IDrive Online Backup Reviews 1,762

Don't use!

I paid for 100GB upload and their system struggled letting me upload 45GB. For months they asked me to try again and again, always claiming they made changes. It simply would not work. During that time the fees piled up.
I asked for a refund as it never worked and they offered me $2.50 refund!

In my opinion this is a scam - stay clear everybody!
Spread the word, nobody should have to pay for a service that is not being provided!

Am giving IDrive a 3 because it does what it is designed to do--backup hard drive files!
However, it takes some configuration adjustments to back-up any drive connected via USB. Have been able to reach support and they have been able to help on these issues. It sends status reports via email of the last backup. If there is a failure, it will only show that there was a failure, but provides no details of which files or folders were in error. May elevate the rating after I verify the backup. For now I have just been trusting that it has been backing up as reported.

I currently cannot access any o fly files as IDrive is not allowing me to access my files and despite urgent calls with Support yesterday (7 August 2023) it STILL is not accessible - I cannot get my files (this is THE back-up for critical files and documents) and they say there is a "Security" issue they are looking into - yet back pedal when I start to mention regulators and their legal responsibility to inform customers.

The Support team are not being honest or transparent.
The technical team have done NOTHING.

I've been using the iDrive backup software for about eight months now and I've been very happy with it. The pricing is fair - with 5TB over all devices in my subscription. I use it for both my laptop and desktop and have used it for the laptop while on the road. It also works with external drives when I plug them in.

I get brief daily emails (configurable) to confirm backups have run or had problems. It seems to be efficient. I currently use about 3.4TB with over 200k files. It is worth noting that this is not a versioning backup, but a single copy held remotely. So it protects against a disk crash or accident, but not against unwanted modification or deletion.

I've looked at many backup solutions and IDrive came out on top.

They offer 5TB of storage for an unlimited number of devices at a price that's cheaper than most other services. The "unlimited devices" is important (and relatively rare in the online backup space) because I can back up my multiple computers, my Android, and my iPhone all using a single IDrive account (each device's backup is separated, but accessible to all so you could restore a file from one computer to another if you wanted).

Other services offer unlimited storage but limit you to a single computer. That was a non-starter for me, but may make sense for people with a single device and over 5TB of storage needs. Also, with other services, assuming there's even a mobile app available, often it's just for viewing your backed-up files, not for actually backing up the device it's installed on. The IDrive mobile apps allow both.

The computer software took a few tries to get right, but after getting it set up it's rock solid. I can specify what folders/drives I want backed up (or simply the entire computer), specify files and folders (with wildcards) that I *don't* want backed up (e.g. temp/tmp/cache) and can set the entire backup on a scheduler. Notifications and status emails are sent about each backup.

There are also optional security features that I've taken advantage of.

The first is that you can use your own private key that causes the files to be encrypted locally prior to transmission. That means that nobody - including IDrive itself - can view your backed up files (technically, they could most likely view the file *names* but not the actual content). It's not the default, and you have to choose it prior to doing any backups, so pay attention on the initial setup. You can use the default, which is to use an encryption key that IDrive creates for you. The data would still be encrypted, but it does mean that in the unlikely event of a rogue IDrive employee or stolen key somebody else could view your backups. You can always switch later, but doing so means "resetting" your account which deletes all of your current backups and makes you start over (which makes sense).

The second security option is to enable multi-factor authentication. Every time I log into the application I need to verify it by entering a code from the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app (I believe other options like text codes are available as well).

Both the private encryption key and multi-factor authentication are probably overkill, but the slight inconvenience means nobody except me is going to be seeing my backups - something to consider with any online solution.

As far as tech support, I did have some questions about the application behavior and getting things set up, and tech support was very responsive. You have to create a support ticket via the web site, but after that communication is via email. Response time was a day or less for the initial contact, but very quick after that, sometimes within minutes. Responses were sometimes a little scripted, but helpful and reps were quick to escalate when necessary.

Finally, backup times were very quick. Granted, I have symmetric 1GB fiber internet so upload speeds are pretty quick, but I did try SpiderOakONE backup solution and the upload speeds were horrible with the same connection. I've upload around 2TB of data from 2 machines to IDrive in a couple of hours.

