Dropbox
Immich
| Feature | Dropbox | Immich |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $11.99/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Best For | freelancers, creative-professionals, small-businesses, remote-teams | self-hosters, families, privacy-focused-users, photographers |
| Founded | 2007 | 2022 |
| Cloud Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sync | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dash Ai Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Paper | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sign | ✓ | ✗ |
| Transfer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Photo Backup | ✗ | ✓ |
| Facial Recognition | ✗ | ✓ |
| Smart Search | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shared Albums | ✗ | ✓ |
| Memories | ✗ | ✓ |
| Map View | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mobile Apps | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Dropbox Pros
- Reliable sync across all devices
- Smart Sync saves local disk space
- Dropbox Dash AI search across apps
- Paper for collaborative docs
✗ Dropbox Cons
- Only 2GB on free plan
- Expensive for just storage
- Desktop app uses significant resources
✓ Immich Pros
- Full Google Photos replacement (self-hosted)
- AI face recognition and smart search
- Mobile apps with automatic background backup
- Shared albums and partner sharing
✗ Immich Cons
- Self-hosting only (no managed cloud option)
- Resource-intensive (especially ML features)
- Still in active development (breaking changes possible)
The Verdict
Dropbox is built for freelancers and creative professionals, with a focus on cloud-storage and sync. Immich targets self hosters and families and leads with photo-backup and facial-recognition.
On pricing, Immich is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $11.99/mo for Dropbox. That $11.99/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Immich edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.3). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Immich has a slight overall edge — but if reliable sync across all devices matters most to you, Dropbox may still be the right call.