The Average Guy’s Cloud Storage Know It Guyde
With all the cloud and private cloud offerings that have come out recently, I thought it would be helpful to lay them out in some kind of matrix that I could update as things change. Below is what I have seen to date. If you know of one that I have missed to needs to be updated, please email podcast@theAverageGuy.tv and I will post the update.
Updated May 15, 2013 (added Copy.com)
Here are the costs of storing it in the cloud (Using a shared Excel Web App not doubt!)
Click on the Graphic for more info on each service:
Desktop App? Windows, Mac OSX and Linux
Mobile Apps? Apple iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) and Android
Where do your files reside? Local and in the Cloud
Can I share files? Yes
Max File Size? No Limits
Helpful Links: https://www.copy.com/about/pr
Comments: From Barracuda Networks and focused on Business users. Very strong referral program
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! https://copy.com?r=x7I9cx
Amazon – 5 GB Free
Desktop Apps? Windows Vista/7, Mac OS 10.6/10.7 more
Mobile Apps? Find it
Where do your files reside? In the cloud only. No Local Syncing.
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others
Max File Size?
Helpful Links: Terms of Use / Cloud Drive Support
Comments: Amazon has recently split their cloud offerings. They now support a MP3 & Cloud Player as well as the Amazon Cloud Drive. The interface to upload files to the cloud is simple to use and only provides uploading functionality. If you need a quick and easy place to store a file, Amazon would work for you.
Google Drive – 5 GB Free
Desktop App? Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS 10.6/10.7 more
Mobile Apps? Android 2.1+, iOS 3.0+ more
Where do your files reside? All files are stored in the cloud with a link in the G Drive folder locally. Offline access is available by using Google Chrome
Can I share files? Lets you share your files, folders, and Google Docs with exactly whom you want at whatever level of access you choose. more Shares have limits. more
Max File Size? Uploaded document files that are converted to Google documents format can’t be larger than 2MB. Files that you upload but don’t convert to Google Docs format can be up to 10 GB each. more
Helpful Links: Terms of Service
Comments: Google Apps are by far the best Documentation Collaboration offering. The ability to update and edit documents in real-time is not offered elsewhere.
SkyDrive – 7GB Free
Desktop App? Windows Vista, 7, 8, Windows Server 2008 more Mac OS 10.7 more
Mobile Apps? Windows Phone v7.5+ more iPhone and iPad iOS 4.0+ more Android 2.3+ more
Where do your files reside? With SkyDrive on your PC or Mac, your desktop SkyDrive folder is automatically created. Any file put in this folder will be automatically synced to other devices that have SkyDrive. more
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others
Max File Size? Upload your file to your SkyDrive (up to 2GB from the SkyDrive app on your computer or 300MB from SkyDrive.com) more
Helpful Links: Compare, Terms of Use
Comments: This might be the best service to use if you are already using Microsoft Office. SkyDrive is completely integrated with Windows 8 and also has new Office Web Apps that are free. Might also be a great place to store photos and music as well. This is a service that Microsoft is giving a lot of attention right now with lots of updates.
One of the things I don’t like is that when it is uploading files, it is difficult to impossible to monitor the progress the upload is making since there isn’t a great monitoring method. It also has no way to set upload or download metering speeds. The connector software needs some updates
Dropbox – 2GB Free
Desktop App? Windows, Mac, Linux more
Mobile Apps? Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Kindle Fire more
Where do your files reside? With Dropbox on your PC or Mac, your desktop Dropbox folder is automatically created. Any file put in this folder will be automatically synced to other devices that have Dropbox. more
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others
Max File Size? Files uploaded through the website have a 300 MB cap. All files uploaded to your Dropbox must be smaller than the size of your Dropbox account’s storage quota. more
Helpful Links: Terms of Service
Comments: First on the seen and the current leader in the Cloud storage space, Dropbox has not been keeping pace with some of the new options. With some early missteps around security, many users still are not willing to trust Dropbox for their most important files. The service is available on almost every platform and is drop dead easy to install and use. Dropbox is good for sharing non sensitive files with teams that may or may not be geographically close.
