Reviewed Mar 2, 2012
SpiderOak rated 3.83 stars based on 119 votes
SpiderOak is an online backup & syncing service available for PC, Mac, and Linux platforms. Installation takes less than 5 minutes, after which you select the files to back & sync, verify your email address, and the upload process begins.
A big surprise from SpiderOak is their support options. Normally lacking with online backup companies, SpiderOak offers a wide range of support options, including e-mail, phone, Twitter (@spideroak_help), Skype chat and Skype phone support. And the support you get isn't from an overseas outsourced support center: the CEO and founders of SpiderOak respond to many customer service and support issues to keep on top of the issues facing their users.
SpiderOak takes data security to the extreme. Like every other backup service, data is encrypted and transmitted over a secure connection. However, SpiderOak takes things a step further, encrypting even the file and folder names, so SpiderOak employees can't even tell what you have backed up.
Because you're limited on how much storage space you have available, SpiderOak supports the backup of data on external drives (unlimited backup services like MozyHome and Carbonite do not support this). In addition, you can install SpiderOak on as many computers as you'd like.
One important feature of SpiderOak's backup service is that older versions of a file are kept. So if you overwrite your thesis and don't notice right away, restoring it from one of the many other backup services would give you the overwritten file. Only services which support Version History would give you the complete version, rather than the newest version (the overwritten one).
In addition, if you delete a file, it's moved to your "Deleted Items" folder in SpiderOak, and is only removed if you delete it from there (via the SpiderOak software interface).
Like every other backup service, only the changes of the backup set are transmitted during a backup process. However, since SpiderOak runs across multiple computers, they have to go a bit further. Say you have two files on two different machines, which are 50% identical. One machine backs up the entire file, while the other machine only backs up the differences.
Much like SugarSync, SpiderOak can be used to sync files across multiple computers, on multiple platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux). So you can work on a file in the office on your Windows PC, save it to SpiderOak, and have it on your Mac when you get home. Do some work on the file that night at home, and when you go into the office the next morning, your changes will be on your office PC.
Share Rooms
are secure, password-protected locations where you can share your data with colleagues, friends and family. Make a change from any computer running SpiderOak, and the changes are automatically published to the share room, with notification of the change sent to an RSS feed.
When sharing photos, an online photo album is created, which is rough at best. It's OK for sharing mock-ups with a client, but I'll stick to Picasa for my online photo galleries.
The sharing features of SpiderOak are useful, but it seems SugarSync does a superior job at this.
Should your computer crash and you need to access your files, you can do so through SpiderOak's web interface (much like Mozy, Carbonite, and others). You can also access the data from the "View" tab in the SpiderOak software. When you download a file, the file is saved in your Downloads folder, along with a datestamp in the filename.
SpiderOak is a strong contender for online backups and more. Though there are a few faults, the company seems to work quickly to resolve them. Installing the software is easy, but with no default backup set, users must know where on their computer the data resides. If you're a novice user, simply looking for backups, Mozy or Carbonite may be a better solution. But if you're even an intermediate user, SpiderOak's added features and customization, while keeping at a reasonable rate of $10 / 100 GB / month, make it a serious product to consider.
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I have been using Spideroak for a few months. Took weeks to upload most of my data and it’s very slow to update. The software is very resource hungry and very slow to reposnd to any changes you make to it. When I tried to sync files it deleted entire folders I was using on one PC.Also when trying to recover those files the Spideroak software just crashed. I had to use my other PC running Spideroak to download the missing files!
Martin,This is Jovan Washington with the SpiderOak team. I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with SpiderOak. We always love to hear feedback – good or bad – so thank you for your notes as it helps us to make a better product. I hope your problems have been resolved. If not, please shoot us an email and someone from our Customer Relations team will contact you within 24 hours!Thanks again for your feedback!
