IDrive Reviews

Summary: IDrive is the most versatile solution when it comes to a cloud backup & restore service. It has excellent performance and although it's User Interface looks outdated, it boasts of an extensive feature-set.

Positive: Drag & Drop Interface
Backup Scheduler & management
Ability to pause & resume uploads
Excellent backup speed
Highly secure via private encryption key
Available as mobile app
Basic free tier and frequent discounts on premium plans

Negative: Outdated Design - needs an modern update.
Heavy usage of system resources.

Summary: It is an excellent cloud backup service that offers great value for money. It has many features and options to suit different scenarios and backup needs. It also has a strong security policy that allows you to encrypt your data with a private key. It also has fast and reliable performance that allows you to quickly and easily back up and restore your data. However, I also think that IDrive Online Backup could improve its user interface and customer support. The software could be more modern and easy to use, and the customer support could be more responsive and helpful. I also think that IDrive Online Backup could offer more storage space or unlimited plans for those who need more space. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a comprehensive cloud backup service that covers multiple devices and platforms. It is especially suitable for those who value security and privacy, as well as those who need local backups or fast backup options.

Positive: For those who want to get started with this platform and want to give it a try, IDrive has a generous free plan that offers 10 GB of storage space, which is more than most competitors. It also allows local backup to external or network drives for free, for which some services charge extra. Flexible pricing that allows you to choose the plan that suits your needs and budget. You can opt for team or business plans that offer more features and users.

It has a comprehensive set of features that cover various backup scenarios and needs. You can back up files, folders, system images, databases, applications, and more. You can also use the Shadow Copy feature to store up to 30 versions of my files and restore them from any time. You can also use the Express service to back up or restore large amounts of data via a physical drive that IDrive sends by mail.

I like the strong security policy that this platform has as it protects your data with encryption, both in transit and at rest. You can also choose to create a private key for encryption, which only I can access my data and no one else, not even IDrive. This makes IDrive a zero-knowledge service that respects your privacy.

IDrive's performance is fast and reliable allowing you to back up and restore your data quickly and easily. It uses block-level and incremental backup methods to reduce bandwidth usage and load time. It also supports multithreading and parallel connections to speed up the process. It also has a smart backup scheduler that allows you to customize when and how often you want your backups to run.

Negative: It doesn't offer unlimited storage space, unlike some competitors like Backblaze or Carbonite. This means that you need to pay attention to how much data you back up and how much space you have left in your account. You may also need to delete some backups or old files if you run out of space.

It's somewhat outdated and clunky user interface that could be improved. The desktop client and web interface aren't very intuitive or easy to use, and some options are hard to find or access. The mobile app is better, but it still lacks some features like file sharing or folder syncing.

I have a strong mixed review regarding your service and support. In some cases, there are issues with billing, data recovery, failed backups, slow speeds and poor customer service. There is also a severe lack of documentation or tutorials on how to use the service.

Summary: Although there are several file storage platforms in the cloud, they do not have the structure of backup copies as this platform does. IDrive makes it much easier for me to make copies of the entire operating system on my computer and not just the basic files such as media files, documents and editing files. This software has streamlined backups and has more advanced security that does not allow anyone to have access to the copies of others, in addition to managing space in general, being able to assign a size for each different account, making it more practical to have different spaces without wasting storage like most cloud storage platforms.

I really liked that I could speed up the copies through physical storage units that with simple clicks I could back up all my information without having long waiting times. After this, now the backup copies are faster because I make copies frequently, although I would like the performance to be improved when making the copies and that more bandwidth is used in uploading files as I mentioned before. From everything else, I found this platform very solid and very safe for the large number of files I handle.

Positive: * The prices are the most competitive with respect to other cloud storage platforms, I can say with certainty that for each TB of storage you pay less than 50%, this being a better alternative for both business and personal to be able to carry out backups in the cloud and maintaining the best possible security to protect important files. I like that it focuses on people who want to keep a large number of important files, it was very useful for me for images in Photoshop format since they are files that the more elements and resolution they have, the larger the PSD file will be. Also, the enterprise version is very flexible with the amount of TB and really has good features that allow more control and freedom.

