Box review: A great cloud storage solution for enterprise

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Super simple, but with plenty of power, too

Web app feels better than most

Impressive security

Cons

Personal plan is more expensive than rivals

Our Verdict
One of the best cloud storage options for businesses, Box has a whole host of excellent tools but might go beyond a general Consumer’s needs.

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In our time testing the best cloud-based storage services for your Mac, I’m not sure I’ve seen one as slick and well-supported as Box.

One of the oldest names in the game, Box offers plenty of utility (and a very generous free plan) for individuals, but its real power lies in its enterprise systems.

Incorporating a whole host of security options, API calls, and over 1,500 integrations across office mainstays like Slack, Google Workspace, and more, it’s an easy pick for anyone looking for a “plug-and-play” solution for file-sharing across larger teams.

It’s no slouch for personal users, either, but there are drastically cheaper consumer-focused alternatives like Google Drive that make it harder to spring for the £11 a month Personal Pro plan.

First Impressions




Search Bar: The keyboard shortcut is super helpful.Foundry

I’m impressed at just how much Box tries to keep itself out of the way until you need it. In terms of the Mac version, it’s essentially just a menu bar app.

It can pop out into a handy search bar to trawl through anything inside the specific Box folder, but otherwise, the only telltale sign it’s installed is that it’ll appear in your Finder sidebar.

One of my favorite tools is the keyboard shortcut to bring up the search bar, which means Box is always just a keypress away. If you’re juggling a lot of files between members of your team, that alone could save you a lot of time each year.

Box features




Plugins: There are very few apps Box can’t work with it seems.Foundry

The joy of being one of the earliest cloud storage sites around is that Box has built quite the, er, box of tricks. Those come in the form of third-party integrations that range from standards like Microsoft Office apps to Zoom, Google Workspace, and many, many more – over 1,500, in fact.

It has options of its own, too, like a note section that syncs across devices and a document signing tool that’s very handy if you’re exchanging a lot of contracts.

Its focus on team-based users continues to admin rights, too. Users can use a series of controls to adjust file and folder permissions, meaning you could manage a team through it with ease, and an Admin console can track file movements, too.

It’s secure, too, with encryption as standard across all plans and end-to-end encryption offered via Box KeySafe so users can issue their own encryption keys.




Web app: Box is easy to use on the web.Foundry

I’m also very pleased to say that the web app is fast and stable, something I can’t say about every one of Box’s rivals, and it makes shifting files between folders when away from the Mac a much simpler process as a result.

Box annoyances

As I mentioned earlier, Box’s free tier is fantastic, offering 10GB of storage and a 250MB file upload limit that could be more than you need depending on your use case.

Sadly, the next tier up is $14/£11 monthly for individuals, which is a steep increase on the likes of Google Drive. That does net you multiple file versions and Box Sign for signing 15 docs each month, as well as 5GB file uploads and 100GB of storage.

It’s still a solid plan, it’s just priced a little too high for our liking. You can get it down to $10/£8 per month if you pay annually, though.

Should you buy Box cloud storage

Personal pricing aside, Box nails just about anything you could want from a cloud storage service in 2025. It’s fast, secure, and gets out of the way when you need it to, making it an easy pick for businesses.

If you are looking for an onsite backup solution take a look at our choice of the Best Mac Backup apps.