Click'n Backup is available now

May 26, 2009 08:20 GMT  ·  By

After Canonical recently announced the availability of a cloud-based storage solution in the form of Ubuntu One, it's time for Mandriva to unveil a similar service, Click'n Backup. But, of course, there are quite a few differences that really separate these two. First of all, you should know that there is no "Free" plan available, so regular users with only a few important files that need to be backed up might just look for other alternatives.

As for the paid subscriptions, Mandriva is ahead of Ubuntu: only $7,77/month for 20 GB worth of online storage, versus $10/month/10 GB offered by Canonical. More importantly, Mandriva's Click'n Backup software works on any other Linux distribution AND Windows and Mac OS platforms. Unsurprisingly, there is also the option of managing your files through a web-based interface.

If you need more storage, Mandriva offers "slices" of 20, 40 or 100 GB that you can add up to the basic subscription, so practically you can have as much storage as you need. The three "slices" are priced at $5,96, $8,55 and $21,75. What's missing (for now) is an option to make your files available to the public for easy share with friends and family.

Mandriva Click'n Backup automatically backs up the folders you select, a task that can also be scheduled for specific times. Of course, the software will first look for differences between the same files and only back up what's changed. If you’re worried about the security of your data (and you should be), you'll be happy to hear that Mandriva encrypts each of your files with the 256-bit AES encryption standard, before uploading them to the cloud.

If you want powerful online backup capabilities, Mandriva Click'n Backup is definitely worth a look or two. But, Dropbox still seems to be the better choice, with its more convenient pricing. Moreover, both Dropbox and Ubuntu One also have the advantage of offering a "Free" plan.