> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.penlo.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # BOOX Cloud vs Dropbox: where should your BOOX notes go? - URL: https://www.penlo.app/blog/boox-cloud-vs-dropbox/ - Published: 2026-10-18T10:32:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-18T10:32:53.000Z - Description: BOOX Cloud keeps your notes editable on BOOX devices. Dropbox turns every notebook into a PDF any app can read. What each does, what it doesn't, and why most people should use both. - Author: Michal Wlosik - Tags: Device guides A BOOX tablet offers two very different places for your notes: BOOX Cloud, Onyx's own service, and third-party storage like [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app). They sound interchangeable. They aren't, and the best setup for most people uses both. **The short answer:** use BOOX Cloud as your backup of editable notes, so you can restore them to a BOOX. Use [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) for PDFs of every notebook that any app, including Penlo, can read. ## What BOOX Cloud does BOOX Cloud (also called ONYX Cloud) comes with your Onyx account. As of October 2026: - **10 GB free** for registered users. - **Syncs your notes between BOOX devices.** Sign in on a new BOOX and your notebooks come back, still editable. - **View notes on the web** through the send2boox website and the BOOX Assistant app. - **Restore** notes to the same or another BOOX, as long as you sign in to the same account on the same server. To sync everything, open **Notes**, then the menu, **Sync Settings**, and **Sync all notes to ONYX Account**. ## What BOOX Cloud doesn't do Your notes stay in BOOX's world. Other apps can't open them, so BOOX Cloud can't feed your notes into a search tool, a notes app or an AI assistant. It's a backup and a way to move between BOOX devices, not a way to use your notes elsewhere. ## What Dropbox does Link [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) under **Settings › Accounts**, turn on automatic PDF export in the Notes app, and your BOOX saves a fresh PDF of each notebook every time you close it. Those PDFs open anywhere: on your computer, your phone, in any PDF app, and in Penlo. Our [step-by-step BOOX to Dropbox guide](https://www.penlo.app/blog/sync-onyx-boox-notes-to-dropbox/) walks through it. The catch: copies in third-party storage can't be restored to the tablet as editable notes. A PDF in [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) is a picture of your notebook, not the notebook itself. That's exactly why it's worth keeping BOOX Cloud too. ## At a glance | | BOOX Cloud | [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) | | ------------------ | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Free storage | 10 GB | 2 GB (2.5 GB with a referral) | | What's stored | Your BOOX notes, editable | A PDF of each notebook | | Restore to a BOOX | Yes | No | | Open in other apps | No | Yes, any PDF app | | Works with Penlo | No | Yes | | When it syncs | When you sync notes | Every time you close a notebook | ## Our recommendation: use both 1. **Turn on BOOX Cloud sync** so your editable notes are backed up and follow you to a new device. 2. **Link** [**Dropbox**](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) **and turn on automatic PDF export** so every notebook is also available as a PDF you can use anywhere. 3. **Connect that** [**Dropbox**](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) **folder to Penlo** to make every notebook searchable as text. Prefer OneDrive? It works with BOOX and Penlo too. [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) has one advantage with Penlo: it can import every notebook already in your folder in one go. See [Dropbox vs OneDrive](https://www.penlo.app/blog/dropbox-vs-onedrive-for-e-ink-notes/). [![CTA Image](https://www.penlo.app/content/images/2026/10/image-mvaqdrj2.png)](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) **New to Dropbox?** Sign up through our referral link and get 500 MB extra on top of the free 2 GB. (We get a little extra space too.) [Get Dropbox with 500 MB extra ](https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AABLNJrF%5FJ2kOZ9HfDO-ZEehC58Pc2aHxSA?src=global9&ref=penlo.app) ## What Penlo adds on top A folder of PDFs is a good backup, but you still can't search your handwriting in it. Penlo watches that folder, reads every new notebook with Google Gemini, and turns it into text you can search, copy and send to Notion or your AI assistant. ![Penlo's connect step, with Dropbox and OneDrive](https://www.penlo.app/content/images/2026/10/image-mvdnq2ur.webp) Connect the same Dropbox your BOOX saves to. ![Penlo's Sources and sync settings with Dropbox connected](https://www.penlo.app/content/images/2026/10/image-mvdolu5d.webp) Choose the folder your BOOX saves to. **Your BOOX notes, searchable everywhere.** Connect Dropbox once and every notebook you close shows up in Penlo as text. Try every feature free for 7 days. [Try Penlo free for 7 days ](https://notes.penlo.app/login?mode=signup&ref=penlo.app) Setup takes about five minutes: see [Getting started with Penlo](https://www.penlo.app/blog/getting-started-with-penlo/). [Try Penlo free for 7 days](https://notes.penlo.app/login?mode=signup&ref=penlo.app)