Overall, IDrive is quick, stable, offers a generous amount of storage for the money, allows unlimited devices, and supports backup of computers plus phones. The default privacy options are good, but optional ones are even better. I wish the PC software was a little more intuitive, and access via the web version is lacking (but luckily you can do most everything via the local applications).

Cloud Drive not upload folders or files
Impossible to trust this solution, i came from Drive google, anc make the shift for the price and space.
But the Grafical interface not show errors, simple not upload random files , subfiles and archives, so i need to REVIEW every single folder and his subfolders...
A waste of time!!
INvert and review the system o prepare to die for a bad service solution!!

This is mainly a Backup-Service with tons(!) of storage for a real competitive price. I had no mayor failures in my two years.

Upload is fast and more or less reliable (sometimes it takes two attempts or so – but the upload size is relatively small every time, so no big deal). Resorting works on a file-basis and is fluid.

The UI looks and feels a little bit outdated, but gets basic stuff done. After setup you'll only encounter the "status" window, which is fine. E-Mail notification if something's going downhill works.
TwoFactor is only by E-Mail and was very slow to respond, tragedy! But while the "Encryption Key" is needed after log-in to mess around with backups, it is okay-ish.

Hot tip: Get the "iDrive Photos"-App on your smartphone. Convenient backup solution for your e.g. ApplePhotos-App (must stay open when backuping tho). Here, the design is modern, nice!

Yes, they do offer a same-sized "cloud Storage" like iCloud at no extra cost, but the implementation is not as straight forward, as I am used to from GoogleDrive or else. For example, all devices have all files stored locally at all times (= no local storage gain) and you must choose syncing details in their UI, which can be a bit fuzzy.
I'll take it as it is free of charge, but would not pay for it.

Be aware of the student discount (50% off). Nothing comes close to that!
Customer Services can't convert a standard- to a student-account! Disappointing, so you must create a new account for that...

// All based on my personal experience in the last two years.

After getting the 20TB plan, I tried to backup my computer and it would only backup 50GB of my 1.2 TB. I tried troubleshooting myself with no luck. After calling tech support, they wanted access to my computer. After giving them access, they tried exactly what I had already tried on my own and it still did not fix the issue. Then, they had a higher up tech specialist call me an hour later and accessed my computer again. He tried the exact same things and said he didn't know what the issue was.

I have since cancelled my account (which was a lengthy, difficult process) and am waiting for my credit card info to be removed from the service.

I highly recommend staying away from this service/software at all costs!

Good service! I bought a 5 terabyte subscription. Price 19.90USD for 1 year. Then after 1 year the price will be 79.50USD for 2025. I compared prices, speed and usability with other sites and chose idrive.com. The download speed on idrive.com at first I had about 20-30 Mbps. I contacted idrive.com support via chat (it's convenient that there is quick help from the staff). They helped me with advice. One day later I saw that I have a local problem with the quality of the Internet. I fixed the problem and my download speed to my idrive.com drive has increased dramatically! I have already downloaded 378 gigabytes of my personal files very quickly and will continue downloading to my drive. This service turned out to be beneficial for me even compared to mega.nz! Very convenient (website) office and managing your files. There is a desktop application for creating backups. So far everyone is happy!

I never subscribed to iDrive, they sent me an email saying I had to upgrade but when I told them I never signed up in a first flace, they became dismissive. Considering the GDPR laws and the protextion of my data seemed compromised (my email was unfortunately hacked once and found myself subscribed to Spotify, I'm from Italy and the emails were in Spanish/Portuguese and tracked it back to Chile eventually lol) they simply answered with "thanks for the update". In turn I thanked them for the great customer service and their work ethic...there are so many backup platforms out there, stay away from this one. I am not even sure if they tried to scam me instead, which could be a possibility given their behaviour.

