They'll keep old files you've deleted, and hang on to old versions of files you've updated. They allow you to backup all kinds of files from whichever drive you like, including external and network drives. In general, good online backup services provide user-friendly apps that securely store your files and work on any operating system you want. There are better choices for security nuts and power users, though, so I’ll detail those as well. In the end, my choice was clear: iDrive Personal ( available at IDrive (2 TB/yr) for $52.12) provides by far the best blend of features and performance at a great price- about $5.79 a month, or cheaper if you get in on one of iDrive’s frequent sales. I spent more than a month testing eight of the most popular cloud backup solutions to find out which one is best for most users. But when disaster strikes, you’ll thank your lucky stars that someone else is looking out for you.

When nothing goes wrong, they feel like a waste of money. (Music files must be copied to iDrive One from a computer.Cloud backup services are like any other kind of insurance. The app is a fairly basic affair, with separate tabs for the three supported media types, and thumbnails sorted from newest to oldest. On the plus side, backup and streaming was lightning-fast on my iPhone 6s Plus and iPad Pro, which support 802.11ac connections. Switching networks takes just a few seconds, but doing it each and every time you want to access stored content becomes downright inconvenient after a while. I found this approach unwieldy, although iDrive confirmed this is how the product was designed to be used. Although iDrive One can be configured through a rather ugly web portal, there’s no way to piggyback onto existing networks the unit can be set up to access an available Internet connection at the same time, however.

Mobile backup and streaming requires a free app on your smartphone or tablet, which must be connected directly to one of the unit’s dual Wi-Fi networks. The free iDrive One app can be configured to automatically back up Camera Roll photos and/or videos each time it’s launched. (Local Mac or PC backups offer 256-bit AES encryption.) However, it’s a missed opportunity considering this product was designed to provide unencrypted backup for photos and videos on iOS and Android devices. That makes iDrive One considerably less portable, but it’s too big to be considered pocket-friendly anyway. There’s no built-in rechargeable battery the unit is powered by an included AC adapter and USB 3.0 cable.

Idrive review one device