In the recent years, we all come to love online file storage and syncing services. They let us store whatever data we have on the cloud, and sync automatically to every connected devices. So all of our important data are always with us wherever we go and whatever devices we use. So what’s not to love?
While all of us love those services, some of us are a tad concerned about storing sensitive information over the cloud file storage and syncing services. An existing law enacted in 1986 called The Electronic Communications Acts, law enforcement entities can obtain your data stored on cloud storage without having a warrant. Sure, there are a lot of ways like using client-side encryption manually over your data, or using services like Wuala and SpiderOak which will not store any encryption key on their servers. However, if law enforcement entities order you to hand over your password, then all encryption keys will be useless.
Now, that’s an extreme example. Not everyone of us are Mafia ring leaders but all of us definitely have sensitive documents like bank account information, tax returns, contracts and trade secret documents. What do we do when we want to have those files in every devices and computers we use without using the cloud? Enter direct syncing. Direct syncing is a way you can sync between your devices without storing any data on the cloud. There are a few ways to do this, so here is how.
1. Use AeroFS – From Free
While it might sound something like a sci-fi movie name, AeroFS is actually a very cool personal cloud service. Basically, AeroFS will allow you to automatically sync anything you place within AeroFS folder to all other connected devices. It will carry the data over encrypted connection and also do end-to-end encryption using AES-256 with 2048-bit RSA algorithms. So there is no way AeroFS will see what your data really is. Since there is no reliance on public cloud, AeroFS can transfer and sync data at maximum possible speed that your Internet connection allows. You can even use that over LAN! One awesome thing here is that anything sync using AeroFS will not be stored on their servers. All your data resides on your devices, and if you decide to share a folder with someone, then you have to explicitly invite that person to share. Oh and best part of it all? AeroFS will not limit how much data you can sync. If you have 100GB of media files, go for it. 1TB? Heck yeah, provided that your connection can take it. Or your sanity.
For personal use and unlimited syncing, it is free to use between 1 to 3 teammates. For team plans, it is $10 per month per teammate. AeroFS promises to bring optional cloud storage should you choose to store your data on the cloud too. But there is no news on it yet.
2. Cubby – From $6.99
A new and really cool file storage and syncing service from LogMeIn, Cubby lets you do two things: direct syncing and cloud file storage plus syncing. A free version will get you 5GB of online cloud storage although you can earn up to 25GB via referrals but what we are really interested in is its paid plans. Cubby’s paid plans start from $6.99 for 100GB of online cloud storage and this is what you need to pay to get DirectSync feature. Yup, it is a premium feature so you will have to pay for it. You won’t regret it though, since Cubby’s online storage is really affordable if you compare it to SugarSync, SpiderOak or Dropbox. Plus Cubby Locks feature will let you hold your own encryption key, so that Cubby or anyone apart from you can read your data.
Once you have upgraded to Pro version, then you can enable DirectSync feature on any folders on your computer. It will skip the cloud entirely and sync directly to any other connected devices. It works as peer to peer file transfer. One good thing with Cubby is that it will keep your file structure, as moving a folder into Cubby won’t really move the whole thing around your computer. An issue we have encountered is syncing speed, but you can speed it up by seeding the same data to other devices you want to sync to, and let Cubby do incremental data changes syncing. We have done a review on them here. Check it out.
3. GoodSync – From $29.95
GoodSync is really simple to use but extremely powerful synchronization tool which you can use to connect several computers in peer-to-peer fashion. So basically, when you are moving data, there is no servers they are passing through. It also ensures that the speed is maximized. It works on all three operating systems and even has iOS and Android apps!. Since GoodSync uses block-level transfers, GoodSync will always analyse the files that have been changed since last sync and only the data blocks that have changes will be transferred, making the sync even faster. It won’t transfer the entire file just because you changed something in it. GoodSync Pro for Windows will cost $29.95 while other OS users will have to pay $39.95. You can then use GoodSync on as many computer as you want. The only limitation will be your own connection and storage space on each computers. Awesome!
4. Tonido – From Free
Tonido basically lets you have remote access to all files on your computer once you have installed Tonido Desktop client app. You can do that from a web browser, a smartphone or a table. When you sign up, you will get your own personalized URL and you have to use it to access your computer, but of course with your username and password too. If you are looking to sync, then you can install Tonido Sync Client software on other computers so that they will sync with data from the main computer. On free plan, you can have up to 2GB of files in the sync (not bandwidth, but the actual total file size). But if you upgrade to Pro account which costs $29 a year, then you can have up to 100GB. This is a tad annoying since all your files locate on your computer, so the limit feels arbitrary. Business plan will cost you $129 a year and allow you to sync up to 200GB of files. The pricing isn’t as expensive if we compare to other file storage and syncing services but let’s not forget that Tonido isn’t storing any data on their cloud. If you have upgraded to a Pro or Biz plans though, you can mount remote computers with Tonido installed as a drive on Windows, or us WebDAV to access the computer from any other operating system.
Conclusion
If you want to sync without storing data on the cloud, there are actually a few more ways than we have mentioned. BitTorrent has released BitTorrent Sync, which is still in beta. And there are other peer-to-peer methods you can use too. But the four ways we have discussed above are the easiest for you to setup without going through complicated technical setups. However, if you just want a really secure file syncing and storage service, then we recommend you to take a look at SpiderOak and Wuala. They both will encrypt your data at your computer, and your password plus encryption key will never leave your computer.
If you know any other tricks for direct syncing, or have questions, then don’t hesitate to let us know.
