SugarSync vs Dropbox : The Alternative You Never Asked For
Using a cloud-based service to store and share your files is essential in today’s computing age. Here is a comparison of two services.
A feature-by-feature Dropbox vs. SugarSync comparison with screenshots.
- Free storage – SugarSync: 5 GB, Dropbox: 2 GB
- Dropbox allows you to share files up to 1 GB via public links or email. SugarSync limits it to 25 MB.
- SugarSync has native support for music playback on the web and for smartphones. Dropbox requires a third-party app, such as groovyBox.
- Many users report that Dropbox has faster upload / sync speeds than SugarSync.
- Dropbox has been featured in the news for a few security SNAFUs. SugarSync hasn’t gotten any heat, but likely suffers from the same vulnerabilities. Best security practice for both: encrypt your important documents using TrueCrypt or BoxCryptor.
I’m a Dropbox man—always have been, always will be. So, when an assignment to review SugarSync came across my desk (not really, MrGroove didn’t give me a desk…), I raised a skeptical eyebrow. At first blush, SugarSync struck me as the Dropbox alternative that I never asked for. I must not be the only one who feels this way, because right there on the front page of SugarSync’s website is a link to a comparison chart between SugarSync vs. Dropbox and the other cloud storage/folder syncing heavyweights: MobileMe, Box.net, Carbonite, and Mozy.
As expected, most of the checkmarks were grouped beneath the first two columns, with SugarSync winning out with a few key features, namely: backup to any folder, upload/sync via email, selectively sync any folder, simple editing of files through the web, send files of any size, stream music to a web browser or smartphone, business plans and support for BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Granted, this chart is somewhat dated, as Dropbox has closed the gap on at least the business plans front with Dropbox for Teams. But it seems like SugarSync has a couple of things to offer that Dropbox doesn’t. So, without any further ado, here’s an investigation of what those differences are, and if they add up to SugarSync being a Dropbox killer.
Update: It’s been quite some time since I originally posted this review, and commenters have done a groovy job of chiming in with some great feedback and testimonials. See the update for a summary of this review and a roundup of some of the good points raised in the discussion. Also, check out our Dropbox vs. Box.net review.
Update[2]: In this review, I note Dropbox’s inability to stream music as a playlist as one of it’s drawbacks compared to SugarSync. Well, we waited and waited for Dropbox to catch up with SugarSync and add this feature, but it still hasn’t happened. So, we made an app that does it for us. Check out groovyBox if you want to use your Dropbox account as a cloud music player.
Getting Started
There is a lot in common between Dropbox and Sugarsync, simply because both of these champs got a lot of things right. You’ll notice many of these similarities from the get-go, from the pricing tiers and storage allotments for the free version (which is kind of buried for SugarSync) to the friendly Getting Started tutorial which promises free additional storage for completing the steps and referring friends. The lowest standard tier for SugarSync is the “Starter Plan” which comes with 30 GB of storage for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. If you sign up for the year subscription, you are basically getting three months for free, since you get a 30 day free trial and savings of about $10 for subscribing for the whole year. If you need more space, you can upgrade to the Power Users plan, which starts at $9.99 a month for 60 GB and ranges up to $49.99 for 500 GB. There is also a Business plan, which gives you 100 GB of storage for up to 3 users for $29.99 a month. You can add storage 100 GB at a time for $29.99 per month, or add users for $9.99 each.
The free version gives you just 2 GB 5 GB of storage space and a few limitations, such as smaller file sizes for sharing, syncing for two machines only, and only two backed-up versions of each file, instead of five. But unlike the 30-day free trials, the 5 GB SugarSync plan is free forever.
If it were possible to be more user-friendly than Dropbox, SugarSync achieves it. Not that getting started with Dropbox was like passing the Bar—it’s just that SugarSync has a lot more hand-holding, even going as far as calling the mobile app walkthrough a “game.” There are ample pop-ups, helper texts and arrows pointing you in the right direction such that you’ll be able to tap SugarSync’s full potential in a little under 30 minutes.
The initial setup lets you choose a cutesy little avatar for each computer and gives you the option of an Express Setup or an Advanced Setup. Both are pretty foolproof. The main difference is that the Express Setup chooses some typical folders to sync, such as your Desktop, My Documents, My Pictures, and Music. Advanced Setup just plops you into the SugarSync Manage Folders window, which is pretty easy, too.
Backup to Any Folder – Merging Folders, Magic Briefcase, and Synchronized Folders
The main reason why anyone is going to switch from Dropbox to SugarSync is the ability to sync multiple folders. This is something that Dropbox doesn’t support natively (yet), though you can pull it off with symlinks (see: Make Dropbox Sync Any Folder On Your PC Using Symbolic Links). Windows Live Mesh lets you do this, but it doesn’t really hold a candle to Dropbox or SugarSync in any of the other departments. So, SugarSync is a pretty good best of both worlds mix.
There are a couple of ways you can manage synced folders with SugarSync. First off, SugarSync automatically creates a Magic Briefcase in your My Documents folder when you install the client. This syncs automatically across the web and locally on each synced machine with SugarSync installed. In this way, the Magic Briefcase is pretty much exactly the same as your main Dropbox folder would be—except with a name I really can’t take seriously (pull a rabbit out of it, and I’ll be a believer).
Now, when you add a folder from your computer to SugarSync, by default, your Synced Folder is accessible from other computers and your personal website (located at yourusername.sugarsync.com), but it won’t automatically create local copies on each machine (like the Magic Briefcase does). If you want to download files from remote machines, you can do so through your personal website or the SugarSync File Manager on an as-you-go basis.
If you want, you can take your regular Synced Folders and keep them synced on other machines, so it acts just like the Magic Briefcase. Do so in the SugarSync Manage Sync Folders dialog.
The differences between the types of folders are best visualized here as well:
As you can see here, I’ve synchronized my Desktops on both computers. When you sync a folder from a remote computer, you can choose the destination for the local copy. For example, I could’ve had a separate folder on my Macwin7 called “EEEPC Desktop files.” But instead, I chose to merge them. That way, both of my computers have the exact same files on the desktop at all times. If you have duplicate filenames when you initially merge, SugarSync will detect whether or not they are identical. If they are, a single copy is synced. If not, then a conflicting version is saved with “(from REMOTEMACHINENAME)” appended to the filename. This is also how SugarSync treats conflicted copies, say if you have the file open on two computers and a user attempts to save over a version with pending/conflicted changes.
So, to review, there are three kinds of folders with SugarSync:
- Magic Briefcase – Acts like a Dropbox folder. Files are synced in the cloud and across all computers.
- Synced Folders – Doesn’t sync across all computers, but can be accessed via the web interface or the SugarSync file manager and is backed up to the cloud.
- Web Archive – Cloud backup only—isn’t synced locally, but can be accessed via the web interface or SugarSync file manager.
Web Uploads, Mobile Uploads, Upload by Email and WebSync
Aside from the normal SugarSync Manage Sync Folders dialog, you can get files and folders into your system via the web, your smartphone or email. To upload a file via the web, simply log on to your SugarSync Personal Website and click on the folder or computer you want to upload to. This is actually pretty neat—you can upload it to your Web Archive, where it exists only on the cloud, you can upload it to your Magic Briefcase, where it gets synced across all your machines, or you can upload it to a single synced folder on one of your machines. For example, if you were at a friend’s house, and you wanted to send yourself a file, you could upload it via your SugarSync personal website, even if your computer is offline. The file will hang out in the cloud until you get online back at home, at which time it’ll rain down to the appropriate folder like a gentle spring shower.
From the SugarSync mobile app, you can upload photos or videos out of your camera roll or take photos or videos and have them save to your SugarSync Mobile Photos folder and synced down to your computer.
The upload by email feature is well thought out and easy to use. First, you have to enable it under your account settings.
When you do so, you’ll get a unique email address. The nice thing about this unique email address is that you can reset it at any time, which is useful, say if you accidentally forgot to censor your upload email address when posting screenshots for a review of SugarSync. Another nice little touch: you can have the info sent to your email, so you don’t have to painstakingly type it into your smartphone just to get it into your address book.
When you email an attachment to this address, it’ll automatically put it in your Mobile Uploads folder. This comes in handy if you’re managing emails on the go and someone sends you an attachment—you can simply forward the email to your SugarSync account and it’ll automatically sync to your computer.
There’s also another feature called WebSync, which I’m not crazy about. In the features breakdown, they tout WebSync as a Remote Online Access feature that lets you edit files from any computer via the web interface. When I read that, I first thought it was going to be something like Google Docs or Microsoft Office Live, where you could launch a doc editor right in the browser. That would be legitimately groovy. But in reality, WebSync is just a Java app that lets you download the file onto a machine without SugarSync installed, make some changes, and upload it again. The changes will be reflected across your synced machines back at home, while the file will be wiped clean from the machine you used to edit it. I guess that’s handy in a pinch, but I can’t really envision a situation where I’d use this (Internet cafes?).
