Box Reviews

Pros

Very easy to integrate with email client to send large files and to otherwise share files.

Cons

No data if the files are encrypted or not.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business and Google Drive

Reasons for Choosing Box

Dropbox is expensive and not as stable as Box, also more compliacated.

Switched From

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Switching to Box

Box was the simplest to use and integrate with the email client.

Pros

What I liked the most when using box was its security, in addition to its integration with MS Office, which makes it an alternative to Onedrive. I also like that from the Business plan the storage is unlimited.

Cons

Like any cloud storage service, its main disadvantage is the price, although for a medium or large company this does not mean an expense, for a small company that is just starting out, paying a monthly fee can be a considerable expense.
The little free storage also means that better options are found for someone who is just starting out, of course leaving security aside.

Pros

Nice user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing layout for file management.

Cons

File sharing was very difficult. We constantly had people who had issues with file links that wouldn't work. Also, it was more expensive.

Pros

Box has been a part of my professional life from past 3-4 years now. It was actually suggested by on of my colleagues and I just loved the utility of Box. I can use Box anywhere and on the go. When I'm out for meetings with my clients I can very easily share the relevant information even when I'm not carrying my laptop. Some of my overseas counterparts based in UK even use Box. So I would say it's a must have for industry professionals.

Cons

As of now I don't have anything specific related to Box that I dislike.

Pros

Built-in integration of office 365 & Google Workspace, task manager and better security for data.

Cons

It's expensive than the rival platforms, less storage space for even paid account

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Switching to Box

Easy to use, more third party integrations, online editing

Pros

Box is a great tool for file sharing and makes sending links easy. It's user-friendly and I can't imagine sharing files any other way! Box is also reputable, as it's become the standard for file sharing in the industry.

Cons

If your files are large like ours (video files) the upload and download time from Box is quite long. To expand the cloud storage in Box is also quite pricey in comparison to similar products. Would also be great if Box could implement "review" links where users can leave comments directly on the file.

Alternatives Considered

Frame.io

Reasons for Switching to Box

We ended up using both products for different needs.

Pros

I like the user-friendly dashboard.
The syncing speed is satisfactory.
Categorizing of files is also easy.

Cons

It has relatively been an unshaken brand of cloud application from and I don't see any challenges so far.

Pros

I love that I can control who gets access which is really important to customer privacy. I also love that it keeps track of a history so you can always go back. It is like Github but more user friendly for non-programmers

Cons

There really isn't anything that I don't like about the software. Some of my company's settings have been problematic but nothing really huge. I wish there was easier transparency in exporting usage metrics, these are available but only for admins.

Pros

Box is an easy to use tool for storing large or small documents on cloud. This is an extremely important tool for storing backup of all important documents. These documents can be accessed and downloaded from anytime anywhere. Also, multiple people can collaborate and access files on a particular folder if access to that folder is given to those users. So it helps to securely collaborate and share documents with team members reducing dependency on storage of local system. It also keeps a record of audit trail of the activities.

Cons

Sometimes, uploading large files or many files on Box at one time can make it extremely slow or even crash for that instance.

Pros

Box provides more cloud storage than its competition for its free users.

Cons

Not exacly a negative point, but usage and look'n'feel are quite similar to Dropbox

Pros

Box Sync is the first thing I'd recommend if you don't have that already. It sets up a folder on your local computer that you can treat as a folder just like 'Documents' and it syncs automatically when you're connected to wifi. I also like using Box Sync with Mendeley (reference manager) because it syncs all the docs in Mendeley into a single location on Box, which is great. I can make notes in the PDFs and it syncs into Mendeley so that I can see my comments there as well. The version control has saved my many times because every time you create a new version or save a document, it holds onto old versions. This way if you accidentally overwrite something, you can usually go back into Box online, look at previous versions, and restore the right one. It's also easy to use and isn't finicky like many software.

Cons

Unlike most of my software reviews, I don't have much to say for cons.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Switching to Box

Box seems to have better version control and seems safer to use. You can create custom share links and get notified when your collaborator has accepted the request to collaborate.