I’ve spent probably dozens of hours researching the different online backup options–CrashPlan, SugarSync, Dropbox, Mozy, Amazon JungleDisk–and came to fall in love with the feature set and design of Spideroak. However, it’s been a slightly disappointing experience so far. In its most elementary uses, it’s behaved unpredictably. File synchronization seems to happen intermittently and haphazardly, despite my efforts at automatic and manual updates. The file manager seems immune to my attempts to cull backup folders. Technical support for the service appears to be in its infancy. The somewhat opaque support forums (available to Spideroak users only), are replete with unanswered pleas for assistance, some from paying customers. Ay yay ay!I am rooting for Spideroak and hope they turn things around. I will probably give them another try in the future, but for now, if only for the sake of salvaging public trust, they should admit: they’ve not gotten the job done!
Hi Jovan, Since my post I have received a software update and things have improved so I thought is was only fair to update my review. I can now access the files on the PC the software used to crash on.I have to say I have not yet come accoss another product that backs up your files and syncs them between PC’S and other devices. So I have stuck with it.As long as you can live with the amount of reseources it requires to run the software it is usable and practical.
With lessons learned and a new Mobile development crew in place, we proudly announce the new Android client: SpiderOak Android Version 1.1. …
I’ve been using SpiderOak for almost a year now. The few times I’ve had to contact their customer support, they have been very slow to respond (sometimes weeks). Because of this when my year is up I’ll be moving to another service.
Tried spideroak prepaying for 1 year of service. Within 1 day it totally messed up the organization of our file system, as it replicated each single subfolder in each single root folder. It took us a week to clean it up. Customer support got back to us 5 days later, they proposed a fix that was not working. In their forums (you need to be a user to access them) is a widely discussed issue.We contacted them to get at least the money back. First they stated they never refund customers, whether it is because of a fault of their own or not.Then it took them about 2 weeks to tell us that they need to charge us for 1 month of data storage use + 1 month. When we told them that all we used the service was 1 day and that it took us 1 week after that to make sure that they didn’t delete any data before discontinuing their service, they said that it is their policy.It is not just a buggy software. It is the worst customer experience ever.Stay way clear. It is probably a bunch of high school programmers that set something up. No reliability, no professional attitude, no customer service.Great on paper. That’s it!
Hmm. I have used Spideroak for about 1.5 years and have had only one problem (which I’ll elaborate on later). Otherwise, in contrast to many of the other comments, I’ve stuck with Spideroak specifically because I’ve found it VERY resource friendly and fast at uploading. In particular, I’ve tried several other competitors (it was a while ago and the only specific one I remember trying is Mozy but I tested a few others) and Spideroak beats their heads off. To respond to some of the other complaints, Spideroak does, when first starting up either the system or the program, take a while to analyze directories. However, once done, it take almost no CPU or memory, sitting silenty in the background and consistently noting files that have changed. While it is a bit annoying to wait for it to finish scanning on initial startup, this approach by Spideroak means that you don’t have to leave the program on at all times if you want to back up, because it will find updated files even from when it was off. Also, I’m a little bewildered at the users who’ve complained at its uploading speed. I’ve found it very quick and consistent at uploading. I have no problem keeping my (frequently updated) 21 GB music collection synchronized on a cable modem connection. And I’ve have no problem with it synchronizing files properly and have *many* times used the fact that it keeps many different versions of files.The one problem I had was noted by Bandog. It is difficult to completely remove files from the Spideroak servers if you initially selected it to backup; you have to both deselect the file from synchronizing and then delete it from the available backups. On the other hand, it is difficult to *accidentally* deselect backed-up files.Another very nice thing about Spideroak is that I can access my files from any computer using their web interface, so I essentially have remote access to my files even when my home computer is off.
I have used SpiderOak for a year and closed my account yesterday. Here’s why:• The data restoring feature is seriously flawed. I almost lost all my data even though I followed the instructions and faq online. After reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling SpiderOak, instead of syncing it wiped all my data to the online Recycle bin. Recovering data from there made SpiderOak crash after a few minutes and generated tons of files in the root folders that shouldn’t have been there (see awka’s post). I needed my data back urgently so I asked the SpiderOak support for help, and although they at first acknowledged my problem quickly, I haven’t heard anything back since I sent them the logs.
