Overall Rating
Syncplicity is one full-featured options for offsite storage, offsite backup, synchronization, and file sharing that offers a no cost account with 2 GB and a basic plan that includes 50 GB of storage space for $9.99/month ($0.20/GB/month). Paid accounts will feature unlimited bandwidth, no maximum files size limit, and no restraints on the available max storage space that can be purchased. You can contact the compnay directly if you need even more space. Syncplicity uses the Amazon S3 service for most of its storage, and stores your files with 128-bit SSL encryption. Business solutions are available including corporate branding options with no limitation on the number of user accounts. Syncplicity allows for online editing (via Zoho) and client software for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X. Other features include mobile access, drag-and-drop, and a Facebook App. Furthermore, Syncplicity has its own API that developers can take full advantage of to modify and extend upon Syncplicity’s current abilities. Like all syncing services, Syncplicity is expensive compared with other types of data online backup solutions. Dell’s DataSafe gives you 100 GB of storage for a little more than one-quarter the price.
PC Advisor chose Syncplicity as its top pick among file-syncing services because it’s straightforward to use and has some nice features that make it useful as both a syncing and data online backup service. One main limitation, however, is its versioning policy. A gratis account only gets you storage of five previous versions of the file or a 30-day version archiving limit, whichever is less. Upgrading to a paid account gives you access to unrestricted previous versions.
For improved convenience and control, you can perform several functions from the Syncplicity program window, such as adding or removing folder. You can also mark folders that ought to be backed up only once to the server and not continuously monitored for changes or downloaded to other computers. You can share folders with family or colleagues by marking a folder as shareable in Syncplicity’s program window, and using a menu to send e-mail notifications to anyone you’d like to have view/access the folder and the people you share with don’t need a Syncplicity account. It’s up to you whether to allow the other users to modify files or only view them. If one file gets edited by two or more people simultaneously, Syncplicity downloads all the conflicting versions as individual files to every machine. The version saved from your own machine keeps its original name. The versions edited on other 
machines get downloaded to your PC with the initial name modified with the date edited from the other PC. It’s up to you to determine which version you’ll keep.
One prospective confusion we found in the Web interface is that the file directory includes a Recycle Bin that uses the same icon as the Windows’ Recycle Bin, and the two aren’t synchronized. Syncplicity’s recycle bin stores all the files you’ve deleted from the folders on the computers Syncplicity synchronizes. Those deleted documents stay on the Syncplicity server until you empty the Syncplicity Recycle Bin or permanently remove them using the Web interface.
Syncplicity has an allotment of loyal users, but we found it a bit difficult to maneuver on a every day basis, with too many glitches. The free 2GB trial version is certainly worth trying if you want the ability to sync your Windows document and desktop folders routinely. Syncplicity’s basic features compared fairly closely to those in its biggest rivals, Dropbox and SugarSync. Like SugarSync, Syncplicity can synchronize documents in any folder you pick out. However, unlike those two services, Syncplicity includes unique features that let you link to Google Docs and sync with Facebook photo albums, but you’ll discover a decent amount of bugs using Syncplicity with these other cloud services. Syncplicity does support both Windows and Mac’s, although we have heard of some troubles with the Mac client in the past.
Customer support is gnerally provided via FAQs, user guides, tutorials, forums, and email. Many users on Syncplicity’s support forums report that they can’t get the service’s Google Docs integration to work. Ours worked, more or less, but we did have a fairly large glitch. Some of our Google Docs documents got downloaded with the correct filenames but lacking their actual content. Syncplicity had converted them to tiny files containing only the line “Sorry, that file is corrupt, or an unknown format.” The same file, when downloaded directly from Google Docs to my PC was whole and complete. Another issue is that Syncplicity can only sync with a restricted number of file types with Google Docs. We suggest that you study the support forum to find out precisely which types are supported, Syncplicity’s “Info” page lacks that information.
If you wish to keep your complete desktop, documents folder, or various supplementary folders synchronized between multiple computers, then Syncplicity gets the task done. If, like us, you prefer to use a cloud-based service to sync only the files you’re currently working on and a limited amount of files you know you’ll always require, and you don’t aspire or need to synchronize your entire desktop and documents folders, then you may well prefer the less cumbersome and more elegant operation offered by SugarSync or Dropbox.
How Syncplicity Works Videos:
