IDrive vs Sync.com
We give IDrive a 3.2 GPA and Sync.com a 2.4, out of 4.0. IDrive grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
IDrive
Cloud backup for many devices in one account, with a sync folder
Sync.com
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage and file sharing for teams
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAIDriveVery good | 2.4GPASync.comFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AGraded as backup. Mini is $0.25 a month for 100 GB billed yearly, far under the cheap end of this category, and 500 GB is $0.83. Personal is $9.99 a month for 5 TB once the first-year discount ends. Go over your storage, though, and it's $0.25 per GB a month. | CTeams 1TB is $6 a user a month billed annually, which is ordinary money for this category, middle $5, but it needs 3 users, so $18 a month minimum. On your own, Personal 1TB is $12, past the $9.99 where the dearest tenth starts. And the 50% off covers year one only. |
| Free plan and trial | CIDrive Basic is free with 10 GB and no credit card. That holds your documents, but a computer's worth of photos will go straight past it, so it's a cap most people will hit. | CA free account with 5 GB, which is a few phone videos and then you're done. The better look is the 30-day free trial of a paid plan, with a 30-day money-back guarantee behind it. |
| Features | BGraded as backup, it does the whole job: many devices in one account, continuous backup, 30 versions of each file, snapshots, a private encryption key and drives sent by post for big restores. Cloud Drive adds sync, sharing and editing in the browser. | BIt covers the job properly: end-to-end encryption on every plan, old and deleted versions kept for 90 to 365 days, links with passwords, expiry dates and download limits, file requests, team folders and an admin console, with CloudFiles putting files on demand in Explorer or Finder. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. Install the app, pick what to back up, and it carries on by itself as files change. The one catch is that Cloud Drive sync is a separate service you have to switch on. | C4.15 from about 820 App Store ratings, well behind the 4.6 and up that the big names in this category manage, and enough ratings for that to mean something. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Synology and QNAP NAS apps, and add-ons that back up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box. Every device and then some. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, which covers most people, but no Linux app is mentioned. The other end is nearly bare: Microsoft Office 365 is the only integration listed and there's no API on record. |
| Best for | backing up lots of devices cheaply | encrypted file sharing for small teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: IDrive and Sync.com. How we grade
Price against what you get
IDrive starts at $0.25 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sync.com starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
IDrive scores higher and starts $5.75 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, none scores higher than IDrive for less, and 9 score higher than Sync.com for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- IDrive starts at $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini). Sync.com starts at $6 per user / month, billed annually (3-user minimum).
- Only IDrive lists a Linux app.
- Sync.com is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
At a glance
| IDrive | Sync.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini) | $6 per user / month, billed annually (3-user minimum) |
| Free plan | IDrive Basic: 10 GB of backup storage, no credit card required. Add-ons such as cloud app backup can be bought on top of it. | Free account with 5 GB of storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | IDrive Inc. | Sync.com, Inc. |
| Price read from | idrive.com | sync.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
IDrive
- Households backing up several computers and phones to one account
- Small businesses that need server, NAS and computer backup together
- People who want large amounts of backup storage at a low yearly price
Sync.com
- Teams that need encrypted storage with HIPAA, GDPR and PIPEDA compliance
- Sharing client files with passwords, expiry dates and download limits
- People who want file history of up to 365 days
Worth knowing
IDrive
- Advertised prices are 30% off the first year only, and the discount is not available when signing up from the mobile apps.
- Cloud Drive sync is a separate service that has to be activated; it is distinct from cloud backup.
- Going over the storage limit costs $0.25 per GB a month on Personal and $0.50 per GB on Team and Business.
- Server backup is a $5 per server a month add-on on Mini, Personal and Team, and is part of Business.
Sync.com
- The free account is limited to 5 GB.
- Advertised prices are 50% off for the first year only; plans then renew at the regular prices listed here.
- Team plans require at least 3 users. Teams 10TB costs $15 per user / month billed annually, and Enterprise starts at 100 users.
- Access is listed for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and web browsers; no Linux app is mentioned.