Streaming Music with SugarSync
SugarSync pushes its ability to stream your music collection as one of its main selling points, subtly poo-pooing Dropbox’s comparable ability to do this in the process. Both SugarSync and Dropbox can playback music and video files (file type compatibility depends on your platform) from the Web or a mobile device, but neither have particularly robust streaming players. SugarSync kicks it up a nominal notch by including an actual playlist, replete with shuffle and repeat, which you can use to play all the music files in a folder. It works the best via the personal website—I can see this as really handy, say, if you wanted to listen to your music at work without copying your library onto your work computer. The player pops out, letting you minimize it so it can play in the background. It’s definitely no iTunes killer, though. It wouldn’t be a Lala killer either if Lala hadn’t already been killed by Apple (fist shake).
The mobile version is less snazzy. You just play a file and it automatically cycles through the rest of the songs in the folder. You’d better hope that your filenames have the tracking number in them, however, because your only option is to play them in alphabetical order or according to date.
In terms of playback, I noticed some hiccups and skips on my WiFi network. I think that’s my crappy router’s fault, though, since it seemed to playback smoothly over 3G. Again, I don’t see this as a viable alternative to the iPod app built-in to iOS 4. But I suppose if your iPhone was filled up with apps and movies, and you had a paid SugarSync account with 30 GB, it would make an excellent cloud-based multimedia library. I do see potential here, especially after reading grooveDexter’s Tonido review—Tonido offers a similar service where you can stream your music from your computer to your mobile device. I think cloud-based multimedia libraries may be the future (albeit a distant one).
Folder Sharing, Public Photo Galleries, and Public Links
One thing that cloud storage and folder synchronization services are really good for is sending large files. It saves you from attaching them to emails and filling up inboxes, plus, it lets you send out a large file to multiple people without giving your email server a heart attack. SugarSync lets you get files from your computer out into the world in a couple of ways. The best way, in my opinion, is via Public Links. For any single file that is managed by SugarSync, you can right-click it and choose “Get Public Link.” This copies a unique link into your clipboard which you can tweet, email or scrawl on the inside of a Charleston Chew wrapper and distribute.
This is a direct link, and when user clicks on it, the download will begin instantly—no portals or logins or anything like that. With the free version, you can get public links for files up to 5 MB. Paid SugarSync users can get public links for files up to 2 GB.
The Public Link stays active indefinitely, and any changes to the file you make on your local machine get reflected on the publically shared file. That way, your collaborators can always get the latest version. If you want to remove a public link, simply pop into your SugarSync Personal Website and Click Public Files. Click the little chain link icon and choose Disable Link.
As a slight variation to Public Links, you can also send files via email. If the recipient doesn’t have a SugarSync account, they can just download it directly. If they are SugarSync users, they can sync the file to their account or download it. When you send files by email, the recipient has 21 days to download it before the link goes inactive.
You can also share entire folders, giving users read-only or read/write access as you see fit. I don’t like this feature quite as much, since it requires recipients to sign up for a SugarSync account—even if the folder is read-only. All you get to see is a quick preview of the contents and an invitation to sign up to access the folder. Dropbox, on the other hand, allows you to share read-only folders without requiring recipients to sign up.
While you can’t share documents and files in a read-only folder with unregistered users, you can share photo albums publicly at username.sugarsync.com/albums. The fastest way is to right-click a folder full of pictures and choose Share as an album. Here, your friends can download, share or publish your photos to Facebook. It’s a pretty groovy feature. Groovier than Facebook Photos or Picasa Web Albums? Overall, not really. But it does let make a local pictures folder on your hard drive instantly viewable via your public photo gallery. So, instead of uploading your photos, you can just plunk them in your shared photo gallery folder and they are live.
File Versioning
SugarSync handles file versioning differently from Dropbox in that it keeps track of a certain amount of instances, rather than unlimited previous versions dating back to a certain period of time. You can view previous or download previous versions from your SugarSync personal website or by right-clicking a file in Windows Explorer and choosing Show Versions… For the free account, you can access the last two previous versions. Paid accounts get five versions. Versioning is automatically applied to every synced file and folder, which is nice. But as someone who saves a file after every little change, this isn’t particularly useful, except in the case of a crash, since all of my previous versions will likely be spaced a few minutes part. I like Dropbox’s way of things better since you can really go back in time to before you messed everything up.
Under the Hood
Like Dropbox, SugarSync allows you to throttle the upload speed. But it doesn’t have an option that lets you control the download bandwidth. I’m not sure what kind of throttling SugarSync does on its end—during the setup, it told me that it would take about a day for my initial sync of 1 GB to 2 GB of data via a normal high-speed broadband connection. In reality, it didn’t—I think I was synced in just over an hour. I’m wondering if they are including that statement as a CYA if they ever have to nerf the upload speeds in the future.
Again, SugarSync is in lockstep with Dropbox in terms of proxy support. But other than that, the cupboard is relatively bare in the preferences pane—not that that’s a big deal. Aside from the download throttling option, the only material addition in Dropbox’s preferences tabs is LAN Sync, which bypasses the cloud and zaps files straight through your local area network if two machines are on the same router or LAN. SugarSync doesn’t appear to have this, or if it does, you can’t turn it off or on.
SugarSync for Business
Whereas Dropbox is just now dabbling into enterprise solutions with Dropbox for Teams, SugarSync has long offered SugarSync Business plans. As mentioned above, this gives you bulk storage starting at 100 GB to share between three users, with the ability to add storage and users incrementally. To manage your multiple users, you get administrative controls that let you add/remove users and set unique access and storage limits for each employee. So, let’s say if you want to give your design team 75 GB for their high-quality proofs but want to limit your accountants to just 5 GB for their docs and spreadsheets, you can. SugarSync is a bit vague regarding their security, other than assuring you that they use SSL encryption during the uploading and downloading and 128-bit AES encryption once it gets to the server. It doesn’t say so on their website, but I believe SugarSync uses Amazon’s S3 service as one of the two geo-redundant carrier-grade data centers it uses to back up your data. If so, then security-wise, SugarSync is the exact same as Dropbox.
The other important perk you get with the SugarSync Business plan is unlimited phone support. With the other plans, you get free support via email and chat, but if you want to talk to a real-life human being, you’ll have to go to Business.
Summary – Dropbox vs. SugarSync
If this were simply a review of SugarSync, the verdict would be easy. Is SugarSync an excellent cloud storage/folder synchronization/back up software? Definitely yes. But is it better than Dropbox? I can’t tell you that. I can tell you that I like Dropbox more, but all that tells you is that I am a devoted fan of Dropbox. It’s more my style—I don’t mind being confined to a single synced folder, which is arguably Dropbox’s biggest drawback, and I prefer Dropbox’s laidback integration into Windows Explorer (or Finder or Nautilus) over SugarSync’s various graphic user interfaces. I feel like I spent a lot more time on SugarSync’s personal website than I do logged into Dropbox.com, and I prefer it that way—the fewer windows I need to have open, the better, I always say. But that’s just the way my mind and workflow function—it’s more of a Pepsi vs. Coke judgment call than a Mac vs. PC call.
That being said, SugarSync is more flexible overall. You’ve got three kinds of synchronized folders—the Magic Briefcase, the Web Archive, and regular Synced Folders, all of which are accessible from other machines, the Web, or your smartphone. And then there are some extra features that SugarSync boasts loudly, but I feel are just gilding the lily—the public photo gallery, the streaming music player, and the upload via email. All these features are nice (and absent from Dropbox), but I feel like the email upload is the only one that brings real value.
In terms of pricing and storage allotments, as long as we are comparing the free versions, Dropbox and SugarSync are evenly matched. Both give you an initial 2 GB Dropbox gives you 2 GB of space, while SugarSync recently upped its free version to 5 GB–plus, both give you the opportunity to earn bonus storage by referring friends. Through December 31, 2010, you can get double referral bonuses, so both you and your friend get 500 MB of additional space when he or she signs up. Also, during the promotion period, there is an unlimited amount of bonus storage. By comparison, Dropbox offers bonus storage in 250 MB allotments that top out at 10 GB. I’m not clear on what the limits for SugarSync’s bonus storage will be after December 31, but I think it’s somewhere around 105 GB. Plus, you get a juicy 10 GB bonus when you refer someone to a paid account.
As far as platform support goes, Dropbox takes the cup with its Linux, OS X, and Windows support, but falls short with its limited mobile support, offering only iPhone/iPad and Android apps. SugarSync, on the other hand, works for OS X and Windows (no Linux) and has iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian apps. The only folks left out in the cold are webOS users, but even they can still access SugarSync via the mobile website.
For business users, it’s almost a toss-up, though I can’t speak from experience. SugarSync Business plans start at a lower rate, just $299.99 a year for 3 users and 100 GB. Dropbox for Teams starts way higher at $795, but you get 5 users and 350 GB of space. Upgrading a SugarSync Business package to 5 users and 400 GB would cost you an additional $1,000 or so, making it more expensive than Dropbox for Teams with an apples to apples comparison. But the big thing, I’d say, is Dropbox’s more robust backup and versioning support. With Dropbox Rewind, you get unlimited versioning going back to the dawn of time (or your account). SugarSync’s versioning gives you five previous versions period—so if someone updates a file five times in one afternoon, then you can kiss the version from last quarter goodbye. SugarSync, however, beats Dropbox in mobile support—the email uploads could be handy for business users, and the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile support could be a make-or-break feature.
