The term “cloud storage” is becoming less and less appropriate: today, the popular services all o er much more than just storage. Of course, they still provide capacity in the cloud where you can keep your most important files, photos, documents and data, and give you the tools to access them from anywhere. More than this, though, cloudstorage services have become the glue that holds our postPC world together. While there are doubtless people who still rely on one desktop or laptop computer, more and more of us now spread our work across multiple devices, including PCs, tablets and smartphones. To do this e effectively we need a centralised way of accessing, viewing, editing and saving our files. Cloudstorage services not only let us read and write files from any device and location; transparent synchronisation ensures we’re always working on the most uptodate file every time.
Even more than this, cloud services enable us to share, so that others can view our files, or collaborate with us on them in a secure and managed way. That’s great news even if you’re just using cloud storage to hold and share your photos; for freelancers and small businesses, it opens up whole new workflows. And since cloudstorage servers are remote from your physical location, they can also be a lifesaver when disaster strikes. Come fire, theft or flood, the files that matter most to you are safely stored far away.
For many people, the biggest concerns over cloud-based services have little to do with features, connectivity or capacity, and everything to do with security and privacy. While the truth is somewhat more complex, it seems intuitive that data stored on a local PC or NAS drive should be secure, while data stored remotely in some nebulous cloud is vulnerable to attack from hackers, fraudsters and numerous sinister agencies.As a result, we look for reassurance from cloud services that our data will be secure and our privacy respected. Following the Snowden revelations and last year’s celebrity security breaches, that need has only grown.
Businesses have particular concerns. Not only do they have their own business-sensitive data to safeguard, but they have a duty of care over any customer or employee data they might have on their systems. For all businesses handling personal data, the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 requires that this data is processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects the customers, employees or other parties whose data is being handled and that appropriate measures are taken to protect it against unauthorised or unlawful processing. Get it wrong, and your company could be on the line.
To make things more complex, the Act also requires that personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside Australia, unless that country or territory ensures adequate protection for the same rights and freedoms; a challenge in an industry that has historically been dominated by US corporations. Should you be concerned about security, privacy and personal data, or do the cloud firms have you covered?
SECURITY
On the one hand, there’s no doubt that big cloud services are a juicy target for hackers, as demonstrated by last year’s attempts to use stolen credentials to log in to Dropbox, and the iCloud celebrity photo leaks. On the other hand, cloud services have stronger security practices and more resources at their disposal than most small-to-medium enterprises not to mention individuals.
That doesn’t mean they’re perfect. All major cloud services now protect data in transit using SSL, but how data is secured while at rest will di” er. Dropbox, SugarSync, Box and Livedrive use 256-bit AES encryption, while Google Drive and Apple iCloud use weaker 128-bit AES. Amazon and Microsoft o”ffer no encryption at all on their consumer services, although Microsoft does o” er per-file encryption on its OneDrive for Business products.
The biggest weaknesses, however, lie where the service meets the end user. This doesn’t necessarily mean weak or easily guessed passwords, although these can be an issue. Last year’s Dropbox file breach didn’t involve hackers attacking the service directly, but stealing usernames and passwords from other services with poorer security, then trying them out on Dropbox.
The iCloud breaches, meanwhile, occurred because hackers could use publicly available information to trigger password resets. More cloud services, including Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and iCloud, are now using optional or even mandatory two-factor authentication, where new systems aren’t allowed to join an account without authorisation from the user from another app or device – usually a code texted to a registered mobile phone. If your cloud-service provider o”ffers two-factor authentication, use it. It will barely a”ffect you in everyday use, but it could stop hackers in the future.
PRIVACY
Beyond hackers attempting to steal your files, there are two major potential threats to your privacy. The first is that employees of the service, or automated processes used by the service, may be able to access and take information from your files. In most cases, this comes down to services having permission to use, modify, adapt, reproduce and display the content you upload to the service to the extent necessary to provide a functional service, or permission to analyse the content you’re uploading to provide you with search results or targeted advertising.
You’ll find details of what permissions or rights a service takes in the terms of service, but in general services are careful to state that users retain ownership of the content held in the cloud, and that users must be able to control who can access that content. Employees may be able to access information for legal, technical or safety reasons, but the privacy policy and terms of service should clarify the conditions when this might happen and the level of access allowed.
The more thorny issue is government snooping. Edward Snowden’s revelations made it clear that the NSA was both willing and able to access data held by the world’s largest internet companies. This clearly affects data stored on US servers, but the more surprising thing is that data held within Australia isn’t necessarily safe from the snoopers either. In theory, if US law enforcement requires information from companies operating in Australia, then it must use the existing legal channels of co-operation and mutual assistance. However, the USA Patriot Act trumps this, requiring US-owned companies and foreign subsidiaries to comply with US government requests, regardless of where the data is held. Nor does the company have to inform users of access, although this contravenes Australian legislation.
