Livedrive Online Backup Review

Posted on Nov 14, 2011 by Jim Varnon
You should know about livedrive:

Have home/business solutions and offer unlimited storage and bandwidth.

Visit livedrive
livedrive
Activate Offer

Livedrive. Easy to use and unlimited storage.

What you have with LiveDrive is an interesting offering in this increasingly crowded space of online backup, online storage and file sharing services. The service is enterprise class, but its price points of $16.95 for the highest end package makes the services affordable to the wide mass market.

What makes the offering unique is the fact that neither bandwidth nor storage is metered; nor are these two things capped. That’s right. This is probably the only service out on the web that actually offers truly unlimited storage and bandwidth. There are services that purport to do this, but “unlimited” is “limited” to a number of computers, limited in the way of the number of files, or the size of files, etc. But with LiveDrive, you’re really getting unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, period. No stipulations.

The Bad:
No free trial on the Briefcase

The Good:
Unlimited storage and bandwidth
Amazingly easy to use
Good user interface

The bottom line:
Have home/business solutions and offer unlimited storage and bandwidth.

Full Review


Another defining characteristic that sets this service aside, that differentiates this service from other services is that it takes the completely hassle free approach to online backup and storage. In other words, the program, the app, and the managing of files between your computers and the cloud is completely un-managed; it just has at it, and we’ll get into the details about these processes in a bit, but suffice it to say, we were pleased with both the speed of the backing up, and the application speed and experience; i.e. there wasn’t any noticeable difference or degradation in our systems performance during the initial or subsequent backup sessions.

Features

Upon installation, you select the folders that you want to have backed up, before you even get started with the app. The usual suspects are listed: your Documents folder, your Pictures folder, etc. And as soon as you finish those short, brief initial steps, the backups begin.

Activate Offer

Take A Two Week Free Trial Now...

There are a few things that we’re wary about when we have to install desktop utilities and apps. The first is the affects that the installation will have on our system, and we’re always a little relieved when we find that our system doesn’t degrade any, or that nothing adverse happens after installing the app. That was the case here; we installed, and everything performed as usual, so that’s good. The second thing, though, that we watch for is the domination of the screen; i.e. how well is the interface of the app put together? That’s one of the things that these online backup and storage services actually get consistently wrong. But in this case, with LiveDrive, what we have is a very clean interface, with the app itself taking up very little screen real estate. In fact, the primary menu is this little box that looks more like a popup than an actual app that appears when you double click the tray icon. It’s divvied up into two tabs: Backup and Briefcase, each displaying the statuses of each.

So that’s the backing up of your files, the processes anyway. But how you interact with those backed up files is a separate process of course. We found this to be incredibly fluid. Unlike what you have with other service, the application and the website complement each other very well, with the website actually taking a leading role, and with the desktop app really only there to coordinate the backing up of files. With other services, what we’ve found, and what we’ve grown to actually be frustrated with, is the fact that there were always a number of ways of accomplishing the same result, and weren’t always sure which was the more productive way to do something as simple as, say, restoring a folder from the web. With LiveDrive, it’s straightforward, unambiguous, and clear cut: the desktop app is primarily there to coordinate the backup activities, and the website’s for most everything else.

Activate Offer

Unlimited storage and bandwidth

Briefcase is where the true power of the service is realized. In fact, we feel that LiveDrive is all Briefcase; it’s what LiveDrive is. The feature can do a number of things, but it’s important to keep in mind the fact that things bandwidth and storage are unlimited. Keep that in mind: unlimited.

That dimension to the service is powerful. There are online drives out there that offer this sort of thing, though not at the quality of service that you get with LiveDrive, with the biggest drawback about those services being the limitation on storage space and bandwidth.

The most prominent use and feature of Briefcase is the ability to attach an L: drive to your PC’s operating system, with your Windows Explorer recognizing LiveDrive as an actual other drive, like having an unlimited storage capacity USB drive inserted into all of your PCs (your PCs at work, home, etc.). This wasn’t just amazing because of the fact that the storage capacity was unlimited, but also because the experience of it was super fluid; i.e we actually experienced the L: drive as another drive; it was as quick and fast as a USB drive. Granted, we weren’t expecting, nor could we stream video files off of the drive as well as we could a local C: drive, but we came pretty damn close. That’s point one: the L: drive.

Point two is the ability to edit the same file from more than one PC at the same time, and have the file update. Simply amazing. We were able to even retouch photos on one laptop, and could reliably expect to find those updates on the same file from the other computers we had the Briefcase installed on.

File Sharing

In the Features section, we went over a bit about Briefcase:

  • Finding updates of a file on all computers that had LiveDrive installed
  • Using L: drive as a universal “USB” drive of infinite storage capacity
  • Having access to the same set of files from all computers

For those that socialize and collaborate on the web a good deal, either for work or school, you’ll find that Briefcase is well worth the $16.95 per month that the company’s charging for the set of features. Here’s why:

What you get with Briefcase is the ability to fluidly share files with folks over social networking sites, such as Facebook and Flickr, straight away from your web portal, where you go to view your Briefcase. You can elect to drag and drop files on a whim, which we found to be super convenient when it came to putting together quick and easy albums of particular motifs, themes, and events. (In fact, a number of us here have actually picked up this subscription, practically just for this feature alone: to be able to whip up quick and easy Facebook albums, since the social networking site’s album features are so static; those sites really need to get with some drag and drop functionality.)

