Sync.com Review 2024: Here’s Why It’s So Popular

One of the most appealing things about cloud storage is that it’s usually easy to use. It’s simple to drag and drop your file and have it uploaded in a few minutes or hours, depending on the size. When talking about ease of use, we must focus on the Sync.com review as one of the better providers in this regard.

Sync.com is among the most prevalent cloud storage services. Millions of people use it, both for personal and business purposes. Furthermore, the provider sports an intuitive interface, apps for all platforms, and seemingly rock-solid security.

Our in-depth Sync.com review for 2024 will put all these claims to the test. We’ll see if the service is worth the money and discuss all the essential features you can find in it. Before buying it, we highly recommend you read our comprehensive review, as we offer extremely valuable information.

What Is Sync.com?

If we were to describe what is cloud storage, we’d say it’s a straightforward option to keep your files safe and secure online. If you ask us what is this provider, we’d say virtually the same about Sync.com. Simply put, it’s a definition of a user-friendly cloud service.

However, that’s not all. Sync.com has plenty of features to offer, along with flexible plans and even a free 5 GB plan that you can use forever. We’re talking about a fairly old company established in 2011. It’s a company from Canada, having its headquarters in Toronto.

In the same fashion, Sync’s data centers also reside in Canada, under extreme security measures. So far, the provider had no particular security issues, and even after more than a decade of its existence, it serves over 2 million users.

It’s also one of the rare providers that offers unlimited cloud storage! This is especially useful for large businesses and those in need of server-level space. In addition, the service comes with interesting features, such as HIPAA and SOC compliance, making it even safer to use.

Overall, Sync.com seems like a sensible choice in the sea of average options on the market. And in this full review of Sync.com, we’ll see if this is the case.

To find out more, stick with us to the end and read this Sync review for 2024 carefully. For the start, here are its pros and cons:

Sync.com Device Support & Accessibility

Starting this Sync review for 2024, we need to discuss its app-related features. For one, Sync comes with incredible accessibility on all platforms, making it easy to get into. It works on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, with no app for Linux. This isn’t a big deal, though.

How to Get Started on Sync?

Setting up Sync cloud storage isn’t a big deal either.

We had a fun time with it, especially during the first setup, which lasted about a minute. And we’re being generous! To set up this cloud storage, simply register your email, and enter your password, and you’ll be given the option to download the app for your platform.

Alternatively, you can just move on to the web app and start using the service immediately. If you go for the paid version, which we did, the only “bonus” step is to make a payment, which, again, takes 20 seconds tops. And that’s all – you don’t even need to verify your email right then and there!

Albeit, verifying your email is always smart to ensure non-interrupted access to your account. If we combine all these steps, the total time needed to set up Sync.com doesn’t go above 2 minutes. So if you’re a newbie or you’re too lazy, this option will scratch your itch.

Sync Desktop App

Let’s start with the desktop app in this Sync.com review. It’s honestly not the best app in terms of how it looks and feels. In fact, it’s barely an app.

Once you install it, it’ll work in the background and be located below in the app tray – on Windows, at least.

Double-clicking on the tray icon will open the sync folder and when you copy and paste the files there, they’re synced to the cloud storage. In other words, the upload process starts. We don’t like that it doesn’t offer a full application like pCloud, for instance.

pCloud is better overall and its desktop app closely resembles its web version. Nevertheless, you can also open the Settings menu of the app as well. Simply click once on the tray icon, select the Gear icon, and click on Preferences. In this menu, you can tweak some basic settings.

For instance, behavioral settings are here, so you can select to run the app when your PC starts or show icon overlays. Configuring the network proxy or enabling SSL certificates is also possible. In the Advanced menu, you can choose which folders to sync as well, which is quite handy.

Compared to, again, pCloud or even NordLocker, its desktop app isn’t the most feature-rich. Interestingly, the web version is actually a LOT better, which you’ll see in the Sync.com review in just a minute.

Sync Mobile App

The mobile app looks fairly decent and is reasonably easy to use. Nothing too fancy here. Opening the app leads you to the sign-in screen, and once you log in, the dashboard will show all your files on the cloud. Once again, you can access your Vault with a tap on the screen.

If you click on the three dots next to the file, you can open it, share it with other people, and save or sync it offline. In the Settings menu, you’ll find the standard features that we often have in cloud storage applications of this type.

You can automatically upload videos/photos from your camera, manage uploads, and enable the passcode lock. We also like the option to sign in using your fingerprint, as it eliminates the need to type in your password each time you want to access your cloud storage.