* IDrive for companies has the ability to add unlimited users and to assign the required space to each account. With this feature I was able to better manage users since on other platforms you have a limited number of accounts (depending on the plan) and also the distribution of space per GB is equitable, it is a bit disappointing that you cannot manage the space on other platforms because in the event that a department within a company needs more space than normal, said space must be assigned, in the event that it is a department that does not require as much storage, it is simply reduced. That is why this is one of the reasons why I have chosen IDrive as the main file manager and cloud backups. Also, from the main control you can have full control over the backup copies, having a record of the last copies made of each account and also see the activity of the users, helping this to have greater security in what is stored.

* IDrive Express was a blast when I first started using IDrive services as I had almost 2TB of storage and where I was at the time had a poor internet connection making backups forever between my computer and IDrive servers. That's why I opted for the IDrive Express service that allowed me to quickly backup my files, it was enough to receive the unit where I was going to backup everything and since the transfer speed between the unit and my computer was fast, I only had to wait almost 30 minutes for pass all the information, very different from the time it was going to take me making a direct copy in the cloud. Once the unit was sent back, I only had to wait a short time to see my files in my IDrive account and be able to use them, it also made it easier to make lighter backups since I only had to back up the recently created files. This is a great solution for people or companies that are going to start using IDrive and have a considerable amount to back up for the first time, this being more practical than having to have a large bandwidth to make the copy directly to the cloud.

Negative: * It is very outdated if interface since I feel that I was using a platform from the 2009 years, the user experience is very simple and not attractive at all, this "problem" is from the mobile application regardless of the operating system and it also looks the same on PC, Mac and browser versions. Not by this I mean that it is not kept updated because to date they always keep updates with new functions or security. However, in the user experience section, it lags a bit behind as it is not very intuitive or practical for the user who is not used to handling this type of platform.

* There is no way to configure how many PC resources can be allocated for backups. Although you can configure the time or frequency with which the copies should be made, it does not give more configuration options about the resources of my computer, since if I want to make copies during a hard workday in periods of 1 hour, I have to stop to do what I was doing since IDrive slows down my computer every time it backs up. This software is very safe, but if every time a backup copy is made my system is going to crash, I simply have to make copies during non-work hours because if not, copies in short periods of time will consume many resources and I can't do anything with my computer.

* It takes very little advantage of the bandwidth of my internet, after contracting a good internet service when a backup copy is very large, the copy will simply not upload more than 100 to 200Mbs, I have also tried with the Internet of my work the which reaches uploads is 1Gbps and simply does not go beyond the bandwidth that I mentioned above. This is a bit disappointing because if I accumulate a lot of data to back up to the cloud it will take time to back up, but if I back up frequently my computer will slow down, and I won't be able to use my computer until the backup is done. So, if you could have more bandwidth for IDrive, large copies would be easier and faster.

Summary: I have been able to keep a backup of all the company computers and those that I use personally, this makes me feel safe because if something happens that causes me to lose important files from the company or from my personal life. It helps me a lot as today's laptops don't have enough memory to store large files, this allows me more freedom to store multiple files regardless of the size of different computers at the same time. I have stored a backup of the properties that I have for sale on my website, this is useful for not having a lot of photos of houses inside my laptop without having them there just to have them. I have been able to clone the information from one company computer to another for new users as they use the same software and if it is easier one day I want to do an install.

Positive: ° I can clone files from one computer to another without losing any files, allowing you to move programs and files without starting to set up again, thus saving time and money by not having to hire someone to do all this work.

° The implementation was very easy and I can distribute this platform with the same account on multiple computers without having to purchase the product separately for each one. This has been very helpful as it is more practical to be able to have information from multiple computers in one place so that I can better manage myself when I want everything to be in order without any loss.

° The prices are adjusted to the needs of the company since I am paying for a good service and security knowing that I have a solid and robust platform to make backup copies of my important files. I have compared other services to store files or online backups and this platform has seemed cheaper than others for each GB stored that I need.

