Document file-sharing is at the heart of an efficient collaborative workflow. With many teams now working remotely, having a central location to transfer and collaborate on documents is critical.
Thankfully, many useful apps are available to help your team and each one has its benefits and strong points.
What Is File-Sharing Software?
File-sharing software is essentially a centralized location to store your files and documents as they evolve over time. A good file-sharing app will allow for version control so you can see exactly when changes were made and by whom.
It should also have strong note-taking, chat, and other collaborative features so team members can work together in real-time.
What Should You Look For In Document File-Sharing Software?
This always depends on the needs of your specific team. However, there are a few key features that every file-sharing app should share.
Security and Permissions
This is the most important feature and most file-sharing services will offer encryption. But you also need tools to customize permissions across your team and organization. Oversharing of documents can be a liability for companies that don’t have the tools to limit access to files and folders.
Collaborative Features
Next up is collaboration. If your team already has a favorite communication tool such as Slack, you want to make sure your file-sharing solution has an integration for that. If you don’t use any apps for communication, then your file-sharing choice should include apps with collaborative chat features built-in.
Storage
Are you just sharing documents or are videos and images part of your workflow? This can all play into your storage needs. So make sure to choose an option with sufficient storage in the plan you need.
Adding storage can often raise the monthly costs of your per-user rate.
Data Backup
All of the file-sharing services are cloud-based, but you still want additional backup services if necessary. This also includes the version history for files. Some file-sharing services only store revision histories for 7 days, while others go back months or more.
Decide on your backup needs and revision needs to help you choose a solution that’s best for your team and workflow.
11 Best File-Sharing Software In 2024
Now that you have a good idea of what to look for in a file-sharing solution, it’s time to go over our list of the 11 best options for teams of any size.
1: Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a free document file-sharing service that you’ve likely heard about. But just because it’s free doesn’t mean it can’t handle your document-sharing tasks.
Google Docs integrates with the entire Google Workspace suite including a spreadsheet program, calendar, slideshow maker, and many other tools. It’s also highly standardized across the business community. This means that almost everyone you need to collaborate with likely already has a Google account and is familiar with the document workflow.
Google Workspace Key Features
- Full document editing and importation of popular text formats
- Integration with other Google productivity applications
- Real-time collaboration features like comments, replies, and markups
- Access controls
- Version History
Google Workspace Limitations
- Access control is limited to three options. Lacks granular control
- Some document formats don’t import correctly and require manual formatting
- Overall formatting options are not as strong as a dedicated word processor
- Free version has a storage space limit of 15 GB – Paid plans offer more
Google Workspace Pricing
Free Basic Plan – $0/month
- Access to all Google productivity apps. 15GB storage limit
Business Starter Plan – $6/month – per user
- Custom and secure business email
- 100-participant video meetings
- 30 GB pooled storage per user
- Security and management controls
- Duet AI
- Standard Support
Business Standard Plan – $12/month – per user
- Custom and secure business email
- 150-participant video meetings
- 30 GB pooled storage per user
- Security and management controls
Duet AI - Standard Support
Business Plus Plan – $18/month – per user
- Custom and secure business email
- 500-participant video meetings with attendance tracking
- 5 TB pooled storage per user
- Security and management controls
- Duet AI
- Standard Support
Review Scores
- G2: 4.6/5 (40K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (15K+ reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5 /5 (11K+ reviews)
2: Zoho Docs
Zoho is a popular maker of productivity tools ranging from document sharing to full project management and CRM apps. Zoho Docs is meant for document sharing, storage, and collaboration.
Being from Zoho, it integrates with all of their other productivity tools, which makes it an obvious choice if the Zoho ecosystem is already part of your workflow.
Overall, Zoho Docs excels at collaboration features as well as some strong syncing features that allow for offline work when no internet connection is available.
Zoho Docs Key Features
- Ability to set up folders and sub-folders to match your current device
- App for both Android and iOS works well and allows for basic file editing and sharing anywhere
- Send files to Zoho Docs directly from your email
- Easily search files using different criteria and filters
Zoho Docs Limitation
- The mobile app is easy to use, but it lacks the full functions of the web-based platform
- Free version only has 1GB of storage.
