Dropbox vs. Windows Live Mesh
At first glance, Dropbox and Windows Live Mesh seem pretty much the same; they’re both file synchronizers. On the core level, I suppose this is true. The details, however, change things a lot.
Here’s what they both do:
- Sync files between multiple computers.
- Host files in the cloud.
- Allow sharing of files with others.
That’s where the similarities end. Here’s how Dropbox is better than Mesh:
- Dropbox supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. Mesh supports Windows and Mac.
- Dropbox lets you share folders with individual people or with everyone. Mesh only lets you share with individuals.
- Dropbox lets you buy more cloud storage.
- Dropbox supports a variety of mobile devices.
- Dropbox uses a centralized folder for synchronized files.
- Dropbox keeps an online revision history of your files and lets you restore older versions.
But here’s how Mesh is better than Dropbox:
- Mesh gives you 5GB of cloud storage for free. Dropbox only gives you 2GB of free space.
- Mesh lets you sync your Office settings and Internet Explorer favorites. Of course, this only matters if you use them.
- Mesh lets you sync your photos to your phone, and eventually a variety of other devices (e.g. Xbox, Zune). But not now.
- Mesh lets you select individual folders to sync.
- Mesh lets you choose which systems get which synced folders. No need to have your private pictures at work!
- Mesh lets you sync files between computers without using your cloud storage.
- Mesh lets you remotely connect to and control your (Windows) systems. This is disabled by default for security.
- Dropbox (on Windows, at least) hates sleep and hibernate. Mesh doesn’t crash your system if you put it to sleep.
They’re both useful, certainly, and I do use both, but I’m finding Mesh more useful in general.