Google's very own "Loch Ness monster," also known as Google Drive, has finally launched.
It's the new face of Google Documents, and it's also Google's
oft-rumored Dropbox-killer. It enters a scene crowded with competitors
besides Dropbox that let you sync multiple folders, collaborate with
friends, and stream data to your mobile device — so how does Drive fare?
We'll take a look at the top
apps that let you sync files between all of your devices automatically,
share files using password protection, pick which folders you want to
sync, and do anything else you might want to do with a syncing app.
While our evaluations of each app aren't full-on reviews, they are
encapsulations of where each app excels and what makes each unique.
Refer to the chart at the bottom of the page for full breakdowns of each
application.
Google Drive
While Google Drive isn't much more than a Docs rebranding that syncs to a folder on your computer, it has a few key features that make it worth checking out. First, Drive can open up to 30 kinds of files right inside your browser. Dropbox and a few others open files inside a "web gallery," but Drive opens Photoshop files — even if you don't have Photoshop on your computer. To this extent, Drive creates a QuickLook-esque experience inside your web browser that makes it much easier to thumb through files. Drive also includes an option to turn on OCR text scanning, which means that when you upload images to Drive, Google will scan the images for text and make them searchable (similar to Evernote Premium).
In terms of everyday use, Drive
offers the same drag-and-drop syncing as Dropbox, and lets you pick
which folders inside Drive you want to sync from within the desktop app.
Also like Dropbox, you cannot pick other folders on your computer to
sync to Drive. In this way, Drive's real strengths lie on the web and
with the features we previously mentioned. It'll also tie right in to
Google+, Gmail, Android, and other Google services that will let you
drop-in or upload files (almost like you might with attachments inside
Sparrow for Mac, which can instantly upload attachments to CloudApp).
Additionally, Drive features a built-in document editor on par with
Microsoft's online Office suite that's part of SkyDrive. You can't yet
use Drive with multiple Google accounts, which is a pain, but we'd
expect that feature in due time.
Drive launches on the web, for
Mac, Windows, and Android devices today, with iOS support on the way "in
the coming weeks." The Android app (which replaces Google Docs) won't
stream your content, however, unlike some competitors like Dropbox and
SugarSync. For a full hands-on of Google Drive, click here.
Drive comes with 5GB of storage free, with generous upgrade options
like $2.49/month for 25GB of extra storage and $4.99/month for 100GB of
storage. Pricing: 25GB for $2.49/month; 100GB for $4.99/month; 200GB for
$9.99/month; more options from Google.
Dropbox
Dropbox
is the go-to solution for syncing files across multiple devices for a
reason. It's a no-brainer to use, allows groups to share files with a
couple clicks, and offers few settings for you to mess up. Perhaps the
app's greatest strength is the API it's built on, which hundreds of
developers have used to create apps that utilize Dropbox. It's right up
there with Evernote as the most developer-friendly storage/syncing
platforms that apps can leverage to help you access your data
everywhere. But, Dropbox does have some drawbacks: It offers just 2GB of
storage for free, and forces you to keep everything you need synced
inside of just one folder (though you can pick which folders you want
synced within your Dropbox). Extra storage is also very expensive —
Dropbox offers 100GB of storage for $19.99/month, while Drive offers the
same amount of storage for $4.99/month. Additionally, it would be
pretty futile to try to use Dropbox as a complete backup tool because it
would mean that you've have to store everything you want to back up
inside your Dropbox folder. Dropbox is ultra-reliable and plugged in to
all your favorite apps, but doesn't offer a ton of options. Pricing:
50GB for $9.99/month ($99.99/year); 100GB for $19.99/month
($199.99/year).
SugarSync
SugarSync
is perhaps the most well-known alternative to Dropbox, and even comes
pre-loaded on all new Lenovo computers and some smartphones (like
devices from SoftBank). SugarSync's claim to fame is that it's on just
about every platform, gets updated frequently, and lets you micro-manage
what you want to sync. For example, SugarSync lets you pick folders all
over your computer to sync, then lets you choose whether you want each
folder synced to all of your devices, or to just specific devices.
Additionally, SugarSync lets you add password protection to files and
folders when sharing them publicly, which not all competitors can't brag
about. The company's app for iPhone and iPad is also decent (though
it's pretty ugly, like the desktop app), and even allows you to stream a
whole album of songs in a row from the cloud, unlike Dropbox. Lastly,
SugarSync gives you 5GB for free to join. Pricing: 30GB for $4.99/month
($49.99/year); 60GB for $9.99/month ($99.99/year); 100GB for
$14.99/month ($149.99/year).
Insync
Insync's motto is "8x cheaper than Dropbox," while providing many of the same features and capabilities. After the Drive launch today, this isn't the case any longer,
but Insync is still just as cheap as Drive. Insync uses the free
storage you already have as a part of your Google Docs (now Drive)
account, which means that for each Google account you have, you get 5GB
of free storage. If you want to upgrade, Google's prices are much
cheaper than the Amazon AWS prices Dropbox charges for storage upgrades.
So anyway, Insync works really well as a Dropbox substitute, syncing
without a hitch to your Google Drive account. Each account gets its own
folder on your computer, but you can't sync any other folders on your
computer unless they are inside an Insync folder.
The first time you open the
app, you won't even see an application screen. Instead, you're popped
into a Google permissions screen online, an indication of how closely
Insync is tied with Google. Once you initiate a sync, all of the Google
Docs crap you've ever opened will get downloaded to your computer. One
cool feature is that unlike Drive, Insync will automatically convert
your files into formats (like .doc) that you can read on your computer.
Drive syncs Docs to your computer as web shortcuts. In fact, you might
want to use Insync solely as a file manager for your Google Docs files
since it lets you drag-and-drop things around between folders (labels in
Google Docs). Move files within these folders and the next time you
check Google Docs, the file will have switched labels. In the end,
Insync is a great solution for syncing files to and from your Google
Docs account, but doesn't let you sync much else. Also, the company's
mobile apps are in private beta, which means you can't use them just
yet. Pricing: 25GB for $2.49/month; 100GB for $4.99/month; 200GB for
$9.99/month; more options from Google.
LogMeIn Cubby
Cubby,
a brand new product from remote desktop pros LogMeIn, is a hybrid of
SugarSync and Dropbox. Cubby operates a lot like Dropbox, but lets you
pick folders around your computer to sync like with SugarSync. Besides
that, Cubby doesn't offer much in terms of options and customization for
syncing to the cloud, but does offer more for users trying to sync
files between two desktop computers that are always on. For this kind of
scenario, Cubby offers "unlimited peer-to-peer syncing" between
computers, assuming both computers stay turned on. If you make changes
to a file on one, it will instantly sync to the other. Cubby is
ultimately crippled by the fact that it doesn't yet offer a public API
for developers, so it can't plug in to any other apps you use. Yet, it
shows a ton of potential because of how fast and modern its desktop and
web interface are. Pricing: in beta, n/a.
Apple iCloud
iCloud isn't much of a Dropbox
competitor, but if all you need synced between your devices are text
documents, it can be a pretty seamless solution. Various apps such as
Pages and iA Writer have iCloud sync capabilities, saving your work
after every keystroke and instantly sending changes to Apple's servers.
Once you open up iA Writer or Pages on another Apple device or Mac with
OS X Lion, you'll already be working with the most recent version of
your document. Additionally, Lion saves versions of your documents
locally using Time Machine so you can return to older versions of your
document, but only on your machine. While iCloud is a very rudimentary
document-syncing solution, it might also be the simplest one to use. And
if you need to stream music or videos you've purchased from the cloud,
you can do that, too. Pricing: additional 10GB for $20/year; additional
20GB for $40/year; additional 50GB for $100/year.
