ADrive Review 2018

In the new and advanced world of technology today, you don’t need to waste valuable space on your phone or computer to store your media and other important documents. Cloud storage has made it possible for you to not only store your documents in the cloud but also share it across devices.

However, there are multiple cloud storage providers you will find out there. That means there is also a multitude of cloud storage services available. Choosing a cloud storage provider or service is not always straightforward especially if you have never used the service before. You, therefore, need to be careful when choosing a cloud storage provider.

ADrive is one of the options you will find. Here is a detailed review of what ADrive is all about.

ADrive Overview

Before getting deep into the details that make ADrive one of the options to consider when it comes to cloud storage services, here’s a brief overview to give you an idea of what it entails in general.

First, ADrive is an online backup and storage service that gives you up to about 50GB of free space. There are three basic plans with ADrive including business, personal basic, and personal premium. Each of these plans differs in its contents. You will also pay differently depending on the plan you choose.

Personal Basic Plan

The personal basic plan or package, for instance, is free. It is ad-supported and offers 50GB worth of free space. You can get more cloud storage with the other packages. Besides the 50GB of space, the personal basic plan of ADrive comes with other basic features such as remote file transfer, file sharing, and online editing.

Unfortunately, this plan supports mobile and web apps only. Its paid counterparts (personal premium and business), on the other hand, support mobile (iOS and Android), desktop (Mac and Windows), and web apps. But that’s not all. With the paid packages, you will also get cloud storage space of up to 100GB and there’s a 60-day trial period (free).

Getting Started With ADrive

Using ADrive is easy. All you need to do is sign up and select your plan. With your ADrive account, you will be able to upload and download your documents, share files, and manage backups.

It is also worth noting that you can cancel your account. If at some point you feel like you don’t need to use ADrive anymore, you can delete your account.

The cancellation process will differ depending on the plan you chose. If you signed up for the basic package or the trial, you can simply let your account expire once the 60 days are up. However, if you have a paid account (personal premium and business), you will need to contact the ADrive staff to cancel the account.

Product Specifications

• Storage Space: 50GB – 10TB
• Platforms: Windows, Windows mobile, Mac, Android, iOS iPhone/iPad
• Backup: Automatic, Selective
• Security: Encrypted file storage, encrypted file transfer, geo-redundant storage, hardened facilities
• Share/Sync: Automatic sync, link sharing
• Help and Support: FAQs, Email
• Restore: Restore individual files, full restore, version history

These are just a few of the product and technical specs of ADrive. Other features that make it unique or stand out among other cloud storage services or providers include:

Access

Many cloud storage companies are easy to access and ADrive isn’t an exception. You can securely and easily access, manage, and even restore your files using the online app. Keep in mind that you can do this from anywhere and at any time provided you have an internet connection.

You can also access your files or documents on the go thanks to the supported Apple and Android mobile apps. While ADrive supports Windows and Mac OSx, it doesn’t support Linux.

Perhaps one of the easiest features to use with ADrive is the downloadable desktop app that acts as a virtual external hard drive. Besides the easy access that comes with this feature, you also get to enjoy convenient backup features.

There’s a range of other things you can do online when it comes to accessing your ADrive account including adding users and managing permissions.

Security

Security is of vital importance when it comes to storing your documents anywhere and not just the cloud. ADrive understands the need to secure your documents, which is why it offers encrypted file storage and transfer.

However, it is worth noting that to get the most out of this security feature, you will need to set all your folders to private once you upload them. Also, since ADrive does not own its own servers, your data will be stored on geo-redundant servers in various hardened facilities.

Unless you have a premium account, you won’t enjoy this level of security. You could be putting your personal information at risk by using a free ADrive account.

Sync and Sharing

ADrive also has impressive sync and sharing features. While the file-sharing feature on ADrive is fairly standard, you can set not only a password but also an expiration date for your publicly shared files and folders.

You can also safely share your files on social media. All you need to do is create a share link on ADrive’s online portal then share that link with your family and friends.

When it comes to sync options, the sync feature on the desktop app will keep the folders on your computer automatically synced to your ADrive account. You can also sync across more than one computer so if you don’t want to carry your home laptop to your office or vice versa, you won’t have a problem accessing any of your files.

Backup and Restore

ADrive offers you different ways to back up your files and folders including automatic backups, manual backups, scheduled backups, and backup via the desktop app and web-based file manager.