- Web platform is a little confusing at first glance
Zoho Docs Pricing
Free Basic Plan – $0/month
- 1 user
- Archiving
- Anti-virus scanning of files
Professional Plan – $3/month – per user
- 1 user
- SSL support
- 5 GB storage (upgradable)
- Revisioning
- Group management
Business Plan – $9/month – per user
- 3 users
- SSL support
- 15 GB storage (upgradable)
- Revisioning
- Group management
- Admin Console
Enterprise Plan – $12/month – per user
- 3 users
- SSL support
- 15 GB storage (upgradable)
- Revisioning
- Group management
- Admin Console
- Rebranding
Review Scores
- G2: 4.4/5 (358 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (190 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (190 reviews)
3: Dropbox Paper
The Dropbox name is synonymous with file sharing so it’s no surprise that their document-specific program Dropbox Paper made the list.
Dropbox Paper uses the same minimalist design aesthetic that Dropbox is known for. This makes it easy to use for those just starting out.
That simplicity comes at a cost though as Dropbox Paper lacks advanced document editing features. You can add things such as tables or images, but more advanced formatting options are missing.
Dropbox Paper Key Features
- Strong mobile apps work perfectly and are intuitive
- All plans have ample storage for documents
- Basic project management features like “to-do” lists are built-in to help complete tasks
- Variety of templates to jump-start your projects
Dropbox Paper Limitations
- Mobile and web only – no dedicated desktop app
- Basic formatting options
- Export format limitations
- Plans are expensive
Dropbox Paper Pricing
Plus Plan – $9.99/month
- 1 user
- 2 TB storage
- 2 GB file delivery
- File recovery (30 days)
Essential Plan – $18/month
- 1 user
- 3 TB storage
- 100 GB file deliver
- File recovery (90 days)
- Track file engagement
- Unlimited signatures
- PDF and video support
Business Plan – $20/month
- 3+ users
- 9 TB storage
- 100 GB file deliver
- File recovery (180 days)
- Track file engagement
- Unlimited signatures
- PDF and video support
- Admin setup
- Track shares
Review Scores
- G2: 4.1/5 (4K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (219 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (219 reviews)
4: Notion
Notion is a unique file-sharing and document collaboration tool. It allows for complete workspace customization in a visual way that isn’t offered by similar tools.
This means that no two workflows are the same. This can be great for smaller teams with highly unique workspace requirements. However, larger teams may find the customization to be a hindrance to productivity.
But for smaller creative teams that know exactly how they need to share notes and edits, Notion can be a great fit.
Notion Key Features
- A workspace where you can combine all your project tools beyond just document sharing
- Extremely flexible workspace customization and relational database
- Asynchronous collaboration
- Deep permission customization on a per file or page level
- Mobile app for viewing and moving documents
Notion Limitations
- Customization and setup can feel like a maze until you understand the concept
- Formatting documents is done via blocks and is not immediately intuitive like word processors
- Only the paid plans have more advanced sharing features
Notion Pricing
Free Plan – $0/month
- 1 user
- Invite 10 friends
- Basic analytics
- 7-day revision history
Plus Plan – $8/month
- Everything in the free plan
- Unlimited team blocks
- Invite 100 friends
- Unlimited uploads
- 30-day revision history
Business Plan – $15/month
- Everything in Plus Plan
- SAML SSO
- Bulk PDF export
- Invite 250 friends
- Advanced page analytics
- 90-day revision history
Enterprise Plan – Contact Notion for custom pricing
- Everything in the Business Plan
- User provisioning
- Advanced sharing options
- Unlimited revisions
- Audit log and customer success track manager
Review Scores
- G2: 4.7/5 (4K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (1.9K+ reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (1.9K+ reviews)
5: PandaDoc
PandaDocs focuses on document creation, and e-signatures together with overall version tracking and strong collaboration features.
There are a lot of built-in tools to help when creating documents from scratch. But PandaDoc also offers a wide variety of templates and themes to speed up your workflow.
All of those tools can sometimes seem hidden due to a less-than-perfect interface. But after a few documents, you quickly learn how to access the different features.