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! http://db.tt/OjTAg18
Wuala – 5 GB Free
Desktop App? Windows XP SP3/Vista/7 more Mac OS 10.6+ more Linux 1.6+ more
Mobile Apps? iPhone, iPad, Android more
Where do your files reside? With Wuala on your PC or Mac, a Wuala mapped drive can be automatically created. Any file put in this folder will be automatically synced to other devices that have Wuala and to the cloud.
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others. Files can also be shared through groups.
Max File Size? File size is currently limited to 40 GB. more
Helpful Links: Terms and Policies
Comments: Of all the Cloud services, I have used Wuala the longest. It’s does require an install that requires Java to be installed. It can create a local drive that syncs with Wuala folders in the cloud.
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! http://www.wuala.com/referral
Box – 5GB Free
Desktop App? Windows and iOS X more
Mobile Apps? Android, iPhone and Windows Phone, Blackberry more
Where do your files reside? Use the Box Sync for Windows or iOS to start syncing content between your desktop and your Box account.
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others.
Max File Size? Free version is limited to 100 MB to 1GB. 2GB for paid versions. more
Helpful Links: Terms of Service, Twitter
Comments: Lower file size transfer limits but box is serious about it’s security. Provides SSL AES 256-bit encryption behind the firewall. For business and enterprise accounts, files are stored encrypted with automatic redundancy. There have been deals in the past that have allowed up to 50GB of free space.
Box also had bandwidth metering options that will allow you to set limits on both up and down speeds to it’s service.
One of the draw backs for me was that I tried to use it to store all my large video files and some were larger than the 1GB limit that was given to me in the free version. Even with a paid version and a 2GB limit, some of the files were left out and not uploaded. It did load about 18GB of data in less than 48 hours.
Media Fire – 10GB Free
Desktop App? Windows, OS X and Linux more
Mobile Apps? iPhone and iPad more
Where do your files reside? Use a desktop app to drag and drop your files to cloud storage.
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that is not secure and can be shared with others
Max File Size? 200MB for Free Plan, 1GB for Personal, 4GB for Pro more Files have a limited storage time for the Free plan. Other plans are unlimited.
Helpful Links: Terms of Service
Comments: Just added a 50GB Paid plan as of Sep 29, 2012. Free plan has the most storage of any of the providers but places a time limit on it. Has a unique feature that allows for Screenshot capabilities in the MediaFire Express software.
SugarSync – 5GB Free
Desktop App? Windows and OS X more
Mobile Apps? iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian more
Where do your files reside? SugarSync Datacenter
Can I share files? Yes
Max File Size? Unlimited
Helpful Links: Cloud storage Comparison, Support Portal
Comments: Now updated for Windows 8.
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! https://www.sugarsync.com/referral
Desktop App? Windows / OS X more
Mobile Apps? iOS and Android more
Where do your files reside? Cubby DataCenters or on your computer if using DirectSync.
Can I share files? Yes
Max File Size? Unlimited
Helpful Links: FAQ,
Comments: They support UNLIMITED data sync between computers with the software installed in it. The software is still in Beta as of December 2, 2012. Versioning of files is also supported with files stored in the cloud.
Referred by Kevin Schoonover
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! https://www.cubby.com/referral
MegaCloud – 8GB Free
Desktop App? Windows, OS X and Linux more
Mobile Apps? iOS and Android more
Where do your files reside? Cloud and Local Sync more
Can I share files? Yes more
Max File Size? None via the desktop app / 300MB from the webmore
Comments: Very connected to social media and will back up your Gmail, Gmail contacts, Google Calendar and Instagram as well as Twitter. Also will automatically back up your photos from both Android and iPhone.
Referred by Carl Loucks
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! http://www.megacloud.com/referral
MiMedia – 7GB Free
Where do your files reside? MiMedia Secure Servers (Cloud)
Can I share files? Yes – Not Secure Link
Max File Size? 3GB via Java Browser, 1Gb using Flash in Browser
Helpful Links: Support and FAQ
Comments: Simple Cloud storage option designed around media. Has sections for Music, Photos and Videos. Creates a sync folder in Windows for easy access.