In February 2013, former Microsoft privacy chief Caspar Bowden confirmed that US law allows the government to spy on non-US citizens’ files and documents. In September last year, a New York court ordered Microsoft to hand to US prosecutors the emails of a European customer stored on its servers in Ireland as part of a drugs-trafficking investigation. Microsoft refused and appealed; the case is still ongoing at the time of writing.
Things may change in the US with the reintroduction of the Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad (LEADS) Act or possible reforms to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), both of which aim to clarify and limit the powers of government snoopers. For now, though, if you’re concerned about US authorities browsing through your files, it’s probably best not to use US-based services, even if those same companies happen to also run servers in Australia.
Box
www.box.com
10GB, free; 100GB, US$6/mth; 100GB Box Starter, US$6/mth per user; unlimited, $US/mth.
Per user For a long time, Box’s Achilles heel was its lack of synchronisation. It was a great place to store and share files across a business, but ensuring that you had the most up-to-date data across all of your PCs took work. Box’s Sync client has fixed this, however, while new features such as the integrated text/notes editor Box Notes make it an even stronger choice for business use.Synchronisation is now well handled, with a simple, Dropbox-style dragand- drop approach. There are also selective sync options, where you can turn sync on and o† for individual folders good for devices with limited capacity and informative notifications from the system-tray applet. Box has also tightened up the practicalities, with improved support for long filenames,
Per user For a long time, Box’s Achilles heel was its lack of synchronisation. It was a great place to store and share files across a business, but ensuring that you had the most up-to-date data across all of your PCs took work. Box’s Sync client has fixed this, however, while new features such as the integrated text/notes editor Box Notes make it an even stronger choice for business use.Synchronisation is now well handled, with a simple, Dropbox-style dragand- drop approach. There are also selective sync options, where you can turn sync on and o† for individual folders good for devices with limited capacity and informative notifications from the system-tray applet. Box has also tightened up the practicalities, with improved support for long filenames,
seamless synchronisation of open documents, and a right-click Share feature, all of which bring it closer to parity with Dropbox.
Box has traditionally pulled ahead of the likes of Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive as a fully featured collaboration platform, and while Dropbox’s business packages have eroded the lead, Box still feels like the better option here. Larger organisations get the features and management tools they need to administer and secure shared documents and resources, while smaller businesses will appreciate the way Box integrates tasks and commenting into the workflow. What’s more, Box supports a comprehensive range of apps and addons, many of them free. If you want to open and save Microsoft Off‘ice files directly in and out of Box, there’s an app to help you do that, and there are similar apps to get Box working with Salesforce, NetSuite and a range of other cloud-based services and productivity applications.
Cross-platform support is another strength, with desktop clients for OS X and Windows, a touch-friendly Modern Windows app and native mobile apps for iPad and iPhone, Android devices, Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 OS. The iPad app is particularly good, with strong document-preview and media-handling features, and built-in commenting. The Android and Windows Phone 8 versions aren’t far behind, either, even if media playback is patchier. It’s not all good news. Box’s download speeds were mediocre: it took almost nine minutes to download files that other services could complete in six or fewer. More important are syncing speeds for everyday use, though, and these were more impressive. It’s also worth pointing out that while Box’s free option comes with a Dropboxbeating 10GB of storage, there’s a 250MB maximum file size; not a problem if you’re uploading photos, audio files and documents, but a concern if you’re working with video or multilayered, highresolution graphics files.
The biggest point against Box used to be price; US$6 per month for 100GB of storage (with a 5GB maximum file size) is still on the steep side compared with Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive, while the £11 per user per month rate for Box Business may cause smaller companies to look elsewhere. Happily, Box also o†ffers a Starter package where three to ten users get 100GB with a maximum 2GB file size at US$6 per user per month. Given Box’s powerful, business-focused feature set, that’s a bargain, while we’d still opt for OneDrive or Dropbox for personal use, it’s enough to put Box ahead for work.
Microsoft OneDrive
15GB, free; 100GB, $2/mth; 200GB, $4/mth; 1TB, 96/mth.
F or obvious reasons, OneDrive has a clear advantage over other services on Windows PCs. Not only is it baked into Windows 8.1, where signing in with your Microsoft account also signs you in to OneDrive, but it’s also treated as the default file location for Office 2013. Opt for a Windows Phone 8 smartphone and/or a Windows 8.1 tablet, and using OneDrive becomes so easy and seamless that it’s practically a no-brainer. The only surprise might be that, beyond this, there are also plenty of other good reasons to use Microsoft’s cloud-storage solution. For a start, it works intelligently. Rather than copy every file into every synced folder on every machine, OneDrive syncs only those that you have used recently or regularly, then downloads others on demand. This can be a pain if you’re offine at the time, but mostly it works well, and means you can sync the OneDrive on your 2TB desktop hard drive with the OneDrive on your 64GB tablet.
