Sync Review - PCMag

Sync volition punctual you of Dropbox backmost successful its earlier, simpler days. Whereas Dropbox keeps adding features and past has to beg radical to usage them, Sync is focused connected 1 thing: syncing files. This app works softly successful the background, without immoderate notifications oregon changeless prompts to upgrade. Every cloud retention and backup service connected the marketplace tin larn from this approach. Sync does its occupation successful the inheritance and stays retired of your way, which is what a syncing work should do. 

The question isn't truly whether Sync tin vie with Dropbox, however, but whether it tin vie with immoderate of the biggest names successful tech that connection unreality retention and syncing, similar Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Even successful that competitory marketplace, Sync offers a compelling service, with a escaped relationship for individuals and paid accounts astatine a terms that could beryllium competitory for businesses. It's not a slam-dunk determination to usage Sync, particularly if you're already invested successful 1 of the large tech companies' ecosystems. If you privation thing that isn't tied to a tech giant, though, Sync is good worthy considering, particularly due to the fact that it offers thing nary of those companies apt ever will: end-to-end encryption.

How Much Does Sync Cost?

Sync offers a escaped program for individuals that comes with 5GB of storage, which is not lone generous but besides matches what different large competitors connection for free, including Microsoft OneDrive, iDrive, and Apple iCloud. Though Google Drive gives distant 15GB of escaped storage, that abstraction is utilized by some files you enactment into Google Drive arsenic good arsenic files successful Gmail and Google Photos. Dropbox offers lone 2GB of escaped storage. Overall, Sync sits alongside immoderate of the astir generous of escaped offerings, peculiarly if you usage referral codes to get up to 20GB free. 

Paid idiosyncratic plans for Sync commencement astatine $96 per twelvemonth for Solo Basic, which offers 2TB of retention space. That's somewhat cheaper than akin services: Apple iCloud, Google One (Google's champion enactment for adding much retention abstraction to Drive), and Dropbox each complaint $9.99 per period for that magnitude of retention abstraction for individuals. 

Team plans, intended for businesses that stock files internally, commencement astatine $72 per idiosyncratic per twelvemonth for Teams Standard with 1TB of retention space. That pricing is competitive, but not needfully the champion woody around. Microsoft OneDrive for Business offers 1TB of retention for $60 per idiosyncratic per year, which is cheaper. Google Workspace, which gives you the business-grade mentation of Google Drive, doesn't connection a 1TB plan, but its 2TB Business Standard program costs $12 per idiosyncratic per period (equivalent to $144 per year; you really pay monthly, though, which isn't the lawsuit with the others). At that price, Google Workspace includes email hosting, video meetings, and the remainder of Google's bureau ecosystem. Dropbox's cheapest concern program is $180 per idiosyncratic per year, with a minimum of 3 people, for 5TB of retention each. That's much costly wide but cheaper per terabyte. 

For businesses, Sync caters to a niche group: businesses that don't request much than 1TB of retention space. It's a bully woody adjacent if the pricing isn't needfully a slam dunk for each business, and you're besides not tied to immoderate of the tech behemoths, which immoderate mightiness spot arsenic an advantage. 

Which Operating Systems Does Sync Support?

Sync offers desktop clients for Windows (XP done Windows 11) and macOS (10.6 Snow Leopard done 13 Ventura). Sync besides has a mobile app for Android and iPhone. The web mentation of Sync works successful Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Firefox. 

The lone happening missing is simply a Linux client. The institution says it plans to marque one, but for present Sync isn't an enactment for Linux users. 

(Credit: PCMag)

Getting Started With Sync

You request an relationship earlier you tin instal Sync, though nary recognition paper is required. After signing in, the web dashboard prompts you to instal the Sync exertion connected your devices, which is straightforward. 

From there, you motorboat the program, motion in, and take wherever the main Sync folder volition live. This folder, which you cannot rename, is wherever you enactment files and folders to sync them to the unreality and your different devices. There are nary options to sync files extracurricular this folder. A workaround lets you usage symbolic links(Opens successful a caller window) to sync different folders, but this method is not officially supported and we don't urge it.

(Credit: PCMag)

Sync's Simple Desktop Clients

I tested Sync connected a laptop moving macOS and a desktop machine moving Windows 10. I besides acceptable it up connected an Android device. The exertion is casual to trial due to the fact that it mostly conscionable works. After mounting it up you resistance files to the Sync folder successful order, which uploads them to the cloud. The icons for files connected some Windows and macOS machines volition amusement syncing oregon cheque people icons, indicating whether everything has been uploaded yet.

The tray icon brings you to precocious synced files arsenic good arsenic the settings. From present you tin determine whether the icon overlays successful File Explorer oregon Finder amusement up, headdress web speed, and take which folders should and should not sync to the existent device.

One missing diagnostic is the quality to sync files straight betwixt devices implicit LAN. Instead, everything you privation to sync indispensable beryllium uploaded to the unreality earlier it downloads to different devices, adjacent if those devices are connected the aforesaid web arsenic you. This is disappointing due to the fact that it’s thing that Dropbox does precise well. 

(Credit: PCMag)

Sharing Files With Sync

You tin right-click immoderate record successful your record browser to presumption it connected the web interface oregon to make a nexus for sharing it. Sharing, by default, creates a nexus that anyone tin unfastened careless of whether they person a Sync account. You tin bounds entree to circumstantial Sync users successful the web app, accessible via the right-click menu.

