05.25
In this review I will be focusing on the cloud synchronization services: Dropbox, SugarSync, and SpiderOak. All of these services allow you to synchronize files between a group of computers over the internet.
Dropbox
The most hyped of these services and the one I have the most experience with. I have used Dropbox to sync my school files between a netbook and my main desktop at home for the past two semesters and it has been rock solid. I have had absolutely no issues with Dropbox in this time.
Pros:
- Simply installation with no configuration necessary.
- Free 2GB plan.
- Public folder
- Fast uploads and downloads.
- File versioning.
- Fast synchronization
- Web interface
- LAN Sync
- Windows, Mac, and Linux
Cons:
- Most expensive. Cheapest paid plan is 50GB for $10/month.
- Would like a $5 tier.
- Limited to only one sync folder. (This feature is planned for 0.9 release)
- No way to specify which computers to sync to. (This feature is planned for 0.8 release)
SugarSync
SugarSync offers the most features of any of these services at an affordable price. Is my favorite of the group but has one major handicap.
Pros:
- Ability to sync any folder.
- Ability to specify which computers to sync to.
- Create public links to any file.
- Web Archive (Cloud-only storage)
- Most affordable with 30GB for $5/month
- Fast uploads
- Web interface
- Windows and Mac
Cons:
- Download are painfully slow. Downloads seem to average around 50kBps.
- Free 2GB plan is limited to 2 computers.
- No Linux support.
SpiderOak
This is a newly discovered service I have been testing out because of my problems with SugarSync.
Pros:
- Ability to sync any folder.
- Ability to specify which computers to sync to.
- Public “rooms” to share files.
- Web interface
- Best value with 100GB for $10
- Fast uploads and downloads
- File versioning and saves deleted files.
- Windows, Mac, and Linux
Cons:
- Would like a $5 tier.
- Synchronization is slower that the other two. Near instant vs. 15-30 seconds.
- Stability issues?? I have notice some stability issues related to connectivity and the client crashing.
Overall I like Dropbox for its simplicity and robustness but I can not justify the price until versions 0.8 and 0.9 are rolled out in the next year. SugarSync is the service I would probably have settled on until I noticed the speed issues. SpiderOak is nice but I would like to see a lower pricing tier. It also is backup services first and a synchronization service second.
I will for now continue to use Dropbox to synchronize my working files while I rely on JungleDisk for backing up other data.
