ElephantDrive Reviews

Providing the user with full control

From scheduling backups to throttling the software’s resource usage, everything can be set up to answer your needs. ElephantDrive offers an unlimited number of file versions, but you have the ability to set the number of versions protected as well as the number of days to keep these versions on the system.

When it comes to archiving, you also have full control of when the files should be deleted from the device. The software allows you to keep the data on the computer indefinitely, remove it immediately, or select the number of days for the files that have been deleted from the local disk to also be erased from the cloud. Of course, it’s also possible to change the frequency of the backup, which can range from continuous to just once per month.

While the first backup may be a bit lengthy, all subsequent backups are a breeze since the system uses incremental backups to save time and bandwidth. Furthermore, ElephantDrive comes with a throttling feature that enables you to set specific times of day to throttle up or throttle down the program’s bandwidth and CPU usage. A good option is to set backup jobs to use less bandwidth during the day, and then return to normal at night.

NAS devices

Aside from the features mentioned so far, ElephantDrive also offers NAS-provider integration functionality for professional users. It comes pre-installed on a range of NAS devices, including those from NETGEAR, QNAP, Western Digital, and Synology, conveniently allowing people to back up any data they may have on their NAS device to the ElephantDrive cloud.

Privacy-wise, the company follows the European GDPR and American HIPAA guidelines that focus heavily on information protection. The company will never use personal information for something without you having knowledge of it and giving their explicit consent. The online account also automatically logs out after a few minutes of inactivity to ensure that if the person leaves their computer unattended, nobody can access their information.

ElephantDrive supports all the major platforms, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux on desktop, and iOS and Android on mobile. Furthermore, by collaborating with a wide range of NAS producers, the software also supports a vast number of servers such as ASUSTOR, D-Link, NETGEAR, and QNAP, just to name a few. It’s not even necessary for the software to be installed to download backed up data: all information can be reached through ElephantDrive’s platform, which is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.

Reaching synced files on mobile is a breeze. The app opens in the section with all the backed-up data right away, and it only takes a few clicks to get to the files. On mobiles, the software backs up images, audio files, and contacts. Unfortunately it isn’t automatic, and you need to open the app and tap on the desired function for it to back up.

It’s also worth mentioning that as a global provider, ElephantDrive offers its services in various languages. Besides the usual English, it’s also possible to use the desktop client in Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

Setting up an account is a bit confusing. True enough, to start the 30-day free trial you only need to provide their email address and password. However, while the website next prompts you to share their payment details, it also sends a verification email. If you verify your email address, they have access to the platform without actually sharing their billing information, which doesn’t make much sense to us. Clearly this is a small bug in the registration process, but since it means the software can be used without providing payment details, we’ll let it slide.

After verifying the email address, ElephantDrive prompts you to download the desktop client, which is extremely easy to install and use. Nonetheless, there are some things we would change to make it more straightforward. The software creates an icon on the taskbar where it’s possible to reach the program’s settings. This would be fine if ElephantDrive mentioned this during the installation process. Since it doesn’t, we initially thought we could only change the settings from the online platform.

There are three different subscriptions provided by ElephantDrive – Home, Business, and Enterprise. Regardless of the plan selected, the three of them include all the features discussed so far and offer 1,000GB of storage space. You can then purchase extra space by paying separately. What changes between these plans is the number of devices, number of subaccounts, maximum storage, maximum individual file size, and customer support provided.

The Home subscription is built for personal use and costs $8.33 per month with annual payments. It limits the devices to ten and subaccounts to three. It also limits the maximum storage to 15,000GB, where each extra 1,000GB costs $8.33 per month with yearly payments.

Created with an eye to serving small companies, the Business plan increases the number of devices to 25 and subaccounts to 10. Here, the maximum storage grows to 50TB, where each additional 1,000GB costs the same as the subscription – $16.66 per month with annual payments. In this case, the additional cost also offers ten extra subaccounts.

Lastly, large companies can get the Enterprise plan that offers the possibility to have over 100 devices connected, 20 subaccounts, and unlimited storage space. The subscription costs $25 per month with annual payments, which is the same cost to get an extra 1,000GB and 20 subaccounts.

All plans can be tested by taking advantage of the 30-day free trial, and there is a limited free plan with 2GB of storage space that can be used indefinitely.

While installing ElephantDrive, the software provides a quick and easy-to-understand guide, explaining all the program’s essential features. But to get an explanation for more complex questions, a visit to the knowledge base is necessary, where there are answers to most problems you may face.