In general, we’re talking about a properly-optimized app that you can enjoy on iOS and Android. This extends to tablets and laptops with these systems – not only smartphones, of course.

Sync on the Web

So the web app of Sync.com is displayed in the screenshot below. What’s so magical and majestic about this overly white screen that pierces your eyes like the morning sun? Well, the fact that it’s easy to upload and download files is one of the best things.

Simply drag the file from your desktop and Sync will start the upload process. Conversely, downloading can be done with one click. You can create new folders, show deleted files, and set up a new shared folder. Sync.com offers this Vault feature as well.

Adding files to the Vault prevents syncing to other devices. This will help you free up some space on your physical storage and functions the same as your standard upload. Just drag and drop the file to the Vault to have it stored securely.

From the same web app window, you can also share files/folders with your team or get a secure link for sharing. Moreover, while the file uploads, you can still use the app without interrupting the process. IDrive’s extremely slow web app doesn’t allow for that – such a shame.

Clicking on your profile name and selecting Account Settings leads you to another robust menu. Here, you can find even MORE options than in the desktop app, which sounds kind of silly. In the Security menu, you can enable 2FA, email password recovery, and even set up automatic logout.

All in all, we’re impressed with its web app, as it’s one of the best we’ve used. It’s not better than pCloud but it’s up there with this incredible cloud storage service.

Is Sync.com Fast for Transfers?

One of the major complaints about Sync cloud storage is that its transfer speeds are slow.

Well, in our Sync review, we can’t say we’ve been impressed by its performance. We haven’t been disappointed either! The performance of cloud storage mostly boils down to your internet speed.

Having a slow internet connection won’t make cloud storage magically faster. Conversely, having a faster internet connection will ease up your transfers and make them easier to realize, which results in having to wait shorter for uploads and downloads.

With that said, we first need to go over a few testing parameters. One is our internet speed, which is displayed in the screenshot below:

Our internet speeds are quite fast. We can say our download speed is 330 Mbps, while upload speeds won’t exceed 20 Mbps. For this Sync test, we decided to go with our standard 3 GB review file that we’ll upload and then download from cloud storage.

This is an RAR file comprised of random songs and files, just to make up the size of approximately 3 GB. With all of the parameters clearly displayed, it’s time to move on to the actual test results.

Uploading

First, we have to upload the file. We’re using the web app because of its simplicity, so after dragging and dropping the file, Sync began our transfer immediately.

If we do the math according to our upload speed, the file should be uploaded in about 22 minutes – more or less. 18.63 Mbps equates to around 2.33 MBps of upload speed, so you can do the calculation yourself if you want.

However, as we expected from this Sync.com review, the provider wasn’t the fastest. We started our upload process at 7.46 a.m. only for it to end at 8.39 a.m. So instead of 20 or so minutes, we’re looking at a time of about 53 minutes – quite a difference.

It looks like Sync.com didn’t utilize our upload speed to the fullest, and in fact, halved it for some reason. The same could be said about its syncing speed, which isn’t any better. Uploading files to the Vault folder yields the same results, so this is the level of performance you’ll be getting.

For comparison, pCloud completed the same upload in ~30 minutes, so it performs significantly better. See our guide about the fastest cloud storage services here if you seek superior performance.

Downloading

With disappointing upload speeds, it’s time to see how well the service performs when downloading. As soon as the upload process was completed, we went ahead and tried to download our file.

According to our ~335 Mbps download speed, we should be downloading at roughly 41 MBps.

Unfortunately, in this Sync.com test, we couldn’t get more than 17 MBps. Compared to our 41 MBps native download speed, this is indeed a dip. Once again, for better performance, use pCloud, as it utilizes your network’s performance more efficiently.

At least all plans get unlimited data transfer, so you can upload/download even if we’re talking about the most extensive files. OneDrive, for example, limits you to just 100 GB.

Sync Features Review: Does It Live Up to Expectations?

Being a premium service with millions of users, the expectations of Sync.com are quite high.

In this Sync cloud storage review, we’ll analyze its crucial features and see if it can stand up to the big boys given its bold statement about being a perfect Dropbox alternative and promoting “dropping Dropbox” and using Sync instead.

Zero-Knowledge Encryption

Sync offers end-to-end zero-knowledge encryption which we always appreciate. This AES-256 encryption applies to all your files and transfers, ensuring every aspect of the storage is affected. In addition, this encryption makes it impossible for Sync to view or access your files.

The encryption keys to access your storage are known only to you and if you lose them, it’s game over because Sync.com doesn’t know your keys. We’ve seen this feature in NordLocker as well, which does it a bit better and offers stronger security overall.

