Best Free Online Backup Sites

Update (Oct 15, 2012): IDrive has replaced Skydrive as #1.

Do you know when the absolute worst time to think about backups is? It’s the moment when the tech support guy tells you your hard drive has died and your data is lost.

One error that the free online backups will not help is recovery of a file a split second after you delete that important presentation or cherished photo. Most free services do not save deleted files but write over the old file.

The free online backup services will save your files off-site to the cloud. If your hard drive crashes your files are not lost. Your first line of defense should be an external hard drive to back up your hard drive or a jump drive for your documents.

An online backup provides 24/7 access to your files from any Internet connected computer, smartphone, or tablet style device. Data storage in the cloud is one of the quickest means to data archiving and recovery.

The requirements to judge the online backup are listed below.

• Storage Size: More free storage is obviously better. Our photo files are larger and we are taking more photos. This requires more storage.

• Document Synchronization: Documents and files created or changed need to automatically be uploaded to the “Cloud.”

• Long Term Reliability of the Site: Will your files be there available a year from now, five years from now? This is subjective. If I have heard of the service before I became editor of this category or one of our readers makes a compelling argument, the site will be considered reliable.

• Security: It should be assumed that security is minimal for the free sites. If the files you upload will not be encrypted, there's nothing to stop someone from looking at your files. This includes law enforcement officials who can serve papers from a judge requesting copies of your files. The services I have checked do not have encryption on the fly. Spideroak has pre-egress or pre-internet security. Your files are encrypted before they are uploaded.

• File Location: Ideally the files should be able to be located anyplace on your hard drive. Instead many online backup services require a special folder to be created. All your files will have to be stored in that folder. Also, the files will have to be stored on the local drive and copied to the online service.

• Ease of Use: The service should be menu driven and intuitive when selecting the files and folders to be backed up. These are two primary ways to do this:

1. The first way is the service creates a folder and all the files in the folder are backed up. Skydrive does it this way. It creates a Skydrive folder and everything in this folder is backed up.
2. The second way is you select folders or files inside the program. Using Spideroak, a tree of your files and folders is displayed and you select the files/folders to back-up by clicking a check box.

One possible strategy is to use several free sites. Use one site for photos, a second for general documents and a third site with pre-upload and post-download encryption for your financial documents and other documents you want to keep private.

There are a number of products and vendors that promise you online data storage and backup. Here are my recommendations:

#1  IDrive (www.idrive.com)

IDrive's parent company IBackup has been in business since 1999 and therefore meets the long term reliability requirement. The service has 5 GB of free storage. While not a lot by today's standard it is better than 2 GB. IDrive does provide pre file transfer encryption. You provide the private key which will be known only to you. This will secure your files from being read by others without your permission.

IDrive has both scheduled and continuous backup. The default is scheduled backup. IDrive also has versioning. In this way if you accidentally delete a file, it can be retrieved.

Your files can be stored in any place on your hard drive. This allows you to keep your current file structure. It will not be necessary to move your file to a special folder for backup.

#2  Skydrive (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/skydrive/home)

Microsoft has changed Skydrive. It is now 7 GB if you are a new subscriber to the service. If you are an old subscriber and had 25 GB of storage you get to keep your 25 GB.

I dropped Skydrive's ranking from #1 to #2 because of its reduced storage space, no encryption and the annoying Skydrive folder you have to use. It is built into Windows 8 and the service is expected to be around for a long time as it's provided by Microsoft.

Skydrive's storage size is 7 GB. This is not very large by today standards. Skydrive originally was 25 GB. A new user can't get 25 GB free anymore. If you have an old Hotmail account you may have 25 GB.

Skydrive is easy to use. Once installed just move your files you want to backup to the special Skydrive folder.

One of the Skydrive's negatives is no security. Do not put files on Skydrive that care and other people could see. It is not open to every one on the Internet but law enforcement could obtain copies of your files without your knowledge.

Another annoying negative is that it will sync only your files in the Skydrive folder. All the files you need to backup will need to be moved to the Skydrive folder.

A combination of back-up solutions may be the best strategy. Use Skydrive for your photos and non critical documents like kids homework, your non-financial files, and family pictures. Then use Spideroak or IDrive for your taxes and financial files.

#3  Spideroak (http://spideroak.com)

Spideroak has end-to-end encryption. If you have documents you do not want anyone else to have the ability to see them, this is the service for you. The files are encrypted before they are sent to the Spideroak server. Since you own the encryption key, only you can open them. The downside for this service is that it only offers 2 GB of online storage.