Pros

Real time file syncing across all linked devices and accounts is truly amazing. It makes team collaboration in these times of remote working extremely efficient. And we no longer have to keep transferring documents to and fro as email attachments, which is not as secure. The comprehensive audit trail records also makes backtracking and management of unauthorized access and activity very simple.

Cons

Setting different access privileges for individual team members with access to shared folders can be a bit confusing. The process could be made a lot simpler with a tabular entries with individual columns dedicated to each access level.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Choosing Box

New project team I was consulting for held a Box subscription, so I had to migrate.

Switched From

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Switching to Box

At the time of my initial use, I had preferred staying with my original product since it was what I was used to. But the management of the project I was consulting on insisted.

Pros

Box has made our lives a million times easier by empowering us to store, organize, and share files of all types. We save our company assets, photos, Microsoft Word/Powerpoint/Excel docs, PDFs, etc in various folders. We love the ability to tag files so we can find them easily. The document sharing features are excellent. I especially like the preview feature (it's much better than Google Drive's preview option).

Cons

My biggest complaint about Box isn't Box's fault – it's my company's settings. My company chose to have shared file links expire after about 30 days, which is a pain in the neck sometimes.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Choosing Box

Box has a superior interface for storing & previewing non-Google files (ex. Microsoft Powerpoints).

Switched From

Dropbox Business and Google Drive

Reasons for Switching to Box

Box was superior in how files were stored & shared.

Pros

I like the simplicity and good features and the appropriate speed of Box platform, you can easily transfer files from any device to the cloud storage space of the box. I like its speed and security, you will not feel any strangeness with the software. E-Signature make it more secure and Integration with lot of apps is wonderful. The cost and price is very reasonable and economical compared to the many features it provides to the user.‌ Data Loss Protection is great.

Cons

The graphic design of the dashboard should be simpler and more tangible and can be changed to the liking of the admin, Also a feature in the dashboard should be added to display the status of shared files and folders, and the latest status of views and downloads to be clearly and simply visible to the admin.

Alternatives Considered

Hightail and DocSend

Reasons for Choosing Box

We were looking for more features and less cost to store information

Switched From

Dropbox Business, OneDrive, Google Drive, Citrix ShareFile, Egnyte, pCloud Business and SugarSync

Reasons for Switching to Box

Having a powerful and secure tool with modern features and at the same time easy to use for storing Documents and data in the cloud with affordable price

Pros

The access levels for intra-company sharing are very granular, allowing us the ability to protect privileged information,

Cons

It's hard to be critical of this tool. Some of the features we never use (notes, for example) seem a little clunky, but I understand they're improving. Those are all secondary, however. The main product itself is unbeatable.

Pros

Uploads and downloads are fast, sharing files or folders is easy, as an editor or viewer, and it is easy to use.

Cons

The Business options are expensive for small businesses since they require you to purchase multiple licenses, not only one. If you get the Individual license you are not GDPR compliant, thus it turns out to be expensive for SMEs.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business and OneDrive

Reasons for Choosing Box

Uploads/Downloads are faster than the Dropbox paid Business Account and you avoid document conflicts you have with Dropbox. BOX is much better in that case.

Switched From

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Switching to Box

OneDrive is connected with my Office 365 subscription and I might lose my documents if I switch account. Dropbox has some document conflicts and uploads are extremely slow with DSL.

Pros

Box provides an intuitive platform for collaborating and sharing documents with other coworkers, while maintaining significant flexibility on permissions for maintaining security on information as needed. The search functionality and version control have made it easier to find information quickly and helps to eliminate duplication and multiple versions of files. The integration with Office 365 and other service provides have been invaluable in creating efficiencies in our daily workflows. Box's mobile friendly platform makes for simple, yet secure access anywhere when data is needed.

Cons

Box is best used as a web app rather than through the desktop app, Box Drive. When our company started use of Box, we were more familiar with navigation to files through the use of Windows Explorer. Box Drive is Box's app for accessing files through the Explorer. However, Box Drive is slow to update and more difficult to navigate, with more limited features compared to the Web app. Unfortunately, Box Drive still has to be used for certain functions of our work where the web app and/or integrations with our services do not work.