PandaDoc Key Features
- Strong e-signature support along with unlimited signatures
- Useful templates to jump-start your document creation process
- Add or view notes, edits, and other collaborative information in real-time
- Easily add your own branding options to a variety of documents
PandaDoc Limitations
- Importing certain documents can be difficult
- Number of document features may be overwhelming if you just need basic document support
- Interface seems convoluted at first
- Costly if you don’t need all of the features
PandaDoc Pricing
Free Trial – 14 days
- Full features but only for the trial period
Essentials Plan – $19/month
- Unlimited document uploads and e-signatures
- Templates
- Real-time tracking and notifications
- Rich media drag-and-drop document editor
- Document analytics
- 24/7 email and chat support
Business Plan – $49/month
- Everything in the Essentials Plan
- CRM and Zapier integrations
- Content Library
- Custom branding
- Approval workflows
Enterprise Plan – Contact PandaDoc for custom pricing
- Everything in the Business Plan
- Advanced quotes
- AI assistant
- SSO support and custom user roles
- Unlimited number of team workspaces
- User performance and content reporting
- Notary
Review Scores
- G2: 4.7/5 (2.2K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (1K+ reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (1K+ reviews)
6: DocuWare
Docuware is more than a document-sharing platform. It’s a complete document management system designed for large corporations or small and medium-sized businesses SMBs that need help with managing document workflow.
It has extended import options including OCR importation. Docuware excels with a robust storage system that allows for detailed searches through advanced metadata.
DocuWare Key Features
- Class-leading document import features and methods
- OCR and AI assistant automatically include metadata with each imported document
- Version control on all documents in the system.
DocuWare Limitations
- Desktop app is only available for Windows
- Focuses solely on document management and sharing
- Pricing is not public and you have to contact DocuWare for a quote
DocuWare Pricing
Free Trial – 30 days. No credit card is required. All pricing is through DocuWare sales representatives.
Review Scores
- G2: 4.5/5 (217 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (78 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (75 reviews)
7: Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud-based file-sharing system that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft’s many business applications.
Microsoft’s long history as an enterprise software provider is clear with OneDrive as it has many advanced features for access control. It’s also extremely secure and built from the ground up to facilitate collaboration.
Microsoft OneDrive works with both the paid versions of Microsoft business apps as well as the free Microsoft 365 Online version that includes popular apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
Microsoft OneDrive Key Features
- Seamless integration with Microsoft Office apps and other tools
- Proven enterprise-grade security, access control, and reliability
- Works with the Microsoft 365 Online, which is free to use
- Enterprise-level version control
Microsoft OneDrive Limitations
- Not very useful if not using it primarily with other Microsoft products
Microsoft OneDrive Pricing
Microsoft 365 Plan – $0/month
- 1 User
- 5GB storage
- 15 GB mailbox
- Web and mobile versions of popular Microsoft apps
OneDrive For Business – $5/month
- File sharing
- 1 TB storage
- Real-time tracking and notifications
- Rich media drag-and-drop document editor
- Document analytics
- 24/7 email and chat support
Microsoft 365 Business Basic – $6/month
- Chat and call services
- Business email
- Content Library
- Custom branding
- Approval workflows
Microsoft 365 Business Standard – $12.50/month
- Everything in Business Basic
- Desktop versions of all Microsoft products offered in other plans
- Webinar attendee and reporting metrics
Review Scores
- G2: 4.3/5 (9K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (11K+ reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (11K+ reviews)
8: Box
Box is a document and file-sharing collaborative service that works well for personal use and business use. It’s been around for a lot longer than many competitors, and in that time it has added some great features.
Box helps to keep a centralized location for remote teams or vendors to stay connected and keep track of documents and other files.
The free plan with Box is quite limited, but the paid plans offer strong features for the money.
Overall, Box is a proven file-sharing solution that also places security as a high priority.
Box Key Features
- AI security features to monitor access
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Huge list of integrations that top 1,500 in total
- Unlimited signatures
- Deep OS integration for easy transfers and uploads
Box Limitations
- File size limit is lower than many competitors
- Batch export function is limited and can only handle a limited number of documents
Box Pricing
Free Individual Plan – $0/month
- 10 GB storage
- 1 file version
- 5 e-signatures per month
Business Plan – $15/month
- 5 GB file size limit
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited e-signatures
- Box canvas for collaborative white-boarding
Business Plus Plan – $25/month
- Unlimited collaborators
- 15 GB file size limit
- Automatic data loss prevention
- Advanced search
- Metadata templates
- Approval workflows
Enterprise Plan – $35/month
- 50 GB file size limit
- HIPAA compliance
- Watermarking
- 2FA
- Password enforcement policies
- User performance and content reporting
- Notary
Review Scores
- G2: 4.2/5 (4.(K + reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (5K+ reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.5/5 (5.1K+ reviews)
9: nTask
nTaks is another unique document and file-sharing platform that is similar to Notion. Instead of just being for file sharing, it also includes many project management features and customization options so your team can stay on task.
nTask integrates with most of the other file-sharing apps listed here like Onedrive and Google Drive, among others. It also integrates with Slack and most collaborative tools.
