SugarSync Individual 30GB review

SugarSync's online backup and storage is feature packed. For $5 (£3.29) a month, you get 30GB of online backup space, which can be associated with as many computers as you like, retains up to five old versions of every file you back up, and has phenomenal mobile device support - Android, iPhone, Blackberry and other phones are all supported.

After installation, a setup wizard selects a few popular folders to back up, including your Documents and Pictures directories. If you'd rather select the directories you want to back up yourself, an Advanced Setup option takes you straight to a management screen, where you can add directories to be backed up and shared between your PCs.

One of SugarSync's key features is its "Magic Briefcase", which is shared among every computer you associate with your account. Any file you put into the Magic Briefcase will automatically be synced between all your computers, as well as being backed up.

SugarSync has one of the best looking file managers around, making it easy to browse and download the files you have stored for each associated PC, as well as uploading files to your local PC's online storage directory, all by simply clicking and dragging. You can also email files to people, create public links to them, view deleted files and see up to five older versions.

This is one point where SugarSync doesn't live up to its rivals - five versions are enough to undo recent accidental damage to a file, but can't restore older errors. All the functionality of SugarSync's local client is reproduced in its sleek and polished web interface, which also has a photo gallery, image publishing to Facebook and a streaming audio player. Mobile device support is also outstanding.

In terms of features, SugarSync is unrivalled, even by the excellent Livedrive. However, with just 30GB of storage and retention of just five versions of each file, most users will happily sacrifice one or two minor features in exchange for extra space. If you want all the bells and whistles, though, SugarSync is the backup service for you.