Bottom-line: Both are excellent products. Which one is best for you will depend on your needs. If you’ve taken the time to read this 3,500+ word review, then you may as well give SugarSync a shot and make up your own mind—even the business plan is free for 30 days. And if you use my referral link, we’ll both get free storage right off the bat. And if you want to go ahead and buy a 30GB or 60GB plan, although the first 30 days will be free, after that the price will increase to 4.99/mo or 9.99/mo.
Update
This has been one of our most popular articles and has generated lots of great comments. It’s been quite a few months since we originally posted this review, so I figured it was high time for a quick update and summary of some of the good points that were raised by you groovyReaders.
First, let’s talk about security. Dropbox and SugarSync both encrypt your data in transit and at rest. However, for your convenience, Dropbox/SugarSync controls your encryption keys (otherwise it’d be a huge hassle to get your files on the fly from mobile and web platforms) and certain high-level staff can change your passwords/access your data. (A SugarSync staffer linked us this explanation in the comments). Dropbox, in particular, has been waging an ongoing PR battle to quell controversy over its claims of security. The bottom line is that the cloud is what it is—nothing is 100% safe, and while the most recent authentication bug was a major fumble on Dropbox’s part, you really shouldn’t be trusting anyone implicitly with your personal data. Dropbox has been catching the most flak, I think because it’s the major player. You shouldn’t assume that SugarSync is more secure for a single second. Protecting your data is ultimately your responsibility. Yes, seek the company that’s going to make the best good-faith effort at protecting your privacy and data. But take action to save your own bacon when one or more layers of security get breached. Further reading: How to Encrypt Your Dropbox Folder with TrueCrypt,
Some other highlights for the TL;DR crowd:
- SugarSync offers 5 GB while Dropbox offers 2 GB for free
- The free version of SugarSync has a 25 MB limit for public file sharing. Dropbox has no such thing. That’s a deal-breaker if you’re going to be sharing large files (e.g. videos, source codes, design mockups).
- Based on commenter testimonials, SugarSync appears to have much slower upload speeds. I’ve asked SugarSync if they throttle, and they say “No, it’s your ISP’s fault.” The actual transfer speeds of Dropbox and SugarSync seemed comparable when I tested them on my machine, yet it took me days to sync ~60 GB on SugarSync. I think it’s a queuing or infrastructure issue—speed may improve once SugarSync grows.
- Dropbox has LAN sync, which makes syncing between computers on the same network much faster. It also uses less bandwidth for the initial sync, since it doesn’t have to go from your computer to the cloud and then back down again.
- SugarSync lets you sync ANY folder while Dropbox restricts you to one folder and it’s subfolders.
- SugarSync has a nifty music player that sort of rivals Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music (but much less full-featured).
- Yes, we all know that you can get 500 MB of free data if you use a referral link (I’ve racked up 223 GB of free storage to date). But before you try spamming your own referral link into our comments. please make sure you have something worthwhile to share about your experience with SugarSync, Dropbox, or a similar service ;-)
110 Comments
Drew G
November 10, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Big news – SugarSync now offers free 5 GB plans! Check it out:
https://www.sugarsync.com/free/
RSID
December 25, 2011 at 8:34 am
Very comprehensive eval.
DropBox has recently offered the Android Version 2 App. It disrupts some file associations and is limited in comparison to the Android App for SugarSync. This is an important factor for Android users who require this kind of seamless integration with other apps and makes little sense competitively.
Jordan Austin
November 10, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Nice review, very thorough.
However when I read:
I was about to say, you get a desk?!
MrGroove
November 11, 2010 at 10:55 am
NO DESK FOR YOU!
Simon
November 11, 2010 at 4:28 am
Have been using the free versions of both for quite a while now. Only thing I would add to this very thorough review is that I find dropbox to be faster at uploading and a little more reliable with less server downtime. Have recently upgraded to a the paid-for version of sugarsync however – simply because the starter 30Gb pack is all I need and it comes cheaper than dropbox’s cheapest package. Both are excellent and generally relaible however.
MrGroove
November 11, 2010 at 11:19 am
Good feedback. Here at groovyPost we swap around a lot of large files like 100 meg videos etc.. using Dropbox and I’m always amazed how fast the upload/download speed it. and I have to agree, the upload/download speed from Dropbox is really very very good. I personally have only a little experience with SugarSync but I’m playing with it now especially since they just upgraded free accounts from 2GB to 5GB. Dropbox Vs. Sugarsync just got more interesting. ;)
Scott B.
August 19, 2011 at 2:33 pm
SugarSync offers adjustable upload speed so as to not clog up your broadband. Don’t know if SugarSync’s version of fast is faster or slower than DropBox but thought the adjustability element should be included.
Nate
January 2, 2012 at 10:53 am
I’ve used both free versions for a while now, but always preferred dropbox because of its simplicity and my need to occasion share 100+MB archives for work. However, the recent deal breaker for me, which led me to pay for Sugarsync were two items: 1) the ability to sync folders without having to retain the files on all of my hard drives (my laptop hard drive got full, so I was able to move all of my family pics to one computer, yet I still have access to all photos on all computers via the sugarsync manager), and 2) when I went to look at the price of the 100GB upgrade in the sugarsync manager, they had a 50% off price deal, so I got 100GB for a year for only $75). Anyway, I’ll still keep my dropbox for a few things, but sugarsync is now my sugarmomma.
Shockersh
November 11, 2010 at 2:58 pm
5 gig free…. Good bye mozy, dropbox..
TomStirewalt
November 13, 2010 at 8:02 am
Very nice review.
I notice that the only place you mention security or encryption is in the Business plans secton.
Do you know if the data for EVERYONE that is stored on their servers is encryped in such a way that the staff at SugarSync is unable to read your data? If not everyone, which services?
I know Dropbox uses a secure connection and all data TRANSFERS are encrypted, But I am a bit unclear as to whether the data is encrypted on their servers so their staff cannot read the data itself.
A service called I-Drive acts very similarly to DropBox and SugarSync, but it explicitly allowed the user to specify their own encryption key and their data is encrypted on the I-Drive servers and their staff cannot read the data (they can see the gibberish). If the user forgets their key, they cannot rely on I-Drive to un-encrypt the stored data, and the customer has a problem.
This encryption issue for stored data is very important for businesses with confidentiality issues such as Doctors and Lawyers and medical institutions that have patient records. There are a lot of small business professionals that would like to have a service like DropBox or SugarSync that are HIPAA compliant. Not all businesses are big enough to want or need a Business or Enterprise plan.
.
MrGroove
November 13, 2010 at 10:26 pm
In regards to SugarSync, yes they do encrypt your data both in transit and at rest: http://gpo.st/sugersync-crypto
For Dropbox, the same is true – http://gpo.st/dbox-infosec – They store the data 256AES on their servers.
Now granted, being that the encryption key is your password to the service, they “could” just change your PW and get access to the data however that would not be very smart from their standpoint however by allowing you to access the data through a web client, that really is the only good option since using a cert would be to complex to enable acces through both a thick client and thin web client.
So, in regards to HIPAA you should be fine with either Dropbox or SugarSync. The requirement is met since Hipaa only requires data encryption in transit. But, technically the data is also encrypted at rest so again, your good there for any other gov. or industry requirements as well.
Brandon Rinebold
March 21, 2013 at 10:44 am
First, they don’t even have to change your password. If your password were really the encryption key, then changing it would make all your data inaccessible. What happens is that they store two copies of your key or if they’re particularly sloppy use one key for everyone’s data.
It’s entirely possible to encrypt a user’s data on the server without .knowing the user’s password and other services have done it (not Dropbox). What Sugarsync (and practically all of these services) does is take two copies of the key used to encrypt your files is one of two methods.
1) (more secure) They encrypt one copy with your password any encrypt one key to your files with your password and another with their password recovery system’s password/key. When you sign in, the app sends you the encrypted key and if you don’t have the correct password then you can’t read the key. if you can’t read the key, you can’t decrypt the files. When you do a password reset, The password recovery system decrypts the extra copy of your key with their key and then sends you a new copy of the key encrypted with your new password.
2) (less secure) They encrypt everyone’s data on the server with one key and when their server verifies your password, It decrypts your file and then reencrypts it for transmission via TLS or SSL to your computer.
The most secure method of doing this would be to encrypt the user’s data with a key specific to that user and keep no copies of the key that aren’t encrypted with your password. They provide the encrypted key file to you and if you have the correct password, you can decrypt that key and then use it to decrypt the files they’re sending to you. This means two things: 1) the company CANNOT possibly look at the files you’re storing and 2) the company CANNOT possibly provide usable files to anyone who does not have your password. These aren’t really important to your average individual but for people who do work that they are concerned about being subpoenaed or requested for trial (lawyers in particular are expected to keep this level of client privacy), this is a very important difference.
