Software · head to head
Box vs IDrive
The short version
- Only IDrive has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Box all Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users; IDrive the advertised annual rates are first year introductory prices, with standard pricing applying from the second year onward
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Box and IDrive actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Box
Nothing recorded that IDrive does not also cover.
Only in IDrive
- Multiple device backup
- True archiving
- Continuous protection
- IDrive Express
- Snapshots
- File sharing
- iOS
- Android
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Box
No use cases recorded yet. See the Box review.
IDrive
- Online backup for computers, servers and mobile devicesnot Box
- Backing up multiple machines under one accountnot Box
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Box
- All Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users
- Business Starter ($5/user/month) caps at 100 GB of shared storage across the whole account and a 2 GB per file upload limit
- Enterprise Plus requires annual billing, and Enterprise Advanced's exact price is not published on the pricing page
IDrive
- The advertised annual rates are first year introductory prices, with standard pricing applying from the second year onward
- The two year offer discounts only the first year, so the second year reverts to the full rate
- Team plans tie user and computer counts to the storage tier, so 10 TB means exactly 10 computers
- Business storage costs far more per terabyte than Personal, at $719.88 a year for 1.25 TB against $143.88 for 5 TB
Pricing, plan by plan
Box
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Box review.
IDrive
Free- Personal$4/month
- 5TB storage
- Unlimited devices
- IDrive Express
Which should you pick?
Choose Box if
Nothing in the data separates Box from IDrive on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose IDrive if
- You need multiple device backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web.
- You also want true archiving.
Questions people ask
- Is Box or IDrive better?
- Neither clearly leads. Box starts at On request and IDrive at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Box or IDrive?
- IDrive has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Box and Free for IDrive.
- Does Box or IDrive run on more platforms?
- Box runs on Web. IDrive runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web.
- Can I use IDrive for free?
- Yes. IDrive has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Box starts at On request.
- What can Box do that IDrive cannot?
- IDrive covers Multiple device backup, True archiving, Continuous protection, IDrive Express.