The web-based file manager is the easiest way to back up your files and folders because it allows you to create automatic and scheduled backups. Unless you make some changes to your ADrive account, backups will automatically take place every day.

Keep in mind that there are some limitations when it comes to the size of data that you can back up at any single time. The size limitations can vary from one plan to the next.

Any changes you make to your documents or any new versions of your files and folders will only be stored for a given number of days on your ADrive account.

Nevertheless, restoring your files is simple. All you need to do is to look for the easiest or quickest way to access your files, which is to download the desktop app. The app will allow you to quickly access the files you need to recover, such as files in the trash. Similar to the backup feature, there are also size limitations when it comes to recovery.

Customer Help and Support

It’s important that there are adequate help and support to users who are having problems with their ADrive cloud storage services. ADrive comes with an FAQ page and a community forum.

The FAQ set up is quite comprehensive and it will provide answers to most of your questions. It covers a range of topics, from error messages to account maintenance and file sharing.

FAQ Segment

However, the FAQ segment may not have all the answers you are looking for and that’s where the community forum comes in handy. It is a platform that allows different users to discuss their issues regarding ADrive cloud storage services. A different user may have a solution to your problem. Keep in mind that you still may not find what you are looking for even on the community forum.

If that’s the case, you will want to contact the ADrive staff directly. There’s a contact form, which is easy to fill out. All you need is to specify your browser and operating system, describe your problem in detail, then submit your account details. You should get a response after a specified period. Besides the contact form, there’s also email and phone support where you can contact the staff and seek assistance for your issue.

Pricing and Plans

One of the major concerns when it comes to using cloud storage services is how much money you will have to spend. As mentioned above, there are three plans each with different prices and products.

The personal basic plan is more of a trial package. You will have 60 days within which you can decide to continue using ADrive or choose a different option. The plan is free but some of the services will be limited. Size limitations are usually the most common when it comes to the free or trial cloud storage plans.

Personal Premium Plan

With the Personal Premium plan, you can pay monthly, yearly, or for an extended 2 years or 3 years. The cost depends on the storage size you want.

For a 100GB personal premium plan, you will pay monthly or yearly, for two years, and for 3 years. For 250GB, you will be charged every month or yearly, two years, and for 3 years. If you want 500GB, you will have to budget for a service fee of monthly, yearly, every two years, or for a 3-year plan.

The amount will increase depending on the amount of storage space you need. For instance, for 10TB worth of storage, you will spend per month or per year, and if you choose the 2-year plan.

Business Account

When it comes to the business account, it’s worth noting that in addition to the storage, you can create a given number of users under your account. This is also how the charges are determined.

For example, for 200GB worth of storage for a maximum of 10 users, is charge monthly or yearly or for a 2-year plan, and for the 3-year plan. If you prefer 500GB for a maximum of 25 users, prepare to spend per month or a year or for two years, and for three years.

You can decide to choose up to 20TB for a maximum of 1000 users depending on your storage needs. You will get all the information you need about the plans (including how much you need to pay over what period and how much storage size your money will get you) when signing up.

How ADrive Compares with Competitors

ADrive isn’t the only cloud storage solution you will find. Sync is one of the options you may want to try. Sync also offers 3 plans: business solo for individuals and business pro and business pro advanced for multiple teams and users.

Business solo will cost you per month, which is billed annually. For the business pro, the charges are per user per month, also billed annually. Keep in mind that the minimum number of users is two. The charges for business pro advanced is per user. On the other hand, they also billed per user per month and annually with two users as the minimum.

You could also choose pCloud. It offers quite a number of impressive features when it comes to security, file management, media and usability, access and synchronization. You can also choose the annual plan or the lifetime plan.

The annual premium plan will cost you monthly while its premium plus counterpart will set you back every month. Lifetime plans are paid for in a single payment. The premium cost is quite expensive and that's the same with the premium plus.

Pros and Cons

ADrive has a number of pros including reasonable pricing, solid speeds, ability to backup or sync any folder, online editing capabilities, and secure file transfer.

On the downside, however, the free version is supported by ads. Also, there are security concerns with the free or trial version. There’s limited tech support.

The Verdict

ADrive is an undoubtedly an option to consider especially because it’s better priced compared to other solutions. However, you can always find other options in the market.

The security concerns, particularly for the free version, maybe a deal breaker for some people especially if you intend to use the trial period to decide whether or not to use ADrive. Overall, this product is rated 4 stars.

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