4.42/5
Capterra rating
242 reviews
Report
Should I Use Paper - Dropbox?
Dropbox Paper is a new type of document designed for creative work. Collaborate in real time, assign tasks, make to-do lists and much more. Start today!
Depends
DependsBuy only if your team already pays for Dropbox and needs lightweight co-edited docs with tasks.
Free docs bundled with Dropbox — fine if you already pay; apps retired and web-only, so choose Google Docs otherwise.
Confidence: Medium
$0
Starting price
Free with any Dropbox account
Yes
Free tier
Bundled with Dropbox
$600M
Maker funding
Raised by Dropbox
Value for money
4
Free with Dropbox; nothing extra to pay
Ease of use
4
Real-time co-editing; 4.42/5 across 242 Capterra reviews
Feature depth
2
Docs plus tasks; apps and integrations cut
Security posture
2
No Paper security page; 2019 viewer-data exposure report
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- highPaper apps hit end of life in 2025; everything runs in-browser only.²
- mediumLegacy Paper docs required migration to the new release — verify old docs convert cleanly.
- mediumUsers questioned URL-based access: anyone holding the link could open docs.
- mediumPhishers abuse.com links to look legitimate — warn your team.⁶
Best for
- Teams already paying for Dropbox
- Design and marketing co-editing
- Media and publishing workflows
- Light project briefs with tasks
Not for
- Anyone wanting a standalone docs tool — Paper is Dropbox-locked
- Mobile-first teams — dedicated apps are discontinued
- Heavy writers needing Grammarly or rich integrations
- Security teams wanting dedicated docs controls and a security page
Pricing
Paper
Free
- Included with any Dropbox account
- Real-time co-editing, tasks, to-dos
Dropbox Business
Paid (per Dropbox plans)
- Paper included in Business plans
- Admin controls covered in admin FAQs
Security
No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed; one 2019 report of viewer details exposed on publicly shared docs, phishing abuse of .paper links, and no dedicated Paper security page.
- Viewer details exposed on public docs (2019)Reports said Dropbox exposed personal details of viewers of publicly shared Paper docs.⁵
- No dedicated security pageA crawl of.com/security found no security page.
- Phishing via .paper linksA sysadmin reported a user phished through Dropbox's new .paper link format.⁶
What users say
Users pit Paper against Google Docs in nearly every thread, praise the co-editing, and gripe about the app shutdown and weak integrations.
“User got phished today from dropbox's new .paper link.”
“How can I get the Paper desktop app?”
Alternatives
Compare Paper - Dropbox with each alternative.
Google Docs
Free, better-maintained collaborative docs; the default comparison in every thread.
Notion
Docs plus tasks and wikis; deeper than Paper.
Paper - Dropbox vs NotionMiro
Visual whiteboards for teams that brainstorm more than write.
ClickUp
Heavier project management if tasks outgrow docs.
Paper - Dropbox vs ClickUpFull analysis
Based on ~20 public sources; verbatim user quotes were scarce.
Sources
- Paper — Dropbox official pagedropbox.comofficial
- End of life for Dropbox Paper appsdirectionforward.comnews
- Kanbanchi vs Dropbox: Paper apps retiredkanbanchi.comnews
- Team admins: FAQs on the new release of Paperhelp.dropbox.comofficial
- Dropbox exposes personal details of viewers of public docsnews.ycombinator.comsecurity
- User phished via .paper linkreddit.comsecurity
- Miro vs Dropbox Paper — Capterra comparisoncapterra.comreview
- Dropbox Paper vs Google Docs — Redditreddit.comreview
- Westchester Publishing Services case studycasestudies.comreview
- Les Lunes design and marketing with Paperblog.dropbox.comofficial
- Dropbox fundingseedtable.comnews
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