What you lose with the most secure method is the ability to reset a user’s password without effectively nuking all their data and the provider’s ability to deduplicate files (store only one copy of the 4,000 identical MP3 files users uploaded).
Haynes
January 15, 2011 at 7:10 pm
“A service called I-Drive acts very similarly to DropBox and SugarSync”. Actually, it does not. I-Drive is back-up software. DropBox and SugarSync are synchronization software. Explore the differences here:
https://crashplan.zendesk.com/entries/81898-share-and-sync-files-feature
– or here –
https://crashplan.zendesk.com/entries/116042-ability-to-create-a-link-to-a-specific-file-in-cpc-in-order-to-share-with-others
I potentially better product for back-up is CrashPlan, which offers Unlimited storage for about the same price as I-Drive, and encrypts using a user-selected key that is unknown to the service provider.
MrGroove
January 16, 2011 at 11:58 am
Yup – And Crashplan does not have a free version of its product unlike Dropbox and Sugarsync. It’s a backup tool not a sync tool.
Haynes
January 18, 2011 at 9:04 am
Precisely, which I why I limited my comparison of CrashPlan to I-Drive.
Sync and back-up are critically different functions, as argued here:
https://crashplan.zendesk.com/entries/116042-ability-to-create-a-link-to-a-specific-file-in-cpc-in-order-to-share-with-others
– and here:
https://crashplan.zendesk.com/entries/81898-share-and-sync-files-feature (see comments dated 02 Jan 2010)
Cheers!
Haynes
January 18, 2011 at 9:26 am
p.s. It might be worthwhile check-out the CrashPlan web site, which describes their FREE product in great detail.
Killian
March 2, 2012 at 6:58 am
Yeah.. because you don’t work for crashplan do ya? ;)
No one cares, save your energy.
TomStirewalt
November 14, 2010 at 6:52 am
The next issue is confidentiality and subpoenas.
I am not sure about medical, but in the legal world there are various types of “privilege” wherein things a client reveals to the lawyer (and the lawyer’s staff who may handle the file), and what is known as Attorney-Work-Product are jealously protected. Once revealed to a “third-party” they lose their privilage status.
If the data at rest CAN BE accessed and READ (since the server/service staff has the encryption key), there is a very real possibility that it may be deemed to have been revealed. That is why I find I-Drive letting the customer choose their own encryption key so importantly attractive.
The other issue is subpoenas. The data is almost always stored in some other jurisdiction than that of the customer. E-Discovery is becoming all the rage in the legal world now. It really complicates matters if different jurisdictions have different rules (and they usually do) about complying with subpoenas to turn over data and encryption keys that are directed at “third-parties”. IF the third party cannot read the data and has no way to encrypt the data there is no rational reason to try to grab the data via a supoena, and it becomes a lot cheaper for everyone.
It is rare for a relative small fry customer to be able to get every employee of the data storage service to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It is also very expensive for the small fry to litigate motions to quash subpoena(s) in a geographic location far away (e.g. local lawyer, travel expenses, co-ordination with the lawyer back at home, additional set of court costs, etc.).
I am sure there are some “reveal” issues with “trade secrets” that may be stored on service servers, and industrial espionage. People with access are easier to deal with than trying to crack some good encryption when the key is unknown to the service.
Do either SugarSync or DropBox have some solution or work-around? I guess I am asking if they allow the customer to have the only keys to the kingdom.
Thanks.
.
Panupang
November 16, 2010 at 4:43 pm
great minds think alike? more like, great minds are always copied. having started with sugarsync and then switching over to dropbox, it’s unreal how quick sugarsync is to literally copy-paste (sometimes pixel for pixel) every feature and page that dropbox releases. absolutely unbelievable. how do you expect to beat out the competition when you’re a defective clone of the original?
MrGroove
November 18, 2010 at 4:00 pm
I signed up for a sugarsync account a few weeks back and was suprised how much it looked exactly like dropbox. An example is the process Dropbox has you go through (5 or 6 step process) to get extra space. Sugarsync did the same thing which was a blatent copy of the dropbox process. It was a bit annoying they didn’t come up with something more original.
I was even more surprised when they called their SYNC folder a “Magic Briefcase”… Sounds a lot like the dropbox “Magic Pocket”.
So yeah.. I agree.
Now that being said, I’m all about 1: Great products and services, 2: Great Prices so my tip to SugarSync would be – ” Come up with some original, creative ideas, at least from your marketing team and get off the Dropbox Teet plz… It’s getting embarrassing”.
TrueShooter
July 16, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Ahem, I believe SugarSync has been around and available far longer than Dropbox, so who is copying who?
Doug
November 22, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Sugarsync is much cheaper if you need 100GB of storage. Dropbox does not offer more than 100GB of storage . Assuming you want to backup photos and music 100 GB of space is not very much.
The ability to specify backup locations is a must. Having a single backup location is ok for a few files but in the real world most people have files in multiple locations that they would want to backup.
Dropbox is fine if you are using it to sync a small number of files but if you also want to backup large amounts of data it is not an option.
Simon
November 26, 2010 at 10:58 am
Just to add a further comment to my earlier one. Havng opted for sugarsync over dropbox for a paid account I am regretting it. Whether it’s due to increased demand following the 5gb free upgrade I am not sure, but it has been unusable for the last couple of weeks. Slow to non-existent up/down/sync speeds, web-access takes forever(after 2 weeks it had still not completed the inital upload of about 4gb and I have given up hope of adding the rest of my files). The problem is apparently mainly with European users. In fairness, the company acknowledges that there is a problem and say they are working on it but I have put my account on hold for now. I’d suggest anyone thinking of checking it out (in Europe at least) leave it for a while until, hopefully normal service is resumed. Oh, and they recently released an update which seems to be slowing down Windows when you try to access the right-click context menu too!
MrGroove
November 26, 2010 at 11:23 am
@Simon – ouch… I wonder if when they went to 5gigs from 2 gigs if they got a flood of users and they didn’t have the capacity…. Sounds logical if the times line up..?
Simon
November 30, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Think you are probably right MrG – the dates did coincide with the 5gb upgrade….good news is that everything started working again a couple of days ago.
Greg
July 2, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Well, I can tell you it isn’t just Europe. I’m in the States and I can hardly get SugarSync to do anything. I initiated a subscription last year when I was afraid my laptop was near its end. It worked well then, even w the old laptop. Now, with my new laptop, it’s slow as Christmas. I can’t even get into certain folders before it just gives up and times out. I need to download all my files to my new computer, and this may take until next year. WTF????? Sometimes it just stops in the middle of a download and I have to start over — that’s just working with one little folder of files….
Larry Vega
November 29, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I’ve been using SugarSync for about a year now and I’m really satisfied. Very little system load compared to other similar products I’ve tried and has never once crashed.
Pros:
Many features, very stable, easy on system resources
Cons:
Sometimes if you choose manually to move the files to all synchronizing computers (instead of just moving them to the shared folder of ONE computer and then letting SugarSync sync the others via the internet) Sugarsync creates duplicates even though we’re dealing with completely identical files (same checksums). Sugarsync renames the duplicates according to where they we’re found again so you’ll get to versions of the same file (but with different names) on your computers.
Sometimes you can circumvent this by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-R thereby ordering SugarSync to do a clean restart. But how it really works I don’t know….
MrGroove
November 29, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Good info Larry – thnx for the review.
kishor
December 9, 2010 at 11:55 am
Hi
I am also a fan of dropbox. It is simple and easy. No any confusion. Sugarsync also looks like dropbox. Just last week I knew the new cloud. I have installed.
Now I am using both.
but for large files, and music I am using sugarsync.
and for day to day word documents, and excell files, or say office document, i am using dropbox.
Both plans are free. i am not using any paid version.
With these systems, I am free from external hard drive, pen drive, CDs and more,…..
Flex
December 26, 2010 at 3:19 am
I have been using dropbox for a year but don’t like the pricing or the lack of response in email support questions. I am thinking to switch to Sugar and have been testing it, but it does seem that Sugar is slower updating.
It may be difficult to switch if I don’t see them update a word doc faster from one machine to another.
Also found if you use the Apple mobileme service there is now an option in Preferences to cache your idisk information locally. That seems to be okay, but we all know how slow idisk is.
We’ll see how it goes. I hope sugarsync works out.
MrGroove
December 27, 2010 at 5:29 pm
@Flex – Good feedback. Keep us updated on your progress of checking out SugarSync. The only negative i’ve heard so far is instability of the network (only read 1 blog post on that) and upload speed.. That being said, I’m sure it’s at least as good as dropbox over the long-haul.
Nate
January 7, 2011 at 9:41 am
Great review – very detailed, in depth, an transparent on any potential bias. I have two questions:
1) Are you sure Sugarsync can playback videos via the web? I’ve been a SS for awhile and I don’t believe this function exists.