I've only just started using Idrive - at 1st I thought the price was to good to be true but I paid my £20 (1st year offer) and to my 5tb - I have a small home lab and backup of pcs servers mapped drives ect prooved both easy and very fast - so far I'm very impressed let's hope it continues on into the future

Credit card was charged twice. When reaching out to "customer service" I had to make a phone call to billing. I was talking with someone driving down the highway with the windows down or similar. I hung up.
I was informed that I had created 2 accounts with them via chat / email. Seriously? No, I would not have created a second account and used the same credit card within minutes of each other using the EXACT same email. Currently still trying to get my data and card information removed from that site. Almost a month later now.
I did get a refund thanks to the Credit Card company I use but beware.
The simple resolution would have been refunding and deleting 1 "account" even though there should never have been a second in the first place.
I am willing to give the "service" one more try but to be honest, the trust level is gone at this point.

One month later, the company has resolved a few of the initial issues but not fully. Payments were refunded properly and while support still suffers a bit, some of the help I have received has been decent. I have signed up for a new smaller plan and asked questions via chat during the entire account creation.

The final factor in moving this review to 4 stars will be the quality of services rendered.

Given a complex world I understand support can be difficult due to language barriers and it seems some of this is a result. All good, that is understandable. At least the company has been fully cooperative and concerned at this point.

iDrive's cloud storage service proves to be a reliable and feature-rich solution for individuals and businesses seeking secure data storage and accessibility. With robust encryption protocols, cross-platform compatibility, and convenient file management features, iDrive offers a seamless experience. Moreover, their exceptional customer support, characterized by prompt and knowledgeable assistance, solidifies iDrive's reputation as a reliable provider in the cloud storage industry. Whether you need to protect personal files or manage critical business data, iDrive is an excellent choice.

I had an issue with the credit card on file, and was sent an email pointing out that I'd missed updating the card on file, on June 14. On June 16, I updated the card, but too late- all my backed up files had been deleted.
Here's part of their "after the fact" email: "Avoid future interruptions and keep your data safe by ensuring your account is always up-to-date and fully paid!".
Hopefully YOUR card on file never gets canceled, and you don't miss updating this one of the many accounts tied to that card.
I would have gladly paid extra fees, if they'd contacted me with a "impending deletion of data warning: you can save your data before it's gone" email.

Endless backup errors. Their software support did get back to me and fixed my first string of issues at their end but a few weeks later i was back to endless errors in backing up. Just not worth the hassle in my experience even though the price was great. I uninstalled and bought a subscription with another backup service instead, even though I have a year left in my subscription.

I have been using IDrive for several months now, and it is doing a great job of backing up my primary C drive as well as my two auxiliary drives full of RAW format photos and 4k video footage.
It is simple to use and set up, and seems good enough for pro use. It also doesn't put too much of a load on the system unlike some competing products. I'm glad I purchased it, and it's a good value.

No more free plans. If you had one, they discontinue it (even if you had it for years) and force you to upgrade.

Overall work great for me, just the upload speed for huge file will take sometime, but it will done in a few day so i guess still good to me, currently 2nd month using it and feel great

Don't really have faith in the software. Too many little issues.
* Error messages are not really descriptive, and to troubleshoot it you need to turn on tracing and run it all again.
* It has bogged down my system too much and there is no way to throttle IO bandwidth.
* I have caught it consumer over 16gb in memory and yes I have 32GB on my system
* The gui is just not clean, obviously everyone has their own perspective, but it is difficult for me to understand what is being backed-up and what is successfuly backed up and when.
* The Cloud-drive, realtime backup, and scheduled backup along with the different service backups don't have a clear way to see what is going on and provide status.

I have used commercial products that have a simpler interface but that simple interface tells me so much more then idrive.

I continue to work though my issues. Support is decent but it always starts with. please go to xyz directory, enable tracing, run your backup and then upload the results and turn off tracing.

If this is the common troubleshooing how about either just provide a simple button, or hey since the files are backed allow me to share my backup with support (which should include my config and logs)
*duh*

I purchased iDrive more for my phone than my computer. The backup for my computer has always run smoothly. While the app didn't work as well as I had hoped, the customer service team went above an beyond to help me troubleshoot. I would recommend iDrive to people looking for an affordable option for their backup needs. I'm looking forward to trying the iDrive Photos software as well.