Cloud storage for SMEs: OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox?

Overview: OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox Business

OneDrive for Business, included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic (approx. €5.25/user/month, verify at microsoft.com), provides 1 TB storage per user. The integration with SharePoint, Teams and Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) enables browser-based co-editing with automatic version history of more than 30 versions. Google Drive, included with Google Workspace Starter (approx. €5.75/user/month, verify at workspace.google.com), provides 30 GB shared pooled storage per user. Google Drive offers AI-powered search, integration with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet, and Google Drive for Desktop for synchronisation. Dropbox Business Plus (approx. €16.58/user/month, verify at dropbox.com) is a standalone platform with 15 TB pooled storage for the whole team. Smart Sync ensures only file names are stored locally, while content is loaded on demand. Dropbox integrates with Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Related: see also our articles on

Microsoft 365 Copilot for business and Google Workspace for SMEs.

GDPR compliance and security: Data Processing Agreement required

All three platforms offer a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) under GDPR Art. 28, which is legally required as soon as a cloud provider processes personal data on behalf of your business. Microsoft offers EU Data Boundary: data from European customers is stored in EU data centers in Amsterdam and Dublin, encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit. Google Workspace stores data for European customers in EU data centers; the DPA is available via the Google Workspace Agreement and encryption uses TLS and AES-256. Dropbox has servers in the US and the EU; Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are available for data transfers to the US. Dropbox Business is ISO 27001 certified and encrypts data at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS). All three are certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework 2023 (verify at dataprivacyframework.gov). For AI features such as Microsoft Copilot, Google AI in Drive and Dropbox Dash AI Search, the EU AI Act Art. 4 AI literacy requirements apply (in force from 2 February 2025). Related: see also our article on

email hosting for SMEs (GDPR and DPA).

All prices are indicative (excl. VAT). Verify current rates with the provider.

OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox: when to choose which?

Choose OneDrive for Business if you already use Microsoft 365: storage is included at no extra cost, and the integration with Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and the Office desktop suite is seamless. Choose Google Drive if you already use Google Workspace: storage is included and integration with Gmail, Meet, Docs and Sheets is available without additional steps. Dropbox Business Plus is the best choice if you want platform-independent working or have a team that includes both Microsoft users and Mac or Linux users. The 15 TB pooled storage is advantageous for teams where some users need much more storage than others, such as designers, video producers or engineers with large files. Note: if you already have a Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licence, Dropbox is an additional cost that is only justified if specific features such as Smart Sync or Dropbox Paper offer clear added value over the included solution.