Syncing Services

Syncing services are offering more solutions for online backup

When file synchronization first started to gain attention, most early services offered limited storage space that wasn't suitable for serious online backup. Now, most file sync providers recognize that users want file syncing and online backup in one service. The most popular synchronization programs now offer good amounts of online storage, but since these services offer more features, they are typically more expensive than basic online backup services like Mozy and Carbonite.

SugarSync (*Est. $10 per month for 60 GB) offers automated online backup that is accessible from any computer or mobile device, including the iPhone and Blackberry. Users get a personalized SugarSync website where their data is stored; after the initial backup, files are automatically backed up on a regular basis and when any changes are made. Your files are synced across multiple computers, so if you change a file on your work computer, it will automatically update on your home computer. SugarSync saves up to five previous versions of each file, although only the current file counts towards your storage total. SugarSync offers a variety of pricing plans (*Est. $5 a month for 30 GB of storage). Discounts are available if you sign up for a full year, and each plan has a 30-day free trial.

Stuart Andrews at PC Pro tests a number of online backup services, and SugarSync is declared the "lab winner." It also earns an Editors' Choice award from Laptop Magazine, where Todd Haselton says SugarSync is "online storage done right." Haselton and Andrews agree that SugarSync is easy to use and set up, and both have good things to say about the program's media capabilities. SugarSync allows you to play audio or video files from any computer or mobile device, even if those files live on a different computer. Scott Dunn at PC World also gives SugarSync a "very good" rating, primarily because the service automatically makes photo albums for your pictures and makes it easy to share your photos with other people. Reviewers also like the feature that sends pictures taken with your camera phone directly to your home computer. However, Dunn thinks SugarSync is less helpful for business users since it doesn't offer full remote-desktop control. SugarSync is available for Windows XP and Vista, and a version for Mac OS X 10.4 or greater is currently in beta.

Syncplicity (*Est. $10 per month for 50 GB) also earns a number of recommendations, but testers give SugarSync slightly higher ratings than Syncplicity. Like SugarSync, Syncplicity synchronizes files across multiple computers, automatically backs up files and allows access to your data from any computer with an Internet connection. It also saves all previous versions of each file, whereas SugarSync only saves the last five versions. Syncplicity doesn't offer the mobile integration provided by SugarSync and it no longer supports Mac platforms. MacWorld gave Syncplicity an Editor's Choice award for its Mac beta client, but that version was withdrawn in July 2009. Syncplicity stated that the Mac version would probably need a complete rewrite, and it doesn't appear that will be coming anytime soon.

Edward Mendelson at PCMag.com gives Syncplicity a "good" rating, but he says it "has more rough edges than its competition." It is also rated highly in PC Pro's review, but it fails to unseat SugarSync as the test winner. Still, reviewers say Syncplicity is very easy to use, and they appreciate the file versioning functionality. Even though Stuart Andrews at PC Pro ultimately recommends SugarSync, he calls Syncplicity a "speedy and reliable online service" with "good value for the money."

Livedrive (*Est. $60) also gets a number of recommendations, including a Web User Gold award. The Standard plan gives you 100 GB of online data backup storage for one PC, and provides file access from any Internet-enabled computer or mobile device. If you want to sync files across multiple computers, you'll have to upgrade to Livedrive Pro (*Est. $150 a year for unlimited storage). A Mac version is not currently available, but Livedrive says it is coming "very soon." PC Plus (part of TechRadar.com) says Livedrive is "highly recommended," and Web User says it's worth paying for. However, David Bayon at PC Pro thinks Livedrive is a little too expensive compared to its competitors.

Humyo (*Est. $7 per month for 100 GB) is also popular, especially with European reviewers, and the company claims it is one of the largest online backup services in Europe. Humyo works much like SugarSync or Syncplicity in that it syncs, backups and provides remote access to your data via a web-based application. However, it doesn't keep previous versions of files like SugarSync and Syncplicity. Humyo gets a number of awards from Web User and Computer Shopper (U.K.), where reviewers praise the easy-to-use interface. They also praise the generous free account with up to 10 GB of storage, although not all of the features are available with the free version. Humyo is available to users in the United States, but you'll have to call the main office in London if you need telephone tech support.

Microsoft's Live Mesh (Free for 5 GB) is still in beta, so it gets mixed ratings from reviewers. Live Mesh is another online data backup, sync and share service, so you can access your files from any computer or mobile device. Unlike Humyo and Livedrive, Microsoft Live Mesh is available for both PC (XP or later) and Macintosh (Mac OS X 10.5 or later), but not all features are up and running for the Mac version. It gets a recommendation from Stuart Andrews at PC Pro, although he acknowledges that it's not perfect. Andrews thinks Live Mesh is easy to use and fast, but he describes the interface as "clunky." Scott Dunn at PC World agrees, saying Live Mesh is "powerful but unnecessarily clumsy." Since Live Mesh is still in beta, the service is free, but there's no guarantee it will stay that way when the program is officially released. Reviewers also note that there is no phone support for the beta version.

Apple also offers a backup and file-sharing service called MobileMe (*Est. $100 a year for 20 GB). Backups are done through a utility called MobileMe iDisk. You get a personalized website to access your files from any computer or iPhone. You can also share and sync files, including your email and calendar, between machines. However, MobileMe is more a synchronization service than pure online backup -- there's no automatic or continuous backup, so you have to choose which files to add to your online storage account. MobileMe integrates seamlessly with Mac OS X (version 10.4.11 and higher); MobileMe is also available for PCs with Windows XP (or newer). Reviewers noted some glitches when MobileMe was first launched in 2008, but recent improvements have changed some opinions. Walt Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal called MobileMe "buggy and ragged" when it first launched, but now he notes improved speed and reliability. However, Mossberg cautions that MobileMe works much better for Macs than it does for PCs.

Finally, reports surfaced in late January 2009 that Google was about to unveil its long rumored Google Web Drive, or GDrive, as it's more typically called. However, those rumors are still going strong in September 2009 and we have yet to see any acknowledgement from Google that GDrive even exists. Bloggers say GDrive will offer online backup for an entire hard drive, as well as some file syncing, but that remains to be seen.