IceDrive Review

IceDrive Review

Features - 90%
Usability - 93%
Security - 88%
Support - 89%
Pricing - 93%

91%

Very Good

Overall, I have been impressed with IceDrive, during my testing time the service worked very smoothly and data transfers seemed quick and responsive regardless of whether I was uploading to or downloading.

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IceDrive Cloud

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    IceDrive, a relative newcomer to the cloud storage world, seems to have been listening very carefully to what cloud storage users actually want from their accounts and delivering accordingly. A very easy-to-use and visually appealing user interface coupled with a great secure file sharing system, optional client-side encryption plus a generous 10GB of free storage make this an interesting proposition for both business and personal users alike.

    Another interesting point about IceDrive, before we get in to the review proper, is the inclusion of lifetime cloud storage plans whereby a single one-off payment is all that is needed to enjoy the service without any further monthly fees. Such plans are usually well received by those not wanting to keep paying for a service each and every month and (when chosen carefully) can usually provide some great long-term value.

    Time to test out IceDrive for myself and see how this cloud storage service fares – let’s go!

    Looking for Cloud Storage?

    Are you looking for practical help and advice in choosing cloud storage? If so, then be sure to check out our various guides including our Top 10 Free Cloud Storage guide, our guide to the Best Free Cloud Storage Services plus our guide to the Best Cloud Storage for Photographers amongst several others!

    Key Features

    • Nicely designed & easy-to-use web interface
    • Desktop software for Windows, Mac and Linux devices
    • Virtual cloud drive mounting available
    • Secure file sharing system built-in
    • Smartphone apps for iOS and Android
    • Twofish 256-bit client-side encryption
    • Crypto folder – secure encrypted vault (Premium)
    • Good multifactor authentication support (2FA)
    • WebDAV support available (premium)
    • Lifetime and monthly premium subscriptions available
    • Premium plans starting at just $19.99 / year (for 150GB)
    • 10GB Free account also available!

    IceDrive Usability

    In this first section of my review, I will be signing up to the IceDrive service for myself. I will then be looking at this cloud solution in more detail as well as testing out some of the really useful features including the desktop software which is provided to all IceDrive users for free.

    Signing up to IceDrive

    Signing up to IceDrive is really easy, simply provide some basic details such as a name and working email address (which will be verified) and within a few moments you will be ready to access your new cloud storage account.

    icedrive free 10GB account signup

    When signing up as a new IceDrive user, you will immediately be given 10GB of storage for free! This is very generous free account on offer here, especially so given that IceDrive don’t make their users jump through hoops (e.g., downloading apps or sharing files) in order to access the full free storage quota which is on offer, a great start so far.

    Once registration is complete and we are signed into the new IceDrive account, the web console will be immediately accessible and files can be uploaded, downloaded and securely shared through the new account straight away.

    Installing the Desktop Software

    Once a new IceDrive account has been created, the IceDrive desktop software can be downloaded using the menu found towards the top right of the service dashboard page (under the “Apps” link). From here we can grab the installer for the Windows drive mounting software as well as the portable app which acts as a locally run application for providing access to the cloud storage without the need to install any software (this portable app is also available for MacOS and Linux users and is ideal for being kept on a flash drive for times when it might be required).

    icedrive windows drive mounting software

    To start off I am going to look at the IceDrive portable app first, an app which acts in much the same way as the web interface does, albeit a piece of software running locally on a PC. This means that whilst any files might still be stored on the cloud, thanks to this app they can be accessed with ease on the local PC in question (for example, via drag and drop) and any media files being used can be streamed from the cloud without the need to download them first.