SkyDrive
SkyDrive
is Microsoft's syncing solution, and in our testing, it works very
smoothly. SkyDrive starts things off right by offering 7GB of free
storage, which is best in class. If you move quickly (and have used
SkyDrive before), you can quickly nab 25GB of total free storage space.
SkyDrive really excels at syncing documents created using OneNote and
other Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
SkyDrive creates an experience akin to iCloud, but for Microsoft
products — except you can also edit documents in groups like you can
with Box or Dropbox. And like with Drive (and Google Docs), you can edit
(and create) documents for free within your browser.
SkyDrive also lets you share
public links, view-only private links, and view/edit private links,
which is nice to have. Unfortunately, there's no sharing yet from the
Mac app and you can't download items for offline viewing on all mobile
platforms. But as a whole, In the end, SkyDrive makes for an extremely
well-rounded entry — especially if you forgot to sync something with it.
If your home PC is turned on, you can still access all your files using
SkyDrive's "Fetch" feature. Pricing: additional 20GB for $10/year; additional 50GB for $25/year; additonal 100GB for $50/year.
Mozy Stash
Mozy Stash
is modeled after Dropbox, which is a good thing, but this also means it
doesn't offer any features that make it worth using over the industry
leader. But, if you're already a Mozy customer, Stash works. You have
one folder that the desktop client (which lives in your menu bar)
constantly monitors. If you make changes, these changes are synced to
other computers hooked up to Mozy, and to Mozy's mobile apps. But since
there's no public API, Stash doesn't hook up to any other apps so you
can use it for storage. And while you can access your files through a
web app, the interface is exceedingly rudimentary and doesn't even allow
you to view files without downloading them. Pricing: 50GB for
$5.99/month (one computer); 125GB for $9.99/month (three computers).
SpiderOak
Whereas SugarSync puts sync first and then backup, SpiderOak
puts backing up your computer at top priority. Once you pick folders to
back up, you can choose one to sync to multiple computers. Except in
order to do so, you'll need to designate which folders should correspond
with each other on each computer. For example, you need to tell the app
that "Folder A" on your laptop (which you've already backed up using
SpiderOak) should sync with "Folder B" on your desktop (which you've
already backed up using SpiderOak). This means that you can't even
finish the setup process until you have access to your other computer
again so you can create a sync folder and back it up. Pricing: 100GB for
$10/month ($100/year); additional 100GB increments at same price.
AVG LiveKive
If AVG's LiveKive
app looks familiar, it's because it is. AVG licensed an entire suite of
syncing and backup software from SpiderOak and has rebranded it as its
own. This means the sluggish and cumbersome experience is here too,
while the mobile app is decent, as we stated about SpiderOak. So what's
the draw? AVG's upgrade structure is less expensive than SpiderOak's by a
long shot. AVG gives you unlimited storage for $79.99/year, while
SpiderOak gives you 100GB for the same price. Also, the Mac version of
the app has mysteriously disappeared, so your only desktop option is
Windows, for now. Price: 25GB for $49.99/year; 50GB for $59.99/year;
"unlimited" (500GB, throttled after that) for $79.99/year.
Wuala by LaCie
Wuala
is built by storage veterans LaCie, so they take privacy really
seriously. In fact, you can't even access your files through Wuala's
website because the company's worried about transmitting data through
your browser. Instead, it uses a Java web-app alongside desktop and
mobile apps so all encryption takes place on your device. Wuala features
a very fleshed out desktop client that lets you share files publicly or
privately with just a couple clicks. While Wuala doesn't manage sync
folders across computers as well as SugarSync does, it's best in class
in terms of offering a great experience on the desktop for syncing or
backing up files. Another nice touch is that you can switch off
"continuous" sync and switch to backup intervals if you'd like to.
Pricing: 20GB for 29€/year; 50GB for 69€/year; 100GB for 119€/year.
Box
Aside from Dropbox, Box
might be the most integrated service since its API is so popular with
productivity apps like QuickOffice. In this way, it's easy to integrate
Box storage into your workflow — and with sync (offered free, but only
to business customers at this point), it becomes even more powerful.
