AVG LiveKive Review

AVG LiveKive at a Glance

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Our Rating

3.5 / 5 stars
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Price:

  • AVG LiveKive 5GB Free: $Free
  • AVG LiveKive 25GB: $49.99/year
  • AVG LiveKive Unlimited (500GB): $79.99/year

Pros:

  • Free 5GB for backup.
  • Backup, Sync, Share, Access and Storage
  • Add any number of computers at NO additional cost
  • Storage & time saving De-Duplication
  • Offers iPhone, iPad, Android mobile access

Cons:

  • No Linux version.
  • Unlimited Package actually limited to 500GB.
  • Repackaged SpiderOak.

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Full Review

AVG has long been known for its anti virus and internet security software. With the launch of AVG LiveKive they have now added online backup to their list of free and paid services. The service currently offers three levels. A 5gb free service, a 25gb package and an unlimited package. There is also a 30 day free trial offer that is different than the 5gb free offering.

Installation
Once you create an account on the AVG LiveKive website you can download the desktop client. It is currently only available for Windows and Mac computers so Linux users need to look elsewhere. After you download the desktop client installer a simple double click starts the installation. When the software is installed you login with the account credentials and assign a name for the device you installed the application on. Next you can decide on your encryption passphrase. You can choose to let AVG automatically create one or you can set your own passphrase. After your encryption passphrase has been set your setup is complete.

With the installation of the application complete it will launch the main window where you can backup, restore, sync and share your files. It was obvious when this window opened that AVG LiveKive is a rebranded version of SpiderOak.

Backing Up
With the main application window open you can simply select the category of files that you want to backup or you can select the advanced mode and choose the folders and files you want to backup. After selecting your files and starting your backup you can view the status of the backup on the Status tab. Depending on how you like to organize your files it can be a good idea to use the categories of files to select files plus double checking the files that are selected using the advanced feature.

Restoring
Restoring your files starts with selecting the Restore tab on the main window. Simply select the device you want to restore files from and select the folder or files you want to restore and click the download button. You can then choose if you want to restore the files to their original location or to the download folder. You can also login through the AVG LiveKive website and restore files and folder through the web interface.

Other Features
Sharing and Sync – AVG LiveKive also offers the abiltiy to share and sync your files between other devices you have the desktop application installed on. These features appear to be the same as what SpiderOak offers.

Mobile Access – AVG LiveKive offers mobile access to your files with iPhone, iPad and Android apps. This is not surprising since SpiderOak also offers mobile apps for those devices.

Overall
AVG LiveKive is a solid application just like SpiderOak. SpiderOak is available for Linux as well so not sure why AVG LiveKive is for only Windows and Mac. AVG LiveKive offers three packages: 5gb free, 25gb for $49.99/year and an Unlimited package for $79.99/year. The unlimited package sounds like a great deal, but it is subject to their Fair Usage Policy which states:

In the event you chose an unlimited storage option for the AVG Paid Services, your usage of the Services if in excess of 500GB may at AVG’s sole discretion be subject to additional usage fees

Not sure how AVG can call the unlimited package unlimited if they are going to charge you for use over 500gb. If you are needing unlimited package over 500gb you should look at Backblaze, CrashPlan or Carbonite. While Carbonite does throttle your upload speed they do not charge more for the extra data. Backblaze and CrashPlan does not state any data caps or throttling.

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Comments

6 responses to “AVG LiveKive Review”

  1. Linda Avatar
    Linda

    I would strongly recommend against AVG Live Kive. My hard drive crashed a week ago and I still do not have all my files. Tech support is confusing as you have to work through “level 1, level 2 and level 3” of AVG support techs. AVG security is the first contact and they don’t know anything about Live Kive, but you have to talk with them first!
    I have been able to see my files online only three times after numerous attempts. (My first successful login–I had to download individual files, it would not download large files. The compressed files it downloaded were EMPTY.)
    Now, I continually get the message after logging in: “Live Kive is unable to connect to the server. Please try again later.” Everything else is working perfectly and I have no technical issues EXCEPT WITH MY “TRUSTED” ON LINE BACK UP!
    Yesterday a “Level 2” tech support person said she would send me an email in 5 minutes with instructions on where to send a screen capture. 18 hours later, no email. UHG.
    I’ve already signed up with a new cloud back up service for all our computers.

  2. Claudio Akerman Avatar
    Claudio Akerman

    We ordered AVG LiveKive October 2011 and renewed the unlimited license. But all of a sudden it stopped working. After a hard experience with their support team we were told there was a problem with the account. The only way to fix it would be to create another account! BUT they would not refund me their policy does not allow refunds in the middle of a contract! So I payed for a service I cannot use.
    I send them some e-mails and got no answer.

  3. John Avatar
    John

    Not at all impressed with LiveKive.
    I had a complete hard drive crash after all files were uploaded – it did take time but should be expected. The bad is that AVG can’t seem to find my files. I have been emailing back and forth with their so called tech support to no avail. It has been almost 2 months and still don’t have my treasured files back.
    This is the worst tech support I have ever dealt with.

  4. Peter Avatar

    This is great for an at home user with two NAS 220 drives. Lots of options for under $8.00 and month.

  5. SJ Avatar
    SJ

    We are experiencing incredibly slow backup file uploads on our unlimited AVG LiveKive subscription. Also, the backups are not taking place as scheduled, and uploads appear to be skipping around, taking part of one file folder, then part of another. A backup scheduled for 6 a.m. did not take place until 9:28 a.m. This is bizarre. I have emailed support twice with no response, and just sent a third message. If we do not hear back from AVG support soon, we will be pursuing our credit card company for a chargeback. Very unhappy with the product.

    1. John Tucker Avatar

      That is unfortunate to hear. I know SpiderOak is a very reliable service, which AVG LiveKive is built with. Let us know how it works out.

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