How do the services compare? Here's the list I'm working with:
Drive
DropBox
SkyDrive
Box
Sugar Sync
iCloud
What do I notice?
- Well given price and the lack of desktop syncing nobody can use Box.
- DropBox and iCloud pricing is so similar that either they are both using S3 (we know Dropbox does), or Apple have chosen Dropbox as their competitor for iCloud.
Plotting this all out on the same graph which I've not seen before (sorry about the 'Gbs' silly graphing software!)
Summary.
Dropbox: Well I've used DropBox for a while. Dont trust them of course, but you cannot deny their ubiquity and LAN syncing is extremely useful. I _do_ store confidential data with them, but only ater applying a layer of encFS / FUSE.
Google Drive: the new kid on the block, uses the underlying Google storage mechanism for sharing very very nicely. When we get the iOS client it'll be nearly as good as Dropbox in ubiquity. I also use encFS / FUSE here as well.
SkyDrive: Microsoft's offering. The desktop client is nice on OSX, syncs quickly. Can also use encFS / FUSE, OK lets face it, trust no-one. The main weakness is the web interface, and of course the web interface cannot upload very large files. Oh yeah no Android client, so thats a huge heap of mobile they are missing out on.
Box: no desktop client, insanely expensive. Enough said.
SugarSync: its ok actually very similar to Dropbox in ubiquity and pricing. I've not used it as much as Dropbox maybe thats only because I got started with Dropbox first. Where do they store
iCloud: For Apple ecosystem devices the ubiquity of OSX to iOS syncing is superb, and there's no reason to not use iCloud for your Apple devices. But if you are not heavily invested in Apple, or you need more storage, the iCloud is not so compelling.
Scores on the doors:
Dropbox | 9/10 | if you use encFS / FUSE |
Google Drive | 8.5/10 | before iOS client arrives, goes to 9.5 after, because of better security certifications |
SkyDrive | 7.5/10 | due to web interface and no Android client |
SugarSync | 7.5 | nice client, not quite as ubiquitous as Dropbox, security and privacy? |
iCloud | 5/10 | expensive, no Android client |
Box | 2/10 | EXPENSIVE and no desktop client |
Excellent article by TheVerge comparing these services.
Update: OSX client can be downloaded from here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/drive?pli=1