2) I’m looking at trying out Dropbox, but I can’t really see (besides versioning and Lan Sync) what Dropbox has over Sugarsync in terms of overall functionality… should I even mess with changing??
Again, great article…
Flex
January 7, 2011 at 7:51 pm
From a guy who spent the last two weeks testing the two, I wouldn’t bother changing to dropbox if you are a paying customerof sugar and happy with them. You’ll pay more. Service is about the same.
For me I decided to stick with dropbox because Sugar takes some 30 seconds more to sync than DB (from tests on a 3.3mb word file I was working on).
groovinJackman
January 16, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Hi Nate – Sorry for the belated reply, but you’re right–you can’t playback all video files via SugarSync. e.g. tried doing a WMV file and it didn’t work. But I could using a .MOV I shot on my iPhone. I’m sure it’s an iOS compatibility thing.
MDinDC
January 12, 2011 at 4:55 pm
My company has been using SugarSync for over 6 months and things were working fine. We work off of a large shared folder and sync up 4 other machines with about 13gb of total data on the cloud, using the 100gb limit plan. Everything was going pretty smoothly until this week when 3 of the 5 machines were having downloading/uploading issues. Although it’s been frustrating, the great thing is that the customer service for the business account is wonderful – patient and responsive. I hope they can find the problem and fix it soon – we lover SugarSync and can’t work without it… literally.
MrGroove
January 13, 2011 at 1:41 am
Hi and thanks for the feedback. It’s good to know SugarSync has good customer service thanks for that. Hopefully they can find out what your issue is and once they do, it would be great if you can post some info back here with how it all went!
Thanks again!
Nate
January 12, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Interesting – I decided to go ahead and give Dropbox a go. It definitely uploads/downloads faster than Sugarsync, and I like the “packrat” option, as well as the “Lan Sync” option. But the obsessive side of me can’t let go of the fact that everything has to be moved into the Dropbox… that I have to mess with the integrity of the Windows file system I’m so used to!
MrGroove
January 13, 2011 at 1:34 am
Hi Nate,
Yeah I know… It drives me crazy that you need to move stuff around by default if you want it to sync… very annoying. That’s why I wrote this other How-To – https://www.groovypost.com/howto/microsoft/make-dropbox-sync-any-folder-on-your-pc-using-symbolic-links/
That article explains how to sync stuff that might not be in your dropbox folder. It’s a hack but it works.
Nate
January 13, 2011 at 7:48 am
Yes I used symlinks, and it worked pretty well. All 4 of my machines are Windows 7, so I ended up using the “change location” feature built into to any of the main folders in Win7 – where you can make the “pictures” folder point to dropbox/photos by default, for example. It might be doing the same thing as a symlink, conceptually, but it seemed to run cleaner like this – again, since I have all Win7 machines – and the people on the Dropbox forums seemed to agree this might be a better way than symlinks.
What’s funny about all of this is that I keep ending up back on Windows Live Mesh 2011… I’ve never had a problem with it duplicating anything (vs. Sugarsync). It watches any folder (vs. Dropbox, workarounds aside). It doesn’t have true cloud access as it’s all peer to peer, but it allows remote access via the program or IE and file transfers over that remote access as well. It’s supported on Mac’s. It has folder sharing with permission controls. And it’s free… then I just throw a $5 Mozy unlimited plan on my main server for offsite backup. There are some features I miss with it, like sending links to files, historical versions (though I believe Mozy has that to some extent), solid customer service (I believe there is none besides their help forums, which are sometimes really slow). But for basic sync/backup, it’s worked the most seamless for me so far… and I have about 60gb of data I’m syncing/backing up regulary. Just thought I’d throw it out there!
Richard
January 15, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Awesome review. Thanks so much and am setting up my SugarSync account as I type this. And thanks also for the referral link. =D
MrGroove
January 16, 2011 at 12:01 pm
My pleasure. And be sure to pop back over here once your up and running with some thoughts about how the service has been working for you! Would love to have more data here on actual usage.
Thanks Richard!
Nate
January 15, 2011 at 8:39 pm
I never used to have this problem, but all of a sudden, these past couple of weeks, I cannot seem to get past some serious duplication issues with SugarSync on the initial setup – like thousands of files and gigs of data. It’s weird… Dropbox (using the exact same set of data) does not duplicate it.
MrGroove
January 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Wish I had more insight…. I used Sugarsync only for some testing on the initial 2Gig and not more than that. Dropbox…. I’ve never had any issues with multigig and thousands of files.
karen
February 4, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Are you the same as chris elbert? He has an identical article!
MrGroove
February 5, 2011 at 9:01 pm
No I’m not. And after a good search, it looks like he reposted my article 100%… Take a look at the watermarks on all the screenshots. ;)
Rossen
February 19, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Hey,
Thanks for the great, unbiased review! Most of reviews of similar services are heavily biased indicating that they might have been commissioned by one of the parties. Personally I use dropbox becauese:
1. Very simple – I have so many stuff going through my mind (work wise mostly) and I really need some simplicity in my life
2. Very fast (up/down speeds)
3. Everybody recommend it and I didn’t know of Sugar Sync when I signed up.
4. The versioning is superb! Although (like most people) I’ve never had to use it, I kinda like to know it;s there. Sugar Sync’s 2 version thing is crazy. I press save like a hundred times per hour of work.
Now I am seriously considering switching to SugarSync , though I’m just lazy to do so – wasn’t there a term for that?
1. The 3 more free gigs sound tempting
2. It supports Symbian natively. My phone is n97 mini (symbian) and I love it, but on it I can only use the mobile version of dropbox, which can only download files I think. Sugar Sync’s native Symbian app makes my phone work like another PC.
Seeing how SS copies dropbox I wouldn’t be surprised if they copied the versioning soon. That will be day I’ll swicth. Or buy an android phone and stick with dropbox :)
P.S. I was wondering, with that referral link up there, your free SS acount must be at least a hundred gigs by now :)
Peter
March 3, 2011 at 11:13 am
I’ve used the free version of Dropbox on my MacbookPro for about a year and have been very satisfied. Then I got a new computer and decided to get more storage. So I’m trying out Sugarsync with the 30GB plan. So far, it’s been very frustrating. I’ve been plugged into a high speed connection for about 5 days and it’s nowhere near finishing my initial 10GB upload. But it’s not just a slow upload problem- it was almost done yesterday. I put my computer in sleep mode last night and turned it back on this morning- SugarSync didn’t automatically restart the upload where it left off (like they claim it should). Instead, I had to quit and restart sugarsync to get it going again. Then it seems to have lost it’s place in the upload, so now it thinks there’s still 1200 files to upload! I’d love to see if it works well enough after the initial upload, but I can’t even get it to do that much. I think I’ll just pay the extra money for speed and stability at dropbox.
Christoph
March 5, 2011 at 3:59 am
I think this is the best tech-review I’ve ever read! I also like your humorous style.
Anyway, I was wondering about that “syncing for two machines only” thing you mention for the free version of sugarsync: Does this mean you can sync e.g. your home and work computer but as soon as you want to add a third one, say your laptop, you have to go for a paid plan? If this is so, I think this is a serious drawback that deserves more attention.
Paul Mindolovich
March 11, 2011 at 2:44 pm
@ Christoph, just noticed this at SugarSync’s 5GB Free sign-up website…: (http://www.sugarsync.com/free/)
“…Sync 5 GB of data across an unlimited number of devices…”.
Check it out.
Eran
April 9, 2011 at 12:06 pm
For me, the biggest problem with the free sugarsync account is the 25MB limit size on file sharing. In dropbox, no such thing exist!
This is why I will stay with dropbox probably forever.
Ari
April 21, 2011 at 7:37 am
Excellent Review. Both the review and the comments help me understand sugarsync vs dropbox. In the end, I think I will leave important files on dropbox for my day to day business, but sugarsync for media streaming and stuff I am willing to lose – (read podcasts, etc.)
I think dropbox needs to consider their free storage upgrades for today’s market and I believe they should structure their pricing to compete with carbonite flat rate.
Security
@TomStirewalt Good point, but you should seriously consider jungledisk or mozy pro for allowing you to use your own keys as an alternative to their keys. Use their keys for any transmission worries. Use your own keys for concerns about subpoenas – that way no one on staff can give up your data and key. Internally, remember, if they have the press that they give the keys up to authorities, they could fold. So there may be some internal unspoken rules to simply not make it possible to actually get those predefined encryption keys. The BIGGEST thing that should be understood for any of this is complex passwords are very important.
Storing these passwords in an encrypted application password safe on your computers, as well as having a means to wipe your mobile device are both important rules when you discuss confidentiality.
Then there is an entirely different issue of cookie tracking, operating system infections and how each desktop is protecting itself from bleeding data off unintentionally. These are all issues that lawyers need to consider.
