Dropbox vs WeTransfer
We give Dropbox a 3.6 GPA and WeTransfer a 3.0, out of 4.0. Dropbox grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
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
WeTransfer
Send large files by email or link without recipient sign-up
How we grade them
| 3.6GPADropboxExcellent | 3.0GPAWeTransferVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus is $9.99 a month billed yearly for 2 TB, which is about the going rate for that much space. But there's no smaller paid plan, so that's the least you can pay. Monthly billing is $11.99. | CStarter is $8 a month for up to 300 GB of transfers, billed monthly. No size limit, your own branding and unlimited expiry all sit on Ultimate at $23. For a couple of dollars more than Starter, Dropbox Plus gives you 2 TB of storage and 50 GB transfers. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic is free for good, but it's 2 GB, and a phone's worth of photos fills that. The 30-day trial is only on the Standard and Advanced team plans. | BFree sends and receives up to 3 GB a month across 10 transfers, and each one expires after up to 3 days. Fine for the odd photo album. But it's for non-commercial use only, so client work means paying. |
| Features | ASync, old versions and deleted files you can bring back for 30 days on Plus and up to a year on Advanced. Then the extras: transfers of up to 50 GB, PDF editing, signature requests, and team folders with an admin console on Standard. | BIt only sends files, and it does that job fully: by email or link, with passwords, expiry dates, file requests and download counts. It isn't built for syncing folders, though, and end-to-end encryption is listed for Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 913,000 App Store ratings. It's a folder: drop a file in and it turns up on your other devices. Reviewers do say a real person in support is hard to reach. | A4.8 from about 79,000 App Store ratings. The person you send to needs no account and no sign-up, they just download. On a Mac you can send from the menu bar or with a right-click in Finder. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. It plugs into Google Workspace, Adobe, Canva and HubSpot, connects to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and has a public API. | BWeb, Mac, iPhone and Android. The listing shows a Mac app but none for Windows, and no integrations or API, so it stops at a B. |
| Best for | one folder that's the same on every computer | sending a big file to someone with no account |
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 WeTransfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Dropbox starts at $9.99 per month, billed yearly. WeTransfer starts at $8 per month, billed monthly.
- Only Dropbox lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Dropbox also covers file sync.
- WeTransfer also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| Dropbox | WeTransfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month, billed yearly | $8 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Basic plan: 2 GB to store and share files. | Free plan for individual, non-commercial use: share and receive up to 3 GB a month, 10 transfers a month, and transfer expiry of up to 3 days. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on the Standard and Advanced team plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dropbox | WeTransfer B.V. |
| Price read from | dropbox.com | wetransfer.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Dropbox
- Individuals who want 2 TB synced across Windows, Mac and Linux
- Teams that send large media files to clients
- Small teams that need team-owned folders and admin controls
WeTransfer
- Sending large files to clients who should not need an account
- Freelancers and studios that want branded delivery pages
- Occasional personal transfers within the free monthly allowance
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.
WeTransfer
- The Free plan is for non-commercial use only and is capped at 3 GB and 10 transfers a month.
- Starter is limited to 300 GB of transfers a month; removing the size limit needs Ultimate at $23 a month.
- An account stores up to 2 TB of transfers by default on any plan, and WeTransfer says it does not offer unlimited storage.
- Teams needs at least 2 users, and single sign-on and end-to-end encryption are listed only for Enterprise.
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.
WeTransfer
- Transfers by email or link
- Files are sent to recipients by email or shared as a download link. Anyone can download them without logging in or signing up.
- Passwords and expiry dates
- A transfer can be protected with a password and given an expiry date. Free transfers expire after up to 3 days; Ultimate allows unlimited expiry.
- File requests
- A request link lets other people upload files to the account holder, who can then track and manage what has been received.
- Download tracking
- Senders can see download counts and status for each transfer and manage, forward or delete sent transfers from the account's Transfers panel.
- Branding and personal page
- Ultimate adds custom branding per transfer, and an account can have its own WeTransfer page with a custom URL, wallpapers and social links.
- Mac and mobile apps
- The Mac app sends files from the menu bar or by right-clicking in Finder. iOS and Android apps send, receive and manage transfers from a phone.
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.
WeTransfer
Free$0
Individual, non-commercial use: share and receive up to 3 GB a month, 10 transfers a month and expiry of up to 3 days.
Starter$8
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: share and receive up to 300 GB a month.
Ultimate$23
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: no transfer size limit, unlimited transfers and expiry, custom branding, malware scanning and recovery of expired transfers.
Teams$19
per user / month, billed monthly (minimum 2 users)
Everything in Ultimate plus team creation, up to 50 members and centralized billing.
EnterpriseCustom
For 50+ members: unlimited members, custom transfer rules, single sign-on, usage and security logs, and end-to-end encryption.
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.
WeTransfer
No public discounts listed.