Microsoft’s sync applet is easy to use and keeps you up to date with notifications. Our biggest complaint is that you can’t share files or folders with a simple right-click, but need to do so online in your browser.Luckily, that’s easy to do, and there are many other powerful features to be found here as well. With the online Office apps integrated into OneDrive, you can quickly preview Office documents and a range of other common file types, then go in and edit them using apps that share the desktop Office look and feel. OneDrive has the best photo-browsing features of any service, with a great built-in slideshow, and you can stream music directly from OneDrive in the browser, or by using the Xbox Music apps on Windows Phone, Xbox consoles and PCs. In addition, OneDrive benefits from Microsoft’s recently adapted openness to non-Windows platforms. The apps for Android and iOS don’t stint on features, including automatic uploads from your smartphone’s camera roll. Both versions will allow you to preview and edit files using the new mobile Office apps if you have them installed, and you can share files and folders with ease. And while Dropbox still feels a better fit for those working across Windows and OS X particularly if you share a lot of folders OneDrive is catching up. Sync works as well on OS X as it does on Microsoft’s own Windows OS.
Microsoft has improved OneDrive’s sync performance, too, allowing more simultaneous connections when uploading and downloading files. As a result, it’s now pretty speedy, both when downloading a lot of files and when syncing individual files. Yet the best reason to opt for OneDrive is undoubtedly price. You can have 15GB of storage absolutely free, or get 100GB for only $2 per month. Pay $9 per month and you not only get 1TB of storage but also Office 365 Personal, with 60 Skype minutes and the Offce desktop apps on one PC or Mac plus one tablet a deal that other cloud services just can’t match. OneDrive is just as competitive in the business sphere, where you can either use it solo or as part of the Office 365 Business Essentials bundle for $4 per user per month. Either way, it’s hard to beat.
Amazon Cloud Drive
www.amazon.com
5GB, free; 20GB+, from $10/yr;
Given Amazon’s background with its high-end AWS cloud services, you’d expect something special from its consumer-level cloud-storage service. Sadly, you’d be disappointed. Amazon’s customers can’t grumble about getting 5GB of free space, while Fire Phone owners and Amazon Prime subscribers get unlimited photo storage, but this is still a surprisingly basic eƒffort.
For a start, Cloud Drive no longer oƒffers sync capabilities. The Sync desktop client that was available last year has been pulled in favour of a client that oƒffers little more than basic uploads and downloads. The Android and iOS apps support photo uploads, but nothing else. If you’re looking for document-sharing or media-streaming features, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The desktop client is lean and functional, with a simple drag-and-drop interface for uploading files and folders.
The tools for navigating and sharing photos are a strong point However, beyond that, and enabling you to download the contents of your cloud drive in one go, it doesn’t do much. You can browse through your files online or share individual files via email, but there are no document-preview or media-playback features built in. Its one saving grace is that the tools for navigating and sharing photos are reasonably good.
The service is reasonably speedy, downloading our 500GB of test files in less than seven-and-a-half minutes, but the lack of synchronisation and the limited feature set make this a moot point. Nor is pricing all that competitive; 100GB will cost you approximately $8 more per month than on OneDrive, while 1TB on Dropbox will cost you a quarter of what it will on Cloud Drive. If Amazon wants to succeed in this competitive market, it really needs to do more and do it better.
Apple iCloud
www.apple.com
5GB, free; 20GB, $1.29/mth; 200GB, $4.99/mth; 500GB, $12.99/mth; 1TB, $24.99/mth.
R ather than a straight cloud-storage service, Apple iCloud is a bundle of services that enables iOS devices to work more eƒffectively with each other, and with OS X and Windows PCs. While it’s now integrated into iOS 8.2 and OSX Yosemite, and is fast becoming the primary means of backup on the former, a combination of web-based apps and a Windows client give it some useful applications on Windows systems as well. Mail, contacts and calendar data sync with desktop Outlook, while online versions of Apple’s iWork o—ffice apps mean you can start a document on your iPad then edit it on your PC. You can browse, download and edit photos using Apple’s Photo Stream service, and finally upload files from all your PCs and iOS devices to iCloud Drive.
iCloud Drive handles the grunt work of sync and storage, syncing iCloud Drive folders across your computers and online in the cloud. The Windows client shows Apple’s usual clean design and is easy to use, while the online version apes the style of iOS 8. The only problem is that the features are fairly limited. You can download music or documents, but you can’t preview or stream them online, while browsing photos simply opens them up in a new browser window.
iCloud is a great service for backing up your iOS devices, getting photos from your iPhone and onto your PC, or syncing data with O—ffice. Unfortunately, it isn’t as feature rich or flexible as rivals. Predictably, there’s no support for Android or Windows Phone, file- and foldersharing features are all but non-existent, and it’s neither a particularly cheapnor particularly fast. The monthly fee for 1TB is more than double that of OneDrive, and significantly beyond what you’d pay on Google Drive or Dropbox. Given that all three oƒffer stronger cross-platform support, iCloud is likely to appeal only if you want to work exclusively with Apple hardware.
