IDrive Review

IDrive is a cloud backup software, that’s been on the market since 2007. It offers a wide range of features, including backup process, file sharing, cloud synchronization, and more. The service also efficiently protects the data from both intentional snooping and accidental loss. The pricing plans are reasonable, and it even has a free plan. However, IDrive doesn’t offer any unlimited plans. 

IDrive is suitable for individuals, small and large businesses looking for easy, effective, and affordable solutions to backup their data on the cloud. In a nutshell, it's one of the best backup software on the market.

Still, is IDrive the right choice for you?

Our IDrive review will help you find out. 

IDrive Features

IDrive has some outstanding features. It ticks off all the boxes when it comes to functionality. It is an ideal cloud backup solution for individual usage and business purposes. It even includes the sync and sharing features that not only help it compete with backup services but even top cloud storage solutions, like Dropbox.

So, how does IDrive work? It works by offering a wide variety of features that make it easy for you to backup, protect, and restore your data. Take a look:

File Backup

You can backup the data as individual files or in folders. It even gives you the option to back up the data as a complete image of the hard drives. Unlimited data can be backed up on the desktop, servers, mobile devices, or on the cloud. 

Once you log in to IDrive, you will find a few folders by default for backup, including desktop, pictures, videos, music, and documents folders. These folders can be removed and replaced manually by using the change button in the backup tab. IDrive backup also gives you an option to conduct a non-scheduled backup with just one click. The latter is an excellent option for those who don’t want to go through the whole procedure of backing up the hard drive manually.

IDrive supports block-level and multithreaded transfers. In multithreaded transfers, multiple files can be transferred at once, which increases the speed of transfer but increases the CPU load. The block-level transfer backs up data by scanning every file and uploading only the parts that have been changed, which saves data and increases the backup speed. 

The timing of the backup plan can be selected in the scheduler option of the IDrive, which can either be daily or hourly. In case your system is off, and upload is missed, the IDrive can be set to begin uploading automatically when the system switches on and send you an email notification when it fails or succeeds with the backup. 

IDrive backup also offers the capability of continuous data protection. When switched on, it will continuously back up files that are smaller than 500MB whenever there are changes made in them. IDrive also gives a warning to the user that this option isn’t a replacement for scheduled backup since it is only for smaller files. 

Additionally, a hard drive clone can also be made by selecting ‘disk image backup’ for either a single drive or a complete system. It depends on the size and may take days or weeks to complete. 

Restoring Data

Just like the backup capability, the IDrive restore tab comes with plenty of options. You have the option to choose the original backup device using the dropdown and move the file to your desktop directly, or restore them in the specified place using the checkboxes. You can right-click the file to see the ‘View Previous Versions’ option. It allows you can select the file you want from the saved versions of the file. 

IDrive reviews also rave about the snapshots. This feature is focused on addressing ransomware concerns and also shows the backup set’s historical timeline. It also allows you to recover the files anytime from the timeline in case of hard drives damage. This is not included in the overall backup limit.  

The archive is extremely useful for users who want to store tons of file versions. Other features include file deletion from the backup, transferring them to the trash area where they can still be recovered from, a share button that starts the web client option. 

IDrive online backup can archive the previous 30 file versions. You would still be able to access your files even after deleting them locally. 

Sync and Share 

One thing that sets this online cloud storage apart is the inclusion of the sync and share feature, which is usually not offered by its competitors.  

A sync folder can be set up that can synchronize the contents automatically between devices. It helps in doubling the storage space effectively since filling the folder doesn’t eat away the backup storage. This indicates that the IDrive can be used as an alternative to pCloud, Google Drive, and other such services on top of its online backup feature. 

You can set up the IDrive sync folder in simple steps, and once it is done, you can transfer the folder wherever you want and turn on selective sync, if you don’t need certain files. 

You can also enable the share feature from the web client option of the IDrive. This is not included in the desktop add, but the web client is simple to use and offers a complete overview of all devices. You just have to select a particular item from the web client and right-click it to share a folder or file. You can then add in the email address of the individual you want to share that file or the folder with. It even allows you to set access privileges for them, for instance, allowing them to either edit or view the file. 

IDrive Express

A favorite among IDrive reviews.

