Before I installed Dropbox I briefly checked out what alternatives were available.  One of the most interesting is SugarSync, another backup/synchronization service.

First the pros:

SugarSync (IMHO) does have some advantages over Dropbox (for my uses):

  1. the ability to sync any folder (not just one designated folder)
  2. the “SugarSync” File Manager
  3. “Share folders with permissions and password” – haven’t tested this
  4. Like Dropbox, they offer bonus space if you refer people to their service, this means that you could potentially get up to 7GB free space (more than Dropbox) if you refer 20 people.

There’s a full comparison page on the SugarSync website: www.sugarsync.com/sync_comparison.html

Now the cons:

  • I think that although it’s a good feature to be able to sync any folder, this makes the system more complicated, and makes it more difficult to keep track of which folders are synchronized; the file manager therefore becomes a necessity (for Dropbox a file manager would just be a non-essential feature).

    For advanced users this isn’t a problem of course, the file manager makes it all quite clear, and there’s a visual indicator on files/folders too (as with Dropbox).

  • No Linux support
  • Now the big one (disadvantage): presumably because they want to push as many people as possible to paid plans, the free account is feature limited :(This page shows how “You can only backup & sync up to two computers“, and there are a couple of other limitations too.

Of course, limiting features for the free plan is a strategic decision for SugarSync, but as I have more than 2 computers, if I were to consider a paid plan, currently I would favour Dropbox as I can already test all the features with all of my computers (obviously I would look at the value £s to GBs).

I also think that providing the same service to free and paying customers (other than storage space) improves the adoption of the Dropbox service, which means better brand recognition, presumably leading to greater take-up of paid plans.

Verdict

I will keep SugarSync installed, and test out some of the features.  If you only have 1 or 2 computers, SugarSync may be the best choice for you.

However for simplicity and ease of use, and being able to use all of the features even with the free version, I am happy to stick with Dropbox as my primary ‘Cloud’ sync/backup system for now.

If you want to sign up to SugarSync, please consider using my referral link: https://www.sugarsync.com/referral?rf=minj5qmy6ohd