Bitcasa Drive
Bitcasa Drive does things di erently to other cloud-storage services; instead of syncing folders between PCs and online with a folder in the cloud, all files are broken down into chunks and encrypted before they’re uploaded and stored on a Bitcasa “hard drive” in the cloud. From there you can access them from any system via an app, a browser or a desktop client.
When you need them, files are streamed from the online drive and cached, making it faster to get hold of them next time. This makes Bitcasa more e ffective for those moving between a conventional desktop or laptop and a tablet with limited storage. You can’t sync files as such, but you can mirror files from one linked PC to the Bitcasa Drive, then access those files on any other linked PC. Changes you make to the master version will sync across You can mirror files from one linked PC to the Bitcasa Drive, then access them from any other linked PC to the Drive, and from there to the other PCs. There’s a price to pay in terms of performance, since dismantling your files and restoring them takes time, but it isn’t too bad, and files synced with the Bitcasa Drive reflect any changes within seconds of alteration.
Bitcasa is supported by some well designed mobile apps, which o ffer previews of most mainstream document formats, plus streaming of photos, audio and video files. Where possible, files are transcoded on the fly, so you can view, say, video files on an iPad that aren’t normally supported. The browser-based interface can manage similar tricks, while a simple, discrete client makes uploading and downloading files easy. Aside from speed, Bitcasa’s other failing is its lack of comprehensive sharing features. You can only send other people a link to a file, which they can then access whether they use Bitcasa or not. Bitcasa is competitive on price, but we’d look elsewhere for simple file storage.
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
5GB, free; 1TB Dropbox Pro, $10.99/mth
F or many, Dropbox is synonymous with cloud storage, sync and file sharing. It’s the service that all other services are inevitably compared to, and there’s good reason for that. For one thing, Dropbox is incredibly easy to use. All files dragged into a Dropbox on one PC are replicated in the Dropbox folder on all PCs, and no other service makes sharing files and folders quite so simple.
The revamped system-tray applet does a great job of notifying you when there are updates, or staying out of your way when you just want to get on. It’s virtually hassle-free, and the LAN-sync features are great for keeping several computers in sync across the local network. Dropbox also o ffers a great range of features. In the browser you can upload, download, share and reorganise files without any problems, and the tools for previewing documents and handling media mean there’s a lot you can do without downloading anything. Dropbox apps are ubiquitous across all major mobile platforms, and the service is supported by a huge range of third-party mobile apps. You can tap on a file within Dropbox and be editing it within the mobile Microsoft O”ffice apps, or a number of other o”ffice apps, within seconds.
Sync speeds are generally fine. Even if Dropbox struggled overall to keep up with Livedrive, Box and OneDrive, it’s far from iCloud or even Google Drive territory. Download speeds are disappointing, however, with Dropbox taking twice as long as some rival services to download 500GB of test files.Overall, though, Dropbox misses out on an award simply because the competition o ffers better value. While there are many ways to increase the 2GB of free space, it isn’t much when Microsoft and Google are o ffering 15GB. Dropbox is still a fantastic cloud-storage solution, and well worth considering if you need to work across different platforms, but OneDrive and Box have the edge.
Google Drive
www.google.com/drive
515GB, free; 100GB, US$2/mth; 1TB, US$10/mth
G oogle Drive keeps getting better. The service that once struggled with a lack of key features and an ugly, unintuitive interface has improved dramatically in recent years, with a slicker, more informative desktop client, a better browser experience and stronger apps. Google has taken a leaf out of Dropbox’s book on the desktop. Syncing files has always been as easy as dragging them into the Google Drive folder set up on your desktop, and now status updates keep you abreast of every upload and download. The browser-based interface can look messy, particularly if you don’t tend to organise your documents in folders, but Google’s usual focus on search ensures that nothing is hard to find. Google’s document-preview features are excellent, too, with photo and music-streaming features that aren’t far behind.
Drive’s biggest strength is its position in Google Drive has excellent preview features Google’s ecosystem. It’s the default place to save files on Chrome OS and a natural choice for Android users, where having the Google Drive app is a given. What’s more, it’s closely integrated with Gmail and Google’s Docs, Sheets and Slides o…ffice apps, making it easy to edit or collaborate on files from anywhere with anyone at any time. This alone means you’ll probably use it if you have a Chromebook or an Android tablet, and the excellent iOS app means it’s also a perfectly viable cross-platform option. There is no Windows Ph 8 support. Google Drive is good value, and the generous 15GB of free capacity could be all the cloud-based storage some users will ever need. But while its download speeds are reasonable, it was a little slow to sync, often taking five to ten seconds longer than Box or OneDrive to replicate new or amended files. That isn’t going to put it out of contention, but when you weigh up performance, cross-platform support and ease of use, Drive’s rivals come out ahead.