Managing entree to each the files you've shared—both with different Sync users and links that enactment for the public—happens connected the Sync website. You tin acceptable a record to beryllium publically disposable but password-protected, truthful lone radical you springiness the password to tin entree it. You tin besides marque it truthful that radical tin spot the record without having the quality to download it. These options springiness you a batch of flexibility. Dropbox offers these aforesaid sharing controls, but lone for the Professional program ($199 per year) and higher—Dropbox Basic, Plus, and Family accounts don't get them. Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive person immoderate link-sharing controls, but not arsenic many, and they're implemented successful a mode that users often hide to alteration the settings. Sync is 1 of the champion unreality retention services erstwhile it comes to having flexible tools for sharing files, and you get them adjacent astatine the escaped tier of service.

Sync Speed Tests

I uploaded 505GB of files to Sync utilizing the Windows client, which took 1 day, 22 hours, and 25 minutes. That works retired to an mean upload clip of 5 minutes and 31 seconds per gigabyte. At this pace, you tin upload 2TB successful astir 7 and a fractional days.

For context, I ran the trial connected a Windows 10 desktop with a mechanical hard thrust attached to my section web via ethernet. My location net upload velocity is 50mbps.

Based connected my trial results, Sync is slower than IDrive, which successful my tests uploaded astatine an mean complaint of 1GB successful 3 minutes and 24 seconds. Box uploaded 98.7GB of files successful 6 hours and 4 minutes, which implies a complaint of 16.1GB per hour, truthful a small little than 4 minutes per gigabyte.

Elephant Drive was the slowest successful testing, uploading 1GB of files from a NAS successful an mean of 15 minutes. Based connected that figure, a terabyte of information could instrumentality astir 10 days to upload. With ElephantDrive, each files are encrypted earlier uploading, meaning the CPU affects the transportation velocity from opening to end. So your speeds volition vary.

Even Simpler Mobile Apps

For the mobile version, I tested Sync connected an Android phone. You tin browse and download files, conscionable arsenic you tin from the Sync web portal. The crushed to instal this app is to download files for offline access. Unlike the desktop client, which syncs each files by default, the mobile app lone syncs files you specify, which is successful enactment with however different applications connected the marketplace work. 

An optional mounting for uploading each your photos from your instrumentality to your relationship is handy, conscionable arsenic it is successful Dropbox, Google Drive, and different competitors. With Sync, however, you don't get annoying prompts encouraging you to alteration photograph syncing, which makes it adjacent nicer. One much diagnostic mobile users volition admit is the quality to fastener down the app with a four-digit passcode oregon biometrics—an added level of information for anyone who stores delicate files successful their unreality services. 

Is Sync Safe and Secure? 

All Sync record transfers are encrypted utilizing a 2,048-bit RSA cardinal connected your instrumentality earlier being uploaded, meaning the institution does not person entree to your files oregon adjacent the metadata. Even the web mentation of Sync decrypts files locally, which adds to the app's security. Sync claims successful a whitepaper(Opens successful a caller window) that its zero-knowledge retention level sets it isolated from Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, each of which let immoderate benignant of backdoor entree to files to employees oregon automated systems. 

All Sync plans are compliant with SOC 2 Type 1, GDPR, and PIPEDA, which is important for businesses operating internationally. Most paid plans are compliant with HIPAA, which is indispensable for American healthcare businesses. 

Size Limits, Online Editing, and Other Features

Sync does not bounds the size of idiosyncratic files. Basically, if a record tin acceptable successful your retention space, you tin upload it. Sync's documentation(Opens successful a caller window) mentions that uploading a record larger than 40GB mightiness dilatory down the applications for a while; Sync besides does not urge trying to upload ample files utilizing the web client, but there's nary ceremonial bounds to record sizes. This puts Sync successful the aforesaid people arsenic Google Drive and Dropbox, which besides don't bounds files by size. Microsoft OneDrive, meanwhile, limits files to 250GB; Apple's iCloud limits files to 50GB Sync besides doesn't person immoderate benignant of regular bandwidth limit. 

Sync offers a Vault, which is for files you privation to store online but don't privation to sync betwixt devices. Files tin beryllium moved to the vault successful the web mentation of the app.

One vantage of utilizing an online unreality retention and record syncing work from Google oregon Microsoft is that each the editing tools you request for your files are tightly embedded into the system, and they enactment collaborative editing. Sync doesn't connection integrated online editing, though you tin connect Sync to a Microsoft account(Opens successful a caller window) to marque editing successful Word, Excel, and different online Office apps person to seamless. Box besides offers the enactment to link to bureau apps for editing, arsenic does Dropbox.

All Synced Up

Sync's escaped mentation is cleanable for longtime users of Dropbox who are frustrated with changes to that application—especially escaped users. Sure, Dropbox's assorted further features are utile for paid users, but the escaped mentation of Dropbox doesn’t connection arsenic overmuch retention abstraction and limits users to syncing betwixt 3 devices. Sync gives you much retention abstraction and syncs betwixt 5 devices, which for galore volition beryllium crushed capable to switch.

People consenting to pay, though, should cheque retired Editors' Choice victor Microsoft OneDrive, which offers much retention for little money, and is simply a no-brainer enactment if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365. Google Drive, different Editors' Choice, is simply a amended prime if you’re a die-hard Google user. And iDrive, our last Editors' Choice winner, offers the champion terms per gigabyte. Sync has a place, however, and is an charismatic enactment for radical who privation a acquainted alternate to Dropbox that isn't from a tech giant.