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Mega Cloud Storage Service Review

The perfect cloud storage solution is entirely dependent on what you need and want. If you are looking for reliable, free storage with good security features, and decent speed, MEGA Cloud might be perfect. In this MEGA review, we will take a look at this particular cloud storage solution, detailing all you need to know about their file sharing, security, upload, pricing, and other features. Read on our MEGA cloud storage review to learn more about this controversial cloud service.

MEGA – General Info

We’ll start our MEGA review by giving you some key information about the company. MEGA is the second wind of infamous founder Kim Dotcom’s MegaUpload business. After Dotcom was arrested and charged with copyright infringement among others for his previous venture, this time around he decided to take a different approach.

If you are wondering how secure is MEGA, you should know that security is the name of the game. They offer highly secure storage for your files, in a way that prying eyes and governments can’t crack. This, of course, allows them to deny knowing anything illegal is being stored on their servers, but hey. Reasons don’t matter, only results. If you’re looking for security and large storage pools, the MEGA cloud drive might be right for you.

Plans & Pricing

MEGA comes in a bit on the expensive side, as you can see on the MEGA cloud storage website. That’s likely due to the extra security provided by MEGA to your files. It’s really quite in step with other solutions out there that bill themselves as secure options. The MEGA free plan is incredibly generous, one of the, if not the most generous in the industry. A MEGA free account may actually be enough to cover you without the need for any fancy upgrading. They also offer discounts for yearly payments and various bonuses. For instance, if you invite your friends to join the MEGA cloud, you get additional free 10 GB/invite. You also get additional free storage space if you install the MEGAsync or the MEGA mobile app.

PlanPriceStorage AllotmentFeatures
FreeFree50 GB10 GB bandwidth limit, resets every 30 min.
Pro Lite$4.99/mo200 GB1 TB monthly bandwidth
Pro I$9.99/mo1 TB2 TB monthly bandwidth
Pro II$19.99/mo4 TB8 TB monthly bandwidth
Pro III$29.99/mo8 TB16 TB monthly bandwidth

MEGA In-Depth Review

Next up in this MEGA review, we’ll take an in-depth look at the features offered by this cloud storage solution. In this section, we’ll be analyzing the backup, restoration, security, and bonus features of the MEGA cloud storage solution, and comparing them to the competition. We’ll then sum everything up in a bulleted pros and cons list that you can find below in our MEGA cloud storage review.

File Backup

File backups are completely painless with MEGA. The MEGA interface is completely web-based and works very similarly to Google Drive and the like. You have a MEGA drive space, where you can create folders, and then simply drag and drop files or folders into your space. There is also a desktop client for Windows, Linux, and Mac that allows you to access your MEGA drive via a standalone application (MEGA iOS appMEGA Android appWindows phone app).

It is important to note, however, that this is not a set it and forget it backup solution. You will need to actively back up your files if you’re not using the Sync client. You’ll need to download the app to keep folders synced with the cloud.

File Restoration

MEGA file restoration is not difficult at all. All you need to do is choose to download the file. You won’t be able to direct where to place the file though, so you’ll have to navigate to your downloads folder and relocate the file manually.

Doing so through the extension or web interface simply requires a right click on the file or folder desired. There is a handy download button right there in plain sight. You can also choose to download the files as a ZIP folder, which will reduce the bandwidth used to retrieve your files. This is especially useful for those on free or lower-tiered plans with low bandwidth limits who are restoring massive volumes of files.

Security

Security is the area where MEGA claims to shine, and shine it does. It all starts at the account creation process, where they will assess how easy your password is to crack, allowing you to make the proper changes.

MEGA also puts you in charge of your own encryption keys by default. This is a little more maintenance for the user, but it keeps your data much safer. Not even the people at MEGA can see your files. Only you have access.

Files are also encrypted end-to-end during transfer, ensuring none of your data can be intercepted during transit.

Advanced/Other Features

MEGA has a plethora of apps and utilities available. They have mobile apps for iOS and Android, and they provide a desktop application for Windows, Linux, and Mac, as well as the standard web app. They also have extensions available for popular web browsers, which they claim speeds up and streamlines the user experience for those who like to use the web app.

As far as bonus features, MEGA doesn’t have much to offer. They offer the cloud storage and a simple interface, and that’s about it. They do, however, offer file versioning.

Service – Pros & Cons

Here we will sum up everything mentioned in this MEGA review in a list of pros and cons for your benefit.

Pros

  • They give a huge 50 GB storage limit for free users.
  • There is excellent security.
  • They have many great apps.

Cons

  • Extra security may be more bookkeeping than some users want.
  • It’s a bit expensive for premium plans compared to some of the competition.

MEGA Alternative Options

Google Drive is perhaps the closest cousin, as mentioned previously in this MEGA review. They also offer an application that creates a sync folder, and their interface on the web is astonishingly similar. The difference is much less storage for free plans and less security. Paid plans tend to be cheaper per GB, though.

Dropbox is another similar solution. They offer a plethora of apps and a sync folder on the PC. They don’t give much to free users, but they offer tons of ways to earn free storage. Paid plans are reasonably priced. Security is lacking.

Tresorit can stand toe-to-toe with MEGA’s security features. Some tout it as the more secure Dropbox. They offer slightly less storage per GB, but support even more security features like permission controls, zero-knowledge, password-protected file sharing, and two-factor authentication.

Our Verdict

Based on the points covered in this MEGA review, MEGA is an excellent choice for those looking for a secure backup solution with a big free cloud storage pool. Business users probably won’t find much here, but for individuals, it’s actually hard to find something better for free. While the MEGA paid plans tend to be a bit costly, they’re actually well-priced when compared directly to the more secure storage options out there. You can be assured your data are safe with MEGA. And that goes a long way for a lot of people. Thank you for reading our MEGA cloud storage review, and please share your thoughts in the comment form below!

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