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MyPCBackup Review: Mac OS X Online Cloud Backup |
| Sign up for MyPCBackup | |
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| Unique combination of unlimited backup, file syncing across computers, cloud storage and external drive backup | |
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Don't let the name full you, MyPCBackup has now bestowed its usefulness upon Mac users. It is one of many online backup services that boast a low-interference desktop client and an intuitive online remote access site. Like our top-rated service, Carbonite, it gives you unlimited storage space so you can ultimately backup your entire computer and then some. MyPCBackup also has a great mobile app that allows you to access your files anywhere, and a handy file sharing feature that we will discuss later in the review.
Setup After installation, you will be asked to either backup your "My Documents" folder, which is recommended, or more advanced users can do a manual selection of the specific files and folders they want to backup. Once this is done, the MyPCBackup desktop application will launch. This initial backup was pretty fast on the Mac, and you can still use your computer while the backup is running, so if you have a lot of files to back up, no worries! When you backup files on the Mac, you must go into MyPCBackup's desktop application and click "backup selection" whenever you want to add something to backup. Interface The desktop client is intuitive and shows you how much space you have used (not that it matters - you have unlimited storage!), how many files have been backed up, your last backup, your next backup, and whether the backups are on an hourly or daily schedule. When you backup files on the Mac, you must go into MyPCBackup's desktop application and click "backup selection" whenever you want to add something to backup. TUTORIAL: How to Restore Your Computer with MyPCBackup for the Mac Remote Access Using MyPCBackup from the web to access your files from another computer is also easy. After logging into your account, you will see all of the computers that you have backed up. Note that MyPCBackup charges users an extra $24.95 per year (About $2 per month) to backup additional computers. Other services such as SpiderOak and SugarSync allow you to backup an unlimited number of computers; however, they do not come with unlimited backup storage like MyPCBackup. Thus, the $24.95 per extra computer may be a better value for you depending on how many files you need to back up. From the initial web screen, click "View my backed up files" and your backed up files will appear. There are other useful features on the site including an event log that shows your recent file activity, all of your account backup details, and access to your sync folder. Syncfolder The Syncfolder is a great feature that is similar to SugarSync or DropBox. We like it because it combines some of the functionality of those services with an easy-to-use online backup service. The syncfolder comes with 1 GB of free space, and should you need more, an extra space upgrade is available — at a cost of course. The sync folder is like any regular folder on your computer, except it allows you to sync files to other computers. This is very useful especially since you are able to use the syncfolder even if you haven't paid an additional fee to backup more computers. You can access the syncfolder from the desktop or remotely from the website. The syncfolder works in real time, so it automatically updates. If a file is backed up and changed, previous versions of the file are available in the syncfolder as well. This is helpful because it augments MyPCBackup's somewhat limited default versioning. With MyPCBackup, you get free unlimited file versioning for 7 days; however for 30 days it costs an extra $17.95 per year and $49.99 per year if you want unlimited file versioning with your entire subscription. Click here to read more about the syncfolder. Their new file sharing feature is a great idea. Just go to your account, click share a folder, select the folder you want to share and enter your friends' email. Though we wish that the person receiving the shared folder did not have to sign up for a MyPCBackup account to view the shared information, the sharing feature still works great and it is free to sign up. In fact, the two other file sharing giants, Dropbox and SugarSync, also require people to sign up for an account to view shared files. When we shared the folder with emails connected to MyPCBackup accounts, we were able to view the file even easier. Note that in our tests, the shared files would turn up in the spam folder, so make sure you notify the person on the other side of the share. Other Upgrades The basic features of MyPCBackup are a good value; however, you are constantly reminded to purchase extra upgrades. This includes the aforementioned "previous versions plus" upgrade (versioning), hourly backup, additional computer backup, extra sync folder space, priority support (so that your questions are answered faster than other people's), and "supercharged backup," which increases the speed of your backup. The good news is that they are offering, for a limited time, a 50% discount on all of these upgrades. Pricing MyPCBackup basically falls in the middle price-wise. For an up-front yearly subscription you pay $71.40, which comes to about $5.95 a month. A much better value is the 2-year price of $118.90, which brings the cost down to $4.95 a month. 6 months is $41.70 and to try it out for a month it costs $9.95. We chose a 1-month subscription to test the service, but you can try MyPCBackup free for 14 days; however, this limits the amount of files you can initially backup. Conclusion At a price comparable to its competition, MyPCBackup stands out with its unique combination of unlimited backup, file syncing across computers, cloud storage and external drive backup. Though it charges for some of the upgrades to many of the usual online backup features such as versioning, it is still a very good value considering all that it offers. There is also an extensive help section and the email support responds fast even if you did not pay for the "priority response" upgrade — our question was answered within 24 hours. Sign up for MyPCBackup | Compare to Other Mac Online Cloud Backup |
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| Cheapest Price: | $4.95/mo (w/ 2 year plan) |
| Free Trial/ Discount: | 14-day free trial; Save up to 50% w/ annual plans |
| Gigabytes (GB) of Storage Included: | Unlimited |
| # of Computers Backed Up: | 1; $2.08/mo per add'l computer |
| External Drive Backup: | Yes |
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