File sharing’s made super easy with Briefcase. The company is offering what they’re calling One-Click Sharing. And what that basically does is it allows you to post a public file, say, with one click (on the PC, it’s the right-click menu option), and to post that public file on the web.

You get the standard permissions set with LiveDrive:

  • Public files that are posted to the web, which you get an URL that you can send to friends over an IM window
  • Permissions based files and folders, which you can invite users to
  • And completely private, locked down files and folders that only you can view

Support

With a number of these other fly by night online backup, storage and file sharing services, you really have shoddy support. So, though we didn’t find that we needed support, we found that that our available options were quite extensive, and that was refreshing. Both services (see section on Price) offer the standard service and support package, and the company websites claim a response by a live support staff within 24 hours. However, Backup & Briefcase subscribers will have priority over the Backup only subscribers. (We didn’t find or figure out how that would affect a Backup only subscriber.)

The knowledge base is extensive, with multiple articles and versions kept on various subjects, and with peer and forum type platforms for users to share experiences with, and to even help trouble shoot problems with. Support was more than adequate, unlike what you’ll find with a good portion of the services out there on the web.

Activate Offer

Unlimited storage for $7.95 month

Price

In terms of pricing, what you get with LiveDrive are two services. Since bandwidth and storage are both unlimited, you’re not left with very many big decisions to make. Bu there is one big decision: Briefcase. Briefcase is going to cost you three times as much as the standard backup solution, but it’s a compelling service; but is it worth the $16.95 a month? It depends on how often you socialize and collaborate on the web.

The problem we had was that the company doesn’t offer a trial on the Briefcase service, it only offers the trial on the Backup only solution. So, you’re forced into subscribing for a month. The 16 bucks should is rather negligible but we’d really would have preferred that the service be open to trial. The savings on the yearly subscription for the Briefcase is substantial; you’re basically getting about a month and a half free if you pay the full year up front. See the section on features of Briefcase to see if you feel it’s worth trying the service, at a fee, for a month. For what it’s worth, the Facebook features alone compelled a number of us to sign up for Briefcase, for at least a few months, if not to just spruce up our photo albums a bit.

If you are a current LiveDrive user please leave your own review, thoughts, comments and ratings below for others to see. That way people don’t have to only take our word for it.

Related posts:

  1. Elephant Drive Online Backup Review

Support

Phone Support:   
Email Support:   
Live Chat:   

Company Information

Company Location: London, England
Established: 2008
Website: http://www.livedrive.com/
Company Information:

Livedrive was first launched in December 2008, and has grown exponentially since then, becoming one of the worlds leading online storage companies. They now have over 500,000 paying customers around the world, and have won awards such as the Computer Active Best Online Backup Buy It award, and the Web User Gold Award.

Activate Offer

Livedrive. Easy to use and unlimited storage.

Leave your Own Response

55 Responses

  • avtar Juan December 24, 2011

    For all those that are interested in using Livedrive in the enterprise environment, please be aware that Livedrive is not SAS 70 I & II compliant nor is there any information available on the company’s website such as a white paper on the Company’s level of redundancy. For backing up end user’s desktop data, Livedrive might be a great solution but if you’re thinking about using Livedrive to backup server data, please wake up and slap yourself silly.

  • avtar Andy December 16, 2011

    I have used Livedrive since the debacle of Mozy updating their prices! For some reason, this product gets terrible reviews which keeps making me look elsewhere when in practice I have been really happy with Livedrive.

    The product is lightning quick to upload data and you can monitor individual files as they are processed. The online browser for media and mobile apps are also fantastic. THere have been no issues with support and the forums on the website are excellent.

    I have tried MyPCBackup due to the reviews and it really is shocking. I will be sticking with Livedrive for the time being.

  • avtar I Thomas December 12, 2011

    We have been using livedrive for DB backups for the past 9 months with few issues. Of course their support is lousy and although you can get through to them it is only during office hours and they wipe the hands with anything slightly tricky and when they can “pass the buck”!

    We now have a situation where our server does not connect to one of our accounts; we have 5 and one suddenly will not connect via FTP. They say that it is a server issue but nothing has changed on the server! We can connect using other machines but not from our server (where we need to!). Their response is simply; “don’t waste our time when it is clear that your account is fine!” Well not on our server mate!!

    Will certainly look elsewhere now especially due to their non existent out of hours support!

  • avtar rob December 9, 2011

    I got LiveDrive and had a support issue. I opened it on Oct 9, and they did not respond until Oct 28. When I replied, they told me it had been more than 30 days, so they could not help me. Their support is slow, and I got more apology for the slow response than resolution to my problem! I spent $250 (with international conversion fees as well) to get this product for a year. They are a dead end.

