Unify Cloud Storage and Sync Services

good
key review info
application features
  • One login for multiple accounts
  • (5 more, see all...)

One of the advantages of storing your data online is easy access to it from any device connected to the Internet. On the downside, many users may require more free space than what is offered through registration by default.

One solution to increase the free space for keeping your files online is to subscribe to more than one cloud service; but the hurdle to jump next would be managing all the accounts or separating the data between them.

CloudFuze has been created to solve this particular problem and it allows you to easily handle multiple accounts for cloud storage and synchronization services.

It supports most of the popular choices when it comes to syncing data, as solutions such as Microsoft’s SkyDrive missing on the list. Instead, it includes Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and SugarSync; there is also the possibility to add an FTP account.

Even if access to all supported services is free of charge, CloudFuze does come with a price tag of $4.99 / €3.77 per month or you can opt for yearly purchase, which is $49.99 / €37.81.

Most average users prefer the free part of the cloud storage and for a business this would mean increasing the costs; and depending on the service and the selected plan CloudFuze could represent at least 50% more.

You can also test the application for a period of 30 days, absolutely free of charge and with all functionality enabled. Using it requires an account, which can be set up in less than a minute, at no financial cost.

Installing CloudFuze is basically a matter of clicking through the standard screens.

The design of the interface is neat and simple, with a clear focus on the content available in the cloud accounts. Information is listed in columns; the first one allows you to select the storage account, the second displays the folders available while the third shows the actual files in the selected folder. You can add as many accounts as you want from the supported services.

At the top of the main application screen, the developer added options for viewing files by their type. As such, you can choose to view only documents, music files, images or videos.

Contrary to our expectations, these presets work only for the selected folder and help you filter all other items except for the specific category. In the case of music files, we noticed that not all audio formats are displayed; in our case, OGG and FLAC files would be left out, while MP3, M4A, AAC and WAV would be shown.

Custom categories can be created and you can assign any files to them; but you cannot assign items to the preset groups.

One of the advantages of using CloudFuze is that you do not have to install the sync clients on the system. It connects to the online account and all transfers happen through a single application. Furthermore, you only need to log into CloudFuze to access all storage locations.

You can easily upload data to a specific account or download it locally; both actions are carried out by simply dragging and dropping the item to the desired location.

During our evaluation, we had to repeat the drag and drop action in order to see the download job carried out. This happened because the item needs to be properly selected before it can be transferred.

If you think CloudFuze is flexible enough to let you transfer data between two different account, this feature is not yet available in the application.

Still on the downside, the transfer job happens almost invisibly, with no control over or details about it. Information like time estimation for completing the task, speed of the transfer or progress of the job would be pretty helpful.

The only bite of info available is that synchronization is currently in progress (check the icon in the lower right hand corner of the application window).

File operations supported include launching the item locally with the default program, deleting it from the remote location, sharing it publicly (available for all supported services except for Dropbox and FTP) and enabling selective sync.

As far as the latter action is concerned, checking an item for selective sync prevents synchronization of all the other files. Thus only the document that has been modified will be uploaded, which shortens the sync time.

The configuration panel of the application is extremely simple. It offers the possibility to remove accounts, make proxy settings or edit categories. The wishlist of a more advanced user would include at least the option to clear the cache since all the files opened are saved on the system drive and in time they might pile up to large size, chipping away the free space.

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The Good

You get to manage multiple cloud storage accounts with a single application, without having to install any of the clients for the services.

File transfer (upload/download) is carried out by dragging and dropping the file to the desired location. Selective sync allows synchronization of particular files only. Search results are displayed as you type the query.

The Bad

The price may be quite the deterrent for the average user and even for businesses. The lack of options is also an important factor, as are the minor glitches we encountered during the tests.

The Truth

CloudFuze is clearly at an early beginning and there is plenty of room for improvement. It is not ready for the masses but it definitely has the potential to grow in popularity as soon as it becomes more flexible and refined.

user interface 4
features 3
ease of use 4
pricing / value 3


final rating 3
Editor's review
good