Pros & Cons
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- Flexible web app opens files with desktop software
- Many security options, including HIPAA compliance
- Integrations with more than 1,500 apps
- Pro plan supports versioning
- Mobile apps with OCR
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- Pricey for the amount of storage offered
- Low file-size limit
- Longstanding issue with Google accounts prevents logins
- Can't configure the location of the desktop syncing app
Box (Personal) Specs
| Android App | |
| Emphasis | Individuals |
| File Size Limit | 5GB |
| File Versioning | |
| Free Storage | 10GB |
| iOS App | |
| Online Editing | |
| Windows App |
Box is a cloud storage and file-sharing service that works differently from many competing apps because it's designed for browser use, with desktop functionality treated as an add-on. This strategy is terrific for businesses primarily working in the cloud, as it leverages Box's collaboration and integration features. Despite pivoting to AI with its business offerings, its home version—the focus of this review—is good if you're looking for strong security or the ability to sync small text and image files. However, Box's paid subscriptions don't offer a lot of storage for the price, and the service has a small file-size limit and a few other quirks. Overall, you're better off with one of our Editors' Choice winners: Google Drive (for its impressive productivity tools), IDrive (for excellent value), or Microsoft OneDrive (for top-notch sharing and collaboration).
Plans and Prices: Generous Free Tier, Costly Paid Options
Box offers many ways to enter its ecosystem, including a free version with an impressive 10GB of storage. That's twice the amount offered by similar tiers from Apple iCloud Drive, IDrive, and Microsoft OneDrive (5GB), and five times as much as Dropbox (2GB). However, there's a 250MB limit per file, making Box's free version useless for anyone working with video or large audio files. However, Box's free version is perfectly serviceable if you mostly work with documents and small images.
(Credit: Box/PCMag)Box Personal Pro costs $14 per month (or $120 per year) and offers 100GB of storage with a 5GB file size limit. Google Drive's Google One add-on gives you 100GB of storage for only $1.99 per month. Apple iCloud Drive lacks a 100GB tier, but you can snag 200GB for $2.99 per month—that's twice as much as Box for almost one-fifth the cost. Even Dropbox's 2TB plan ($11.99 per month or $119.88 annually) costs less than what Box charges for 100GB.
In short, Box costs significantly more than the rival cloud storage tools I've tested. It doesn't help that Box's 5GB file size limit is lower than most competitors, too—a real problem if you work with big files. Apple iCloud Drive's limit is 50GB; Dropbox's is 2TB; Google Drive's is a staggering 5TB; and Microsoft OneDrive's is 250GB. Box's business plans align better with the competition and include AI functionality and enhanced security, but they are not our focus here. Read our Box business review for more on that version. The software supports versioning, with the number of backup files varying by tier.
Setup and Platforms: Mostly Straightforward
You must create a Box account, even if you use the free version. Simply head to Box.com to choose a plan, but note that the personal options are hidden. To find them, click the Individuals and Teams banner at the top of the screen. After that, you’ll see the free tier and the Personal Pro plan.
As mentioned, Box is designed to run in a web browser. It supports the two most recent versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
(Credit: Box/PCMag)You can add desktop functionality by installing Box's two desktop apps: Box Drive and Box Tools. Box Drive lets you browse and access files from your PC's system file explorer. Box Tools opens the corresponding desktop app when you open a file from the web browser.
The apps work with the two most recent versions of both major operating systems (macOS and Windows 11). It's a little confusing that these are two separate tools, but it's a minor complaint. I'll explore those apps later.
File Tools: Easy Sync and Creation, With a Few Issues
Unlike most file-sharing services, Box does not prompt you to install desktop software after you set up an account. Instead, it takes you straight to a web version. You upload files and folders by dragging them from your computer's file manager into the browser window. I found it an effortless experience that reminded me of Google Drive, with my files and folders appearing on my other devices swiftly.
Clicking the New icon let me create Apple iWork and Microsoft Office documents that opened in the online versions of those applications. You can also create Google Docs files, although the resulting file functions as a link to a document stored in Google Drive.
Likewise, clicking a file let me view its preview, provided it was a supported format. Most images, documents, media, and 3D file formats work. The Box Personal Pro tier supports versioning, giving you access to the last 10 most recent file changes. The free version does not.
(Credit: Box/PCMag)Sidebar icons let you add a file description, chat with collaborators, quickly start a Zoom meeting, or share the document via Gmail or Outlook using integrations (more on those in a bit). Box uses Word Online and other supported web apps for viewing and editing files. On that note, you fill out PDFs using Adobe Acrobat's web version.
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On the desktop side, Box Tools is a useful option if you want to integrate traditional desktop software into your workflow, such as Adobe Creative Suite or CAD. Any file you store in Box can be opened with its respective desktop app. Saved desktop work is uploaded to Box. If you collaborate with others, Box stores their comments in your account so you can see them without opening the file. It's a cool, best-of-both-worlds approach.
Box Drive is for people who'd rather avoid the web version entirely. With it, you browse files using File Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac. This app is necessary to sync files to your computer for offline use. In testing, I simply right-clicked a file and selected Make Available Offline.
That said, I could not log into the Box Drive app due to it being associated with my Google account, an issue people have complained about for two years. After half an hour of following instructions that didn't work, I disconnected Box Drive from Google. I was able to log in immediately. A Box representative told us that the problem impacts "a very small number of users" and that the "engineering team is exploring a permanent fix." There's no specific timeline for that, though.
Another annoyance: You can't configure Box's location for Drive. This means there's no way to set up a Box folder on a secondary hard drive.
Sharing is simple in the web app (you can't do it in the desktop app, like many competing cloud storage apps). The default option is to create a public link that anyone can access to download the file, even if they don't have a Box account. Paid users have more options, like password protection and setting a link expiration date. There's also direct sharing with specific people, including permission to edit files, though that feature requires the recipients to have a Box account, too. Overall, Box is a far easier way to share files than iCloud Drive, an app that requires all parties to have an Apple account.
Box's App Center has more than 1,500 apps, so there's a good chance the service works with software and services you already use. A few app integrations work by default, such as the web versions of Apple Pages and Microsoft Word. Other integrations let you upload files to Vimeo directly from Box, securely share files in Microsoft Teams or Slack, and sign documents using DocuSign.
Box isn't alone in providing these kinds of integrations. Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive also have extensive marketplaces of third-party apps. So does Dropbox, which has its e-signature tool, Dropbox Sign.
Mobile Apps: OCR, File Uploads, and More
Box has mobile applications for Android and iOS. I tested the mobile Box primarily on an iPhone and found it easy to browse and upload files.
Like Google Drive and many other cloud storage and file-sharing apps, Box lets you scan documents using your phone's camera. In testing, I scanned numerous pages to create a PDF. The scan feature supports optical character recognition (OCR), meaning the PDF I created was searchable by keyword.
(Credit: Box/PCMag)You can also snap photos and record audio and video directly to your account. An optional feature, Continuous Capture, automatically launches the phone camera when you open Box, which is ideal if you use the mobile app frequently to scan documents or upload images. It saves a few taps over time.
For added security, Box lets you lock the mobile app with a PIN or biometric authentication (fingerprint or facial recognition).
Security: Numerous Ways to Safeguard Data
Box claims that all files uploaded to its service are encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 and at rest using 256-bit AES. Want even more security? Box supports two-factor authentication. The company clearly takes security seriously. And if you need General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, check out Box's business plans.