There's detailed version-tracking, a feed of every sync and change
you've made to a document, elaborate sharing features, and frequently
updated and polished apps for just about every platform. Box Sync isn't
yet available for consumers, but we'd keep our eyes peeled. Its Google
Docs integration combined with tons of collaboration features and sync
for consumers would make it a very formidable competitor. But still,
like Dropbox, you can only sync with one folder on your computer.
Pricing: for personal account, which does not include Box Sync: 25GB for
$9.99/month; 50GB for $19.99/month.
Syncplicity
Syncplicity
has gone undercover in the desktop sync scene, in part because it's
primarily meant for business users. But, it has some interesting
features for consumers that make it worth checking out like Google Docs
integration and a news feed of activity (like in Box). First off, you
can sync folders from anywhere on your computer, but there really aren't
any settings to change besides this one — on the desktop, or on the
web. Syncplicity ties in to Google Docs to download and sync your data,
but it doesn't work as well as with Insync or Drive. One bonus that
Syncplicity offers (like Insync) is that you can actually edit documents
stored in your Drive and browse versions in the Syncplicity mobile app.
A couple things we don't like: the desktop app doesn't have any
preferences to change, you can't preview files in the ultra-sluggish web
browser view, and you can't add more than two devices to your sync
under the company's free tier. In the end, Syncplicity isn't the most
well-rounded experience (and isn't pretty, either), but it is a decent
app. Pricing: 50GB for $15/month.
Liner notes
At the end of the day, Google
Drive is exactly what Google fans have been looking for: a place to
store all of your Google stuff. It syncs to your computer effortlessly,
but Dropbox already does that. So where does it beat Dropbox? Since
Drive replaces and builds on Google Docs, it's essentially a
full-featured cloud document editing and storage suite. Dropbox is still
the champ at syncing since it's so reliable and on so many platforms,
but if you're looking for the best way to collaborate with others using
online documents, Drive is the way to go. If you're looking for the
ability to sync and also backup multiple folders around your computer,
SugarSync is head and shoulders above the rest.
No one sync solution is
perfect, so we attempted to give a fair shot to every mainstream app
we've heard of and could find online. So, we wanted to provide
explanations for why two mainstream options were not included in our
list. First, JungleDisk
was not included primarily because there is no free way to use the
service, and we've compared services that you can use free of charge
(like Google Drive). The least expensive option is $3/month, which
includes 5GB of storage — a lot compared to other services we looked at.
Additionally, most of the apps we checked out offer mobile apps that
have been updated recently, while JungleDisk's iOS app has not been
updated since August 2010, almost two years ago.
Another option we skipped is AeroFS,
a very cool new company that lets you "sync" files between computers as
long as both computers are turned on. LogMeIn's Cubby provides a
similar feature, but also includes traditional "sync to the cloud"
capabilities, a baseline feature for our comparison. Thus, AeroFS, which
cannot sync your files to "the cloud," was not included.
A third detail we want to
mention has to do with the criteria we used to judge these apps. We
didn't provide each app with a Verge Score, but did measure them in
terms of criteria we came up with, which we submitted to each sync app's
parent company. Data from our charts is a combination of points we
deduced from using the apps and points we gathered from responses to the
criteria we submitted to each company.
Also, a few clarifications:
Multiple folder sync: the ability to sync multiple folders outside
of your primary sync folder. For example, SugarSync allows you to pick
folders around your computer to sync, while Dropbox does not.
Download to mobile: "pin" files to mobile for offline use on all mobile platforms
Password-protected files:
whether links you send out to others can be password-protected or not.
Clearly all of these services offer password protection for accessing
all of your files.
Bandwidth-throttling: this is a
negative attribute, and corresponds to companies that admitted to
throttling bandwidth when you upload large amounts of files.
Finally, special thanks to our Product Database Manager William Savona for deftly constructing these beautiful comparison charts.
Source: TheVerge
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