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SugarSync vs SpiderOak

Before I get started, let me just state that I still like SugarSync and once they can get past the issues that are evident in the current release, I will once again gladly recommend them to anyone. Those who have followed my posts know I have been having a myriad of issues with it.

Luckily, SharpCast has been helpful and has been trying to get in touch with me to further discuss the problems I have had. Unfortunately I have had absolutely no free-time other than 5 minutes here or there throughout the day, so I just have not had a chance. This is my fault, not theirs--as soon as I have some time available (hopefully this week), I will set up a call with SharpCast and hopefully we can get to the bottom of the issues.

In the meantime, however, because I still want a Sync solution, I decided to give another contender in the online backup/sync war a chance. This time, it was SpiderOak.

SpiderOak is a peculiar beast--in my week-or-so of using it so far, I am very impressed by some things, and a bit underwhelmed by others.

The Client Application

SugarSync has a nice interface for Windows that is simple to get started with, and offers a huge amount of features compared to something like Dropbox. The interface mostly fits in with the Windows UI, and it integrates with Explorer to show you the status of your synced folders with small colored indicators overlayed on the file/folder icons. There is no background service--the application must remain open (though it can be minimized to the tray).

SugarSync offers clients for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile. Unfortunately this leaves other operating systems, such as Linux, out in the cold.

SpiderOak, on the other hand, offers a consistent and advanced user interface which completely separates its main functions into tabs (Status, Back Up, View, Sync, and Share). The interface is not quite as simple as SugarSync's, but it is perfect for an advanced user looking for advanced functionality. Like SugarSync, there is no background service and the SpiderOak application must remain open (and again, you can minimize it to the tray).

SpiderOak seems to have a focus on being platform agnostic, at least on the Desktop side of things. They support Windows, Mac, and most popular Linux distros. From what I can tell, it looks and works the same on all operating systems it supports. This is a huge plus. You can back up (and even sync) folders between Windows and Linux, or any other supported platform. They have an iPhone application, but there is no Android, Blackberry, or Windows Mobile app just yet.

In short--For a simpler experience (somewhere in-between Dropbox and SpiderOak), or if you require support for your Android, Blackberry, or Windows Mobile device, SugarSync might have just the interface your'e looking for. If you prefer more options over simplicity, or if you need support for Linux but don't mind waiting a while for better mobile support, I recommend SpiderOak.

The Web Interface

The two offer similar features from their web interfaces, but they look very different. SpiderOak takes a minimalistic approach to giving you only what you need where you need it. SugarSync offers a highly-polished web interface with a lot of flash and pizazz, but again, similar features.

SugarSync implements share administration in the main web interface, while with SpiderOak "Share rooms" are completely separate from your web interface.

SugarSync definitely has the more polished UI that is the nicest to work with. SpiderOak's offers similar functionality, but again, lacks some of the bells and whistles and is very minimalistic.

Speed

Comparing the speed of these services is a bit challenging. SugarSync transfers one file at a time, and does it quickly. SpiderOak takes longer to calculate files, and seems to be a bit slower uploading (perhaps because of the server-side processing required), but it uploads batches of files at a time, and only the portion of the file that has changed.

If you need to upload a lot of files in the shortest amount of time, SugarSync will be happy to oblige. SpiderOak gives up a little bit of speed for some advanced data processing, so depending on how you use it, one or the other may be a bigger factor for you.

Backing Up and Syncing

SugarSync supports file versioning, keeps deleted items until permanently removed, and will monitor your filesystem for changes and automatically upload them. SugarSync even offers a Web Archive where you can store files without keeping them synced to any devices. You can move files there from your synced folders, or just upload something directly to the Web Archive. That is a nice feature to have. Also offered are things like simple file sharing, and a new feature with which you can email files to your SugarSync account.

This is a lot of functionality, but it is within this area that SugarSync also seems to suffer from some issues (see my previous posts, and the information below).

SpiderOak also offers file versioning, keeps deleted items, and offers the ability to monitor the filesystem live for backing up. It also allows advanced scheduling functionality, such as choosing how often to perform a backup instead of always doing it live. You can also choose when to schedule syncing and sharing processes--normally it is done on the same schedule as backing up, but you can choose another value.

SpiderOak does not seem to offer a Web Archive feature--every folder is assigned to a device (computer). SpiderOak does offer file sharing much like SugarSync's.

SpiderOak offers similar functionality, without some of the bells and whistles, but in my experience it does not suffer from any of the issues I have had with SugarSync.

