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5 Dropbox Alternatives For Cloud Storage

Dropbox isn't the only remote storage game in town. Consider flexibility and security as you check out these alternatives.

By Michael Doornbos , BYTE and Chris Spera and BYTE InformationWeek
July 01, 2011 08:00 AM

The recent security snafu at Dropbox, which left files unprotected for four hours, has us looking at alternatives to the popular file-sharing service.

BYTE.com
Whether you're a road warrior, early tablet adopter, or just someone wanting to share files, photos or other information between family, friends, or computers at home and at work, there's likely a choice for you. And there are new entrants showing up all the time. (Want to go really low tech? Check out our recent review of iTwin's interesting gadget. Or check out low-cost services aimed mostly at backup.)

We rounded up a few of the best, current cloud file storage options and compared them based on ease of use, storage capacity, and cost. Let's take a look.


SugarSync

Storage: 5 GB Free, with Personal and Enterprise Plans Available

Desktop Support: PCs with Windows XP or later and Mac Desktops 10.4 or later

Browser Support: IE, Firefox 3 or later, Safari 4 or later, Chrome

Mobile Clients: iOS 4, Android 2 or later, Blackberry OS 4 or later, Windows Phone 7, and Symbian

SugarSync, a well-executed folder sync system that's been around for a while, provides a basic way to sync folders across devices. It also supports file versioning. SugarSync supports backup of any file on your computer, making it visible to any connected sync point or via a Web browser. It also supports streaming of music files to mobile devices.

The file sync service on my Mac client seems to take up an excessive amount of CPU when performing a synchronization check. Among the five DropBox alternatives considered here, this was the only product or service that made my machine's cooling fan repeatedly turn on while synching. SugarSync is the closest to a drop-in replacement for Dropbox, from a price and features standpoint.

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