Alternatives Considered

Egnyte

Pros

The Box Desktop app actually works to keep files in the cloud until and unless I'm using them, saving precious disk space on users' systems — unlike an unnamed popular competitor. And on the Mac, it works just like an external disk or mounted file share — right on the desktop, in the proper file hierarchy with no proprietary interface to complicate things, or presume how I want to look at my files.

Cons

Tech support can be slow to respond, as its first tier of support is via their forum and email, and I've waited as long as two days to get a response to an issue for a corporate subscription, and it's painfully apparent that the first tier team is reading straight off of cue cards, because they suggest things to try, even when my previous communication states IN DETAIL that I've already done said thing in my own troubleshooting.

Beef up the support staff, pay better attention to what a customer has already said in their communications, and escalate things to engineering quicker, and they will remedy the one, glaring shortcoming in their service.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Choosing Box

In order to make file services fully remote accessible, and avoid issues that DropBox caused, including the disconnect between local resources and cloud resources.

Reasons for Switching to Box

DropBox sync doesn't work reliably, and the cloud only option often breaks and fills up a computer's storage. in addition, DropBox gets in the way of a MacOS Finder interface to splash their own, proprietary interface that attempts to predict what I want to look at. I want to look at a folder tree, in the windows my own computer provides. Box Desktop gives me that.

Pros

Box is the simplest way for me to stay organized, share files with others and ensure that my data is secure. The user experience is easy to understand. It's simple to invite others at a variety of permission levels (somer colleagues to view only, others to download, others to have full editing capability). Syncing on multiple devices is a snap.

But when I attended BoxWorks for training, I realized that one of the best advantages to using Box is the company's relationships with large, high-profile, reputable companies that provide tech integrations. One plug-in takes my raw video footage and auto-generates a searchable log of all dialogue. So I can search for every time an actor says a certain word. The AI even allows me to search for visual cues - one conservation team was able to just search "penguin," and then all their footage from across the world was sorted through in order to allow their video editors to find exactly the footage they needed for their next project.

Box Relay allows you to create workflows with different steps assigned to different teammates. So when you complete your action, the next person is automatically notified that they can begin the next step.

Present state is impressive. But I have a feeling we'll see even greater things to come.

Cons

It took me awhile to think of anything negative to say. The max file size on the more affordable subscription options is perhaps the only drawback I can think of.

Pros

1. I use the Box Sync feature on a daily basis on my MacBook. Box Sync allows uers to sync folders/files from Box Cloud to your finder so it feels like your just working from finder but it's being backed up the cloud! It's a simple and convenient way for me to access and organize our box files using finder. Our company has a lot of folder/files so I just sync the folders I use the most and I have quick access to my files. Box cloud also has a Box Drive feature which is similar but has one downside which I mention in the Cons section.
2. With Box Sync it's easy to know when your files have been sync to the box cloud with the file icons.
3. Sharing files to internal or external users is simple. Sharing files include a lot of features based on the security levels you want.
4. Another great feature is that it integrates our DocuSign software (e-signatures). I can easily get files signed electronically through Box and not have to log into our DocuSign software. A very convenient feature as I have to get a lot of files signed electronically on a daily basis.
5. Lastly, we basically have unlimited storage!

Cons

1. One con about Box Sync is that it doesn't seamlessly sync files in finder as Box Drive does. There is a slight delay, sometimes a minute or two to sync to the cloud. However, I have to rename a lot of files and I can't just select a file and click "enter/return" on my MacBook to rename files with Box Drive. So I've stuck with box sync for now. But it would be nice if Box Drive would let me rename files easily.
2. I noticed is sometimes when you preview a file it sometimes takes time to load. It's sometimes faster just to open the file to view it which doesn't make sense when a preview should be faster.
3. I noticed is that the name length view is fixed when viewing on the box cloud. Therefore if you have a lot of files in a folder with the same name but different ending, you see all the files with the same name because the end of the filename is truncated. So you aren't easily able to see a specific file other than clicking one the files. At least have a feature where you hover your mouse over the file and it displays the full name of the file or something. It shouldn't require extra clicking just to find your files.
4. It does have a max file size of 5GB

Pros

As a tutor and a researcher, I love being able to upload videos of lesson plans and lectures so that my team and those I am working for are able to look back on what I said. Another thing I love about Box is how you can share multiple files with anyone you want and you are able to view who has downloaded something to maintain privacy and confidentiality. Box is especially useful for big groups of people. Everything is extremely accessible and easy to learn how to use. I recommend Box to my colleagues in research who want a safe way of maintaining confidentiality in research projects.