    Once downloaded and running, the portable software will immediately load up and ask for a login to the IceDrive account before it can be used. It is important to note that we don’t actually install anything on the device here, so you will need to keep the “.exe” file somewhere convenient from which it can be run from when required.

    icedrive windows portable app login

    Once logged in to the IceDrive service, it becomes clear that this app resembles the web interface in many ways and (from what I can see) has much the same functionality on offer. The big advantage to such an app is that any files being worked on (or streamed) can take advantage of local cache storage, this means as files are opened within other applications (for example Microsoft Word) they should behave like any other locally stored file despite being stored remotely on the cloud.

    icedrive windows portable app home screen

    The other application which can be downloaded form IceDrive is the main desktop software application which contains, amongst other things, the virtual drive mounting functionality. The installer for this software can be downloaded from the apps page again.

    Once downloaded and running, I found the install ran smoothly and with the download itself only measuring approximately 13MB overall, the whole process was completed very quickly on my own device. At the end of the installation process, however, the software does request a reboot which isn’t seen very often on such software anymore.

    icedrive windows installer restart prompt

    After the restart (and of course logging back in to the service) the drive mounting software will be ready to use. If we start by looking at the settings page within the app then we can will see options for configuring the device cache as well as which drive letter we want to assign to the cloud storage within Windows.

    icedrive windows software settings page

    After selecting a drive letter for use within Windows and saving these settings, we can finally mount the storage as a virtual drive from the home screen by clicking on the “Mount Drive” button. Once complete, this will then create the virtual drive within windows and automatically synchronise it with the IceDrive cloud drive.

    icedrive windows mounted drive

    Working with Files within IceDrive

    Once an account has been created and the necessary desktop software installed, IceDrive can easily be used via both the web browser interface or from a local PC via the virtual drive. Uploading files or folders to the service is straightforward and as simple as dragging and dropping items into the mounted drive or directly over the relevant folder on the IceDrive web console.

    icedrive drag and drop files on web console

    Once any files or folders have been added to the IceDrive cloud, they will immediately become available for use on all connected devices. This means, in addition to providing cloud storage, IceDrive can also be used as a form of folder synchronisation between multiple devices with the desktop software or smartphone apps installed.

    Files stored within the IceDrive cloud can also be used directly within Windows apps (such as Microsoft Office) directly from the virtual drive within Windows. This is possible thanks to the smart desktop software which makes use of local cache storage and allows any applications to work like they would with locally stored files with the synchronisation between the device and the cloud done in the background.

    Sharing files within IceDrive

    So far, IceDrive has proved itself as worthy cloud storage service with an emphasis clearly placed on ease of use alongside the provision of some very good virtual drive mounting software. One of the other main functions of the service (as is the case with many other cloud storage providers) is, of course, how easy it is to share files using this service. When right-clicking on any file or folder within the IceDrive web console we are greeted by two sharing options, both of which offer different levels of access to any selected files.

    Firstly, there is the “Sharing Options” page which allows an email address to be entered and, should the recipient have an IceDrive account themselves, the shared file will become visible in their own “Shared with Me” folder. If it is not the case that they have an account then the link sent to them will act as a public sharing link (and won’t require login to an IceDrive account).

    icedrive share link with email address

    The other sharing option available here is a straightforward public sharing link which can be generated by (again) right clicking on the files / folder to be shared and selecting the option for a public link.

    icedrive share public link

    Once a public link has been created it will remain downloadable by anyone with access to the link by default (until it is turned off by the account holder). IceDrive do, however, provide some additional sharing features to holders of premium accounts whereby this link can (optionally) be password protected or set to expire after a set time period (thus bringing some additional security to the basic link sharing service).

    IceDrive Free vs Premium

    IceDrive have both a free account offering a very generous 10GB of storage as well as multiple premium accounts offering differing amounts of storage up to a total of 10TB at the time of writing. Whilst the basic features are the same on both free and premium accounts, the premium accounts do have some additional features such as advanced sharing options, more storage space plus access to client-side encryption for providing additional end-to-end security.

    icedrive encryption folder

    Use of both the portable client application and the desktop software are available to both free and premium IceDrive accounts with no restrictions which is great to see, especially so when considering how useful this software actually is. Both account types also have access to the file sharing functionality, albeit with more security options available for premium users evident in this particular area.

