Dropbox, a popular cloud storage provider with over 18 million paying users, recently announced they are discontinuing its unlimited storage offering. This decision comes in response to misuse of the service by certain customers for purposes like cryptocurrencymining and storage reselling, instead of business use. Specific problematic cases mentioned were the cryptocurrency Chia and personal storage pooling.
The company expressed concern about a small number of customers using thousands of times more storage than typical business customers, creating a risk of an unreliable experience for all users. Dropbox clarified their unlimited storage policy was meant for legitimate business needs, not any type of use.
To address this, Dropbox introduced new limited storage plans. Customers will now receive 15TB of shared storage with 3 active licenses, plus 5TB per additional license. Over 99% of users utilize less than 35TB per license, so their allotment will stay the same, they get a 5TB pooled storage credit for 5 years. Customers using over 35TB per license can retain up to 1,000TB without new fees. The changes start November 1st, with a minimum 30-day notice before migration.
Dropbox is not alone in this shift, following moves by Google and Microsoft to end unlimited storage in response to misuse concerns. As major cloud companies restrict unlimited options, individuals and businesses needing expansive storage will need to explore specialized services more aligned with their high requirements.
