders their own configurable keyboard shortcuts.
- Click a Finder window
- With a file dialog open, clicking any Finder window makes the dialog jump to that folder, so a file can be opened from or saved to it in one click.
- Quick Search
- Command-Shift-Space opens a search window: typing a few letters of a file, folder or application name brings up recently used items to open in a dialog or the Finder.
- Default folders per application
- A default folder can be set for each application so its dialogs start in the right place, and the app can remember a folder you save into repeatedly.
- Finder drawer and menu bar drop target
- Items can be parked in a drawer below a Finder window, or dragged to the menu bar icon and moved straight to a folder chosen from its menus.
Dropover
- Shake-to-open shelf
- Shake the pointer mid-drag to open a shelf, then drop in files, folders, links, text snippets or web images and move them all in one pass.
- Share and upload
- Send shelf items through Mail, Messages, AirDrop or the Share menu, or upload to Dropover Cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, S3 or Imgur.
- Built-in actions
- Resize images, extract text and create ZIP archives from the shelf, or build custom actions and run scripts with AppleScript, Automator or UNIX tools.
- Folder monitoring
- Watch a folder such as Downloads and show a shelf automatically when new files arrive; new screenshots can also open a shelf.
- Shelf management
- Name and color-code shelves, pin them in the menu bar, reopen up to 10 recently closed shelves and preview files with Quick Look.
- Shortcuts and launchers
- Works with Siri Shortcuts, desktop widgets and the Alfred and Raycast extensions, and supports a customizable global shortcut.
Plans
Default Folder X
Single-user license$39.95
one-time purchase per user
One license per person, usable on every Mac where that person is the sole user. Updates are free until the next major release.
2+ licenses$34.95
one-time purchase per user, when buying 2 or more
Lower per-license price when two or more single-user licenses are bought together.
Dropover
Free$0
Works after the 14-day trial ends, with a 3-second wait before interacting with the shelf.
Dropover Pro$7.99
one-time in-app purchase
Removes the 3-second wait. Restorable on other Macs signed in to the same iCloud account.
Ways to pay less
Default Folder X
- Other savings
$34.95 each for 2 or more licenses
The product page prices a single-user license at $39.95 and drops the price to $34.95 per license when two or more are bought.
- Education
Educational discounts
The product page links to educational discounts, which are sold through the Student App Centre store. The amount is not shown on the vendor's page.
- Other savings
Upgrade pricing for earlier licenses
Version 6 is free for licenses bought on or after March 1, 2023, $9.95 for those bought from September 1, 2022, and $19.95 for older ones.
Dropover
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Default Folder X or Dropover?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Default Folder X starts at $39.95 one-time purchase (single-user license), and Dropover starts at $7.99 one-time (Dropover Pro).
Which has a free plan, Default Folder X or Dropover?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dropover has a free plan. Default Folder X does not, though it has a free trial.
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.