ADrive Review

ADrive over promises and under delivers.

There are numerous valuable features it claims to provide, but their implementation is just broken. What is functional shows potential, but the service is brought down by security and privacy issues, a terrible user experience and a failure to provide some of the most basic functions like auto-syncing.

ADrive does have SCP, SFTP, Rsync and WebDAV support, solid speeds and works as both a backup and cloud storage, so if these are must-have features, it might still be worth a try. ADrive offers a 60-day free trial, no credit card required, so you can decide for yourself on ADrive.

Keep reading to see where ADrive delivers on its promises and where it falls flat. For another storage solution that supports SFTP and WebDAV, check out our Livedrive review. For any other service at all, have a look at our article on best cloud storage services.

Strengths & Weaknesses

While ADrive has a few convenient features, it has so many problems it’s hard to recommend. Much of what ADrive promises just doesn’t work.

Alternatives for ADrive

Features

If you visit ADrive, you’ll find a long list of very promising features. The power to collaborate on files seamlessly, the ability to work on Microsoft Office documents in-browser with Zoho and support for all major operating systems all sound great, but ADrive doesn’t follow through.

Collaboration is broken. Trying to use a shared folder simply returns the error “directory does not exist.” In-browser editing is also broken: clicking “edit with Zoho” does nothing. If you want these features, you’ll have to look to something like Google Drive (see our Google Drive review), which has strong collaboration support and an office suite, or Microsoft OneDrive (see our OneDrive review) if Office Online is a must-have.

While ADrive is functional on Windows and Android, the iOS app has been removed from the app store. ADrive claims to be “working on getting the Adrive App back on Apple App Store,” but it’s impossible to know how long this will take.

There were also problems with the macOS app. The package is available for download on ADrive’s website, however it does not install cleanly. First, ADrive is not an identified developer, meaning the company has not taken the time to register with Apple to make sure that its software works properly with macOS.

Secondly, when I attempted to install the application on macOS, there was an error. I tested with both the High Sierra beta and OS X El Capitan to the same result.

ADrive does deliver on its promise of Windows compatibility, though. Installation for Windows 10 follows the usual process of clicking the “continue” button until it’s finished.

Beyond ADrive’s mountain of failed promises, there are some features that do actually work. Link sharing, for example, has all of the features we look for here at CommQueR.com. You can choose a download limit, expiration date and a password for any file you wish to share.

ADrive’s Windows client also features some tools that are useful despite their lack of promotion on ADrive’s website. You can set ADrive to sync or backup any folder on your computer and do so with customizable settings. Advanced users may also find support for SCP, FTP, SFTP, Rsync and WebDAV useful.

Pricing

ADrive claims on its website to have the “lowest priced plans in the industry.” While this doesn’t hold true for any but the longest of commitments, the pricing is reasonable. It’s still more expensive than many of our other best cloud storage providers.

A free plan would have been nice to see, too, but ADrive closed down the previous 50GB plan. There is a free 60-day trial, however, so you don’t need to commit your money before you’ve used it.

Get details for business pricing here.

ADrive’s versatility is also nice to see. You can tailor your storage package to your needs and subscribe for payments every month, year, two years or three years. As ADrive’s plans have changed in the past, you should be cautious signing on for something as long term as three years.

Ease of Use

ADrive is a nightmare to use. Half of the features that are advertised simply don’t work in some capacity. Some options are absent. Others just don’t behave properly.

Versioning, for example, is unusable. If you click on “file restore,” you will be brought to a menu where you can choose a date to revert to. This menu, however, has no dates to choose from.

You will also have the option to “preview in new tab” for selected files but doing so will just download the file. What does work is often hard to use.

The user interface looks very dated, especially in the browser. ADrive has two browser uploaders: one doesn’t support folders, while the other requires you to enable applets and run Java, an outdated approach that the competition avoids.

File Sharing & Syncing

ADrive’s syncing is technically functional and the ability to sync folders other than the existing “ADriveSync” folder is practical for working with existing file structures. However, it fails in a major way compared to other services, as you can read in our Sync.com review or pCloud review.

ADrive syncs at a maximum frequency of every 15 minutes. One of the major benefits to most cloud storage solutions is that even if your computer breaks when you are in the middle of a task, your last save will not have been lost. You can make valuable changes to a file in 15 minutes. Losing that because ADrive doesn’t auto-sync like most services would be a major frustration.

When you factor in the completely broken collaboration feature, ADrive becomes a difficult sell. If you can overlook these issues, ADrive does have customizable link sharing that allows you to keep your links secure with a password, expiration date and download limit.

Speed

ADrive’s speeds are impressive. To put it to the test, I used the standard Cloudwards test folder of about 1GB with my connection of 92.86Mb/s down and 11.90Mb/s up. Here are the results:

While uploading, ADrive nearly saturated my network. Downloading was slightly less impressive, though hitting under seven minutes shows that ADrive’s speeds are still very usable.

Security & Privacy

ADrive is basically a pile of red flags when it comes to security and privacy. Immediately after signing up, it was obvious that security doesn’t come first. The sign-in page was not encrypted. It would be standard for a service to have an HTTPS login page, but ADrive chose HTTP. This means that your credentials could be vulnerable.

While using a VPN can keep you safe in cases like this, this is not a concern you should have when using a cloud service. It was also concerning that ADrive opted for security questions for password recovery. Security questions are outdated and insecure.

ADrive also doesn’t have any mention of encrypting your data at rest. The extent of ADrive’s stated security is encrypting your files in transit with TLS. The concerns don’t stop here, either.

We at CommQueR.com recommend caution when using a provider that is not zero-knowledge as even good intentions can lead to security breaches if the provider is hacked or compelled by a court. ADrive doesn’t even seem to want to look out for your privacy, though.

ADrive reserves the right to inspect your files if it suspects you of misuse for any reason. ADrive states in its terms of service that it has sole discretion over how your data is moved and used, giving the service a lot of power over your files.

Security with ADrive is subpar and privacy is extremely concerning. Pretty much the only thing that ADrive got right in this department is not selling your personal information to advertisers. It’s of little consolation with a service that otherwise should only be used by those with no concern for security and privacy.

Customer Service

ADrive has fast customer support. My requests were all answered on the same day. With some services having wait times of three days or longer, this is nice. The responses are helpful, if not particularly expansive. If you ask questions, you’ll get answers. If you’re not sure what to ask, it might take longer.

ADrive also offers phone support and a user forum. The user forum is in need of improvement. Like most of ADrive’s website, it looks terribly outdated. It also requires you to have an account not just to post yourself, but to view others’ posts. This wall might have something to do with the community’s lack of activity.

However, ADrive does have team members actively monitoring the forums and responding to posts. Posting to some providers’ forums can feel like shouting into a void, but with ADrive you’ll at least be heard, even if there aren’t enough community members to form a real discussion.

The Verdict

ADrive doesn’t excel in any area. Its support is decent. Its speeds are okay. Its also not terribly expensive. But there are other providers with better support. There are other providers that match and outperform ADrive in speed. Despite its affordable pricing, it’s still not the cheapest solution in most cases.

With its long list of broken features, ADrive is a hard sell. Its offering of SFTP and WebDAV support is certainly of importance to some advanced users, but it’s also not unique. Livedrive also has these professional features, albeit with no small storage options.

Beyond this, ADrive’s lack of privacy and security should be a major concern for most users. Unless your data isn’t sensitive in any way, ADrive just doesn’t cut it.

There may be some niche cases that ADrive fulfills, but for most users, there are better deals elsewhere. Does ADrive fit your specific needs or will you be looking elsewhere? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.