This makes it the perfect centralized hub for teams who need to keep their documents front and center during their workflow.
Overall, it’s more straightforward than Notion but has similar features. So if Notion intrigues you but is a bit too much, check out nTask.
nTask Key Features
- Strong collaborative features so your team can easily work together on documents
- Built-in project management and task management options, including Gantt charts
- Integrates with all popular business apps
- Time management and time tracking features to assist with payroll
nTask Limitations
- Focuses more on collaborative features than strictly file sharing
- Document formatting options may be limited for those who need advanced functionality or publishing workflows
nTask Pricing
Free Basic Plan – $0/month
- 5 team members
- Unlimited tasks
- Unlimited workspaces
Premium Plan – $3/month
- Everything in the basic plan
- 5 GB extra storage
- Gantt chart and Kanban views
- Budget tracking
- Financial summaries
- Onboarding phone call
Business Plan – $8/month
- Everything in the Premium plan
- 10 GB storage
- Custom role assignment
- Advanced Reporting
- Risk tracking
- HIPAA document compliance
Enterprise Plan – Contact nTask for pricing
- 100 GB file size limit
- Dedicated support contact
Review Scores
- G2: 4.4/5 (17 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (104 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4/5 (103 reviews)
10: Quip
Quip is a document and spreadsheet collaboration tool that has some great file-sharing features and project management elements as well.
Quip is mostly designed for users of the popular Salesforce CRM. So it’s really more of an add-on app than a standalone platform. For that reason, if your business uses Salesforce, this should be something to look into as it’s specifically built to accent your existing workflows.
Of all the apps on this list, Quip has some strong spreadsheet collaboration features that can help with data visualization and comparisons among different sheets.
Quip Key Features
- Fits perfectly with Salesforce
- Document and spreadsheet collaboration all in one
- Group chat messaging or one-on-one options
- Smooth mobile app for accessing or adding files on the go
Quip Limitations
- Can be expensive for what you get
- If you don’t already use Salesforce, you may not find it as useful as other apps
Quip Pricing
Quip Starter Plan – $10/month
- Unlimited documents and spreadsheets
- Group chat and 1-on-1
- Desktop, mobile, and tablet access
Quip Plus Plan – $25/month
- All Starter Plan features
- SSO
- Enterprise API access
- Custom live apps
Quip Advanced Plan – $100/month
- All Quip Plus features
- Edit documents directly in Salesforce
- Full data sync with Salesforce
Review Scores
- G2: 4.2/5 (1K+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (195 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4.55 (196 reviews)
11: M-Files
M-Files is another complete document management solution, similar to DocuWare. It’s built for businesses that need enhanced permission control. It’s also for businesses that have a high volume of documents to share and manage.
Despite all its power for searching and organizing documents, the interface is extremely easy to use and well-designed. It makes accessing the documents you need about as easy as it can be.
M-Files also offers strong collaboration tools for both internal and external edits to documents.
If your team needs serious document management power, make sure to look into M-Files
M-Files Key Features
- Top-notch interface and very easy to use for something so powerful
- Advanced metadata creation and search functions
- Great mobile app
- OCR technology for easy importation and cataloging of documents
- Access documents offline
M-files Limitations
- Pricing is only available through custom quotes when contacting M-Files
- The number of customization options can be overwhelming for new users
M-Files Pricing
- Contact M-Files for custom pricing options and quotes
Review Scores
- G2: 4.3/5 (147 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (179 reviews)
- Software Advice: 4/5 (179 reviews)
Choosing The Right Document Sharing For Your Team
We tried to make a list of options to fit everyone from small teams to large enterprises that need complete document management.
When deciding on which option to choose, make sure to start by looking at your current file sharing and document workflow and then to consider what is most important to your team.
You’ll also want to consider what apps and services you already use and make sure those integrate with the options you’re considering.
As always, make sure to take advantage of the free trials or free plans available. These are a great way to take your time and get to know each solution.
As a final tip, when working with a vendor that doesn’t list its prices, don’t be afraid to negotiate when speaking to the sales representative. Since these companies earn their money from a recurring monthly charge, they will sometimes offer a discount to bring you on board. Don’t forget to sign up for Blitzi with a free account as we build out the future of file sharing!
