SpiderOak Versus Dropbox

Given Dropbox’s recent problems with authentication I highly suggest you look at SpiderOak or SugarSync for your file and syncing needs.

 

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SpiderOak is pulling out all the punches taking aim at syncing software Dropbox recently by releasing a press release detailing how you can save money by using SpiderOak to sync your files across multiple computers. Of course by using SpiderOak you also have access to all of the other great features that are available with SpiderOak like sharing and of course automated backup. You can read more about the features of SpiderOak on our SpiderOak review page. The full SpiderOak press release is available below.

Start Backing up with SpiderOak

Drop the Box: SpiderOak’s Sync/Backup Service Does More, Costs Less

Half the Price of Dropbox, Requires No Data Reorganization, Backs Up And/Or Syncs

CHICAGO, June 18 /PRNewswire/ — SpiderOak’s recent addition of synchronization to its suite of online data backup/sharing/access/storage services gives computer owners a more comprehensive, flexible, secure and affordable alternative to Dropbox – a sync service that costs twice as much and requires extra steps for far fewer benefits.

Compared to Dropbox, SpiderOak offers:

  • Sync’ing without reorganizing. Dropbox requires users to place items into a specific folder that is then replicated on other devices where the software is installed. SpiderOak Sync allows users to select groups of folders from all computers and external drives with no modification to the folder structure.
  • Complete backup protection, not just of sync’d files. Dropbox backs up only the files contained in the dedicated Dropbox sync folder. With SpiderOak, a user can choose to backup any file including those that are not sync’d. SpiderOak further retains all previous versions of files as well as files that have been deleted, eliminating holes in the storage safety net.
  • A backup-without-sync option that saves disk space as well as eliminating extraneous data movement. Since Dropbox can only backup files by sync’ing them, files that only need to be backed up and not sync’d must still be replicated on every machine, consuming considerable amounts of additional storage. SpiderOak backup and sync functions are separate, eliminating extra overhead.
  • No limit on file sizes. Dropbox limits files uploaded through its Web interface to 350MB – not large enough to accommodate many photo albums or graphic presentations. SpiderOak can sync, backup and share files of all sizes.
  • Greater security in a ‘zero-knowledge’ environment. In addition to automatically encrypting all data during both transfer and storage, SpiderOak has a no-password-storage policy that makes user data and even filenames inaccessible to employees. The user’s password is used to generate an encryption key that is also inaccessible to the company. Dropbox lacks these important privacy measures.
  • More features for half the price. SpiderOak charges $100/year per 100GB for a complete package of services, including backup, file sharing, remote access and storage of any files designated by the user PLUS sync’ing of selected folders. In contrast, Dropbox costs $99/year for 50GB of data that includes storage, backup, remote access and file sharing ONLY for sync’d files.

Other SpiderOak benefits include the ability to backup and sync data located on network volumes and/or external drives. Dropbox can only sync data located on the local machine.

“Comparing online storage/sync services is difficult. You have to drill down to the details to see the differences and determine what’s best for you,” said SpiderOak CEO Ethan R. Oberman. “If you need true data backup as well as sync, don’t want to rearrange your folder structure, care about data security, want to keep costs low and/or need to manage external drives as well as computers, SpiderOak is the clear choice.”

SpiderOak enables users to backup, sync, share, access, and store files from any combination of Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as external storage media in a single account. All data is housed in a central storage repository and accessible from any Internet-enabled device.

The service’s sync feature enables users to set up an unlimited number of sync routines between two or more locations and/or devices, ensuring that the same content is available on home and work machines, desktops and laptops, or any other combination of computers, external hard drives, network drives, removable media and/or peripherals.

About SpiderOak

SpiderOak provides innovative cloud-based personal data management services that simplify the process of backing up, accessing, organizing, sharing and synchronizing data from any number of computers or external storage media. The company’s solution suite protects users against data loss, permits browser-based access to information from the user’s personal computing devices from any Internet-enabled computer, ensures common file availability across multiple user machines without manual sync’ing, offers password-protected ‘ShareRooms’ for easy family/friend/colleague access, and provides a variety of technical advantages for efficient and cost-effective data management. For more information, visit https://spideroak.com.


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9 responses to “SpiderOak Versus Dropbox”

  1. Monty Avatar
    Monty

    “No limit on file sizes. Dropbox limits files uploaded through its Web interface to 350MB ‚Äì not large enough to accommodate many photo albums or graphic presentations. SpiderOak can sync, backup and share files of all sizes.”
    You forgot to mention that there is no upload trough SpiderOak web interface at all (security issues).
    In addition, DropBox client has “selective folder” option so you don’t have to sync all folders on all your computers.

  2. Darius Avatar
    Darius

    When it comes to security, SpiderOak wins hands down. Although I have used other cloud services in the past (DropBox, Mozy, Box.net, etc.), I have switched to SpiderOak and have no regrets.

  3. Ezekiel Avatar
    Ezekiel

    Great post on the detailed features. I think I’ll try the less popular (based on Alexa, WOT, and other indicators) but seemingly competitive SpiderOak for file backups and syncing. Maybe even sharing but I think I’ll stick to dropbox for that one unless SpiderOaks improves on it.

    It’s good someone raised the point on shared folders.

  4. Guillermo Avatar
    Guillermo

    SpiderOak is a great product but DropBox is A LOT better syncing files, the dropbox folder is limited but it work PERFECT, in my case 0 BUGS. SpiderOak is great as a backup tool, it save a lot of space with compression and de-duplicating but sync is very buggy and slow for now…. i hope the team can solve all current problems.

    BTW, I,m a paid SpiderOak (mac and pc) user and use a free DropBox also.

    1. John Avatar

      I have been using Dropbox a little more and with symbolic links it is pretty handy. No need to copy data to the Dropbox folder, just make a symbolic link. Works great, even in Windows 7. Not something your average computer user does though. The clients I work with that have SpiderOak really only use it for backup and it works well for them. Thanks for dropping by and commenting, really appreciate it.

  5. Aaron Avatar
    Aaron

    Oh really? Then what is this? https://spideroak.com/howitworks/Share

    1. John Avatar

      Yes you can share files with SpiderOak, but it is not the same as how Dropbox can share a folder with another Dropbox user that soso was talking about. With Dropbox it is possible to share a folder with another Dropbox user and they can add, edit and make changes to those documents and the changes are synced across all the users that have access to that shared folder.

      Here is the Dropbox docs on it: https://www.dropbox.com/help/category/Sharing

  6. soso Avatar
    soso

    SpiderOak is quite inviting in many respects. Unfortunately there is a severe disadvantage of SpiderOak: In contrast to Dropbox it seems impossible to invite others to work together on a shared folder. That’s a great pity.

    1. John Avatar

      You are correct, that is a great feature of Dropbox that I could not find in SpiderOak.

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