Dropbox vs SugarSync (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dropbox grades higher than SugarSync: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dropbox grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. SugarSync grades higher on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dropbox
Cloud storage and file sync with transfer and signing tools
SugarSync
Folder sync and cloud storage with personal and team plans
Which one is for you
Pick Dropbox if
- Fits if you want 2 TB that syncs across Windows, Mac and Linux
- Works for people who send big files to clients, with transfers of up to 50 GB on Plus
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because Basic stops at 2 GB
- Pricey if you only need a few hundred GB, as the smallest paid plan is 2 TB at $9.99 a month, the dear end of this category
- Skip it if you want end-to-end encryption for yourself, since it's on Advanced, which needs 3 people
- Watch out: monthly billing costs more, $11.99 for Plus and $18 a user for Standard
- Watch out: there's no trial of Plus, and reviewers say reaching a real person in support is hard
Pick SugarSync if
- Fits if you want chosen folders synced instead of moving everything into one
- Works for a small team on the 3-user 1 TB business plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as the only free route is a 30-day trial
- Tight if you need lots of space: personal plans stop at 500 GB
- Pricey if you want 500 GB, at $18.95 a month
- Watch out: extra business users are not priced on the page, and a discount sticker has no percentage
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADropboxGood | 2.2GPASugarSyncFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPlus is $9.99 a month billed yearly, and $9.99 is exactly where the dearest tenth of this category begins, against a middle of $5. You do get 2 TB for it, but there's no smaller paid plan, so a person who wants 200 GB pays for 2 TB or stays on 2 GB. | C$7.49 a month for 100 GB, $9.99 for 250 GB and $18.95 for 500 GB, around the middle of file storage, which is $7. No yearly price is shown. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic is free for good and it's 2 GB, which one phone's camera roll will fill. There's no free trial of Plus either; the 30-day trial is on the Standard and Advanced team plans only. | D30-day trial that takes a card; cancel before it ends to avoid the charge. No free plan. |
| Features | BSync across unlimited devices, old versions and deleted files back for 30 days on Plus and a year on Advanced, 50 GB transfers, PDF editing and signing, team folders and an admin console. It misses an A because end-to-end encryption is an Advanced feature needing 3 users. | CSyncs any folder, shares files, remote wipe and encryption. The plans are small against what cloud storage now offers. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 913,000 App Store ratings, and the thing is a folder: drop a file in, it turns up on your other machines. Reviewers do say reaching a real person in support is hard when something goes wrong. | BNo store rating on record. It installs on a computer and syncs the folders you pick. |
| Platforms and integrations | AEverywhere: web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, which is more than most of this category manages. It plugs into Google Workspace, Adobe, Canva and HubSpot, connects to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and has a public API. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. No API or integrations are listed. |
| Best for | one folder that's the same on every computer | syncing any folder across computers and phones |
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: Dropbox and SugarSync. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dropbox starts at $9.99 a month and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SugarSync starts at $7.49 a month and scores 2.7.
Dropbox scores higher, and starts $2.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, none scores higher than Dropbox for less, and 11 score higher than SugarSync 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
- Dropbox also covers documents.
- SugarSync also covers file management.
At a glance
| Dropbox | SugarSync | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month, billed yearly | $7.49 per month (100 GB) |
| Free plan | Basic plan: 2 GB to store and share files. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on the Standard and Advanced team plans | 30-day free trial with all features; cancel before it ends and the card is not charged |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dropbox | IPVanish, Inc. |
| Price read from | dropbox.com | www1.sugarsync.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dropbox
- The free Basic plan includes only 2 GB of storage.
- The cheapest paid plan is Plus at 2 TB for one person; the plans page lists no smaller paid tier.
- End-to-end encryption, single sign-on and audit logs are limited to Advanced, which requires at least 3 users.
- Monthly billing costs more: $11.99 for Plus and $18 per user for Standard, against $9.99 and $15 on yearly billing.
SugarSync
- Pricing is monthly in the figures shown; the page gives no yearly price for personal plans.
- The business plan starts at 3 users and 1 TB; extra users are not priced on the page.
- A limited-time discount sticker appears on the pricing page without a stated percentage.
Key features
Dropbox
- Sync across devices
- Files stay in sync between the desktop apps, the mobile apps and the web, and every paid plan allows an unlimited number of connected devices.
- File recovery and version history
- Deleted files and earlier versions can be restored for 30 days on Plus, 180 days on Standard and 1 year on Advanced.
- Large file transfers
- Send a copy of files by link: up to 50 GB per transfer on Plus and up to 100 GB on Standard and Advanced, where transfers can also be password protected.
- PDF editing and signatures
- Edit, annotate and sign PDFs inside Dropbox. The paid plans list unlimited self-signing and 3 signature requests per month.
- Team folders and admin console
- Standard adds team-owned folders, groups and an admin console. Advanced adds tiered admin roles, audit logs with file event tracking and single sign-on.
- Connections to AI tools
- Dropbox content can be connected to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to find and summarize files and save work back to Dropbox.
SugarSync
- Sync any folder
- Right-click any folder to add it to SugarSync and changes apply across all your devices.
- Sharing
- Share links to files and folders, including view-only files, and manage shared content.
- Remote wipe
- Remove synced files from a lost or stolen PC or Mac while the data stays in the cloud.
- Mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps for access, sharing and automatic video uploads.
- Encryption
- The vendor says files are protected with AES-256.
Plans
Dropbox
Basic$0
2 GB to store and share files.
Plus$9.99
per month, billed yearly ($11.99 billed monthly)
For 1 person: 2 TB of storage, 30 days to restore deleted files and transfers of up to 50 GB.
Standard$15
per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
For 1 person or more: storage starts at 3 TB for the team, 180-day restore, 100 GB transfers, team folders and admin controls.
Advanced$24
per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)
For 3 people or more: storage starts at 15 TB, 1-year restore, end-to-end encryption, single sign-on and tiered admin roles.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom pricing with integrations for third-party security tools and live support from dedicated staff.
SugarSync
100 GB$7.49
per month
Personal plan with 100 GB of storage; the pricing page shows a limited-time discount sticker.
250 GB$9.99
per month
Personal plan with 250 GB of storage, marked Most Popular.
500 GB$18.95
per month
Personal plan with 500 GB of storage.
Business 1 TB$55
per month for the base plan of 3 users, or $550 per year
Base team plan with 3 users, 1 TB of storage, admin control and premium support.
Ways to pay less
Dropbox
- Annual discount
About 17% to 20% lower with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Plus is $9.99 a month instead of $11.99, Standard is $15 per user instead of $18, and Advanced is $24 per user instead of $30.
SugarSync
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dropbox or SugarSync?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SugarSync is cheaper to start with: $7.49 a month, against $9.99 a month for Dropbox. Dropbox starts at $9.99 per month, billed yearly, and SugarSync starts at $7.49 per month (100 GB).
Which has a free plan, Dropbox or SugarSync?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dropbox has a free plan. SugarSync does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Dropbox and SugarSync run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dropbox lists a Linux app. Both list a web app and macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. 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.