Pros and Cons of various Cloud storage options

Hey guys,

Thought it might be beneficial for us to add a thread here where we can discuss the pros and cons of each of the major cloud storage vendors. I'm not really trying to create an argument for which is better or worse, but just gathering some information in one place for those to decide on which they like.

Microsoft Skydrive:
+ : 7GB of storage, or 25GB for free if you previously had it
+ : local app to sync a folder from local hard drive to cloud and vice versa.
+ : sharing ability
+ : easy access to online copy of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
- : no ability to throttle bandwidth (upload speed)
- : no recycle bin or ability to recover a deleted file
- : cannot upload entire folder via website only via Skydrive App

Dropbox
+ : support for almost all platforms (Win, MAC, SmartPhone/Tablet)
+ : LAN sync for faster syncs between local LAN computers
+ : Pick and choose which folders you want synced on which computers
+ : sharing ability
+ : ability to restore any file or folder deleted in past 30 days.
+ : ability to get more free space by referrals
+ : ability to throttle bandwidth
+ : local app to sync a local folder to the cloud/vice versa
- : Only 2GB of free space by default

Upgrade prices are 50GB for $9.99/mo or $99.00/year
Upgrade prices for 100GB are $19.99/mo or $199.00/year

Google Drive
+ 5GB of free space
+ Trashcan keeps all deleted files unless you manually delete them from trash
+ Pick and choose which folders you want synced on which computers
+ sharing ability
+ local app to sync a local folder to the cloud/vice versa
+ easy access to Google Docs applications
- no ability to throttle bandwidth

Upgrade prices are 25GB for $4.99 month
Upgrade prices for 100GB are $4.99 month

Amazon Cloud Drive
+ 5GB of free space by default
+ Trashcan keeps all deleted files unless you manually delete them from trash
+ Shell integration to easily copy folders and files using Send To Cloud Drive
+ Music purchased or stored here can be played from Amazon Cloud Player.
+ Music purchased from Amazon MP3 store don't count against your quota.
- no automatic folder sync utility
- no bandwidth throttle
- no ability to share files with others

Sugar Sync
+ 5GB of free space, extra 500MB for referrals, another 625MB free for setting up a few features
+ You can pick many different folders to sync to cloud from each device, and you can choose which to sync to other devices.
+ Dedicated Web Archive folder, for "backups" rather than "syncing"
+ Keeps 5 previous versions of each file available for "undelete"
+ Integrates with my Droid, so all pictures taken with phone camera are uploaded directly to Mobile Photos folder on Sugar Sync
+ Virtual email address. So, you can forward emails with attachments here, and it strips the email, but saves your attachment.
+ Bandwidth Throttling: Although, it's vague. You pick Low, Medium or High. You cannot specify a value.
+ Sugar Sync File Manager: Easy way to see all of your files, on your PC devices, and can cut and paste files and folders
+ Ability to share files with others.
- No Linux client

Upgrade prices 30GB for $4.99/mo or $49.99/year,
Upgrade prices for 100GB for $14.99/mo or $149.99/year

I don't want to necessarily maintain the master list, so if somebody has the downlow on the mobile apps, that would be great. i dont' use them, so I don't know about them, or even know what I would want out of them.

fezbombmatt said:

One problem, these services are useless when providers like LoLex (pipex) are still around.

I wouldn't dream of uploading a file more than 50mb to a online storage.

Yes, your upload speeds have a dramatic impact on the usefulness of services such as these...especially for large files. It can be a slow and arduous process to upload large amounts of data when you don't have much upload speed. However, if you are uploading mainly small files or small numbers of files, it's alright.

fezbombmatt said:

Seriously by the time I could upload some decent size data, I could go out drive to pc world and buy a portable hd, instead of watching my electricity drain as I watch the upload bar.

While true, if you used your portable hard drive as a backup and your house burned to the ground, you better hope you had moved that portable hard drive to another location so you didn't lose your source and your backup in the same fire. < - This is one area where using the cloud could have saved your bacon.


I don't really want to turn this thread into a defend or defy cloud storage. It has purposes, and people have different needs. This thread is intended for them to get ideas for which cloud service might be the best fit for their needs.

I posted my comparison between SkyDrive and Google Drive in another thread. You may find it useful. SkyDrive and Google Drive Comparison. Created on Google Drive.