So far, I have experienced none of the problems mentioned by the users below. This may, however, be because I run linux. Regardless, it is true; SpiderOak is excellent on paper. Not only will it back up your files and synchronize them from any number of computers, seamlessly, but it manages to do so entirely as a Zero-Knowledge application. I love the peace of mind that comes from knowing that no one, not even the service owners, can access my remote files but me. Did I mention the “share rooms” for clients or family members? Overall, it just seems more sophisticated than I have come to expect. Best of all, though, Zero-Knowledge products like spideroak and clipperz are slowly putting control of data on the cloud back where it belongs: with the user. Products like these help to lessen the ownership of our personal data by myriad different national corporations.
Good analysis. Based on your review and my own experience, I think SpiderOak stands apart for at least four reasons: (1) better security, (2) ability to backup multiple computers and removable storage devices for free, (3) Local Copy feature, and (4) more free storage space.#1 – As discussed in the article, SpiderOak provides 100% local encryption of data before it is sent to the SpiderOak server, and they have a comprehensive Zero Knowledge Policy, which means they never have access to your data. They also have an option for 2-Factor Authentication.#2 – Another major selling point is that SpiderOak lets you backup multiple computers AND removable storage (i.e., my USB drives).
I use SpiderOak and I love it. I have been using the software to sync my files across three linux devices and my macbook. So far, the software has worked flawlessly.SpiderOak may not be for the computer illiterate. You should definitely understand the file structure of your computer if you use it.
Unfortunately, I have to update this post with bad news. After using SpiderOak for several months, the service starting screwing up. I first noticed large files becoming corrupted. It took me another month to realize that SpiderOak was the culprit.I have to strongly recommend against using the service. The fact that both the company website and software don’t have the current copyright date says it all.
Setup SpiderOak and now I easily backup,
I did exhaustive research finding many positives and one main negative: support. I was ready to proceed but decided to write an email inquiry to SpiderOak and get my last remaining questions answered. It has been THREE WEEKS and I have never received a reply. I am glad I did my homework and glad I attempted to see if their support would be responsive, but I have concluded that the other reports I read here of SUPPORT being non-existent are true! After weeks of research I have finally abandoned the on-line backup approach and I bought a nice reliable external drive and put a backup plan into practice. It’s a shame but the online services still have a ways to go before they merit our trust and our money.
Spideroak provides zero-knowledge data encryption. It’s the most secure free sync service I could find. It is also able to conduct many sophisticated sync tasks that Dropbox could not handle, but it does not sync as fast as Dropbox due to its sync process. I am happy with it so far.SpiderOak currently has 5GB promo with this code: WORLDBACKUPDAYIf you use the following referral link, we both can get 1GB more. (5 + 1 = 6GB)https://spideroak.com/download…
Unreliable backup solution. After my computer crashed I wasnt worried at all. I knew my files where safe… Or so I thought. I lost tons of important files and set work back tens of hours.Worst backup solution ever.
I would never install this program.
I used SpiderOakk for almost a year on a headless linux server when for no apparent reason the nightly backups started to fail. Contacted support and asked for help and after mailing my logs and reminding them of my case a week later I got this: ” I want to let you know thatwe have a large backlog of escalated tickets, so it may take weeks or longer to get this issue resolved. Because of this, I am willing to offer you a full refund if you want to cancel your account.”My conclusion was to better run and get a new backup provider.
Normally only people with problems feel motivated to post of forums. SpiderOak has worked flawlessly for me for years and I’m quite happy with them. When I move to Linux I am glad for the client they have there, as well. They retain basically unlimited versions of changed files, not just the last 30 days. So I’m happy with their service. And no, I do not work for them.
My experience with SpiderOak is very good. It allows me to sync/backup any folder in my computer. I like its “Zero Knowledge” privacy environment. The most secure sync solution I could find so far.
I’ve been using Spideroak for several years without any of the issues mentioned by other posters. It is a little more complicated than say Dropbox, but that is expected with the high security level which I required. I couldn’t find any other affordable solution to meet their security requirements and price. Spideroak has saved me a lot of pain when files were overwritten by accident or recently when a laptop was dying and I had 6 hrs to get a new one back up and running (including going out and buying a new laptop). The one time I reached out to support I received a helpful answer within a day or so.