Difference between Amazon S3 and Box

Both cloud storage options provide business solutions and cloud storage functionalities. While Amazon S3 opens the door to the various AWS cloud computing facilities, Box provides unlimited storage. As there appears no file preview while downloading, there may be some confusion while downloading them. Again, Box may crash randomly and cause some problems for first-time users. The data stored are protected against multiple failures, errors, or threats in the case of Amazon S3, while Box provides security while sharing files and also in collaboration.

Amazon S3

Amazon S3 was created by Amazon Web Services in 2006 for giving a one-stop solution for services regarding cloud storage. It stands for Amazon Simple Storage Service. The main logic behind its working process is that it considers each data as an object and stores it through a web service interface. The user creates buckets and the objects are stored within the buckets which are again stored in the cloud. The objects could be anything ranging from data lakes for analytics to data archives for backup and recovery. It also provides data recovery, the cloud storage in hybrid devices and platforms, and also internet applications. It was originally designed for businesses of any kind to help store data, control access management, monitor data usage, bulk data transfers, and also for inventory tracking.

Features

The main highlighted features of Amazon S3 are −

• Durability

• Cost-effective

• Scalability of resources

• Object availability

• Flexible for a huge range of data management

• Data transfer could be done simply

• Ease of work for developers

Box

Box was introduced by Box Incorporation to provide cloud storage as well as file hosting service. It works for all platforms like Windows, macOS, etc. Similar to Amazon S3, it also provides services for workplaces of any type, but it can also be used for individual or personal uses. It has a very user-friendly interface making it very easy to transfer documents to any device which is accessible to the internet. It has a support forum wherein the users can reach in case of any problems and also online webinars are available which makes it easy to understand for new users.

Features

The main features for using Box at the business level are as follows −

• Document files could be shared easily.

• File sharing is much more secure with the help of permissions

• Collaboration and offline syncing could be done easily

• Workflow is better due to smooth interaction

• Other applications could be integrated

• Privacy and protection of data

• Browser compatibility

Differences

Basis of Difference	Amazon S3	Box
Owner	Owner is Amazon	Owner is Box incorporation
Launching year	Released in 2006	Released in 2005
Founder	The founder is Amazon Web Services (AWS)	The founders are Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith
Free storage space	A 5GB free storage space is offered	A 10GB free storage space is offered
Maximum storage size	The maximum storage space offered is unlimited.	The maximum storage space is 100GB if it is a personal account and unlimited storage in case of a business account.
File versioning	Support file versioning.	Support file versioning only if is a paid premium account.
File size	The maximum file size that is supported is 5TB.	The maximum file size is 250MB if it is an unpaid or free account. But offers 150GB if it is a paid account.
Remote uploading	Remote uploading cannot be done.	Remote uploading can be done up to size 30MB only if it is via IFTTT.
Details	Even for a free account creation, credit card details are required.	It does not ask for credit card details while creating a free account.

Disadvantages

Along with the above differences and advantages of the two types of cloud storage options, there are also some disadvantages.

Amazon S3

The disadvantages of Amazon S3 are −

• The AWS support plan is required in case of extensive support and it is billed separately

• Data download is not cost-effective

• For new users configuring the IAM (additional AWS service) may not be easy.

• The pricing schemes may be a bit complex to understand

• Block storage cannot be integrated

• The sign-up process may be tedious

Box

The disadvantages of Box are −

• Knowing the location of the file is necessary

• Admin functionalities difficult to manage

• Takes longer to load all the files

• The search function may dysfunction

• Uploading may stop sometimes

Conclusion

Amazon S3 uses storage classes for data storage for cost reduction without the need for multiple hardware refreshes. Also, cloud-native applications can be integrated easily along with scalability. While seamless e-signatures can be done on document sharing, ML and AI can be integrated with Amazon S3. Hence, both of the options should be used correctly with proper planning according to the project requirements.