Dropbox vs Proton Drive:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Dropbox had more branded searches than Proton Drive among cloud storage services worldwide. Dropbox had about 5 million branded searches, while Proton Drive had 246,000. Dropbox made up 5.7% of all cloud storage service searches we track, and Proton Drive accounted for 0.28%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud storage services, both Dropbox and Proton Drive appeared in all five answers. Dropbox was mentioned before Proton Drive in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Dropbox, about 20 searches for every 1 for Proton Drive
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Dropbox, named ahead of Proton Drive in 3 of 5 answers
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Top cloud storage services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Dropbox and Proton Drive showed up in all five answers. Dropbox was listed before Proton Drive in three of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Google Drive1st
OneDrive2nd
iCloud3rd- Dropbox4th
Proton Drive5th
Box6th
pCloud7th
WeTransfer–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Google Drive5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- iCloud5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- OneDrive5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Dropbox5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Proton Drive5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- pCloud3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Box2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- WeTransfer0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cloud storage services
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cloud storage service should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best cloud storage services?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cloud storage service for files online?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud storage services”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“online storage service”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Dropbox or Proton Drive more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Dropbox and Proton Drive by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cloud storage services we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Dropbox, Proton Drive. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Google Drive | iCloud | OneDrive | WeTransfer | Dropbox | pCloud | Proton Drive | Box |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 41.1% | 19.5% | 15% | 18.4% | 5.5% | 0.33% | 0.15% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 43.8% | 17.2% | 13.1% | 19.5% | 5.9% | 0.43% | 0.16% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 39.9% | 23.1% | 12% | 17.8% | 6.6% | 0.4% | 0.18% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 43.8% | 20.7% | 13.1% | 16% | 5.9% | 0.35% | 0.19% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 45.5% | 17.6% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 6.1% | 0.37% | 0.2% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 41.1% | 19.4% | 15% | 18.3% | 5.5% | 0.41% | 0.22% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.3% | 17.8% | 13.5% | 16.6% | 6.1% | 0.45% | 0.2% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 45.4% | 17.8% | 13.5% | 16.6% | 6.1% | 0.37% | 0.25% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 40.4% | 19.4% | 14.8% | 18.1% | 6.7% | 0.4% | 0.22% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 42.1% | 20% | 12.7% | 18.9% | 5.7% | 0.42% | 0.23% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 43.6% | 20.7% | 13.1% | 15.9% | 5.9% | 0.43% | 0.29% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 42.4% | 20.1% | 15.5% | 15.5% | 5.7% | 0.51% | 0.28% | <0.01% |
How has the Dropbox and Proton Drive comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Dropbox was ahead of Proton Drive in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dropbox’s share of searches among cloud storage services worldwide moved from 5.5% to 5.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 5M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Proton Drive’s share of searches among cloud storage services worldwide moved from 0.15% to 0.28%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 246K.
How did search popularity change for cloud storage services worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Proton Drive worldwide rose 82.2% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 246K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Dropbox’s and Proton Drive’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Dropbox
2 branded search terms
- dropbox
- dropbox app
Proton Drive
1 branded search term
- proton drive
Other head-to-heads among cloud storage services
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