Dropbox Business is a focused file-sync-and-share product with a large pooled allowance and no seat minimum. Google Workspace bundles a smaller per-person storage pool with Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet. Here is what each actually costs.
Choose Google Workspace if you want one bill for email, office apps and storage; choose Dropbox Business if you need a large pooled storage allowance and nothing else. Workspace Business Starter is $7/user/mo (30GB pooled/person) versus Dropbox Business Standard's $15/user/mo (3TB pooled team-wide).
| At a glance | Dropbox Business | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Cloud Storage | |
| Entry price | Standard $15/user/mo (annual), no seat minimum | Business Starter $7/user/mo (annual commitment) |
| Free plan | No free plan for Dropbox Business — Dropbox Basic (personal, 2 GB) is a separate product | No free plan for Google Workspace — a 14-day trial is offered |
Google Workspace Business Starter, by $8 a seat a month: $7 against Dropbox Business Standard’s $15. But Workspace’s $7 already includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet — Dropbox Business Standard is a single-purpose storage and sharing product with no office suite or email bundled in, so the two are not quite apples-to-apples at that price gap.
| Category | Dropbox Business | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Standard $15/user/mo (annual), no seat minimum | Business Starter $7/user/mo (annual) |
| Storage | 3TB pooled team-wide, from the first user | 30GB pooled per person |
| Email and office apps | Not included — storage and sharing only | Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet included |
| Seat minimum | None | None published |
| File recovery window | 180 days (Standard) | Not a core Drive feature at this tier |
| Admin/security controls | Standard admin console, device approvals | Admin console, basic security controls |
| Built for | Teams that just need shared file storage and sync | Teams that want one bill for email, apps and storage |
| Higher tier | Advanced $24/user/mo (3-user min): SSO, e2e encryption | Business Standard $14/user/mo: 2TB pooled/user, recording |
Verified September 23, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources
Business-plan prices in USD from dropbox.com/business/pricing and workspace.google.com/pricing, both checked September 23, 2026.
Editorial assessmentBoth give a team shared, synced cloud storage with an admin console, but they are sold as very different products around that core.
Dropbox Business Standard does one thing — file storage, sync and sharing — and does it with a large pooled allowance (3TB) from the very first user, no minimum team size required. Google Workspace Business Starter bundles a smaller 30GB-per-person storage pool inside a full productivity suite: Gmail on your domain, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet, all under the same $7 price.
Dropbox’s extra $8 a seat buys a much larger shared storage pool and a product built specifically around file sync and sharing at scale, including a 180-day file-recovery window on Standard. Workspace’s lower price buys breadth (email plus apps) rather than storage depth — 30GB per person is a fraction of Dropbox’s pooled 3TB.
Neither vendor offers a direct importer for the other’s files. Moving means downloading the working folder tree from the old provider’s desktop app or web export, then uploading it into the new tool’s sync folder — or using a third-party cloud-to-cloud transfer tool for large libraries. Sharing links and folder permissions are always rebuilt by hand.
Business-plan prices, both billed annually, checked September 23, 2026. Dropbox Business Standard pools 3TB team-wide regardless of seat count; Google Workspace Business Starter pools 30GB per person. Promotions and taxes are not included.
You need a large shared storage pool from day one, do not need email or office apps bundled in, or your team is below the size where a full suite makes sense.
You want one bill for email, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet alongside storage, and 30GB pooled per person is enough for your files.
Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.
Both offer a free trial of their business plan. Move a real folder structure into each and test sharing links with an outside collaborator before committing your team.
Google Workspace Business Starter is $8 a seat cheaper ($7 vs $15), but that price already bundles Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet — Dropbox Business Standard is storage and sharing only.
Dropbox Business Standard, by a wide margin — 3TB pooled team-wide from the first user, against Google Workspace Business Starter’s 30GB pooled per person.
Yes, Google Meet is bundled into every Workspace plan including Business Starter. Dropbox has no video-meeting product of its own.
Neither Dropbox Business Standard nor Google Workspace Business Starter publishes a seat minimum at their entry tier.
Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.
Every “best cloud storage platform” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Dropbox Business or Google Workspace is the wrong purchase for your team.
Buy Dropbox Business if:
Do NOT buy Dropbox Business if:
Buy Google Workspace if:
Do NOT buy Google Workspace if:
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Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
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