ADrive is one of the newest players in the online backup market, but there is one thing that really sets them apart… and that is 50 GB of free storage!
Yes, ADrive is a free service and the 50 GB of space is currently the most you can get as far as free offerings (most others offer just 1-5 GB for free.) There is a 2 GB file size limit, but very few people will have files that exceed 2 GB. To put that in perspective, high-resolution digital photos are only about 2-6 MB each.
The backup service offered is pretty standard. You get an online storage space on their network where you can upload and download files through your browser. Once you complete the easy sign-up process, all you do is log-in at adrive.com with your username and password and you can access your files. You can access your files anywhere you have an internet connection.
Here’s a screenshot of the file transfer interface:
The cool thing is that you can drag and drop files from your desktop onto the interface and it will add them to your upload list! You can also click “Add” and browse, as seen below:
Upload progress bar:
(Click here for a larger view of the Adrive interface.)
In my testing, ADrive worked just fine for online file storage. You can also share files publicly if you wish (just click the “share” button,) so it takes care of both secure file storage and file sharing.
However, I hesitate to call it an online backup solution. The problem stems from the interface (or lack thereof.) The web browser interface is your only option for uploading and downloading files. There is no way to automatically backup your computer files, and if you ever modify a file that is already backed up, you have to upload the new version. It is very time-consuming if you back up your entire computer this way!
Whereas with a service like Carbonite or Mozy, the software automatically takes care of everything in the background with no effort on your part. Unfortunately, ADrive has no such software. It goes as far as allowing you to upload entire folders and not just individual files, but that is it.
The other thing that worries me is the lack of information about the company. The site simply states that ADrive was founded in 2007 by industry veterans, but it does not list any names or any contact method other than an email address. That, plus the fact that I’ve seen numerous start-up companies without a revenue model get closed down, means I can’t recommend this as a sole backup provider. If they were to close their doors, all your backups would be gone, too.
It will be interesting to see if they grow into a bigger company and come out with a desktop client, though. If they do, ADrive could become a dominant player. But until then, I will use it for some basic backups of family photos and the like.
Quick recap: ADrive can be thought of as a virtual hard drive for online file storage and file sharing, and they set themselves apart by offering 50 GB of space for free. It is very similar to a service like Xdrive, but is not a total backup solution like Carbonite or Mozy.
Official site: Adrive.com
