Email to Dropbox or Email It In?

Dropbox has its own way to email files into your Dropbox, called Email to Dropbox. Email It In does a similar job. Here is what each one does, so you can choose.

What Email to Dropbox does

Dropbox's help centre describes it like this (checked on 14 October 2026):

Dropbox gives you a unique email address. Attachments sent to it go into a private folder called "Email Attachments" in your Dropbox.
The feature is for customers on a paid Dropbox plan. On team accounts, an admin has to turn it on.
One email can carry up to 100 attachments, with a total size of up to 20 MB.
Anyone with the address can send files to it, so Dropbox advises sharing it only with people you trust.
You can also set up an email address for any folder with a Dropbox file request.

If you pay for Dropbox and want every attachment in one folder, that is all you need. It is built in and costs nothing extra.

What Email It In does differently

It works with any Dropbox account, including Dropbox Basic. Files go into the Email It In folder inside your Apps folder.
It sorts attachments into folders. Add a tag to the address (you+receipts@emailitin.com) or put [receipts] in the subject, and a routing rule (Premium) files it in a receipts folder. It can also make a folder for each email subject.
Premium has no size limit and no monthly count. The basic plan is smaller than Email to Dropbox: up to 100 attachments a month, in emails up to 5 MB.
Premium can accept mail only from senders you allow.
After each file it can email you a notice, or call a web hook so your own systems can act on it.
The same kind of address works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Box and Egnyte.

One limit to know: with Dropbox, Email It In can only file inside its own app folder. It cannot put files in other Dropbox folders.

Side by side

Email to Dropbox compared with Email It In
	Email to Dropbox	Email It In
Dropbox plan	A paid plan	Any plan, Basic included
Where files go	One "Email Attachments" folder	Apps › Email It In, sorted into folders by tag or subject (Premium)
Size of one email	Attachments up to 20 MB in total, at most 100	5 MB on the basic plan; no limit on Premium
Who can send	Anyone with the address	Anyone, or only senders you allow (Premium)
After each file	Nothing	A notice email or a web hook, if you want one
Other storage	Dropbox only	Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box and Egnyte
Price	Part of paid Dropbox plans	Basic plan at no cost; Premium $2.99 a month

When to use which

Which one to use
	Use
You pay for Dropbox and one folder is enough	Email to Dropbox
You are on Dropbox Basic	Email It In
Different kinds of mail should go to different folders	Email It In (tags), or a Dropbox file request per folder
Emails bigger than 20 MB	Email It In Premium
Only certain senders should get through	Email It In Premium
You want a notice or a web hook for each file	Email It In

Try Email It In with Dropbox

See how it works on the Email files to Dropbox page, or sign in with Dropbox to get your address.

Source

Dropbox Help Center, How to use Email to Dropbox, read on 14 October 2026.