Skip to main content
Dropbox logo
vs
Filen logo
Try Filen

Dropbox vs Filen: Which Offers Superior Sharing Controls?

Explore why users are considering Germany's Filen over US-based Dropbox for enhanced sharing controls and data security. Discover the differences now.

Last updated: February 19, 2026Reviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Filen?

What You Gain

Enhanced privacy with end-to-end encryption and EU data hosting

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Loss of collaborative editing and advanced sharing features

Dropbox has more features
Bottom Line

Switch for privacy; stay with Dropbox if collaboration features matter

At a Glance

Data Location
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇩🇪DE

GDPR protected

Pricing

Dropbox

freemium

Filen

freemium

Migration
Medium difficulty~Several hours to a day, depending on data size and internet speed

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaDropboxFilen
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
Enterprise onlyAll plans
Data Portability
Full exportFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Dropbox is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Filen is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Dropbox logo

Dropbox

🇺🇸

Dropbox

VS
Switching to
Filen logo

Filen

🇩🇪

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

EU-hosted
EU-Based
ISO 27001
GDPR Compliant
Open Source
Self-Hostable

Reasons to Switch

  • End-to-end encryption for all files
  • GDPR compliance ensures EU data protection
  • ISO 27001 certification for security
  • Open source allows code transparency

Things to Consider

  • !Migration from Dropbox can be time-consuming
  • !No collaborative document editing feature
  • !Learning curve for new interface and features
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~Several hours to a day, depending on data size and internet speed

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~Several hours to a day, depending on data size and internet speed

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Filen account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Dropbox

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to Dropbox

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Filen today and take control of your data privacy.