The twenty-first century has seen many new technologies like Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, etc. One of these technologies, Cloud Computing, has made all the other technologies easier to develop. Cloud Computing is storing data on the internet and then retrieving or sending it when you need it.
Dropbox vs Amazon S3
The main difference between Dropbox and Amazon S3 is that Dropbox is developed and owned by Dropbox Incorporation whereas Amazon S3 is developed and owned by Amazon. Also, Dropbox can be used by people who are not tech-savvy but you usually need a little knowledge of computing to work on Amazon S3.
Dropbox is essentially a file storing platform. Users can easily store their data by using any device and they can also access it using any device. Further, it only takes a few clicks to share a file from Dropbox to any other platform. This is the reason why Dropbox is used by more than 700 million people.
Amazon S3 is an object storage service provided by Amazon. It is one of the many services that come under the umbrella term of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Users are allowed to store any type of object in Amazon S3, and that is the reason why it can be used for anything.
Comparison Table Between Dropbox and Amazon S3
| Parameters of Comparison | Dropbox | Amazon S3 |
| Owned by | Dropbox Inc. | Amazon.com |
| Developed by | Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi | Amazon Web Services (AWS) |
| Launched on | 11 September 2008 | 14 March 2006 |
| Free space | 2 GB | 5 GB |
| Credit Card needed for a free trial | No credit card needed | Credit card needed |
| Duration of the free trial | Unlimited | 12 |
| Can be used by | People with little computing knowledge can use Dropbox | Requires a certain skill set to work with Amazon S3 |
| File formats supported | Supports fewer formats than Amazon S3 | Supports almost every format |
What is Dropbox?
In simple words, Dropbox is a platform where you can store your files and access them from anywhere. You can share these files with anyone, even if that person doesn’t have a Dropbox account. Dropbox can be used on Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and the Dropbox web interface. However, the minimum system requirements vary and should be checked before.
Dropbox Inc., initially named Evenflow Inc., was founded by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi in 2007. But, the first version of Dropbox software was released on 11 September 2008. Drew and Arash were students at MIT, where Drew always forgot to take his USB drive to classes. This is where the idea of building Dropbox came into his mind and this company was born.
Today, more than 700 million people are using Dropbox and its features. Dropbox offers various plans that have added benefits. These plans are Dropbox Basic, Dropbox Plus, Dropbox Family, Dropbox Business Standard, and Business Advanced. The amount of storage depends upon these plans. Dropbox Basic offers 2 GB, Dropbox Plus offers 2000 GB, Dropbox Family offers 2000 GB (shared with 3 people). Dropbox Business Standard has a limit of 3000 GB and there is no limit on Dropbox Business Advanced.
What is Amazon S3?
Amazon S3 is an acronym for Amazon Simple Storage Service. You can store all kinds of data on Amazon S3 and retrieve it whenever you want. You can share this data with someone using specially provided links. However, it is a little hard to use Amazon S3 because it isn’t one of those apps you use daily. It is a little more complicated but it’s worth it.
Data is stored on Amazon S3 clouds in the form of objects. These objects can be of any file format and there is no limit on the size. However, it is no need to say that you can’t be able to store something on Amazon S3 if you’re running full of your storage. You’ll need to buy a higher plan for extended storage. Also, there is a free trial period of 12 months in which you get 5 GB of Amazon S3 storage. All you need to do is register for an AWS account with your credit card information.
Amazon S3 was designed and launched by Amazon Web Services (AWS) on 14 March 2006. It uses the same kind of technology that Amazon.com uses for its e-commerce business. Some of the prestigious companies that use Amazon S3 are Netflix, Reddit, and Pinterest.
Main Differences Between Dropbox and Amazon S3
- Dropbox is owned by Dropbox Incorporation whereas Amazon S3 is owned by Amazon.com.
- Dropbox was developed by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. On the other hand, Amazon S3 was developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- Dropbox was launched on 11 September 2008 whereas Amazon S3 was launched on 14 March 2006.
- Dropbox offers 2 GB storage space for free users whereas Amazon S3 offers 5 GB.
- Dropbox doesn’t ask you for your credit card details when you make a free account. But, you need to provide credit card details for an AWS account which will allow you to avail Amazon S3.
- The duration of Dropbox free account is unlimited whereas you only get 12 months of free Amazon S3.
- Dropbox is easy to use but you need to get familiar with the Amazon S3 methods to effectively use it.
- Dropbox supports fewer file formats than Amazon S3.
Conclusion
Both Dropbox and Amazon S3 are working extensively to empower businesses and companies and to develop new methods and technologies which help everyone. Dropbox and Amazon S3 both provide APIs which allow developers to integrate Dropbox or Amazon S3 with their apps and make them more functional.
However, when it comes to it, Dropbox is more suited for individuals who are looking for an effective cloud storage platform. On the other hand, Amazon S3 is best for large organizations and companies that handle big amounts of data. The reason why Dropbox is preferred for individuals is that it has an interactive environment as well as it is easy to select a plan. But with Amazon S3, you need to read various terms about plans and then select according to them. In any case, it is always good if you compare before purchasing.
References
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2398776.2398827
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1383519.1383526