OneDrive vs Syncplicity

OneDrive and Syncplicity are both, in their own ways, rather good at what they do—which is to take your files, hoist them into the cloud and generally make them accessible to you across a variety of devices, assuming you haven’t forgotten your password or been locked out due to some vaguely worded security measure. They both allow you to share documents, collaborate with colleagues and sleep a little better knowing your files aren’t exclusively stored on that laptop you just spilled coffee on. They encrypt things, version things and generally do their best to be helpful—though sometimes in a way that makes you feel as if they’re trying a little too hard.

OneDrive, the proud offspring of Microsoft since 2007, integrates so seamlessly with Microsoft Office that you might suspect it’s actually some kind of symbiotic organism. It’s got the benefit of a familiar name, a free storage tier that’s just generous enough to lull you in before demanding payment and it even plays nicely with Xbox, because even cloud storage services need hobbies. It’s for individuals, businesses and people who don’t want to think too hard about where their files are, as long as they show up when needed—usually somewhere in Windows File Explorer, like a cat returning home just in time for dinner.

Syncplicity, on the other hand, arrived fashionably late in 2008 and took one look at consumer-grade cloud storage before deciding it was having none of that nonsense. It was built for enterprises, the kind that frown at data breaches the way one might frown at an improperly made cup of tea. It’s got serious security, hybrid cloud options and compliance measures so robust they probably have their own legal department. It once hailed from the United States but now has a rather French sense of sophistication, courtesy of Axway. It doesn’t integrate with Microsoft quite as obsessively as OneDrive does, but it does play well with other clouds, because who doesn’t enjoy a bit of variety?

See also: Top 10 Cloud Storages