Ben
May 6, 2011 at 3:48 am
Awesome in-depth review, thanks very much!! I personally have been using Sugarsync for a long time now and am more than happy. Not only are they cheaper than most of its competitors, they also offer by far the best product in the market today.
penkapp
May 12, 2011 at 12:34 am
DropBox does store and transmit your data in an encrypted format, but now they’re telling their users that they also have your keys. “Select” DropBox employees CAN decrypt your data.
https://blog.dropbox.com/?p=735
MrGroove
May 12, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Well and don’t forget. Anyone at Dropbox who can change your password on your account can easily change your PW then login as you and grab your data either through the web site or SYNC client.
Nate
May 12, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Isn’t Sugarsync the same, with regard to being able to access your files?
penkapp
May 12, 2011 at 8:20 pm
I don’t think so:
“Thank you for contacting SugarSync Customer Care.
The data is uploaded by TSL (Transport Security Layer) encryption. It goes through a hand shake process, from client system to SugarSync Servers. The data is then encrypted with 128-bit AES, and backed up. The downloading process follows the same rigorous method. Employees of SugarSync will not be able, to decrypt the data. Please go through the link given below, for additional information.
https://sugarsync.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/201
Hope this information helps. Please let me know if you have any further queries. I will be glad to assist.
Regards,
Kalyan
SugarSync Customer Care”
Nate
May 12, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Ah, thanks for that… makes me want to drop DB and go SS full time now…
penkapp
May 12, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Although I’m disappointed that DropBox “lied” to its users, I have not found any other service that can compete with DB regarding its performance and reliability. As a result, I simply encrypt “important” information (i.e. financial files) prior to uploading it to DB.
Sheri O.
May 29, 2011 at 5:32 am
Great article! Here’s something to discuss further, if you can. I have been using SugarSync for my laptop and desktop for a few months now. I just purchased a second desktop for my small business. I added the third PC to Sugar Sync and found an interesting result in their accounting of my used storage. My very bare disk in the new PC was added to receive the folder already being synced by the other two machines and my usage suddenly jumped by another 50%! Apparently, it’s not the number of bytes in the cloud, but the cumulative bytes for all three devices. Same file times THREE. Can you confirm this? Is this how Drop Box also does its storage accounting? Thanks!
MrGroove
May 30, 2011 at 8:44 am
I’m pretty sure both SugarSync and Dropbox don’t account for the same file more than 1x even if you share it on 20 computers. Well, I’m 100% dropbox doesn’t work this way. I’m not 100% abot SugarSync but it’s probably worth a test.
I’ll play with it and let ya know. Should be as easy as doing a SYNC on a 1Gig file and seeing how it counts it.
Drew
May 30, 2011 at 9:21 am
Sheri,
I work in product management at SugarSync. SugarSync counts only the cloud copy of your files towards your storage limit. That means even if you have a file synced across three computers, you still have only one copy in the cloud which counts towards your storage limit.
If you’re seeing issues with the storage calculation, please create a support ticket on SugarSync – we’ll check it out right away. Thanks!
MrGroove
June 7, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Thanks for the clarification Drew.
Sheri O.
June 14, 2011 at 4:48 am
The tech support via chat was extremely helpful. There seemed to be a problem causing the double accounting, but it was cleared up quickly. More impressively, I had purchased additional space because of this problem which was promptly refunded.
Anil
June 7, 2011 at 8:52 pm
I just wanted to chime in and say that I thought this was an excellent review – great in-depth information and a very practical comparison of the two services. I’m currently evaluating both myself (I’m planning to move away from Mozy within the next month due to poor support and lack of features). I think I’ll go with SugarSync after a week or so of testing with my free account. A couple of drawbacks I’ve noticed give me some hesitation (though they’re not dealkillers):
1) Slow upload speed: As numerous people have mentioned, this does seem to be much slower than other services I have used (Dropbox and Mozy, mainly). Additionally, files seem to get stuck in the transfer queue, and I have to close and restart the SugarSync client numerous times to get them to upload.
2) No LAN Sync: My initial dataset will be nearly 30GB, and I’d like about 5GB of that to remain in sync on a few of my computers that are connected to the LAN. It looks like full web-based roundtrips will be required to make that happen.
3) No support for Outlook: SugarSync explicitly excludes .PST files, and their site does not make that information easy to find. Furthermore, they promised support in a blog post over two years ago, but it seems likely that they won’t ever have a solution for this.
Again, great work on the post, and thanks for all your efforts. You deserve at least a desk. :)
MrGroove
June 7, 2011 at 10:24 pm
@Anil – great comment – I wanted to personally welcome you to the site!
If your looking for an alternative to Mozy however have you taken a look at Crashplan? Wrote about it a bit here: http://gpo.st/y0 (look down towards the middle for the list of alternatives I listed out vs. mozy when they dumped their unlimited plan).
Now granted, the typical CrashPlan and Mozy doesn’t compare if your looking for more of a SYNC tool Vs. a backup tool. Anyway, just thought I’d throw that out there.
And yeah, Jack did a great job on the review. I do owe him that desk…. ;)
Christoph
June 7, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Thanks Anil, I was also going to mention the problem of file queueing, which I think is serious. I had abt two gigs to sync and when I saw one evening that there were only 83 files (1xx megs) left to download at home, I assumed the next morning that it would be finished and took the computer to a retreat. But it wasn’t synced and it took several more days to get those last remaining files downloaded – had to restart sugarsync several times for that to happen. Now, what “ordinary” user knows how to deal with that issue. But even for me as a power user, this really sucks. The missing LAN sync is less of a bigger, but can be annoying and it shows that in a way, the sugarsync people are not quite as serious about providing an excellent service. They seem to be aiming for the lower end of the market.
I’m not ready for the paid plan yet, but I decided that dropbox was worth the extra money. It just worked so smoothely ever since I installed it!
Laurie
June 13, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for this great article. I’ve been using SugarSync for about 3 years. I like the product, but their customer support is the worst I’ve ever experienced. I’m searching for an alternative just because I never want to have to deal with the rude support people again.
A feature I’d like to see in SugarSync is the ability to search for a given file by name or date, etc
w0qj
June 16, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Good review – here are a few recent changes as of June 2011:
You get 5GB of cloud storage space with the FREE version, but now there is no restriction to the number of computers you can sync/backup (up from 2).
It gives you the ability to upload and sync any folder on your computer.
It is the only service that offers such a broad device and OS support with apps for BlackBerry, Android, iPhone/iPad, Symbian, not to mention your computer!
You can also stream MP3 music files to your smartphone or computer.
Hope it helps someone.
Derrick
June 17, 2011 at 8:27 am
I’ve decided to give SugarSync a try after this read. I even gifted you 500MB of extra storage in the process. I dig the 5GB of free space + mobile apps.
Thanks for the great write up (though, still not “desk-worthy”) on this product. I wonder what’ll happen when I link my dropbox folder to my zumodrive folder to my sugarsync folder?
MrGroove
June 17, 2011 at 10:17 am
If you do that, it will probably create a wormhole and destroy the world. But that’s just a guess…… ;)
Eran
June 21, 2011 at 3:56 am
YOU ARE ALL MISSING THE POINT! If you use the free plan SugarSync has a MAJOR drawback compared to dropbox: “Files you send via Public Links cannot exceed 25MB.”
And this is why I have deleted the sugarsync app and not intend to use it again. Also, Dropbox seems to have wide apple apps support.
From SugarSync FAQ:
“What are the limitations of the Free 5 GB plan?
– You can only backup and sync up to 5 GB of data.
– You can sync an unlimited number of devices on your 5 GB account.
– Files you send via Public Links cannot exceed 25MB.”
Anthony
June 22, 2011 at 10:17 am
Sugarsync has been stepping it up in a big way and there recent announcement of direct push to mobile devices is awesome.
I have really been using SugarSync over the other accounts i’ve tested (including dropbox, box.net & live mesh) b/c of the new features and ease of use.
Also, after you sign up and install it you can get an additonal 500MBs by running through their tutorials (which is helpful to know how to use the service anyway). So at the end of the day, you’re getting TRIPLE the free storage of Dropbox.
Enjoy!
Eran
June 27, 2011 at 9:07 am
As I have just mentioned above. If your goal is to share file links, Dropbox is much better. I’d rather have 2GB of space and be able to share a 2GB file, than 5GB of space and be able to share only 25MB files.
MrGroove
June 28, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Very good point Eran. Thnx for the comment. Might need to add that to the review. Thnx
MrGroove
July 3, 2011 at 10:52 am
Please note – this article receives about 25-30 SPAM comments daily. Please only post a comment here if you have something to say about the review, SugarSync or Dropbox (or a great alternative). If you simply post a bash about one of the services without a clear reason what you like or dislike about the service, I’ll delete it. Sames goes for a comment with just a backlink to another site or blog.
It’s nothing personal, I’m just trying to keep the comment area productive and beneficial for the readers.
Thanks,
-Steve
Chris
July 3, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Sorry Steve, but my comment was not spam. It was about dropbox and sugarsync and how I thought it a good time to include spideroak in your review. Not because I like it (I haven’t tried it yet) but because both services discussed here are yielding increasing flaws. If you consider that spam, I’m beginning to wonder what your actual agenda is… (yes, I do feel offended for being called a spammer for no reason!)
