SafeCopy Online Backup Review
In response to consumer demand for an off-site method for backing up important files, there are now a lot of online backup services out there. The competition in the market means that it’s become more and more difficult for these services to stand out and differentiate themselves from the crowd. SafeCopy Backup (www.safecopybackup.com) looks to set itself apart through an intensive focus on both usability and reliability. Do SafeCopy’s features make it a compelling service for consumers?
The Basics
The SafeCopy service is available for the Windows and Mac platforms, as well as certain internet-capable smartphones including the iPhone. SafeCopy offers two basic services, one with a 150 GB storage limit, and one with a limit of 250 GB. The 150 GB plan is $50.00 US for one year, while the 250 GB plan is $75.00 per year. There are discounts available for customers who choose to subscribe for more than one year at a time. SafeCopy also offers an optional telephone setup assistance plan for a fee of $30.
Unlike many of its competitors, SafeCopy doesn’t offer unlimited storage. Instead, they emphasize the safety of your data and the reliability of their systems, including fault-tolerant design that purports to prevent transmission errors or corruption of files. They also advertise a proprietary TurboUpload feature that eliminates the unnecessary duplication of backups that can occur with other services.
The Pros
The major advantage that SafeCopy has over its competitors is value. At $50 per year, the 150 GB version of SafeCopy is less expensive than Carbonite ($55/year) and Mozy ($4.95/month). At the same time, SafeCopy allows you to back up files from an unlimited number of sources with a single account. Many of its competitors, including the aforementioned ones, charge on a per machine basis, meaning that you’ll have to pay extra to upload files from additional sources. This means that, if you’re looking to back up files from multiple devices or computers, you’ll save a significant amount of money with SafeCopy, provided you can deal with the 150 (or 250) GB limit.
In terms of performance, SafeCopy is very strong. The client is smooth and relatively unobtrusive. Automatic backups with SafeCopy are relatively simple, and won’t interfere with the performance of your computer. This is partly due to the TurboUpload feature, which eliminates unnecessary activity on SafeCopy’s part.
The Cons
Overall, SafeCopy is a strong online backup service. However, that’s not to say that it’s perfect, as there is one major area in which the service can be improved: SafeCopy’s main weakness is upload speed, which seems to be a bit on the slow side compared to some other services. That being said, it’s not the slowest one out there, either.
The Verdict
SafeCopy is a competent, reliable online backup service. Ultimately, whether SafeCopy would be a good bet for your purposes really depends on the amount of storage you require. If you have less than 150 GB worth of data you need to back up, then SafeCopy is highly recommended. This is especially true if you’re looking to back up files from multiple computers or devices; in these cases, even the slightly more expensive 250 GB plan can be much more affordable than those offered by SafeCopy’s competitors. Visit the Safecopybackup Website.
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This is the most effective and stable online backup product I have ever used. Mozy was problematic and I tossed out Carbonite almost the minute I installed the trial version. I backup every critical computer with an external hard drive as a system backup using BouceBack Ultimate. That is for computer disaster recovery but it will not help if the office burns down or equipment is stolen. I use SafeCopy to backup all of my critical data files as well as pictures and videos.
I thought there was a 200MB file limit but that is not the case. The upload limit defaults to 200MB but you can increase the limit in the Backup Configuration using the Advanced button. The selection is a bit obscure and you must type in your limits. I typed in 6000 and it is now backing up files up to 5.9GB and that fact is stated on the configuration screen where it used to say 200MB. Since the largest single file on any of my computers is 5GB (thankfully only a few, like outlook PST archive files), that is the perfect setting.
On one system I occassional must reinstal the software and the automatic reinstallation does not work. I kept a download of the installation file so reinstalling is not difficult but it requires a reboot. The machine with the problem is XP SP 3.0 and is used as a file server, so a reboot can be stressful. Notheless as far as online backup goes, I would rate this product a 9 but I could go to 10 if I did not have the reinstall issue and the occasional “Internal server error”.
Nice post but it seems kind of out dated because Safecopy nolonger offer 150 and 250 gigs but instead offer 200 and 300gigs for 50 and 70 bucks respectively.I use this backup system and i have to say that i like the services they offer.
It has been four days and still no answer to emails to Customer Support. This looks like a good deal but the backup I have started keeps jamming but I can get no answer to that problem or others I have written them about. Frankly, this is a deal killer as I am not enough of a nerd to go this alone, especially in something as important as a backup tool.