MS Office 365 Integration

When it comes to collaboration and productivity, we can’t say this is the best option according to our Sync.com review. However, we’d be complete liars if we didn’t mention its flawless MS Office 365 integration, which works wonderfully.

Sync.com allows you to access MS Office documents and files directly from the cloud if you have a premium subscription. Not only that but you can actually edit all these files on the cloud without having to download them to your device previously.

This makes the job much easier and faster, especially when you need a quick check-up or an edit of the document in question. We frequently used this feature for editing our Word and PowerPoint documents and syncing their latest versions across all devices.

File Versioning

Speaking of versions, file versioning is yet another handy addition. Sync.com automatically saves all previous versions of your files on its servers, along with deleted files, just in case you make up your mind.

And you know what? This won’t take up additional space in your storage!

When it comes to file versioning, we can comfortably say it’s among the best around. The cheapest plan offers a 180-day file history, with more expensive plans bumping it up to 365 days or 1 year. This lets you quickly access the file version you want and work with it instantly.

Bear in mind that even free plan users can enjoy this feature, albeit only for 30 days. Like pCloud, Sync.com offers a so-called rewind function along with file versioning. This feature allows you to fully rewind the entire account and do the same with each file individually.

Decent File Sharing Options

As one of the safest online storage providers, Sync offers secure file sharing with plenty of features. You can create a link for the file you want to share and then fully customize it to meet your needs.

This can be done either through the desktop, mobile, or web app in the same fashion.

Links can be joined with labels and passwords, where the latter will help fend off unauthorized people. File permissions are also here and you can enable options like view only, view & download, or view, edit & download for authenticated users.

Even better is the option to enable enhanced privacy, which adds another layer of security. Premium users like us can turn on options like download limits, expiry dates, download count stats, and much more. Let’s not forget about team sharing in this Sync.com review.

It’s an excellent tool for improving collaboration and providing your team with a centralized workspace through a secure cloud folder. From here, you can also change per-user permissions and make sure every team member can access his/her part of the storage properly.

Multimedia Features

In terms of multimedia features, pCloud is perhaps the best choice. It lets you reproduce videos, see photos, and share both types of files in a blink of an eye.

While Sync allows you to upload videos on your cloud space, it doesn’t let you reproduce them directly – at least not on Windows and macOS.

Android and iOS apps can do this, though, which makes Sync’s desktop apps a bit lacking, as said previously. At least you can easily open photos and documents on all platforms.

And if you find this video-related problem to be concerning, you can always switch to pCloud instead.

Backups & Syncing in Real Time

In the end, we need to mention Sync’s obvious syncing capabilities. We’re talking about real-time syncing, which means new files instantly get uploaded to the cloud. As a result, all your files from different devices are available from the single Sync app.

Backups are also possible but bear in mind that this isn’t a backup service like IDrive. However, the service can still back up the majority of your files and restore them on another device if needed. If you’d rather use a backup service, consider IDrive instead.

Safety & Security

Okay, so in terms of safety and security, you can expect some praise in this Sync.com review. After all, this is an extremely popular option and 2 million registered users wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t secure. As said earlier, the provider offers zero-knowledge encryption – a nice addition.

In this case, it’s 256-bit AES encryption, which is the highest standard with no possibility of penetration. Also, encryption applies to files at rest and those at transfer, so it’s end-to-end encryption. It will ensure your transfers are never endangered and your files are safe and sound.

If you check the Settings menu of its web app, you’ll also find the option to enable 2FA. This will help prevent access from an unauthorized person, as he/she will have to go through the verification process. In terms of server locations, Sync.com is from Canada and its servers are there as well.

Sync.com cares about its servers and keeps them secure in Scarborough and Toronto. More expensive plans are also GDPR, PIPEDA, and HIPAA compliant and neither of them allows for third-party tracking, ensuring the highest level of privacy when using the service.

Alongside all of these features, Sync.com offers additional features we mentioned. File history/versioning, account rewind, secure sharing, and many other functionalities are here. No doubt, Sync.com is both safe and secure, with no room for unwanted data breaches.

Customer Support

In our Sync.com review, customer support wasn’t as impressive as we thought it’d be. For one, there’s no live chat support, and two, only the most expensive plan gets VIP response time & on-demand business hour phone support. You get it – 24/7 support won’t be there.

The good news is that each premium plan gets priority email support with 99.9% uptime. During our Sync test for 2024, we had no issue contacting the support team and getting the required help. However, its response times aren’t the shortest – we must be honest.