–Chris
groovinJackman
July 3, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Hiya Chris – When I mentioned spam in the text of the article, I was mostly referring to those who are just trolling for SugarSync referrals. I’ll give SpiderOak a look–I admit I’ve never heard of it.
As for our secret agenda, you got us. We are working for both SugarSync and Dropbox as paid reviewers! I bet you never would have thought that SugarSync and Dropbox would team up like that, but y’know, business is business. Busted!
MrGroove
July 3, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Hi Chris,
We pride ourselves here at groovyPost on being reader friendly and community driven. Unfortunately, pay-per-spam trolls, spammer-bots and others take advantage of our comment system to try and gain readers and back-links to their sites. Because of this, sometimes they ruin it for our regular readers since they sometimes become “collateral” damage when were going a million miles an hour trying to clean out the dozens and dozens of spam comments a day.
So Chris – It was nothing personal. No secret agenda other than um… a hope that our readers will mail us bags of gold and money for our sharp wit and amazingly dazzling reviews!
octa8on
July 11, 2011 at 4:57 pm
You may already know this: BoxCryptor works for any folder not just with Dropbox!
tinagleisner
July 15, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Thanks for the analysis as I’m just getting into this space & guessing I will go with combination of DropBox for 100s of minor players & then Box.net for my team of heavy hitters
Steve Krause
October 8, 2011 at 2:05 am
Probably a good plan @Tina – I’m using Dropbox for my side gigs and home use. I’m still not decided on box.net vs. sugarsync..
Peter
July 24, 2011 at 7:37 pm
I have sugarsync and generally love it. For me, I absolutely need multi-folder sync so dropbox is not even a consideration, although happily sugarsync offers a more reasonable pricing structure IMO.
However, my big pet peeve with sugarsync is that the code base seems to be “immature” and they aren’t rabid about finding and fixing errors (I really think they should be given the super-real-time nature of the service they offer.)
For example, I once changed my password using the website. Suddenly none of my computers would sync, and I couldn’t even open the sugarsync application! Even a re-install didn’t work. This turned out to be a common problem, a big bug on their end. The solution required typing commands into the command prompt! The kicker is they didn’t roll out an update to fix the problem for several weeks…
I found an suggested they fix an sql-injection vulnerability.
The program manager doesn’t seem to have proper error-handling, by which I mean I’ve run into several random file errors, either on my end (file locked) or on their end (file caused an error on their server). In each case I’ve had to provide manual intervention just to keep my sync running (ie, renaming file, etc). This doesn’t impress me and shows poor planning and error handling. It’s not that there are occasional errors, it’s how they are handled that matters to me.
So, overall, love the service, but it needs some serious polish, and I hope they make that happen soon!
dillagr
July 26, 2011 at 12:56 am
competition brings out the best of the competitors.. 5GB vs 2GB; lan sync vs none.
it is hard to comment on the dropbox TOS as it seems they are updated everyday. for now it seems sugarsync has the edge with the bigger space.
but whoever said you can’t use both? :)
Amy
July 26, 2011 at 6:05 am
Useful commentary – thanks! Does anyone know what Sugarsync’s Terms of Service are with regards to ownership and distribution of our content? Cheers!
Daniel
August 5, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I’ve been using Dropbox for awhile and two gig is fine for all my bits and pieces. I was given the job of web development, and work at home but upload at work. I needed at least 5gb for three sites so Sugar Sync got the job. I found at first syncing via selected folders was slow so I put all the data into the Magic Briefcase. The only problem I have now is the sync manager at work sometimes disengages because the laptop is put into hybernation, so I’ve got to check and make sure it’s working, whereas Dropbox always works. I had one instance where I was in a rush, fired the lappy up, waited awhile for the sync process to happen then uploaded the site via Dreamweaver and the test revealed no changes. Had to stuff around with the sync manager to get it working. I would like to be able to force a sync via righ click in the icon tray. One of things I’ve come to love about Dropbox is the ability to go back to previous document states, I accidentally changed some documents a few weeks ago and dropbox saved my bacon by being able to back track many changes. I patiently waiting for Dropbox to upgrade the free acount to 5gb or the priced plans to be the same as Sugar Sync.
Greg
August 24, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Don’t be fooled by all the free space Sugarsync is offering… when it comes to sharing your files and folders with others, Sugarsync limits you to 25 MB! Dropbox users are treated to a maximum filesize of 1GB! Yes that includes sharing publicly to others!
Mark Brooks
September 5, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Does anyone remember FusionOne. That was one of the early versions of Dropbox/Sugarsync. It was mainly focused on synching your contacts and calendar everywhere, and it did files, and backed up in the cloud ten years ago!
I’ve been using backup systems like Sugarsync for ten years and until Sugarsync came along, I was an unhappy customer.
Sugarsync works, its never let me down, I am on their 100gb plan and use it across several laptops and pc. I just leave it running one whatever computer I’m using and switch between different computers in different locations as my mood changes. My files are waiting for me when I need ’em. Very happy.
Mark Brooks
Social Networking Watch
Jason
October 20, 2011 at 4:34 pm
What you missed is that Sugarsync always offers you a half price deal on their storage. I got 50G for only $25 for the first year. For Dropbox, the minimum paid plan is $100/year. Quite a difference.
Anna
October 21, 2011 at 5:30 am
Sugarsync with it’s feature of sharing files via e-mails with expiring links seems to be exactly what I need. I’d be grateful if you could tell me if it’s possible to share more than one file in a single email (not a folder, just a list of links to files). Thanks in advance!
leadliga
October 21, 2011 at 6:26 am
They love giving away free storage! For every friend you refer to SugarSync, they’ll give you both 500 MB of bonus space. If your friend joins a paid plan, you each get whopping 10 GB storage!
Get 5GB + 500 MB FREE!
paul
October 31, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Cool.
Dropbox has become one of those services that I can’t do without. One of those “It just works” services. I use it to keep my files in sync across my desktop, laptop, android phone and iPad. It’s fast and I like knowing I have the added security of my files stored securely online.
One neat feature which has saved me in more than one occasion is the undelete feature. I can restore any file that was accidentally deleted.
If you don’t use the service I highly recommend trying it out.
Kirk Hayes
December 3, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I use dropbox and thought that it was giving me extra storage….but it doesn’t really. It syncronizes all my stuff flawlessly, but now that I have a macbook air I was hoping to extend my ability to store files in the cloud. However, it would appear that I need to disable syncing of certain things to store them in the cloud….otherwise they get downloaded to your various systems.
So how do other people do this? Are they using the cloud as extra storage or just for staying organized?
Opus104
January 20, 2012 at 8:57 am
For machines that I do not want the disk space used up by synching, I just don’t install dropbox and just access my files via the website. For your Air – you can keep your Dropbox folder on your external hard drive at home. When you are on the road, you can access those files on the website. The only caveat is that you need to remember to reupload your changes.
Dropbox is primarily for synching. Sugar synch has more robust backup and raw cloud storage capability. However, u do find it slow.
I also love that the commonality of Dropbox APIs for iPad and iPhone make integration with many of my Apps a no-brainer.
Emiliana
December 5, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Sugar sync doesn’t allow to search for a file, so if I have 500G and 2000 songs how the hell I’m gonna look up for one file!!!
JosephE
January 19, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Recently signed up for paid version of Sugarsync
PROS
Many pros as listed below
CONS
-Security issues with access to all files from computers. Presently if you have Sugarsync on a shared computer and say you are only syncing a few folders from that computer to your sugarsync, anyone can access all the files on your sugarsync without password both on the cloud and on your work computer from the shared computer. This is inclusive of Web Archive Folder which may have files that are not on a computer that you don’t want accessed. I have tax and banking records on the web archive that I don’t want on any computer, yet these are accessible from my laptop without password.
–SOLUTION–
SugarSync should provide password protection for folders and for access to sugarsync program.
Wanda McBade
January 28, 2012 at 9:45 am
I love drop box but have a new client who uses Sugar Sync and has asked me to try it. I really like the look and ease of accessing files BUT is there a way to split files, example in Dropbox I can open a document with PDFviewer and split a 22 page document into 5 separate docs, in Sugar Sync I cannot find a way to do this. Any assistance is appreciated, I would love to be able to accommodate my client with her program. Thanks, Wanda
Laurent
February 3, 2012 at 5:04 am
I started using SugarSync one year ago and I still find it very useful.
It saved me from some bad situations i got into with my hard disk.
Mark
February 29, 2012 at 10:44 am
I have been using both Dropbox and Sugarsync for more than a year now especially when we have projects in school that needs collaboration and file sharing. It is very easy to share files/folders between a group of people. Both services also keep an online backup and keep my files synchronized on my macbook and my PC at home. The iPhone app of both services works great and is very handy.
