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Best Cloud Services For Linux To Replace Copy
Cloud storage service Copy is shutting down and it is time for us Linux users to look for a worthy cloud storage alternative to Copy for Linux.
All files will be deleted on May 1st, 2016. If you are a Copy user, you should save your files and move it to other
Copy has been my favorite cloud storage for past couple of years. It gave me plenty of free storage and came with native apps for desktop platforms including Linux and mobile platforms as iOS and Android.
It was a perfect Cloud storage for me where I get plenty of free storage (380 GB) with a seamless experience between desktop and mobile OSes. But this ‘easy free storage’, 15GB for signup and 5Gb for each referral, had me thinking that if Copy doesn’t get business customers, they will be running out of business soon. Such huge free storage only meant that they were not targeting individual customers like Dropbox do.
My fear came true when I read about the shutting down of Copy.com. In fact, Copy is not alone. Its parent company Barracuda Networks is going through a rough patch and has hired Morgan Stanely to look for suitable buyer(s).
Whatever be the reason, all we know is that Copy will soon be history and we need to find similarly good cloud services for Linux. I am putting emphasis on Linux because other popular cloud storage services like Microsoft’s OneDrive and Google Drive do not provide native Linux client. This is something expected out of Microsoft but Google’s apathy towards Linux is shocking.
Best Copy alternatives for Linux
Now, what do you want in a cloud storage services as a Linux storage? Let me guess:
- Lots of free storage. After all, individuals cannot pay hefty amounts every month.
- Native Linux client. So that you can synchronize files easily with the server without doing special tweaking or running scripts at regular intervals.
- Desktop clients for other desktop OSes i.e. Windows and OS X. Portability is a necessity and syncing files between devices is such a good relief.
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS. In today’s modern world, you need to be connected across all the devices.
I am not counting the self-hosted cloud services like OwnCloud or Seafile because they require set-up and run a server. This is not apt for all home users who want a Copy like cloud service.
Let’s see what are the services that you could use to replace Copy.com on Linux.
Mega
If you are a regular It’s FOSS reader, you might have come across my earlier article about Mega on Linux. This cloud service is an offering by the infamous Kim Dotcom of Megaupload scandal. This also makes some users skeptical about it because Kim Dotcom has been a target by US authorities for a long time.
Mega has everything that you would expect in a hassle free cloud service. It provides 50 GB of free storage to individual users. Provide native clients for Linux and other platforms and also has end to end encryption. The native Linux client works fine and the sync across the device is seamless. You can also view and access your files in a web browser.
Pros:
- 50 GB of free storage
- End to end encryption
- Native clients for Linux and other platforms such as Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS
Cons:
- Shady past of the owner
Hubic
Hubic is a cloud service from French company OVH. Hubic also offers 25 GB of free cloud storage at sign up. You can further extend it to 50GB (for free users) by referring it to friends.
Hubic has a Linux client which is in beta (for over two years now). Hubic has an official Linux client but it is limited to command line. I did not go on to test the mobile versions.
Hubic boasts of some nice features though. Apart from simple to use interface, file sharing etc, it has a Backup feature where you can archive your important files regularly.
Pros:
- 25 GB of free storage, extendable up to 50 GB
- Available on multiple platforms
- Backup feature
Cons:
- Linux client in beta, only available in command line
pCloud
pCloud is another European offering but this time across the French border, from Switzerland. Focused on encryption and security, pCloud offers 10 GB of free storage for each signup. You can further increase it up to 20 GB by inviting friends, sharing links on social media etc.
It has all the standard features of a cloud service such as file sharing and synchronization, selective syncing etc. pCloud also has native clients across platforms, including Linux of course.
Linux client is easy to use and worked well in my limited testing on Linux Mint 17.3.
Pros:
- 10 GB of free storage, extendable up to 20 GB
- A good working Linux client with GUI
Cons:
- Encryption is a premium feature
Yandex Disk
Russian internet giant Yandex has everything that Google has. A search engine, analytics and webmaster tool, email, web browser and cloud storage service.
Yandex Disk offers 10 GB of free cloud storage on sign up. It has native clients for multiple platforms, including Linux. However, the official Linux client is only command line. You can get unofficial GUI client for Yandex disk though. File sharing via links is available as along with other standard cloud storage feature.
Pros:
- 10 GB of free storage, extendable up to 20 GB via referrals.
Cons:
- Only command line client available
Honorable and deliberate omissions
I have deliberately skipped Dropbox, SpiderOak from the list. Dropbox is excellent for Linux but the free storage is limited to 2 GB. Over the past several years, I have managed to increase it to over 21 GB, but that’s another story.
SpiderOak also provides only 2 GB of free storage and you cannot access it in a web browser.
OwnCloud needs its own server and set-up and thus it is not everyone’s cup of tea. And it certainly doesn’t fit the criteria of a typical cloud service.
Verdict
If you ask me what I am going to use in place of Copy, my answer is Mega. It has plenty of free cloud storage and a great Linux desktop client. What is your choice among this list of best cloud storage services for Linux? Which one do you prefer?