    Finally, it should be noted that in addition to monthly and yearly plans, IceDrive also give their users the option to move on to a lifetime premium plan should they so wish. With these lifetime plans, a specified allocation of cloud storage is allocated to the users account for a fixed one-off fee, at time of writing these tiers are:

    icedrive review - 2023 lifetime pricing plans

    Security

    By default, the IceDrive cloud service makes use of TSL/SSL security to ensure that all files are transported safely between user devices and the IceDrive cloud service. The service itself, however, does not apply zero-knowledge encryption to all data being stored by default.

    IceDrive do offer a solution to this issue whereby premium account holders can make use of IceDrive’s own zero-knowledge client encryption software, a service which securely encrypts specified files using Twofish 256-bit encryption meaning all data remains securely encrypted during its entire time stored upon the IceDrive cloud. This is a zero-knowledge process with both encryption and decryption being performed locally on client devices, so be aware that IceDrive will have no knowledge of the files you have encrypted and if you do forget your password then IceDrive will have no way of helping to recover your data!

    icedrive review - 2023 setting up of 2fa options

    With encryption of data put aside, the other notable security enhancement to make note of is that IceDrive now provide very good support for multifactor authentication (2FA) across the entire service. As can be seen above, this addition allows the setting up of 2FA across both apps such as Google Authenticator, SMS messaging (for premium account holders) plus the use of more advanced FIDO / U2F methods allowing for support of YubiKeys amongst other compatible solutions.

    Support

    IceDrive operate a good help and support section on their website which provides documentation on using the service alongside an FAQ section for commonly asked questions. Also available is a community support forum for additional advice on IceDrive as might be required.

    Anyone requiring further support can also send a ticket to the support team and it is stated these are usually answered within 24 – 48hrs.

    IceDrive Pricing

    IceDrive offer a free account (with 10GB of storage) alongside three Premium account options. These premium account options as of time of writing in 2023 are:

    • LITE (150GB) – $19.99 per year / $99 lifetime
    • PRO (1TB) – $49.99 per year / $499 lifetime
    • PRO+ (5TB) – $179.99 per year / $999 lifetime

    Overall, I think IceDrive are offering some very fair pricing here, especially so with the lifetime deals which provide excellent value to those committing to the long term with IceDrive (although they are still a relatively new company, so bear this in mind when purchasing lifetime plans).

    NB – Click here to sign-up for the IceDrive 10GB Free Account!

    IceDrive FAQs

    Yes, IceDrive is a cloud storage service which offers a very generous 10GB free account alongside several premium offerings. The free plan allows usage of the web-app, the mobile apps (for iOS and Android) plus the Windows desktop software. IceDrive does, however, reserve usage of the file zero-knowledge encryption component for premium holders only.

    IceDrive makes use of secure, zero-knowledge Twofish 256-bit encryption on the client side. This means all data is encrypted before it leaves a user’s device and remains encrypted throughout its time on the IceDrive cloud. NB – The ability to use this zero-knowledge encryption component is only available to those on IceDrive premium (paid for) plans!

    Yes, IceDrive have apps available for both iOS and Android smartphones as well as virtual drive mapping software for Windows devices.

    Yes, IceDrive supports secure file sharing via both the web interface as well as from within the Android and iOS smartphone apps.

    IceDrive Alternatives

    In this section I will be looking at some good alternatives to IceDrive, the focus here been on good value cloud storage which is easy to use, secure and providing useful features such as zero knowledge encryption, secure file sharing and virtual drive mapping amongst other features.

    Remember, any ratings and opinions given below reflect my own personal views and should be treated only as a guide! When purchasing any form of cloud storage, always be sure to carefully check the details of the offering out for yourself and try and to make use of any free trials or free accounts, whenever possible, before committing to a purchase.

