LiveDrive

Livedrive is the fastest growing and top rated cloud storage vendor on both sides of the Atlantic.

Livedrive are owned by J2 Global and have been in business for 6 years.  They have more than a million customers worldwide.

Their aim is to protect your files while enabling you to access them anywhere at any time.

They also sell all-in-one online solutions to consumers and businesses directly.

Livedrive partner with a number of well known companies such as, Curries, PC World, Dixons, CompUSA and TigerDirect.

Backup and restore features:

Livedrive offer a good range of plans with 3 for the home user. These are, Backup which is a basic back up package, Briefcase which offers file syncing across your devices and the most comprehensive, Pro Suite which gives you the benefits of both backup and briefcase.  Business users have a choice of 2 plans which both include backup and syncing, 2TB and 3 users (unlimited computers) or 10+ TB and users.
This should cover most requirements and you can pay for extra storage, computers or users if necessary.

Livedrive offer all the expected features although not necessarily on every plan  – Continuous backup, incremental backup and scheduled backups are available on Backup, Pro Suite and Business. File syncing is available on Briefcase, Pro Suite and Business.

External hard drives will be included in any back up, but NAS and other network storage location will need to be mapped as a network drive and will cost an additional £5 a month.

On the positive side there is no limit to the file size or type you can upload which is helpful.  Bandwidth throttling is also included even though there is no mention on the website.  Surprising as this is an excellent feature that enables you to optimise your bandwidth.

Livedrive  is good with regard to file versioning. They will store the latest 30 versions of all your files and will keep them for 30 days. They also de-duplicate which means that you will never waste storage on multiple copies of the same file.

The system is easy to access and navigate once downloaded and it allows you to share files so that you do not have to email large attachments.  Also, if you are on a network Livedrive will transfer files across the network and save your bandwidth.  When you set up we suggest you check all the settings as things like encryption are switched off as the default which is not what you would expect.

Security

Livedrive has multiple servers all based in the UK.  This means that your data will be stored in more than one location ensuring that it should never be lost due to a problem with their equipment/building.

It also means that your files are subject to UK data protection regulations which are among the most rigorous in the world.  This is a definite plus point.

Live drive transfer and store data with a 256-bit AES encryption. It is transferred through an SSL tunnel.

The downside is they do not allow user owned encryption keys only Livedrive has access to the key.  This may be a problem for the most security conscious. They also have a mixed policy with regard to server ownership.  They own some themselves but also rent others.

Supported Configurations and Mobile Access:

Livedrive supports Windows XP or later and MAC OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later.  They also offer good apps for iOS, Android or Windows 8 and 10.

The apps allow you to view any of your files from your mobile device as well as upload videos and photos to Livedrive briefcase.

 

This puts them on a par with the rest of the pack.  They also have a specially optimised mobile site for Blackberry and other mobile sites which is a nice touch and not so widely available.

Price Plans

 

All 3 plans offer a 14 day free trial with full features.

Livedrive do not seem keen to give pricing information on the website.

For a 2 year contract (shorter terms will be more expensive) prices are as follows:

• Backup – Starts at £4 per month for 1TB and 1 computer.
• Briefcase – Starts at £8 per month for 2TB (2048GB to be exact) and all your computers and mobile devices.
• Pro Suite – Starts at £12 per month for 5TB (5120GB to be exact) and 5 computers.
• You can add extra storage to Briefcase or Pro Suite for £5 a TB.
• You can add extra computers on Backup and Pro Suite for £1 each.
• Business – 2TB and 3 users – £22 a month and you cannot add extra users or storage.
• Business  – 10TB and 10 users. Additional users can be added for £7.50 a month and an extra TB for £3.75 a month.

Support

Livedrive are not the best here.  You can request support via email and they will respond within 24 hours.

There is a phone number given on the website for but it is pre-sales only which is a shame.

Once you are a member you can also search the Livedrive knowledge base, tutorials and FAQs. There is no live chat either so no immediate help if your answer is not in the knowledge base.

Conclusion

 

The website is short on information and often unclear but the service they provide is good. There is a comprehensive range of plans and the features are useful.

It is unusual to have back up only and sync only plans but for some this may be ideal. Security is good but would be better with user owned encryption keys.

All in all a decent offering for a reasonable price.