Amazon Cloud Drive: How It Stacks Up

Note: This post discusses the file storage aspects of the Cloud Drive, not the music features of the Cloud Player.

I couldn't agree more with the previous post about the convenience and value of cloud storage services like Dropbox. I am notoriously bad about backing up my hard drive and have lost or destroyed more flash drives than I can count. So what about options besides Dropbox?

Earlier this year, Amazon began offering cloud storage via their Cloud Drive, which provides 5GB of storage space for free compared to Dropbox's 2GB. One check in Amazon's favor. And storage of any MP3s purchased from Amazon don't count against your free storage quota. Cloud Drive also wins when you look at their paid plans, which come in at less than half the annual cost of Dropbox. In addition, Amazon offers up to 1TB of paid storage and music files (any format) that you upload to the Cloud Drive don't take up any of your paid space.

Hands down, Amazon Cloud Drive beats Dropbox in pricing. Unfortunately, it doesn't do so well in functionality.

Currently, Cloud Drive files (excluding music) cannot be sync'd to your desktop, laptop, or mobile devices and are only available via a browser. That's fine when you have Internet access, but what about when you travel. I know that, as librarians, we make the big bucks, but Internet access on planes and in hotels can be costly. Personally, I like having my files (articles, reports, etc.) available anytime, anywhere and the Cloud Drive doesn't make that possible.

Another shortcoming of the Cloud Drive is the inability to effortlessly upload folders. With Dropbox, you can drag and drop entire file structures (folders in folders in folders) in one easy step. Using Amazon, you must create a folder on the Cloud Drive, then upload your files into that folder. If you want a subfolder, you must create it and repeat the file upload process. In other words, moving existing file structures into the Cloud Drive to back them up and make them accessible online is inefficient and time-consuming.

Finally, if you're concerned about the privacy of your files, you should read the Amazon Cloud Drive's Terms of Use, Section 5.2. For more information, check out Steven Vaughan-Nichols article at ZDNet.

The long and the short of it is that, although Amazon Cloud Drive may be cost-effective, for file storage and backup, it doesn't stack up against online services and apps like Dropbox.