IDrive Express helps in populating the online account with a high number of data rapidly. It moves the data through a physical storage device that is shipped to you by IDrive. It can be directly connected to the system, and the data is then transferred using the local backup feature. After that, the device is shipped back to IDrive, and the data is downloaded and transferred into your cloud account. 

The data is completely encrypted throughout this process and, therefore, is secure. 

IDrive Speed

When doing the tests for this IDrive review, we knew speed is a vital element of the online backup service. Unfortunately, IDrive doesn’t score well here as its speed is slow even on faster connections. 

Typically, to download and upload a 3.5 GB folder with text, videos, and pictures would take about five minutes for the download and about half an hour for upload with a high-speed connection. Realistically, it might take around 15 minutes for download and 45 minutes to one hour for upload. It took IDrive about one hour for downloads and more than two hours for upload. 

The IDrive upload speed was about as expected, but the download speed took more time. If IDrive compresses the files first, then it would take considerably less download time. In case the connection drops during the backup, IDrive may have a difficult time reconnecting and continuing the backup. 

IDrive Security and Privacy

Another crucial question to ask when deciding online backup storage – is IDrive safe?

Fortunately, IDrive utilizes the 256-bit AES encryption by utilizing a key set by the service or by using a private key that the user creates. The data stays encrypted throughout the transmission and even when it is stored on the servers. It continues being encrypted until you restore it in your system. IDrive even supports two-factor authentication, which is email-based, to access its mobile and web apps. 

The privacy policy of IDrive indicates that it does gather the personal data of the users (like address, payment info, and name), and records sessions (like device name, browser type, IP address, session times and date, and size of upload packets). However, this information is only used to administer and improve its service, communicate more effectively with the users, and personalize their experience. 

While IDrive safety is excellent, it is essential for users to know that the service is required to eliminate the encryption from folders and files before presenting them to law enforcement if legally obligated. Why? Because the service is located in California and has to follow US laws. 

Mobile App

IDrive offers Mac OS and Windows desktop apps, as well as iOS and Android mobile apps. These apps are the most popular apps and are also entirely supported by an end-to-end encryption system. This ensures total safety and security of your data.

The data can be backed up from mobile devices through iOS and Android apps. For the iOS devices, it includes calendars, videos, photos, and contacts, whereas, for Android devices, it can also backup call history, text messages, music, and other files that are saved on the phone. 

You can also back up servers using IDrive through the ‘server backup’ feature. There is also an option to download files into a specific folder or restore them to their original location. 

When testing the app for our IDrive review, we found it to be very efficient.

Interface and Ease of Use

The app is easy to navigate and understand. The interface is user-friendly, and it takes merely a few minutes to get a grasp of everything.  

Customer Support

Many IDrive reviews have complained about customer support being hard to reach and slow to respond. The responses provided were not very useful. It’d take the support team hours to get back at you.

However, on a positive side, the FAQ section of IDrive is exceptionally informative. It answers hundreds of questions in detail. They also include various video tutorials for common tasks and activities that the users can find useful. 

IDrive Pricing

There are three main plans offered by IDrive. Let’s have a look:

Basic Plan (Free)

This plan is free of cost and offers 5 GB. There is no need to enter your credit card details to get started, and it never expires. However, it offers very limited features. 

IDrive Personal 

The personal plan has two options:

• 5TB – $59.62
• 10TB – $74.62

IDrive Business

The business plans have six options:

• 250GB – $74.62 
• 500GB – $149.62
• 1.25TB – $374.62
• 2.5TB – $599.62
• 5TB – $1124.62
• 12.5TB – $2249.62

Business plans offer additional features than personal plans, including priority support, multiple user management, and server backups. Moreover, IDrive service only offers monthly payment in the business plans:

• 1.25TB – $49.95/month 
• 2.5TB – $79.95/month
• 5TB – $149.95/month
• 12.5TB – $299.95/month
• 25TB – $589.95/month
• 50TB – $1159.95/month

IDrive Review - Verdict

Our research for this IDrive review proved one thing - it is indeed one of the best cloud storage services available. It is loaded with features for both cloud storage and cloud backup and offers excellent security and privacy. The download and upload speed didn’t rank too well, even with good connections. 

The pricing for IDrive plans is reasonable for the storage you get, but it doesn’t offer any unlimited plans. However, this may not be a big problem for many since the service already offers massive storage space on the majority of its plans.