Livedrive
www.livedrive.com
Backup only, £5/mth; 2TB sync only, £10/mth; 5TB backup and sync, £15/mth
Livedrive gives you a choice between a basic online backup service, a 2TB sync service, and a service that bundles both together, covering five PCs with 5TB of storage. You can select which files and folders to back up, and can drag files and folders to be synced into your Briefcase folder, which operates like a Dropbox folder.
Livedrive’s desktop client looks dated, and its Android and iOS apps are even worse. As features go, though, the software isn’t bad. Selecting files and folders for backup is easy, with the setup making sensible suggestions, and you can select whether individual files or folders sync on specific systems within the desktop client. There’s also a useful option to have synced PCs or laptops exchange data peer-to-peer over a local network. You can stream music, photos and even video within the iOS app, although the Android version is noticeably less capable. There’s even worse news for Windows Phone users, with no app available to cover them. The browser-based interface could do with slicker photo-browsing and media-handling features, while document support is limited to opening and editing files within Zoho’s online o…ffice suite.
Performance is Livedrive’s biggest strength. It was the fastest to sync of all the services, spotting changes and uploading then downloading the revised file a few seconds faster than most rivals. Its download speeds weren’t quite so impressive, but it was still quicker than Dropbox, iCloud and Bitcasa. What’s more, the pricing can be very attractive be warned, though, that Livedrive’s headline pricing is usually worked out on a two-year up-front basis. Monthly payments work out more expensive. Livedrive is a solid and flexible service that rivals the bigger names on features, performance and value for money. However, OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox have the edge on features, mobile app support and ease of use.
Mozy
www.mozy.com
50GB, 1 PC, US$5.99/mth; 125GB, 3 PCs, US$9.99/mth
Mozy made its name as an online backup service, but now o ffersbsync services on top. The most basic service still only covers one PC for US$5.99 per month, but $US9.99 per month buys you 125GB of backup space for three computers, including sync from a dedicated MozySync folder.
In practice, the implementation is a little clunky in comparison to SugarSyncbor Livedrive. Where these provide both backup and sync from one desktop client, Mozy installs two: one to cover backup, and another for sync. Both clients are easy to use, with clear status updates and access to preferences, but also rather basic a statement that covers Mozy as a cloud-storage service in general.
While apps are available for Android and iOS, they’re rather spartan-looking and limited in terms of features. You can’t stream music or edit o‘ffice files on either platform, and the in-app document preview features are reserved for iOS. What’s more, there are no Windows Phone or Modern Windows apps. The browser-based interface, mean while, offers no features beyond basic uploads and downloads, and there’s no support for sharing files with other users. In short, Mozy simply can’t match the kind of versatility provided by Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive.
Mozy fares better when it comes to performance. Stored files downloaded faster than with any other service, and its synchronisation speeds were above average. Overall, though, we’d rather wait a few more seconds for a download and have a service with a stronger feature set. Mozy is still a good choice for online backup, but sync doesn’t appear to be its game. If you’re looking for a more versatile cloud-storage service to work across your devices, we recommend you look elsewhere.
SugarSync
www.sugarsync.com
100GB, US$7/mth or US$75/yr; 250GB, US$10/mth or US$100/yr; 500GB, US$25/mth or US$250/yr .SugarSync has long been one of the stronger challengers to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and Box, o ffering online backup, cloud storage and file sync at a time when the other major services didn’t o er the full set. Last year brought a slick new look, new features and some price reductions, so it should be even better equipped to compete.
There’s plenty to like about SugarSync. The revamped desktop client is clear, colourful and easy to use, and the sync features o er more control than rivals, making it simple to select which files and folders you want to keep in sync and across which linked PCs. It doesn’t even matter if they’re outside the Dropboxlike My SugarSync folder; all items can be synced in place. Files are easily accessible online, complete with the past five versions, although you can’t preview documents or stream music and videos direct from your browser.
You can, however, if you use the Android and iOS apps, which closely mirror the look of the new desktop interface. There are excellent document-preview features, covering common O‘ffice formats and PDFs, music streams flawlessly, and photos are neatly pulled out of their folders to be browsed and viewed. Unfortunately, SugarSync falls out of the running on two counts. First, there’s no free option beyond a 5GB 30-day trial, and the paid-for plans aren’t particularly cheap, even with a two-month discount if you pay up front for the first year. Second, it’s slow. Our 500GB of test files took almost half an hour to download a shock when most services took well under ten minutes. Sync speeds were reasonable, by comparison. SugarSync has the design and features to be a real contender, but it really needs the back-end performance to match.