  • avtar CA Dees December 6, 2011

    Do be very careful purchasing LiveDrive. I purchased the Briefcase plan two weeks ago and have been unable to get it to work (folders all uploaded, but no files inside). Since that date I’ve sent two emails to support and one to sales, none of which have been answered by anything other than an autoresponse. They advertise 24-hour support turnaround via email, which is patently not the case. I have read other similar complaints about LiveDrive since I signed up. Also, note that calls to their service center are only available during UK bank hours. Am currently working with my credit card company to retrieve my purchase of a two-year plan.

  • avtar Martin November 29, 2011

    Product is buggy and support is frustratingly non-existent. This needs to improve for this company to last. Looks more like someone trying to make a quick buck than provide a serious service. They are cheap, but that doesn’t mean good value. I couln’t recommend them on the basis of their performance so far.

  • avtar peter November 26, 2011

    Sounds all very good, but so far I’ve had nothing but trouble with it, upload is slow, livedrive status screen freezes up every morning after running all night, Ican’t shut it down.
    It hogs tons of memory, nothing else works any more.
    I upgraded to add another drive (no unlimited here), and their system does not even acknowledge it.
    I contacted support 2 and a half week ago, no response, except for some automated letter, saying they have received my request.
    In one word- piss poor everything,at least what I can see.
    I am almost ready to ask my money back and quit this disturbing company.
    Peter

  • avtar Ash November 26, 2011

    Just tried the free trial of this, and would not have bothered if I had read these reviews first (a lesson learned right there!). I wanted a program where I could store my files elsewhere and then delete them off my computer, which Livedrive does not support apparently. If you delete them off your computer, you delete them off the storage too. I thought that mad until it dawned on me, that is how they can offer unlimited storage, they only back up what is on your physical drives and so is not true “storage”. Also when I tried to unload the program, it really glitched my system. Nothing that a little house-keeping didn’t take care of, but enough to make me glad that I got rid of it. Anyone considering this should use the old maxim “you get what you pay for” ;-)

  • avtar JSR November 25, 2011

    It seemed like a great idea… Painless syncing, uploads in the background, even a mobile app! And sure, it started out great, but after a short time, it suddenly stopped working. Constant error messages, empty upload queue… And support? Forget about it. Spent 2 weeks trying to get help, through all the means they have to offer, and never once even got an acknowledgement. LiveDrive is cheap, and you definitely get what you pay for.

  • avtar Heather November 22, 2011

    I am so so so unhappy with livedrive. When I tried to cancel my subscription the number listed on the website tells you to call back during business hours…even though it was at that time when I called, and then hung up on me. I tried several times and then send an email stating that I wanted to cancel my subscription. 1 year later I get the fee charged again and when I emailed (cause you can’t call) to ask, I was told that I needed to send an email canceling, but that the one I send didn’t count! DO NOT sign up for anything with this company, they make it nearly impossible to contact them and email correspondence is not how i like to be dealt with. I am currently filing with an attorney over the issue.

  • avtar D BISHOP November 16, 2011

    So far the system has been awfull, it continuallly fails and sends error reports. I have sent messages requesting help. NO RESPONSE at all. I have been trying to upload files for almost 4 weeks and it still has approx 30% it has not uploaded and this is with the computer on 5 days a week 8 – 10 hours a day. So far this has been the worst investment in software for my business and i would never reccomend anyone using this, According to PC World knowhow it is the best, but they did not know they had been on Watchdog!

  • avtar Paul October 29, 2011

    My experience of today with LiveDrive on a Mac:

    1. Cleverly designed products’ page dupes you into thinking that there can be a sort of an upgrade from Backup to Briefcase to Pro and also the features are so arranged that you would think that Briefcase is Backup + something else, and that Pro is Backup + Briefcase + something else.

    This impression is reinforced by the icons depicting the corresponding service, which are each an evolved version of the previous one.

    But from Backup you can only upgrade to Pro. The same from Briefcase.

    2. The experience of installing Briefcase is horrible. Poorly designed and thought. When I installed the product I had 25GB of HD space. Because of the very hidden option of having a copy of the briefcase to my Mac I ran out of HD space quickly, ending up with less than 1GB!

    They also trick you into thinking that the files are already uploaded in the cloud. Instead, they are only copied to your local copy of the Briefcase; from there they are constantly uploaded at a very slow rate. You are left with the hope that sometime the upload will be completed.

    When deleting the files, you are not sure wether they will be deleted only from the Briefcase or from their original locations as well, which would be catastrophic. The lack of concern for the customer’s data or ease of use is apparent at every step.

    I really have no idea how I can use the Briefcase service with a FTP client, since there is no easy to spot mention of this.

    Also had a few crashes and moments when the software took control of the computer, which is rarely seen on Mac OS X. But LiveDrive managed to bring back memories of my “other” operating system days.

    3. This is the first site I have seen in a very long time which does dot cancel your account with an automated procedure that you can control; you have to send an email. This alone should make people steer away from this so-called “service”.

    Overall, this is clearly made to trick people. The site’s pages load very quickly, which makes you think that their service should be quick as well. Instead, everything is made at a snail’s pace.

    Of course, reading about the company’s CEO is enlightening. Like CEO, like company. Bag of lies.

    Stay away.