Dropbox

The official Dropbox sync folder, available on Linux but with fewer features than on Windows.

Our verdict

Dropbox on Linux keeps your files in step and little else. If Dropbox is where your life already lives, it will carry on working after you switch.

The one thing to check before you install Linux is the disk format. Dropbox only supports certain ways of formatting a drive, and if the installer you used chose a different one the app will keep complaining that it cannot sync. Most standard installs are fine, but encrypted or unusual setups sometimes are not.

Expect less than the Windows version. Dropbox has never given Linux equal attention, and features arrive late or not at all. If that bothers you, Nextcloud or Syncthing are the alternatives, though neither has Dropbox's sharing links.

What's good

  • Your existing Dropbox account and files work with no migration
  • Sync is reliable and quietly gets on with it
  • Runs on the popular distributions without any extra work

What to know first

  • Dropbox supports only a narrow set of Linux disk formats, and the app refuses to sync on others
  • The Flathub package is community maintained rather than published by Dropbox
  • Smart Sync and some sharing features from the Windows app are absent or limited

The details

Cost
Free with paid extras
Open source
No (Proprietary)
How you install it
App store (Flatpak), .deb installer, .rpm installer
Get it on FlathubOfficial site

Windows apps it can replace

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