Referred from Daniel Rector
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! http://c.mimedia.com/referral
Will also Backup Home Computers
Pogoplug – 5GB Free
Desktop App?Windows, OS X and Linux more
Mobile Apps? iPhone, iPad, Android more
Where do your files reside? Files can reside both on a local storage location using a Pogoplug device or in the cloud with either their free or paid service. You can also create a mapped drive on you PC
Can I share files? Yes, with a link that can be secured with a password and can be shared with others.
Max File Size? Unlimited
PC Restore Options? No PC restore option available. Just backups up data files stored on your PC like music, pictures and documents.
Helpful Links: Support Site,
Comments: Pogoplug just announced a new unlimited plan for Cloud storage that is 4.95 a month. The advantage to using a Pogoplug device this that you can store files both locally on a device or in the cloud now with the new offering. The back up software itself needs updating and gives very few options.
Click this link to sign up and Jim scores free storage! http://pogoplug.extole.com/a/clk/20QpS6
Desktop App? Windows and OS X more
Mobile Apps? iPhone, iPad, Android more
Where do your files reside? Carbonite Datacenters
Can I share files? No
Max File Size? Unlimited
PC Restore Options? Carbonite has a feature called Mirror image back up, which backs up everything on your PC including Windows System files and can restore your PC in the event of a hard drive failure
Helpful Links: Carbonite FAQ
Comments: .
Desktop App? Windows, OS X, Linux and Solaris more
Mobile Apps? iOS, Android, Windows Phone more
Where do your files reside? Both in the Cloud and locally. With multiple backup sets enabled, you can specify which files go to which locations and with what settings. Having multiple backup sets enables faster and more convenient restores because you can store very large files locally. Using backup sets also makes it easier manage available storage, as well as bandwidth and system resources. more
Can I share files? No
Max File Size? Unlimited
PC Restore Options? Web site download
Helpful Links: CrashPlan Consumer FAQ
Comments: Lots of data? CrashPlan offers a ‘seed service’ where they send you an external hard drive to use for your first backup. After you send it back, they transfer the data directly to CrashPlan Central, saving a lot of time on your first backup. Similarly, if you ever need to restore a large amount of data, use CrashPlan’s Restore to Your Door service, to have them ship your computer backup archive to you on a hard drive or DVD, so you can restore locally. Backup can also be done using another PC (Friend or family) as the destination.
Desktop App? Windows more
Mobile Apps? iOS and Android more
Where do your files reside? Acronis Datacenters
Can I share files? Yes
Max File Size? 250GB
PC Restore Options? Restore everything using Disk Imaging – not just the files, but the exact configuration of your computer including your operating system, settings, and applications.
Helpful Links: Products. Support Center
Comments: Acronis has very power software included with True Image Home 2012/2013. Backup is just a small part of their solution.
Desktop App? Windows, OS X more
Mobile Apps? Not Available
Where do your files reside? BackBlaze Datacenters
Can I share files? No
Max File Size? Unlimited
PC Restore Options? Website – You will receive an email once your files are ready to restore.
Your files will be put into a zip format and available for download.
Helpful Links: http://www.backblaze.com/, Terms
Comments:
Here is what is still coming…
https://one.ubuntu.com/services/ from David Sullivan
http://www.apple.com/icloud/ from Daniel Rector
https://spideroak.com/ from Daniel Rector
http://www.symform.com/free-cloud-backup/ from Daniel Rector
http://www.syncplicity.com/ from Daniel Rector
https://www.opendrive.com/ from Daniel Rector
https://www.asuswebstorage.com from Daniel Rector
http://www.drivehq.com/ from Daniel Rector
https://www.cubby.com/ by Kevin Schoonover
http://www.tappin.com/ by Jim Barton
http://www.one.com/en/ by Jim Barton
http://www.bdrive.com/en/startnow/ by Jim Barton
http://tresorit.com/ by Landon Story
https://www.nortonzone.com/ by Bill Wilson
Saved for future services:
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