Infrastructure

Not much is known about the SugarSync infrastructure--they advertise that data is SSL-secured, and encrypted once it hits their servers. They also indicate the data is stored in "geo-redundant, world class data centers." In practice this seems to work fine, but it's not clear what technology they use for storage and data validation on the back-end, so there is not much I can brag about here.

This is an area where SpiderOak shines. They have developed many open source components to help in this area. They use a custom-built transactional file-system API, They use advanced de-duplication to ensure that the same data is stored in only one place at any given time--this means you will never need to use up extra space when storing the same file more than once.

Price

Both services offer 2 GB of free storage to do whatever you want with--you can use all features, add multiple devices, and sync and share files up to your 2 GB limit.

Beyond 2 GB, both services are very comparable. At the time of this writing, storage from SugarSync costs more, but they do offer cheaper plans with less space than SpiderOak as well. You can get 30 GB from SugarSync for $5/month, which is nice for those who are extremely budget-constrained. On the other hand, you can get 100 GB from SpiderOak for $10/month. This is substantially cheaper per GB, but they only offer 100 GB-increments so you cannot spend less than this.

Problems

Neither service is perfect. But what about issues that might affect your data, or your ability to utilize the advertised features?

I'll switch this around and cover SpiderOak first, because it's the simplest in this respect. I have had two issues in the week or so I've used the service.

1. The SpiderOak Windows client freezes when I try to expand my AppData/Local folder, where a lot of the files I want to back up are located. In the Back Up tab, as soon as I expand the folder, the whole app freezes for a few minutes, then unfreezes for a couple of seconds, then repeats continually until I close the process and start it again. This is highly annoying, and I have not had this issue with any other sync services.
2. I backed up a folder on one machine, created  a new folder on the other machine, and then chose to create a sync between those two folders. While it consistently indicates it's processing the sync, it never actually syncs any of the files to the other machine. Maybe it's something I did wrong, but it seems like it should just work.

Next, SugarSync's issues--they run a bit deeper, and are the main reason I decided to check out SpiderOak in the first place.

1. SugarSync constantly believes that some files are "Backed up and in sync", when in fact they do not seem to be on the server at all. The only way I realize this is when syncing something new to another machine, some files simply don't sync, and I then go in and verify they don't appear in my SugarSync account online. Renaming the original usually causes SugarSync to see it and upload it, but you then cannot use the original name, or it won't sync.
2. In other cases SugarSync believes a file is not in sync, when it actually is. This happens even more often than the previous issue. I will modify a file that is in sync, and immediately upon saving SugarSync renames the file on my computer, appending " (From [Computer-Name])" to it. Attempting to rename the file back gets it immediately renamed by SugarSync again. I can see the file having the original name in my SugarSync account online, but it no longer exists on my computer and won't sync down. I have to delete the file from my SugarSync account online, then rename the new file back to the original name again. This obviously loses all version history for the file and takes a ridiculous amount of time for something that should be automatic.The worst part is, SugarSync never tells you when this happens, you just have to notice it. I eventually went so far as to create a script to scan all of my sync folders and let me know whenever SugarSync renamed a file without my consent. I ended up spending probably an hour per day just fixing all of my filenames.
3. I re-installed SugarSync on their technician's recommendation, and was unable to restore my previous settings after that. Every time I opened SugarSync, it asked if I wanted to restore my old settings, I would choose 'Yes', and it would scan all of my sync folders again (which takes a very long time). Next time I open SugarSync when it's not running, it again asks if I want to restore my old settings and scans everything again. This was very annoying the the only way past it was to set up all of my sync folders again.

As you can see, I've had a couple issues with SpiderOak, but in my experience everything I transmit to them remains secure and unaltered. The integrity of my data is the absolute most important thing for me, and until these issues with SugarSync are understood, I simply cannot put my trust in it.

For novice or intermediate users without huge directory trees to sync, SugarSync works quickly and looks great--you'll have your data synced in no time, but for the time being, you would be wise to monitor that data and make sure it stays consistent with your expectations.

For advanced users, especially those with tons of files to sync and manage, I wholly recommend SpiderOak at this time. You do not need to baby-sit the back-up process or worry about your files being renamed without notification (or at all!). I am still getting acquainted with its sync functionality, and it is not quite as straight-forward and simple to sync folders between computers, but the functionality is there and your data is safe, and that makes me happy for now.