Bruce
April 3, 2012 at 1:26 pm
I hope you do a review of SpiderOak. I tried SugarSync but i found the backup, sync, and share feature of SpiderOak. Currently I use Dropbox because it is so prevalent on my ios devices and 3rd party programs but I like the feature of syncing with SpiderOak of only what I want to sync with my other devices. The Share rooms are very cool as well.
https://spideroak.com/
Rob
April 27, 2012 at 11:58 pm
I have to throw in support for Dropbox here, having tried several. I use a MacBook, 3 PCs (2 of which dual boot with Linux), an Android tablet, and an Android phone. I have been a regular user of dropbox, sugarsync, and spideroak. So, pros and cons: SugarSync was quickly ruled out due to lack of a Linux client. Linux has issues, but frankly, it’s fast and lightweight, so for quick work, it’s what I prefer to use; and not having access to my files makes the quick work not-so-quick. SpiderOak is great when it works. But I had issues at times, especially with initial uploads (similar to Sugar Sync). The downside to Dropbox, of course, is the single folder, but with Windows 7 it’s easy to point libraries there. And with a Mac, I just use the search function to find my folders and files.
Plus, with Dropbox, the syncs are almost instantaneous. I edit a file on my tablet, and by the time I walk 3 feet to a Windows computer, it’s up to date.
It’s a bit more expensive than some, but well worth it for the speed and reliability.
I’ve yet to try Google Drive, but unless there’s something earth-shattering, I expect to be staying with Dropbox.
rex3y
May 9, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Comparing Dropbox free and Sugarsync free: Dropbox gives 2gb, Sugarsync 5gb. Dropbox gives 500mb per successful referral, Sugarsync gives 2gb for inviting 20 friends, 500mb per successful referral, 10gb if they take up a paid account. Dropbox is easy, Sugarsync is easy and has more features. Dropbox syncs only the dropbox folder, Sugarsync can sync any folder. Sugarsync lets you sync unlimiter number of devices. Sugarsync can stream music.
ilxli
May 16, 2012 at 6:23 pm
I have finally decided to backup and sync my files online and was confused with what to go with. I have tried various options Synctoy, Allwaysync, Toucan, dropbox, box, sugarsync. Box gives 50 gb but is essentially useless as the free version cannot sync.
The top 2 contenders currently are dropbox and sugarsync. Comparing Dropbox free and Sugarsync free:
* Dropbox gives 2gb, Sugarsync 5gb.
* Dropbox gives 500mb per successful referral, Sugarsync gives 2gb for inviting 20 friends, 500mb per successful referral, 10gb if they take up a paid account.
* Dropbox is easy, Sugarsync is just as easy but has more features.
* Dropbox syncs only the dropbox folder (there is a way around this, but all folders will still be uploaded to a single folder), Sugarsync can sync any folder and unlimited number of folders.
* Sugarsync lets you sync unlimited number of devices.
* Sugarsync can also stream music.
Mark S
June 2, 2012 at 8:16 am
Just wondering guys… How reliable is Sugarsync gonna be over the long run? I just got started with Google Drive and I’ve been so disappointed at which the upload speed’s at. It’s so super slow that uploading 9 GB of photos has taken me more than a day so far, and I’m not even 50% through it.
The thing is though, Google is probably going to be around for a long time. I’d hate to start using Sugarsync only to have it close shop one day and me losing all my important files or having to move them to another service.
Steve Krause
June 3, 2012 at 1:49 am
Good question. True, Google probably isn’t going anywhere but I highly doubt that even if Sugarsync fails, it would fail through an acquisition either by a company like DropBox or Google so no matter what — you will probably have a migration plan.
That being said, the way Sugarsync works, like Dropbox and Google Drive — you always have a copy of the data on your drive so even if it vanishes, your data is not gone. Just flip a switch and use another SYNC network.
Hao
June 23, 2012 at 10:03 pm
I have free account in DB and SS. Dropbox have a search function. The DB online is also fast from signing in to upload. Sugarsync may be slow but large files can fit in it. The initial storage and maximum storage for SS is very high than DB too. Max space that can be earned is unlimited for paid acc in SS unlike DB’s limited one. I like both of them because DB is easy, fast, does not add other details and can search while SS can be a big repository for large files plus interface is detailed. They both have same gain in referrals and friendly appearance.
Gabriel
February 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Well considering the news that SugarSync just went paid, some of you might want this. I just discovered Copy. So far it seems to be a decent alternative. They are in promo mode, offering 15GB of Cloud or 20GB if you sign up by referral.
I’ve been researching alternatives in order to connect to a collaborative Dropbox account for work. Since Dropbox allows only one account at at time, I needed another cloud service for my personal files. So far I’ve tried Box, SkyDrive, SugarSync (now paid), Google Drive, DumpTruck, FolderSync, ZenOK, and Otixo (probably more over the years). Some are lacking, some are good. By my standards, none except for Copy have nailed it anywhere close to Dropbox and Sugarsync for a free account. It’s utility and UI seem fairly polished. The smartphone app has worked smoothly for me. Their upload/syncing time seem a little slower than Dropbox. Also viewing photo folders from their web interface isn’t nearly as slick as Dropbox — but it works. My overall impression is that it’s better than Sugarsync, but not quite as good as Dropbox.
Copy has been created by Barracuda Networks which is a decade old company that specializes in computer security. I hope that means they have a good handle on security. It’s encouraging that they are ten years old. And it looks like it just went public on the NYSE.
If you’re interested and just want 15GB without a referral, check out their website directly. I hope that they gain traction because after a few months of use, they seem good and so many potentially good start-ups disappear from not getting out there enough. It would be nice if they stayed free longer than SugarSync.
Here’s my referral link if you want the extra 5GB: https://copy.com?r=H20Qnq
Steve Krause
February 22, 2014 at 8:49 am
Thanks for the FYI — yeah, I’ve been investigating Copy and so far so good. I lost my free Sugarsync account and won’t be moving forward with them as my guess is they won’t be around long unless they can get into the Corp. space. Box is already pretty solid there so I they will have a tough time there.
You mention you like copy better than Dropbox. What are some of the things you think are superior?
Gabriel
February 22, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Overall, I like using Dropbox better than Copy, and Copy better than I did Sugarsync. As mentioned, I continue to use both at the same time. I incorporated Copy because I really didn’t want to have my personal files integrated with the collaborative Dropbox at work (even though our company account has more than enough storage). And because of the amount of files I need to access at work, I couldn’t integrate a share folder into my Dropbox because over the years of referrals, I’ve only accumulated about 7GB of space.
But to answer your question. I like Dropbox better because it has worked out so many of their user interface kinks, that it functions very smoothly. There’s only one UI feature that I can’t stand. You can’t double click the system tray icon to open up your Dropbox folder. It used to do this and it’s a very convenient shortcut. Currently, the first of a double-click opens a recent file list and the second inadvertently opens the folder to a recent file. In a world with only left and right mouse buttons, it’s silly to make left and right both do the same thing. This minor nuisance started about a year ago. Previously, right click opened up options and recent file list and left clicking was free to open the folder quickly.
Copy has their mouse buttons smartly mapped in this regard. The things I’ve notice that aren’t as smooth as Dropbox are the icon overlays and system syncing. The syncing algorithm takes longer and doesn’t report its status very accurately. And the overlay icons seem to forget to update once in a while (though there is a settings button to reset them if need be). The one feature I really don’t like about Copy is how they handle folder shortcuts. If you have a folder shortcut in your a Copy directory, Copy will sync the folder the shortcut leads to. That’s actually a very novel feature that breaks free of the limitation of only being able to sync files within the Copy folder. You can sync any folder on your computer and keep it where it belongs this way. This feature answers many people original complaints on the one folder limitation of Dropbox and I’m surprised that Copy.com doesn’t seem to advertise this feature. My problem with it is that I have developed habits of using shortcut links for what they are and I don’t want syncing to extend to their target location. There’s no way to turn this feature off in the Copy preferences. It would be a brilliant feature that would please everyone if it could be toggled on a shortcut by shortcut specific basis.
Finally, there is the issue of space. It feels appropriate to the the year 2014 to just start with 20GB, rather than the common 2-5GB of a decade ago. Also, Copy is more diplomatic on how they handle shared storage. The size of any shared folder is evenly distributed between all who share it. If a gigabyte is shared on Dropbox, they still dock each user a full gigabite for that storage.
Wade
December 8, 2014 at 1:52 pm
I use both sugarsync and dropbox.
The beauty of sugarsync is being able to select what folders to sync with what device.
Apart from that, it blows. Uploads are slow and unreliable and files often get stuck.
If I need to be sure i have access to files i always drop them into dropbox as well.
Ian Cuthbert
January 18, 2016 at 9:45 am
I’ve been a dedicated user of SugarSync for about three years now. I store client branding assets that require constant access from links within PDF documents and the web archive function is great for this.
Everything about SugarSync is brilliant, EXCEPT the speed. Syncing is never fast (compared to Dropbox and other products) and is often slow very slow. Even a 2MB file can take a minute or two to sync. Not good when you’re working on tight deadlines and need to get large files (say 300MB) to a printer for a press deadline.
I have complained numerous times to their customer services about this aspect of SugarSync’s service and have never had a reply. They need to improve their server performance and customer service.