SugarSync Is Mostly Sweet

With a file-syncing service, you can access all of your files on any device you choose and keep a backup copy in the cloud. A service needs to be simple to configure and reliable, but pricing, storage space, and extra features matter as well.

- Michael Muchmore, Ben Moore

While SugarSync is intuitive to set up and use, it’s expensive and lacks standard capabilities such as collaborative editing and two-factor authentication. Further, it’s unnecessarily difficult to cancel an account once you start paying. In the crowded file syncing market space, competing services offer more features for less.

PRICE AND STORAGE SPACE

SugarSync does not offer a permanent free account, unlike OpenDrive and Google Drive. Oddly, it offers two trial versions, one of which is a free 30-day trial that requires a credit card. Alternatively, there’s a hidden option for a 90-day trial with 5GB of storage that does not require a credit card. SugarSync should either remove the credit card requirement for the 30-day trial or make the 90-day trial the default.

SugarSync’s basic plan includes 100GB of cloud storage for $7.49 per month, which equates to $90 per year. The price jumps up to $9.99 per month for 250GB of storage and $18.95 for 500GB. As for business plans, it offers a 1TB option for up to three users starting at $55 per month. The cost increases from there as you add more users and increase storage capacities. It’s also worth noting that you need to upgrade to the business account to use external drives with the software.

For comparison, Dropbox Plus costs $9.99 per month for 1TB of storage and OneDrive offers a 50GB storage plan for $1.99 per month. You can also opt for an Office 365 Personal subscription for $69.99 per year, which includes the Office 365 suite in addition to 1TB of OneDrive storage. Both Dropbox and OneDrive respectively offer free 2GB and 5GB accounts. IDrive, one of our Editors’ Choice picks for online backup, offers 2TB of storage for $69.50 per year.

SETUP AND SECURITY