Cons

I do not have any problems with Box so far and I have been using Box for most of my college experience. I have used it for research, tutoring, and collaboration projects.

Pros

Box excels at one thing -- making documents accessible from anywhere. This amounts to benefits of efficiency and freedom to work on the go. Being able to access from any machine, particularly on a phone where other services often fail, enhances my ability to address customer's needs.

Cons

There's no indication when a file is open by another user. This has led to multiple users editing a document, and those documents don't merge well or at all, leaving a red exclamation point indicating there's an issue or an alternate file. We've lost some work this way. As a small company, this is manageable with clearer communication between employees, but I foresee this being an issue as we grow.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business

Reasons for Choosing Box

My company previously had a VPN that was difficult to access from new locations and equipment, was not compatible with different phones/computers, and crashed often. Before that, we used dropbox and google drive, which we still use to a very small degree. Box means I have freedom to work effectively from wherever I choose.

Switched From

Google Drive

Reasons for Switching to Box

We considered enhancing our storage with DropBox. Ultimately we liked the interface and accessibility of Box which seemed to have faster upload/download speeds and added features like Box Notes.

Pros

Box is honestly one of the greatest organizational tools out there. I use Box several times a day for all of my documents. Box has all major servers (Word, Excel, Notes, ect.) and you can upload anything to it! It also updates with real time and allows several viewers/editors at a time. This has been a MUST during executive meetings. We can also upload any music, video or picture files to share, which is essential for our industry. The ability to make several folders and organize data well is the key to using Box. I have almost transitioned out of using Google Docs completely.

Cons

Honestly, the only issue I have with box is sometimes there are loading issues when working on a file with the desktop. Also I can't find a way to delete old files that have been shared with another person that I don't want anymore.

Pros

I used it and introduced it to my research group when I was in grad school few years back. We also ended up getting a larger size account to fit our needs. University purchasing handled the financial side of it, but I'd like to think our recommendations for enteprise scale buys were taken heed.
BoxSync when used in conjuction with a box account does a great job of doing automatic backups on the cloud, that also help in access from different computers/collaborators simple.
It can handle large file sizes (5 GB file upload limit) for most work, has excellent integration with word processing for online document editing. Note, I have not tried very large single file uploads yet, the largest has been a movie file of 750 MB.
Recently they added notes feature which is useful for commenting while sharing files.
Mostly it is a very stable and secure cloud backup tool, great for workflow and content management in groups.

Cons

I dont know if they ever had a referral program unlike dropbox. No other major drawbacks as a user. By default, it sends a lot of emails whenever anything is changed in the folders. turning off that feature took a while to figure out for me.

Alternatives Considered

OneDrive and Google Drive

Reasons for Choosing Box

Dropbox wasnt giving enough space for the cost back then. Hence we switched to Box.

Switched From

Dropbox Paper

Pros

The ease of use of spinning up Box folders and collaborating among internal employees or external clients/customers. The granular permission settings within each folder allow the administrator ("owner" or "co-owner") help regulate privileges from editing, to downloading, and reading which is a great tool when looking to share with multiple parties at different levels. We stopped sending attachments via e-mail (not secure) and simply use Box now to point toward a Link where the file is located. If you don't have access to the link, you are unable to see the file. Our employees and customers love this feature and it keeps everyone involved and access privileges in check.

Cons

When using Box Drive, it can be a bit slow to sync when creating new folders, or modifying file names, directly on the desktop application (recommend using the Box web site), however, this is extremely minor. we have had many successes using Box and have not even considered exploring any other solutions for over 5 years.

Alternatives Considered

Citrix ShareFile

Reasons for Switching to Box

Pricing, overall security, and vendor demonstration