DropBox is another step forward in technology and the sort of services which we are now able to use, though when first released it was a revolutionary idea, though that doesn’t mean nothing else would creep up behind it. OwnCloud is the new competition that DropBox has, and as can be referred from its name, rather than only a small segment within which to store your data OwnCloud gives you an entire cloud. As yet DropBox still has the upper hand in terms of popularity as well as a larger consumer base.
For now it seems that OwnCloud hasn’t quite gained the attention of mobile users as it may have expected to, apps from both Android and iOS which will make use of OwnCloud are still in the pipeline, though many do see OwnCloud to be competition for DropBox.
What do you get if you switch?
The question still remains that will the switch from DropBox to OwnCloud really be worth it? A quick look at the features provided by the two services shows that DropBox gives you up to 2 GB’s worth of space in which you can store your data. In the case that you manage to successfully recommend the service to someone else and get them to join DropBox gives you another 50 MB of space for your belongings. On the other hand we have OwnCloud which imposes no limitations on the amount of data you can store on their servers. Users can assign to themselves how ever much space is appropriate for them and make use of it.
Secondly OwnCloud is not just an online locker you can through your stuff into, it has a host of other much smarter features, for example the OwnCloud music player which will keep you entertained while you are accessing your data from your cloud. Since OwnCloud can be accessed from anywhere it also integrates other things which you may need access to such as your calendar, you can view this with your data. More so it even gives you the option to save your important bookmarks which you may need since its no good having bookmarked something only to find out that you don’t have access to the bookmark when you need it. Bookmarks will be with you where ever you go on OwnCloud.
DropBox vs. Owncloud for mobile users
From the comparison of the two services OwnCloud does seem to be the better option for anyone who wants cloud storage, though there is a different aspect for mobile users. Those making use of cloud storage from their handsets directly need this service in order to use it as extra memory for example throwing some pictures taken from the device into DropBox or videos and other such data to free up some space on the device itself, this is something OwnCloud is not able to do at the moment. Furthermore its Apple and Android which are the two dominating firms in the smartphone market and neither of two have as yet approved of OwnCloud apps to run on their OS.
DropBox has a very simple interface for users pretty much everyone can easily manage their way around installation and regular use isn’t that complicated either. Where as OwnCloud on the other hand seems to have been developed with IT experts in mind with for whom managing a complex installation shouldn’t be a problem. Setting up space on your cloud and the other such details are harder to work with.
Both services provide users with online storage with OwnCloud the more complex route of the two, though setting that apart it does clearly offer users greater functionality and in theory that should be storage of choice for many.
Guest Author: Jane Andrew is the author of android spyware and iPhone spy technology. She provides tips, tricks about sell phone security and privacy. You can also follow her on Twitter @janeandrew01 to get the latest tips about mobile security.