WebDAV、Google Drive 與 Dropbox：三年實際成本比較

Last month I exported three years of bank statements and filtered every cloud storage charge. I expected to find the usual mess of $9.99 here and $11.99 there. I found something worse.

The actual numbers (36 months)

I used to run a hybrid setup:

Google Drive (personal): $1.99/month = $71.64
iCloud+ 200GB (shared with family): $2.99/month = $107.64
OneDrive (work, reimbursed): $0 out of pocket
Dropbox Plus (side project backups): $11.99/month = $431.64

Total personal spend: $610.92 over three years.

Then in 2025 I switched the personal side to a $5.5 lifetime WebDAV mount + a $5/month VPS running Nextcloud. After 8 months:

WebDAV mount license (one-time): $5.50
VPS: $5 × 8 = $40
Total: $45.50

If I keep the VPS for the full 3 years, total = $5.50 + $180 = $185.50. That's a $425.42 savings — more than the $5.5 license cost back 77 times.

What I actually lost

This is the part nobody talks about. Going from Dropbox to self-hosted meant:

Lost features:

Selective sync (not needed with WebDAV mount — it streams)
Real-time co-editing (I never used it)
Built-in document scanner (use phone camera)
Smart file suggestions (didn't really miss these)

Gained features:

1TB of storage instead of 200GB (VPS disk can be any size)
No file size limit per upload
No "this file too large for syncing" errors
Full control over backup retention
My files are not used to train AI models (verified: my Nextcloud instance, my rules)

The hidden cost I almost forgot

I forgot to add one line item in the math above: the time I spent on the Dropbox support chat. Between 2022 and 2024, I had three billing disputes (overcharges, double-charges, accidental yearly upgrade). Each one cost me 20-40 minutes of email tag.

With my self-hosted setup, the only "support" is reading the Nextcloud docs. When something breaks, I fix it. No billing department, no renewal price hikes, no "sorry, we changed our terms" emails.

Who should NOT switch

If you fit any of these, stay with mainstream sync:

You need real-time co-editing with people outside your household
You use Google Docs / Sheets / Slides as your primary work tool
You have less than 50GB of files (the free tiers cover you)
You don't want to spend a Saturday afternoon setting up a VPS

Who SHOULD switch

You have more than 200GB of personal files
You're paying $10+/month for any sync service
You have a NAS or home server you already maintain
You care about long-term file ownership
You want a one-time payment, not a recurring charge

The $5.5 lifetime license

I bought ScsDriver when they were running a lifetime deal for $5.5. That license covers all my devices — Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android. One payment. No subscription. No "premium tier" upsell.

Three years from now, when Dropbox is charging $14.99/month and iCloud+ is $4.99/month, my WebDAV mount will still cost $0.00 in license fees. The VPS might go up to $7, but I'll still be ahead by hundreds of dollars.

The boring conclusion

Cloud storage pricing is designed to be forgettable. $1.99 here, $11.99 there — it doesn't feel like much until you add it up over years. A $5.5 lifetime WebDAV mount cuts the recurring cost to zero. The setup takes a Saturday. The math takes 30 seconds.

If you've been on the fence about switching, do the spreadsheet. Add up what you've actually paid over 3 years. Then subtract $5.5. Then think about what else you could buy with the rest.