Dropbox Revamps Storage Plans: Addressing Crypto Mining Abuse With 15TB Cap

Key Points:

• Dropbox ended unlimited storage due to misuse and introduced a 15TB cap.
• A new plan tackles uneven usage caused by crypto mining resale.
• Similar to Microsoft and Google, Dropbox adapts to industry trends.

In response to misuse by certain users engaging in activities such as crypto mining and unauthorized resale of storage, Dropbox has taken the decision to discontinue its unlimited storage plan.

This plan will be replaced with a metered storage approach, offering new users a fixed allocation of 15 terabytes. The company cited instances of users consuming “thousands of times more storage than our genuine business customers,” leading to uneven usage levels.

Dropbox’s move is in line with similar shifts by industry giants Microsoft and Google, who have also adjusted their storage policies.

The abuse of the unlimited storage privilege has prompted Dropbox to transition to a capped model, aiming to ensure a more equitable and reliable experience for all users.

The company acknowledged that while there may be legitimate cases requiring extensive storage, there has been an uptick in misuse, including individuals reselling storage and sharing it among unrelated users for personal purposes.

Enforcing acceptable-use restrictions was deemed impractical, pushing Dropbox towards the adoption of metered storage.

Existing users of the Advanced plan will be gradually migrated to the modified scheme with at least 30 days’ notice.

Notably, more than 99 percent of users fall below the 35TB per license threshold. These teams will maintain their current storage levels and receive an extra 5TB of pooled storage for five years at no extra cost. The maximum storage across all versions of the Advanced plan will be capped at 1,000TB.

Storage add-ons will be available starting September 18th, priced at $10 per month for 1TB on a month-to-month basis, and $8 per month on an annual plan.

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