Microsoft’s sync applet is easy to use and keeps you up to date with notifications. Our biggest complaint is that you can’t share files or folders with a simple right-click, but need to do so online in your browser.Luckily, that’s easy to do, and there are many other powerful features to be found here as well. With the online Office apps integrated into OneDrive, you can quickly preview Office documents and a range of other common file types, then go in and edit them using apps that share the desktop Office look and feel. OneDrive has the best photo-browsing features of any service, with a great built-in slideshow, and you can stream music directly from OneDrive in the browser, or by using the Xbox Music apps on Windows Phone, Xbox consoles and PCs. In addition, OneDrive benefits from Microsoft’s recently adapted openness to non-Windows platforms. The apps for Android and iOS don’t stint on features, including automatic uploads from your smartphone’s camera roll. Both versions will allow you to preview and edit files using the new mobile Office apps if you have them installed, and you can share files and folders with ease. And while Dropbox still feels a better fit for those working across Windows and OS X particularly if you share a lot of folders OneDrive is catching up. Sync works as well on OS X as it does on Microsoft’s own Windows OS.
Microsoft has improved OneDrive’s sync performance, too, allowing more simultaneous connections when uploading and downloading files. As a result, it’s now pretty speedy, both when downloading a lot of files and when syncing individual files. Yet the best reason to opt for OneDrive is undoubtedly price. You can have 15GB of storage absolutely free, or get 100GB for only $2 per month. Pay $9 per month and you not only get 1TB of storage but also Office 365 Personal, with 60 Skype minutes and the Offce desktop apps on one PC or Mac plus one tablet a deal that other cloud services just can’t match. OneDrive is just as competitive in the business sphere, where you can either use it solo or as part of the Office 365 Business Essentials bundle for $4 per user per month. Either way, it’s hard to beat.
Amazon Cloud Drive
www.amazon.com
5GB, free; 20GB+, from $10/yr;
Given Amazon’s background with its high-end AWS cloud services, you’d expect something special from its consumer-level cloud-storage service. Sadly, you’d be disappointed. Amazon’s customers can’t grumble about getting 5GB of free space, while Fire Phone owners and Amazon Prime subscribers get unlimited photo storage, but this is still a surprisingly basic eƒffort.
For a start, Cloud Drive no longer oƒffers sync capabilities. The Sync desktop client that was available last year has been pulled in favour of a client that oƒffers little more than basic uploads and downloads. The Android and iOS apps support photo uploads, but nothing else. If you’re looking for document-sharing or media-streaming features, you’ll have to look elsewhere. The desktop client is lean and functional, with a simple drag-and-drop interface for uploading files and folders.
The tools for navigating and sharing photos are a strong point However, beyond that, and enabling you to download the contents of your cloud drive in one go, it doesn’t do much. You can browse through your files online or share individual files via email, but there are no document-preview or media-playback features built in. Its one saving grace is that the tools for navigating and sharing photos are reasonably good.
The service is reasonably speedy, downloading our 500GB of test files in less than seven-and-a-half minutes, but the lack of synchronisation and the limited feature set make this a moot point. Nor is pricing all that competitive; 100GB will cost you approximately $8 more per month than on OneDrive, while 1TB on Dropbox will cost you a quarter of what it will on Cloud Drive. If Amazon wants to succeed in this competitive market, it really needs to do more and do it better.
Apple iCloud
www.apple.com
5GB, free; 20GB, $1.29/mth; 200GB, $4.99/mth; 500GB, $12.99/mth; 1TB, $24.99/mth.
R ather than a straight cloud-storage service, Apple iCloud is a bundle of services that enables iOS devices to work more eƒffectively with each other, and with OS X and Windows PCs. While it’s now integrated into iOS 8.2 and OSX Yosemite, and is fast becoming the primary means of backup on the former, a combination of web-based apps and a Windows client give it some useful applications on Windows systems as well. Mail, contacts and calendar data sync with desktop Outlook, while online versions of Apple’s iWork o—ffice apps mean you can start a document on your iPad then edit it on your PC. You can browse, download and edit photos using Apple’s Photo Stream service, and finally upload files from all your PCs and iOS devices to iCloud Drive.
iCloud Drive handles the grunt work of sync and storage, syncing iCloud Drive folders across your computers and online in the cloud. The Windows client shows Apple’s usual clean design and is easy to use, while the online version apes the style of iOS 8. The only problem is that the features are fairly limited. You can download music or documents, but you can’t preview or stream them online, while browsing photos simply opens them up in a new browser window.
iCloud is a great service for backing up your iOS devices, getting photos from your iPhone and onto your PC, or syncing data with O—ffice. Unfortunately, it isn’t as feature rich or flexible as rivals. Predictably, there’s no support for Android or Windows Phone, file- and foldersharing features are all but non-existent, and it’s neither a particularly cheapnor particularly fast. The monthly fee for 1TB is more than double that of OneDrive, and significantly beyond what you’d pay on Google Drive or Dropbox. Given that all three oƒffer stronger cross-platform support, iCloud is likely to appeal only if you want to work exclusively with Apple hardware.