On a busy day, you’ll wait for about two hours to get a response, which isn’t great. IDrive’s customer support is still a bit better. By the way, read more about IDrive in our review. Sync.com has a decent help center with proper help guides that you can always access.

There’s a plethora of helpful articles that remove the need to contact support. Vital to mention is Sync’s blog section which houses a solid number of articles, albeit, more about general cloud storage topics. All in all, its support leaves plenty to be desired and isn’t the best around.

If this plays a vital role in your selection process, also consider NordLocker. For us, this provider’s customer support is currently unparalleled.

Sync.com Pricing – How Much Does It Cost?

Since we’re near the end of our Sync.com review, we need to talk about its prices. Throughout this test, we mentioned that Sync is relatively affordable but this word doesn’t have the same meaning for all people. For someone, even a Bugatti is affordable!

In the screenshot above, we displayed its plans for individuals first. As you can see, Sync relies on three subscription plans – one free and two paid. The first paid plan is called Solo Basic and comes at the price of $8 a month or $96 each year. Simple math.

If you’re more demanding and you’d rather get 6 instead of 2 TB of storage, you’re looking at Solo Professional. This plan bumps up the price to $20 per month or $240 per year, which is… well, not the cheapest around. Alternatively, you can pay for this plan $24 each month – definitely not recommended.

The Solo Basic plan offers 2 TB of storage with advanced sharing and other features we mentioned. The Solo Professional gives you 6 TB of storage, advanced sharing, and custom branding, so it’s more business-oriented.

Both plans come with unlimited data transfer, with one crucial difference. Namely, the first offers a 180-day file history, while the second boosts it to 365 days. Is the more expensive plan worth the price? Well, it’s for you to decide – we don’t know whether or not you need more storage with these functions.

Sync Free Cloud Storage Review

One thing we can say for sure is that free cloud storage is worth it when talking about Sync. It’s by no means better than pCloud’s free plan with 10 GB of storage, as it offers just 5 GB instead. Also, the plan offers basic sharing only, albeit, with a few excellent features on top.

For example, zero-knowledge encryption is in the free plan too, which is akin to NordLocker. Furthermore, Sync.com includes 30-day file versioning in this plan, so you can still access and use the older versions of your files. Keep in mind that Office 365 integration isn’t available in this plan.

Another disappointing fact is that you can share only three links at a time, which can be quite limiting if you frequently share files. Users who install the mobile app – like us – can get 1 GB on top, which results in a grand total of 6 GB of free storage.

And if you manage to invite some new users to the platform, you can get up to a whopping 25 GB of storage for FREE. We can say Sync’s free plan is decent but far from the best. As said, you can test pCloud for free and enjoy even more features, better sharing capabilities, and faster speeds.

Business Plans

Business plans or Team plans as Sync.com calls them, are a crucial factor of this service. This time, we’re looking at three subscription plans, with Teams Standard starting at $6 a month per user for the annual plan. As such, the plan will cost you $72 a year for each concurrent user.

Users get 1 TB of secure storage and one administrator account, along with other features you can find on the site. Teams+ Unlimited is the name of the more expensive plan at $15 a month per user when billed annually. Or perhaps, if you want monthly billing, it’d be $18 per user a month.

This plan offers unlimited storage, phone support, admin delegation, and custom branding. Let’s also mention 365-day file versioning, unlimited link sharing, group-level share folder management, and many other commodities.

Finally, there’s this Enterprise plan for 100+ users with a custom quote. As you can see in this review of Sync.com, the service even offers an unlimited storage option, which is rarely seen nowadays. But if you have a large business and your needs for storage space are dire, this plan seems very sensible.

Sync.com Review Summary

Wrapping up today’s Sync.com review for 2024, we’ve only one question to answer – Is it worth the price? Well, since we’re discussing an inexpensive online storage service, it’s safe to say it perfectly justifies the price. From this review, it’s easy to tell why.

Sync is safe and secure, compatible with all platforms, and offers plans for individuals and teams. While we dislike its slow speeds, subpar support, and basic apps with lackluster multimedia features, saying that Sync is popular for no reason would seem ludicrous.

Our team, however, prefers pCloud instead. pCloud is simply faster, it offers more functional apps and stronger Swiss-grade security. Let’s not forget pCloud’s more generous Free and Business plans that serious users will enjoy more.

We also recommends checking out NordLocker. This service sports end-to-end encryption, modern-looking apps, better customer support, and a few cheaper plans. As always, we leave the ultimate decision to you. With this review done, we think you have your answers.