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Dropbox vs Earthly

Dropbox logo

Dropbox

Technology

Cloud storage and file synchronization service

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Dropbox the free Basic plan gives 2 GB of storage; Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: Dropbox covers File synchronization, Earthly covers Policy as code.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dropbox and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where Dropbox and Earthly differ
AttributeDropboxEarthly
Pricing modelfreemiumNo pricing published on website
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, WebWeb, CLI
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools
Founded20072020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Dropbox

  • File synchronization
  • Cloud storage
  • File sharing
  • Version history
  • Offline access
  • Microsoft Office
  • Google Workspace
  • Slack

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dropbox

  • File backupnot Earthly
  • Team collaborationnot Earthly
  • Content sharingnot Earthly
  • Remote worknot Earthly

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Dropbox
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Dropbox
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Dropbox
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Dropbox

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dropbox

  • The free Basic plan gives 2 GB of storage
  • Version history is 30 days on Plus, 180 days on Standard and 1 year on Advanced
  • File transfers are capped at 50 GB on Plus and 100 GB on the team plans
  • The Advanced team plan requires a minimum of 3 users at $24 per user per month
  • eSignature requests are limited to 3 per month on Plus and Standard

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Dropbox

Free
  • BasicFree
    • 2GB storage
    • File sharing and storage
  • Plus$9.99/month
    • 2TB storage
    • File transfer up to 50GB
    • PDF editing
  • Standard$15/month
    • 3TB for team
    • 180-day file recovery
    • 100GB transfers
  • Advanced$24/month
    • 15TB for team
    • 1-year file recovery
    • End-to-end encryption

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Dropbox if

  • You need file synchronization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want cloud storage.
Dropbox review

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is Dropbox or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. Dropbox starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dropbox or Earthly?
Dropbox starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does Dropbox or Earthly run on more platforms?
Dropbox runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Web. Earthly runs on Web, CLI.
Can I use Dropbox for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Dropbox best used for?
Dropbox is most often used for file backup, team collaboration, content sharing, remote work. Of those, file backup and team collaboration are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can Dropbox do that Earthly cannot?
Dropbox covers File synchronization, Cloud storage, File sharing, Version history. Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dropbox: How much does Dropbox cost?

Dropbox offers a free 2GB plan. Plus is $9.99/month (2TB), Standard is $15/user/month (3TB team), and Advanced is $24/user/month (15TB team).

Source
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Dropbox: Is Dropbox free?

Yes, Dropbox Basic is free with 2GB of storage for personal use and file sharing.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Dropbox: What is the difference between Dropbox Plus, Standard, and Advanced?

Plus at $9.99/month offers 2TB personal storage. Standard at $15/user/month offers 3TB for teams with 180-day recovery. Advanced at $24/user/month offers 15TB with 1-year recovery and single sign-on.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
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