Dropbox stops offering unlimited cloud storage due to policy violations

Due to consumers "abusing" the function, Dropbox will end its unlimited cloud storage policy. Dropbox Advanced, a business-oriented plan from the company, will now have a metered storage policy. From November 1, existing clients will progressively transition to this new arrangement. The shift is a result of some users exploiting unlimited capacity for cryptocurrency mining and selling storage, according to this explanation.

Originally designed to support businesses, Dropbox's highest-tier plan provided unlimited storage to facilitate growth. However, recently, certain users began exploiting this offering for activities such as cryptocurrency mining, pooling storage with strangers, and even reselling the service. Such misuse not only consumed disproportionate amounts of storage but also threatened the stability of the platform for its core business clientele.

Dropbox's new policy introduces a metered approach. New customers on the Dropbox Advanced plan will now receive a starting storage allocation of 15TB, which can accommodate approximately 100 million documents or 7500 hours of HD video. Furthermore, with each added license, an additional 5TB will be provided. For existing Advanced customers utilizing less than 35TB per license — which represents over 99% of such users — the existing storage amount remains, supplemented by an extra 5TB for a period of five years without extra costs. However, for the minority exceeding this limit, Dropbox will extend support to facilitate a smooth transition.

This tactical change is in line with a general industry trend. The phrase "as much storage as you need" was dropped from Google's top-tier Workspace plan earlier this year, which unintentionally drove some of its users to Dropbox. Similar to this, businesses like Amazon and Apple have reviewed their cloud storage prices; the latter discontinued its unlimited storage option in 2017. In 2015, Microsoft made a comparable move. Notably, Box continues to be unique and continues to advertise limitless storage for its business products.