° Its interface is very fluid despite how old-fashioned it is. It is very optimized since at no time did I have downturns on my computer, as I was making the respective backup copies of the company's computers. I like knowing that since I don't waste time waiting for the backup to be done so I can do my daily jobs, but I can do my daily things after everything is in the background without interrupting anything at all.

° I can program the time when the copies are made, including the days or frequency in which the backups must be made, it is very comfortable for me to be able to choose what, how and when to make the backups giving me freedom to make my copies during or outside working hours. Depending on how I choose for myself it will always be better not to disturb the employee while a backup is being made.

Negative: ° Its interface is very outdated, it has not been updated to the minimalist designs that many software have today. Its design hasn't changed much since it came out, I almost feel like I'm back in the days of Windows ME. It is not at all intuitive, nor is it visually appealing to the modern user, so it could be difficult to understand its functions due to the design of its interface. It is very practical, but in my opinion I would like to improve this aspect so that it is more pleasant and understandable to make backup copies inside with this software.

° It was difficult for me to assign a name to each device linked to this software. This was a bit annoying at first because I had multiple computers linked to the company, but since they are the same make and model I couldn't tell the difference between computers when I wanted to backup. I had to do everything again to be able to assign the names since doing it one by one I could see which computer I was manipulating.

° Problem with the speed of downloading files, it does not matter if you have the best Internet connection IDrive has a speed limit and this does not please me when I want speed when I want to recover my files from a computer that has been damaged. I can't be expecting much, I wish the bandwidth of this platform would be improved to make backups faster.

° I would like it to be able to exclude files from being copied on power up from the selected folder and not to do it in a general way. This would optimize the work and you would not have to upload folder by folder just to exclude unnecessary files. I know if I do it in a general way I could lose files from other folders that are necessary and thus have a whole mess because I can't have more control of what I want to back up.

° You have to get used to its use since, as its interface is very old, there will be things that cause confusion when making backup copies. I am not saying that it is difficult to learn and that this is a complicated platform. I'm saying that your interface could hinder your implementation process because of how outdated it is.

Summary: Really just don't bother with it. I did for a few years but there's so much better out there now. Including Synology NAS.

Positive: Really hard to use and the web portal is useless. I really gave them a shot but it just doesn't do the job.

Negative: If you ever want to see how the backups are going its nearly impossible.

Summary: My experience with these guys has been pretty awful.

I paid for their service two months ago. Since then it's managed to upload approximately 10,000 of my 90,000+ files. I've spent numerous hours reading their FAQ, watching videos, tweaking my computer parameters, etc and it's been massively frustrating and mostly a waste of time.

They offer iDrive Express service, where you load your data onto a hard drive, but the postage charge for this - if you're in Europe, as I am - is 40+ dollars ONE WAY, so we're looking at 80 bucks postage alone, and, based on the rubbish service I've received so far, it didn't seem wise to throw more money away.

I've chatted with customer service many times and at the end they'll assure me, "No, everything's fine now, it'll all sync no problem". I go to bed and when I check the next morning nothing's changed. When the sync eventually starts working, it operates at speeds so slow that it'll take about 6 more weeks, operating 24/7, for less than 400gb to upload.

Avoid this terrible service.

Positive: Nothing. Unquestionably the worst cloud sync/backup service I've used in 15+ years.

Negative: Slow to non-existent upload speeds.
Poor interface.
Awful customer service.
I could go on.

Summary: Terrible for me. Renaming a folder containing 10 years of photographs is seen by iDrive as deleting the folder and creating a new one. This results in attempting to re-upload all 2TB of my photographs (which I stopped). This would take weeks and result in excess usage charges with my ISP. Even though I have 10 months left on my iDrive subscription I'm changing to a different service that uses deduplication so this won't be a problem in the future.

Positive: - 5TB or 10TB of storage space at a reasonable price.
- One license allows backing up from multiple machines including directly from my NAS.

Negative: Renaming/moving a file/folder inside a backup set is seen as a deletion and subsequent creation of a new file/folder. This results in iDrive re-uploading the file/folder. This is a serious problem if you rename or move a very large file or a folder containing a large amount of data.