Key features
IDrive
- Many devices in one account
- Back up PCs, Macs, Linux machines, iPhones, iPads, Android devices and external or NAS drives into one account, with continuous backup of changed files.
- Cloud Drive sync and sharing
- Sync folders across linked devices in real time, share files with view or edit permissions, and edit Office files and PDFs in the browser.
- Snapshots and versioning
- Keeps up to 30 previous versions of every backed-up file, with snapshots for point-in-time recovery and a 30-day trash for deleted files.
- Private-key encryption
- Files are encrypted with 256-bit AES, optionally with a key you define that IDrive says is not stored on its servers.
- IDrive Express shipping
- Back up or restore bulk data by mail on a physical drive: free once a year on Personal, three times a year on Team and Business, then $59.95 a request.
- Cloud app backup add-ons
- Back up Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box accounts for $20 per seat a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Sync.com
- End-to-end encryption
- Files are stored end-to-end encrypted on every plan. Sync states that only the account holder has access to them and that the company cannot see them.
- File history and recovery
- Previous and deleted versions of a file can be previewed and restored for 90, 180 or 365 days, depending on the plan.
- Advanced share controls
- Shared links can be read-only or preview-only and can carry passwords, expiry dates and download limits, with notifications when a file is viewed.
- CloudFiles and Vault
- CloudFiles provides files-on-demand inside Windows File Explorer and Mac Finder, and Vault archives files in the cloud only to free up local space.
- File requests and team folders
- Request files from several people without showing them what others sent, and collaborate with internal and external users in shared team folders.
- Team administration
- Team plans add a multi-user admin console and centralized billing. Teams 2TB and Teams 10TB add role-based access control and admin delegation.
Plans
IDrive
Basic$0
10 GB of storage with no credit card required.
IDrive Mini$0.25
per month for 100 GB, billed annually
One user. 500 GB is $0.83 a month. Sold on yearly billing only, to new sign-ups, and the pricing page marks it "Limited time only".
IDrive Personal$9.99
per month for 5 TB, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly)
One user, multiple computers. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year. 10 TB is $14.99 a month and 100 TB $99.99, billed annually.
IDrive Team$9.99
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($11.99 monthly)
5 computers, 5 users and 5 TB, managed from a web console. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year; 10 users and 10 TB is $19.99 a month.
IDrive Business$19.99
per month for 500 GB, billed annually
Unlimited users, computers, servers and NAS devices. Advertised at $13.99 a month the first year; 1.25 TB is $49.99 a month, or $59.99 billed monthly.
Sync.com
Free$0
5 GB of secure storage on a free account.
Personal 1TB$12
per month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly)
1 TB of storage for one user, with advanced sharing and 90-day file history.
Solo 5TB$28
per month, billed annually ($32 billed monthly)
5 TB of storage for one user, with custom branding and 180-day file history.
Personal Unlimited$45
per month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)
Unlimited storage for one user with 365-day file recovery. Upload speed management may apply beyond 10 TB.
Teams 1TB$6
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
1 TB per user with an administrator account and 180-day file history. 3-user minimum.
Teams 2TB$9
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
2 TB per user with custom branding, role-based access control and admin delegation. 3-user minimum.
Ways to pay less
IDrive
- Other savings
30% off the first year
New sign-ups on yearly Personal, Team and Business plans pay 30% less for the first year, such as $6.99 instead of $9.99 a month for Personal 5 TB. Standard pricing applies from the second year.
- Other savings
50% off the first year of a 2-year plan
Two-year plans take 50% off the first year: Personal 5 TB is $179.82 for 2 years instead of $239.76.
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Personal and Team 5 TB cost $9.99 a month billed yearly against $11.99 billed monthly, a saving of about 17%.
- Education
50% off for students and schools
Students, educational institutions and anyone with a valid education email address can get Personal or Business at half price, as a limited-period offer.
Sync.com
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with annual billing
The pricing pages state a saving of up to 25% for annual billing. Personal 1TB is $12 a month billed annually against $16 billed monthly.
- Other savings
50% off the first year
Both pricing pages advertise 50% off for one year on individual and team plans. The promotional price applies to the first year, after which plans renew at the regular price.
