IDrive
A well-equipped multidevice backup service, but we hit big problems with performance
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE From $52/yr (£41), unlimited devices, 1TB storage from idrive.com
While most cloud backup services restrict you to one PC, IDrive supports unlimited devices. The trade-off is a fixed storage quota, although we doubt many individuals will be seriously constrained by the standard one-terabyte allocation.
To help you make the most of your space, IDrive doesn’t automatically select what’s going to be backed up and what’s not. The client opens with a list of personal data folders, which you can customise to your heart’s content. Continuous backup is enabled by default, or if you prefer you can set your backup to run at certain times and on certain days. It involves a little back-and-forth, but you can define multiple backup jobs to run at set times, and back up files to both the cloud and local destinations.
IDrive can also automatically synchronise files across linked computers, like Dropbox but with a much greater storage allowance. And there’s a builtin Disk Image Backup wizard, which can create a complete copy of your system drive in case of disaster – although this must be saved to a local drive, rather than being directly uploaded to the cloud.
While IDrive ticks a lot of boxes, it sure wasn’t a winner in our performance tests. Our 5GB folder backup completed in a respectable, if not superfast, 3hrs 10mins, but restoring it was another story. Across repeated attempts and different devices, we found the archive consistently took more than 18 hours to download, at a glacial average speed of around 80KB/sec.
We raised the issue with IDrive technical support, but after a round of diagnostics were told that nothing could be done. To quote its report: “… we will not be able to increase or decrease the speed from our end. The connection speed largely depends on the number of inter connections and the routing hoops that exist between your network and IDrive Server.” When we put the service to the test in a different location, with a different ISP, results did indeed improve, albeit not enough to challenge our winners. If nothing else, this emphasises how important it is to try a service yourself.
Assuming it does work for you, and note you can always sign up for the free 5GB account, there’s much to like about IDrive (indeed, IDrive Business is our recommended choice for larger businesses; see a separate review on p97). As a personal cloud service, however, it’s up against tough – and, in our tests, faster – competition.