I never got around to actually reviewing Wuala and now it looks like there really is no need, since they have announced that they will be shutting down. Effective immediately Wuala will no longer be accepting any renewals or purchase of storage. By the end of September the service will be put into read only mode for users to access their data only and by November 15th any data still on the service will be deleted.
Existing users of Wuala will be able to get refunds so if you are a user and just recently signed up for them or renewed your subscription you should be getting at least some of your money back.
Wuala Alternatives
Whenever a service decides to close down one of the first things users need to worry about is making sure they have all their data and what to do next. There are two companies Wuala mentions that users can move too, Tresorit and SecureSafe, but I also have some alternatives for you if neither of those really appeal to you.
Tresorit
It appears Wuala has made arrangements with Tresorit to help users transition to their zero-knowledge service. It looks like the transition can happen without users having to re-upload all of their data, but I cannot confirm that. If any users to Wuala that have already moved to Tresorit can confirm the process I am sure others will be happy to know. Pricing for Tresorit starts at $9.38/month and includes only 100GB of storage. I believe that is the special pricing for Wuala users.
SecureSafe
The other company Wuala mentions in their post is SecureSafe. I personally have not heard of them but it is hard to keep up with all of the companies. They are another Swiss based company with paid plans starting at 1GB of storage for $1.70/month. 1GB does not go very far so to compare with Tresorit a 100GB account would cost you $13.20/month.
Sync
Sync is a Canadian company and has recently come out of beta. They are a little easier on the wallet offering 500GB of space for only $49.00/year. The best part is they are also zero-knowledge and offer apps for Windows and Mac, and mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web. I have read they have passed 100,000 users during their beta and are growing. This could be a great opportunity for them to grow even faster if they can sway users from Wuala.
IDrive
IDrive offers both sync and backup and could be a great alternative to Wuala. Pricing starts at $59.50/year for 1GB of backup storage and 1GB of sync space. They have clients available for Windows and Mac and one of the best mobile backup apps available for Android and iOS. They can also run on Linux and several NAS devices as well. I recommend making sure you set a private encryption key to make sure your data stays private. Of course you can always use our IDrive promo link and get a year for only $14.88! See the banner at the top of the page, in case you missed it. :)
CrashPlan
Wuala was more than just a cloud storage and sync service and if you primarily used it for backup then CrashPlan is probably the next closest service to Wuala. With personal unlimited backup storage plans starting at $59.99/year and family plans at $149.99/year the price is certainly right and the ability to use a custom encryption key will keep your data safe.
AltDrive
I probably don’t mention AltDrive often enough, but they offer a solid backup service with the option to use your own encryption key making them zero-knowledge. If you mainly used Wuala for backup AltDrive might be perfect for you. They offer desktop clients for Windows, Mac and Linux with unlimited plans starting at $4.45/month. The mobile options are not there but might be worth checking out.
Carbonite
If you are a Windows user of Wuala, Carbonite could be a good choice. Only Carbonite for Windows supports the use of private encryption keys so it is really only an option for Windows users. The pricing starts at $59.99/year for a personal plan and the Android app is decent. They also offer a sync and sharing option but it is a separate download and I am not sure how well it works with a private encryption key, if at all.
Backblaze
Backblaze does offer a private encryption key option for your backup and they really are easy to use. They might not meet the same level of zero-knowledge as Wuala, since you need to enter your encryption key on their website to restore your files, but the price is great at only $5.00/month or $50.00/year for unlimited backup. You would need to look at another storage service for sharing and sync though since that is missing.
SpiderOak
SpiderOak is a good alternative to Wuala. They offer backup and sync and can run on Windows, Mac and Linux. The new version has had a make over and runs well from what I can tell. They have always been zero-knowledge by default and have been referred by Edward Snowden on multiple occasions. You can get 1TB for $12.00/month, certainly a bit cheaper than Tresorit and SecureSafe.
Overall
While it is always difficult for users when a service decides to shutdown there are many very good alternatives to Wuala available. If you are a Wuala user where are you planning on moving too? Let us know in the comments what your plans are and why you choose that route?
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