fractal filesystem vs Dropbox
Dropbox optimizes for closed-cloud convenience. ffs gives you a fractal filesystem you can run yourself or use on freement.cloud, with transparent XML catalogs and shareable slurp links.
Pricing & value
ffs list prices on plans.php — often less per terabyte than closed SaaS, with a lifetime option competitors rarely offer.
fractal filesystem (ffs)
| Tier | Price | Storage | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0.00 | 100 MB billable | — |
| Plus | $10.00/mo | 2 TB billable | semantic archives, thumbnails, file edit |
| Plus Lifetime | $149.00 one-time | 2 TB billable | semantic archives, thumbnails, file edit |
| Team | $59.00/mo | 5 TB billable | semantic archives, thumbnails, file edit |
| Organization | $199.00/mo | 15 TB billable | semantic archives, thumbnails, file edit |
Dropbox (typical list pricing)
| Scenario | Price | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 2 GB | No desktop sync priority on free |
| Plus | $11.99/mo | 2 TB | Single user |
| Professional | $19.99/mo | 3 TB | Single user |
| Standard Business | $15/user/mo | 5 TB pooled | 3 user minimum ≈ $45/mo floor |
| Advanced Business | $24/user/mo | Unlimited* | Per-seat; *fair use |
| Advanced ~14 seats (approx.) | ~$336/mo (~$4,032/yr) | Unlimited* | Typical org quote vs Eastern Door–scale Dropbox |
- ffs Plus is $10/mo for 2 TB — about 17% less than Dropbox Plus for similar capacity.
- Plus Lifetime ($149) ≈ 12 months of Dropbox Plus, then years of no subscription.
- Team $59/mo for 5 TB undercuts 4–5 Dropbox Business seats (~$60–75/mo) with self-host escape hatch.
- Organization $199/mo (~$2,388/yr) for 15 TB flat — roughly 40% below ~$4k/yr Dropbox Advanced for ~14 seats.
- Self-host ffs: pay only infrastructure; Dropbox has no self-host path at any price.
Competitor prices are indicative public list rates (USD) for comparison; your VPS, NAS, or enterprise quote may differ. See plans for current tiers and checkout.
| Feature | ffs | Dropbox |
|---|---|---|
| 2 TB personal tier | Plus $10/mo | Plus $11.99/mo |
| Lifetime / buy-once | Plus Lifetime $149 | Not offered |
| 5-user team (approx.) | Team $59/mo (5 TB) | Standard ~$45–75/mo (3+ seats) |
| ~14-user org (approx.) | Organization $199/mo (15 TB) | Advanced ~$336/mo (~$4k/yr, per-seat) |
| Data location | Your host or freement.cloud | Dropbox infrastructure |
| Catalog format | XML + fractal_zip (inspectable) | Opaque cloud |
| Freemium tier | Yes | Free tier with limits |
| Public read-only browsing | Slurp (no account) | Shared links / previews |
| Desktop sync | ffs_sync.py (open script) | Dropbox client |
| Collaboration suite | Storage-focused | Paper, Sign, etc. |
| Per-file dedup billing | Participation / refcounts | Account quota |
| Self-host option | Yes | No |
When ffs fits better
- You want self-host or hybrid: same tree layout locally and remote.
- You publish read-only archives (slurp) without paywalled link walls.
- You care about fractal dedup and catalog semantics, not just sync folders.
Paid tiers checkout on plans.php via Stripe.