Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#1

Post by flying_sheep » Fri, Oct 09, 2020, 5:48 AM UTC

I have been using paid Dropbox for 4 years. But in the recent year, Dropbox has added a lot of unnecessary features to the tool that slow down my machine significantly. I really don't like that. I only want a plain simple file synchronization app that works for files, symlinks and UNIX permission. That's it. I don't need friend list or complicated document collaboration feature. This is personal use only. I don't mind paying money but I don't want to buy pain.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#2

Post by andymoe » Fri, Oct 09, 2020, 6:03 AM UTC

I don’t know. Google drive at work is ok I guess. I just canceled Dropbox this year after a decade. I’d think hard about if you really need this type of program for your workflow and maybe pay for an online backup service instead if you don’t already. I found I didn’t really need a replacement.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#3

Post by exlurker » Fri, Oct 09, 2020, 6:15 AM UTC

Syncthing https://syncthing.net - I replaced Dropbox with it, no complaints so far.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#4

Post by Findeton » Fri, Oct 09, 2020, 7:02 AM UTC

Box, Google Drive, Microsoft Onedrive.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#5

Post by spiorf » Fri, Oct 09, 2020, 8:42 AM UTC

exlurker wrote: post #3

Syncthing https://syncthing.net - I replaced Dropbox with it, no complaints so far.

I tried that, but i missed the remote storage. I use Nextcloud and is almost a perfect replacement for dropbox.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#6

Post by simonblack » Sat, Oct 10, 2020, 12:24 AM UTC

I once used DropBox. After a particularly bad episode, which was probably due to my faulty configuration, I decided to start using my own internet-facing servers. The extra strain on my 24/7 machine is miniscule.

I have been completely happy with the results. I have full control over what happens, I specify what software is used, what storage is allocated. I don't have a fear that somebody else has control over my data, and that they can change the terms and conditions of that data storage at any time at their convenience.

Re: Ask HN: Is there any alternative to Dropbox?

#7

Post by cesarosum » Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 12:15 PM UTC

Disclaimer: I am one of the devs at Peergos.

You should definitely check out Peergos - https://peergos.org.