Bitcasa Drive
Bitcasa Drive does things di erently to other cloud-storage services; instead of syncing folders between PCs and online with a folder in the cloud, all files are broken down into chunks and encrypted before they’re uploaded and stored on a Bitcasa “hard drive” in the cloud. From there you can access them from any system via an app, a browser or a desktop client.
When you need them, files are streamed from the online drive and cached, making it faster to get hold of them next time. This makes Bitcasa more e ffective for those moving between a conventional desktop or laptop and a tablet with limited storage. You can’t sync files as such, but you can mirror files from one linked PC to the Bitcasa Drive, then access those files on any other linked PC. Changes you make to the master version will sync across You can mirror files from one linked PC to the Bitcasa Drive, then access them from any other linked PC to the Drive, and from there to the other PCs. There’s a price to pay in terms of performance, since dismantling your files and restoring them takes time, but it isn’t too bad, and files synced with the Bitcasa Drive reflect any changes within seconds of alteration.
Bitcasa is supported by some well designed mobile apps, which o ffer previews of most mainstream document formats, plus streaming of photos, audio and video files. Where possible, files are transcoded on the fly, so you can view, say, video files on an iPad that aren’t normally supported. The browser-based interface can manage similar tricks, while a simple, discrete client makes uploading and downloading files easy. Aside from speed, Bitcasa’s other failing is its lack of comprehensive sharing features. You can only send other people a link to a file, which they can then access whether they use Bitcasa or not. Bitcasa is competitive on price, but we’d look elsewhere for simple file storage.
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
5GB, free; 1TB Dropbox Pro, $10.99/mth
F or many, Dropbox is synonymous with cloud storage, sync and file sharing. It’s the service that all other services are inevitably compared to, and there’s good reason for that. For one thing, Dropbox is incredibly easy to use. All files dragged into a Dropbox on one PC are replicated in the Dropbox folder on all PCs, and no other service makes sharing files and folders quite so simple.
The revamped system-tray applet does a great job of notifying you when there are updates, or staying out of your way when you just want to get on. It’s virtually hassle-free, and the LAN-sync features are great for keeping several computers in sync across the local network. Dropbox also o ffers a great range of features. In the browser you can upload, download, share and reorganise files without any problems, and the tools for previewing documents and handling media mean there’s a lot you can do without downloading anything. Dropbox apps are ubiquitous across all major mobile platforms, and the service is supported by a huge range of third-party mobile apps. You can tap on a file within Dropbox and be editing it within the mobile Microsoft O”ffice apps, or a number of other o”ffice apps, within seconds.
Sync speeds are generally fine. Even if Dropbox struggled overall to keep up with Livedrive, Box and OneDrive, it’s far from iCloud or even Google Drive territory. Download speeds are disappointing, however, with Dropbox taking twice as long as some rival services to download 500GB of test files.Overall, though, Dropbox misses out on an award simply because the competition o ffers better value. While there are many ways to increase the 2GB of free space, it isn’t much when Microsoft and Google are o ffering 15GB. Dropbox is still a fantastic cloud-storage solution, and well worth considering if you need to work across different platforms, but OneDrive and Box have the edge.
Google Drive
www.google.com/drive
515GB, free; 100GB, US$2/mth; 1TB, US$10/mth
G oogle Drive keeps getting better. The service that once struggled with a lack of key features and an ugly, unintuitive interface has improved dramatically in recent years, with a slicker, more informative desktop client, a better browser experience and stronger apps. Google has taken a leaf out of Dropbox’s book on the desktop. Syncing files has always been as easy as dragging them into the Google Drive folder set up on your desktop, and now status updates keep you abreast of every upload and download. The browser-based interface can look messy, particularly if you don’t tend to organise your documents in folders, but Google’s usual focus on search ensures that nothing is hard to find. Google’s document-preview features are excellent, too, with photo and music-streaming features that aren’t far behind.
Drive’s biggest strength is its position in Google Drive has excellent preview features Google’s ecosystem. It’s the default place to save files on Chrome OS and a natural choice for Android users, where having the Google Drive app is a given. What’s more, it’s closely integrated with Gmail and Google’s Docs, Sheets and Slides o…ffice apps, making it easy to edit or collaborate on files from anywhere with anyone at any time. This alone means you’ll probably use it if you have a Chromebook or an Android tablet, and the excellent iOS app means it’s also a perfectly viable cross-platform option. There is no Windows Ph 8 support. Google Drive is good value, and the generous 15GB of free capacity could be all the cloud-based storage some users will ever need. But while its download speeds are reasonable, it was a little slow to sync, often taking five to ten seconds longer than Box or OneDrive to replicate new or amended files. That isn’t going to put it out of contention, but when you weigh up performance, cross-platform support and ease of use, Drive’s rivals come out ahead.
