Comparison

SugarSync vs Dropbox

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SugarSync

Securely back up and sync files, photos, and music across all your devices. Protect your digital life with advanced encryption and easily share or restore files. Offers automatic syncing and remote data wiping for enhanced security and convenience.

Highlights
  • Secure file backup
  • Automatic cloud syncing
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Remote data wipe
  • File sharing and collaboration
  • Easy file restoration
Read full description

SugarSync lets you securely backup your files, photos, music, and more, on any device. We add a layer of security to all of your file syncing and storing so you can keep your digital life private and organized. Easily sync and send files from one device to another, collaborate with team members, and enjoy seamless file syncing across your devices with minimal effort. Features: Automatically sync your files to the cloud Instantly backup photos taken on your iPhone Sync multiple folders at once Remotely wipe your data in the case of device theft or loss Complete Data Security SugarSync makes security a priority. We use industry-standard encryption to protect your files and data while they sync to our servers, and store them in the cloud in an encrypted format. iPhone Photo Syncing Skip using iCloud or a cable to upload your iPhone photos. SugarSync lets you automatically upload photos from your iPhone to your computer so you can have all of your important memories and more in one secure place. Auto-Syncing Across Devices SugarSync makes it easy to keep all of your devices synced. You can automatically sync files across computers, devices, and platforms, and all changes made in the cloud will be automatically applied to all of your synced devices. Flexible File Sharing Sharing files and folders has never been easier. SugarSync lets you control how and what you want to share, whether it’s a small read-only file or a large folder with editing permissions — it’s up to you. Easy Restoration Never worry about losing your important files, photos, and documents again. Our Protected Folders option lets you easily roll back your folder to a previous date in time so you can recover all files within it at once. Enjoy a free 30-day trial when you sign up for SugarSync. Choose from our 100 GB, 250 GB, and 500 GB personal plan options, or choose our business plan which offers 10000 GB of space. We also offer custom business plans for teams looking for the right cloud storage for their needs. Learn more about SugarSync here: https://www.sugarsync.com/ Terms of Service: https://www.sugarsync.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sugarsync.com/privacy/

About

Dropbox

Securely store, sync, and share your files and photos across all your devices. Easily upload, access, and send documents, videos, and more from anywhere, even offline. Offers robust backup and recovery features for peace of mind.

Highlights
  • Automatic photo and video upload
  • Offline file access
  • Large file sharing via links
  • Document scanning to PDF
  • Version history and file recovery
  • Cross-device synchronization
Read full description

Dropbox lets you upload, save, and transfer photos and files to the cloud. Backup and sync your pictures, videos, documents, and other files to cloud storage and access them from any device, anywhere. With advanced sharing features, it’s easy to share and send photos or files to family, friends, and co-workers. Features: • Automatically upload videos and photos from your camera roll to cloud photo storage - all in the background - for easy video sharing and photo sharing. • Access any file in your account - even offline - and preview over 175 different file types with no special software required. • Easily send large files by copying and pasting a link you can give to anyone, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account. • Scan documents, receipts, IDs, photos, and more using your mobile device and transform them into high-quality PDFs, so you can view and send anywhere. • Sync folders on your PC or Mac to Dropbox with computer backup, and recover older versions or restore deleted files with version history and file recovery. Sign up now for your free Dropbox Plus trial. You’ll get 2 TB (2,000 GB) of storage space - that’s enough room to save files from all your linked devices. And with Dropbox Rewind, you can roll back any file, folder, or your entire account, up to 30 days. Before starting a trial or completing payment, you’ll see the plan price. This amount will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase and on renewal and will vary by plan and country. Dropbox subscriptions renew monthly or yearly, depending on your plan. Your account will be charged for renewal 24 hours before the end of your current billing period. To avoid auto-renewal, turn it off within at least 24 hours before your subscription renews. You can turn off auto-renewal anytime from your Apple ID account settings. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Dropbox is a secure cloud solutions leader trusted by Fortune 500 companies for their most sensitive data. Over 14 million paid users choose Dropbox because they know they can count on a company that’s also dedicated to their security and privacy—no matter what they do or where they are. Let Dropbox be your all-in-one file storage, file organizer, file transfer, and file sharing solution for all your devices. We’d love to hear from you! Join the Dropbox community: https://www.dropboxforum.com Terms of Service: https://www.dropbox.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.dropbox.com/privacy

Screenshots

SugarSync4 screens
Dropbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dropbox at 4.8 against SugarSync's 3.2. Dropbox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). SugarSync's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and review sentiment (81% vs 48%). On price, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dropbox sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. SugarSync asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dropbox holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dropbox has 907K ratings behind it against 109, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of SugarSync's written reviews are positive against 48% of Dropbox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SugarSync ships an update every 5 months, Dropbox every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
SugarSync versus Dropbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSugarSyncDropbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (109 ratings)4.8 (907K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews — better47.6% of reviews
Number of ratings109907K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB229 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSugarSync, Inc.Dropbox, Inc.

Customer experience

SugarSync

All ratings103 ratings
Positive51.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative39.8%
Written reviews1,536 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.6%

Dropbox

All ratings907,159 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews2,060 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral6.4%
Negative46.1%

User reviews

SugarSync

From 109 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 🔒 Secure cloud storage
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 💡 Ability to access files remotely
  • 👍 Reliable backup solution

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Syncing issues and unreliable file access
  • 🔋 High resource consumption on mobile devices
  • 👎 Poor customer support and lack of response
  • 👎 Expensive pricing compared to alternatives

Dropbox

From 907K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable cloud storage
  • 🔒 Secure file sharing
  • 📁 Convenient file management
  • 💻 Cross-device accessibility
  • 📸 Automatic photo backups

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app updates
  • 🔍 Confusing file navigation
  • ⚠️ Unreliable upload/sync
  • 💰 Expensive paid plans
  • 🔋 High battery drain

Bugs and requests

SugarSync

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and account problems
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Slow upload and download speeds

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline file access and editing
  • Integration with more third-party apps
  • Improved photo management and viewing
  • Ability to selectively sync folders/files

Dropbox

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Freezing on login screen
  • Duplicate file uploads
  • Incorrect file timestamps
  • Incompatibility with iOS updates
  • Disappearing recent files

Requested features

5 requests
  • Select all option for uploads
  • Background upload support
  • Integrated media player
  • Increased free storage
  • Flexible paid plan options

In-app purchases

None

SugarSync

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Dropbox

Subscriptions9
  • Dropbox Simple - Monthly1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Dropbox Plus - Monthly$11.991 Month
  • Dropbox Plus - Monthly1 Month trial$11.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Dropbox Plus - Monthly14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Dropbox Professional - Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Dropbox Professional - Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Dropbox Family - Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Dropbox Plus - Annual2 variants$119.991 Year
  • Dropbox Plus - Annual1 Month trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is SugarSync free?
SugarSync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dropbox free?
Dropbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SugarSync or Dropbox?
Dropbox is rated higher. SugarSync averages 3.2 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while Dropbox averages 4.8 from 907K ratings.
Do SugarSync or Dropbox have ads?
SugarSync shows ads; Dropbox does not.
Which is updated more often, SugarSync or Dropbox?
SugarSync ships an update every 5 months, and Dropbox every 2 weeks. Most recently, SugarSync was updated on September 10, 2026 and Dropbox on September 28, 2026.

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