    1) pCloud

    Founded back in 2013, pCloud is a leading cloud storage service which combines a very generous 10GB free account alongside multiple premium offerings providing up to 10TB in storage overall.

    icedrive review - pcloud alternative

    Featuring apps for both iOS and Android, a first-class web interface, secure file sharing options, Windows drive mounting software and a built-in backup application, pCloud is clearly a cloud drive to be taken seriously. Additionally, by being based in Privacy friendly Switzerland, pCloud is also a provider which takes user privacy and data security very seriously to boot.

    pCloud’s commitment to data security becomes ever more apparent when looking at the premium account offerings which include zero-knowledge encryption support, use of secure TLS/SSL for all file transfers plus the ability to specify that data be kept in the USA or EU data-centres for additional privacy protection.

    pCloud offer several premium account offerings ranging from 500GB through to 10TB with unlimited business options also available. More information on the full range of pCloud plans, including the free-to-use 10GB account can be found via the official pCloud website.

    2) MEGA (MEGA.IO)

    MEGA is a privacy focused cloud storage provider offering highly secure cloud storage alongside a great set of cloud storage features.

    icedrive review - mega alternative

    One of the first big selling points of MEGA is the “secure by default” approach, an approach which sees all data subject to zero-knowledge encryption on the client’s device before being synchronised with the MEGA cloud servers (and IS even enabled on the free account). Alongside this default encryption is the option to further secure the account via multifactor authentication (2FA) and password protected file sharing facilities.

    Security settings aside, MEGA also provides some very useful Windows desktop software, great sharing and synchronisation functionality plus smartphone apps for iOS and Android (with automatic camera uploads available).

    MEGA.nz is priced from just €49.99 / year for 400GB or €99.99 / year for 2TB with plans ranging up to 16TB in size also available. Also available form MEGA are business-oriented plans as well as the very generous 20GB free account, more information on which can be found via the official MEGA website.

    3) Internxt

    Internxt is a highly rated cloud storage service with a great set of core features and a very strong emphasis on providing the highest levels of privacy and security for their users.

    icedrive review - internxt alternative

    The cloud storage service itself is very secure with Internxt automatically applying highly secure AES 256-bit zero-knowledge encryption to all data uploaded to and stored upon the service by default (and this is done across both free and premium accounts likewise). Cloud security and privacy is also further enhanced with support for multifactor authentication (2FA) on all accounts plus Internxt themselves being based in and operating to strict EU (GDPR) data security regulations.

    Moving on past security and Internxt also provide several other useful cloud features including secure file sharing, secure file synchronisation, file backup facilities, desktop software for Windows, MacOS and Linux devices with virtual drive mounting functionality plus smartphone apps for iOS and Android.

    Internxt is priced form just $0.89 / month for 20GB with 2TB plans priced at a very reasonable $8.99 / month.  Also available are business orientated plans plus a very generous 10GB free account for all new users to the service – more information on all of which is available via the official Internxt website.

    IceDrive Review Summary

    Overall, I have been impressed with IceDrive, during my testing time the service worked very smoothly and data transfers seemed quick and responsive regardless of whether I was uploading to or downloading from the service. The interface itself is also worthy of special mention given how nicely designed and visually appealing it comes across as well as how easy it is to use and find what you need as well.

    It is also great to see IceDrive taking data security and user privacy seriously with support for zero-knowledge encryption and multifactor authentication enabled. The use of Twofish encryption is much less common than AES 256-bit (which is the de-facto industry standard) and this is only available on IceDrive premium plans, but nevertheless, the additional security functionality is there for those that require it.

    All in all, IceDrive is a solid cloud storage service, especially so for anyone looking for longer term value form one of their competitive lifetime pricing plans.

    Looking for Cloud Storage?

    Are you looking for practical help and advice in choosing cloud storage? If so, then be sure to check out our various guides including our Top 10 Free Cloud Storage guide, our guide to the Best Free Cloud Storage Services plus our guide to the Best Cloud Storage for Photographers amongst several others!

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