Livedrive
www.livedrive.com
Backup only, £5/mth; 2TB sync only, £10/mth; 5TB backup and sync, £15/mth
Livedrive gives you a choice between a basic online backup service, a 2TB sync service, and a service that bundles both together, covering five PCs with 5TB of storage. You can select which files and folders to back up, and can drag files and folders to be synced into your Briefcase folder, which operates like a Dropbox folder.
Livedrive’s desktop client looks dated, and its Android and iOS apps are even worse. As features go, though, the software isn’t bad. Selecting files and folders for backup is easy, with the setup making sensible suggestions, and you can select whether individual files or folders sync on specific systems within the desktop client. There’s also a useful option to have synced PCs or laptops exchange data peer-to-peer over a local network. You can stream music, photos and even video within the iOS app, although the Android version is noticeably less capable. There’s even worse news for Windows Phone users, with no app available to cover them. The browser-based interface could do with slicker photo-browsing and media-handling features, while document support is limited to opening and editing files within Zoho’s online o…ffice suite.
Performance is Livedrive’s biggest strength. It was the fastest to sync of all the services, spotting changes and uploading then downloading the revised file a few seconds faster than most rivals. Its download speeds weren’t quite so impressive, but it was still quicker than Dropbox, iCloud and Bitcasa. What’s more, the pricing can be very attractive be warned, though, that Livedrive’s headline pricing is usually worked out on a two-year up-front basis. Monthly payments work out more expensive. Livedrive is a solid and flexible service that rivals the bigger names on features, performance and value for money. However, OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox have the edge on features, mobile app support and ease of use.
Mozy
www.mozy.com
50GB, 1 PC, US$5.99/mth; 125GB, 3 PCs, US$9.99/mth
Mozy made its name as an online backup service, but now o ffersbsync services on top. The most basic service still only covers one PC for US$5.99 per month, but $US9.99 per month buys you 125GB of backup space for three computers, including sync from a dedicated MozySync folder.
In practice, the implementation is a little clunky in comparison to SugarSyncbor Livedrive. Where these provide both backup and sync from one desktop client, Mozy installs two: one to cover backup, and another for sync. Both clients are easy to use, with clear status updates and access to preferences, but also rather basic a statement that covers Mozy as a cloud-storage service in general.
While apps are available for Android and iOS, they’re rather spartan-looking and limited in terms of features. You can’t stream music or edit o‘ffice files on either platform, and the in-app document preview features are reserved for iOS. What’s more, there are no Windows Phone or Modern Windows apps. The browser-based interface, mean while, offers no features beyond basic uploads and downloads, and there’s no support for sharing files with other users. In short, Mozy simply can’t match the kind of versatility provided by Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive.
Mozy fares better when it comes to performance. Stored files downloaded faster than with any other service, and its synchronisation speeds were above average. Overall, though, we’d rather wait a few more seconds for a download and have a service with a stronger feature set. Mozy is still a good choice for online backup, but sync doesn’t appear to be its game. If you’re looking for a more versatile cloud-storage service to work across your devices, we recommend you look elsewhere.
SugarSync
www.sugarsync.com
100GB, US$7/mth or US$75/yr; 250GB, US$10/mth or US$100/yr; 500GB, US$25/mth or US$250/yr .SugarSync has long been one of the stronger challengers to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and Box, o ffering online backup, cloud storage and file sync at a time when the other major services didn’t o er the full set. Last year brought a slick new look, new features and some price reductions, so it should be even better equipped to compete.
There’s plenty to like about SugarSync. The revamped desktop client is clear, colourful and easy to use, and the sync features o er more control than rivals, making it simple to select which files and folders you want to keep in sync and across which linked PCs. It doesn’t even matter if they’re outside the Dropboxlike My SugarSync folder; all items can be synced in place. Files are easily accessible online, complete with the past five versions, although you can’t preview documents or stream music and videos direct from your browser.
You can, however, if you use the Android and iOS apps, which closely mirror the look of the new desktop interface. There are excellent document-preview features, covering common O‘ffice formats and PDFs, music streams flawlessly, and photos are neatly pulled out of their folders to be browsed and viewed. Unfortunately, SugarSync falls out of the running on two counts. First, there’s no free option beyond a 5GB 30-day trial, and the paid-for plans aren’t particularly cheap, even with a two-month discount if you pay up front for the first year. Second, it’s slow. Our 500GB of test files took almost half an hour to download a shock when most services took well under ten minutes. Sync speeds were reasonable, by comparison. SugarSync has the design and features to be a real contender, but it really needs the back-end performance to match.
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