The files Spideroak saves to the cloud can be stored in any place on you computer. A separate folder does not need to be created.

If you need to securely backup more than 2 GB of files, a free service is not for you. If you have more than 2 GB of files you want to keep and make sure no one can read them without your permission then I would suggest a paid service. Also, it automatically synchronizes files.

I am using Spideroak because I was able to increase my storage by entering several limited time promotions.

#4  SugarSync (www.sugarsync.com)

SugarSync now offers 5 GB free. You could increase your storage amount by referring people and taking an online quiz.

SugarSync meets the long term reliability requirement as I have heard of SugarSync for several years.

It will automatically synchronize your documents and has the security features below.
* There is no encryption key stored on your computer.
* Files are transmitted encrypted (128 bit AES) via SSL using a once only key.
* At the SugarSync end they are stored encrypted on one server and the keys stored on another.
* The keys are random and not generated from email addresses.
* Keys are accessible to some SugarSync employees, hence also files could be provided by SugarSync in response to a court order or search warrant.

What sets SugarSync apart from other on-line storage is that it is not necessary to put files into a special folder (e.g. Dropbox & Skydrive), backup being managed through an Explorer-like file manager. You just select folders to be synced using check boxes and exclude sub folders not to be synced. For those wanting a special folder like Dropbox, SugarSync also provides one called Magic Briefcase and there is a non-synced Web Archive.

#5  Dropbox (www.dropbox.com)

It offers 2GB free storage to start while multiple paid options are also available. Dropbox offers file syncing between the PC / Mac / Linux and the cloud. Load the desktop client or upload through the web interface and begin adding folders to the Dropbox folder. Once in the folder, Dropbox synchs the file between the PC and the cloud and any other devices that you have enabled with Dropbox including mobile and tablets. Quick, light and in the background, Dropbox is a must try and is my preferred Online Backup Solution. One drawback to Dropbox is a folder named "Dropbox" which has to be created, then all the folders and files have to be moved to the "Dropbox" folder.

#6  Mozy (http://mozy.com/home/free)

Like most of the online backup providers, Mozy offers 2 GB for free and the option to add more through paid services. Mozy comes with PC and MAC clients, schedule backups and even file encryption. The encryption capabilities provide some peace of mind to those looking for an Online Backup Solution but concerned about privacy.

#7  ADrive (http://www.adrive.com/)

This site has been tested for the past month. It meets one of three off-line backup requirements. The storage size is very large at 50 GB. The down side is that it does not sync files. Longevity of the free service needs to be proven.

#8 Wuala (https://www.wuala.com/en/download/windows)

I am a Wuala to the list.  It has 5 GB free storage, Wuala does provide pre-file transfer encryption.  It is a LaCie product.  LaCie a hard drive manufacturer has been in business since 1987.  Therefore the it has longevity.  I am listing it at #8, but further comments and testing could change its ranking.

Other Thoughts

While 2 GB seems to be about the standard when this section first started. Now it is hardly enough. 2GB is roughly equivalent to 250,000 text emails, or 300 songs, or 250 pictures. We all have more the 250 pictures and will run out of space using only a 2 GB of storage.

Since this web site is all about free software, etc., I suggest using two online backup services. Use the sites with pre file transfer encryption for your important documents such as tax returns, then use Skydrive for photos. Skydrive has 7 GB. If you were lucky enough to have had Skydrive before they changed their service, you may have 25 GB of storage.

Besides the storage capacity, the ability to quickly get your data and long term service are other key factors to consider. Some of the above recommendations do not have proven track records but well known companies are likely able to provide long term service for you. Your data should be available and controllable by you. Being able to move your data from one provider to another or even duplicate it amongst providers for redundant backups are also key considerations when choosing a cloud storage solution. The first four suggestions above offer quick accessibility and easy exporting of the data so that you can take to another provider should the need occur.

Finally, regardless of the method or type of backup, whether online, disk to disk, imaging, CD / DVD copying, or floppies (hopefully not!), having a recent backup of your data will ensure that you never have to face that dreaded split second after your data gets ruined.

Dropped From List:

• Windows Live Mesh: Microsoft dropped it in favor of Skydrive exclusively.
• Bee Cloud is ceasing operation in March 2012.
• Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo mail have been dropped from the list. These are not really back up systems.
• CX:, The terms of service has changed, therefore it is no longer free.  Existing users can keep their free account with certain condition, but new users have a 15/30 day trials.

NB: Do you have a great free online backup solution? If so, then tell us about it in the comments section.