We’ve been following Upthere since it was simply a secret cloud startup from ex-OS X chief Bertrand Serlet back in 2012. After years of development and a closed beta period that started last fall, Upthere is officially launching today as it reveals pricing and storage details and drops the beta label. There’s also a three-month free trial period for new users…
Back in October, Upthere started taking sign ups for its beta period and described its cloud service approach as one focused on streaming. Rather than uploading content to the cloud from one device and downloading that item to every other device, Upthere relies on maintaining a data connection to access files in the cloud as needed (with the option to download things as needed) as an alternative to more local storage.
Then Upthere released its first apps in beta in November, Home and Camera, which we tested at the time on iOS and OS X. Home is Upthere’s version of Dropbox or iCloud Drive where you can find all your cloud-stored files in one bucket, and Camera is an Upthere-connected app for taking photos and videos and viewing and sharing shots you and others have already captured.
While the apps appeared especially polished even during the beta period, the big question mark at the time was how much storage would Upthere offer customers and for how much money. Upthere simply said at the time that subscribing to the service would be more affordable than always paying for more local storage as needed.
With Upthere officially launching and dropping the beta tag today, we’re finally getting pricing and storage details. Upthere will include 200GB of storage for every account and cost $4.99/month to use the service. Users can add an additional 100GB as needed for an additional $1.99/month. Upthere notes that files shared with you won’t count against your storage which isn’t true of other services.
While the underlying technology is different, a lot of consumers will compare Upthere to Dropbox and iCloud Drive. While $5/month gets you 200GB of Upthere space, upgrading to 1TB is a little pricier at $21/month. While it may be used differently, iCloud offers 200GB for $3/month and 1TB for $10/month. Dropbox’s consumer upgrade for 1TB goes for $8.25/month when billed annually or $10/month when you pay month-to-month.
Upthere does offer a generous trial period: three months for free without requiring a credit card. The service offers full file fidelity and never compresses your data and Upthere believes it’s the fastest cloud service available. With three months available for free, I recommend giving it a spin to see for yourself. You can read more in-depth how Upthere is different from other cloud services here.
Upthere is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and Windows (in beta). Upthere is also previewing a web portal for Home in beta for users with advanced search features. Upthere is currently available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and India.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments