Sync.com Review 2025: Not as Secure as Promised?

In today's digital world, being "in sync" means keeping your files, devices, and teams up to date. Sync.com is a cloud storage service that aims to do exactly that. But how well does it work in practice - and is Sync.com really as secure as promised?

We thoroughly tested Sync.com to see how this cloud storage service stacks up against Dropbox, Google Drive, and other competitors.

While Sync.com's interface won't win any design or innovation awards, it's generally easy to use. First, you need to create an account, which you can do for free without entering any payment information. This gives you access to the web interface where you can manage your cloud storage.

Like most cloud storage services, Sync.com offers three ways to access your files in the cloud: a web interface, a desktop app, and a smartphone app. Let's take a closer look at all three:

The Sync.com web interface is simple and well-organized. The only downside is that it's only available in English - there are no options for international teams with diverse language needs.

The top navigation menu lets you switch between the main sections:

You can sort your folders and files using common filters ("Name", "Last modified", "Size"). The search function is a bit hidden - you'll find it by clicking the filter icon in the top right. It's not very powerful though, as it only searches file and folder names in your current folder.

There's no search feature to quickly find specific files in your cloud storage. Also, unlike Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive, it only searches file titles, not the contents of files like Word documents.

In the "Files" and "Vault" sections, you'll find quick actions on the right. These let you upload files, create folders, view deleted files, and create certain types of documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and .txt files) directly.

Unlike Google, Microsoft, or Dropbox, Sync.com doesn't have its own document editor for editing text files directly in the cloud.

However, paid plans include Office 365 integration. This means you can open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents right from the Sync.com interface, and any changes you make in the Office web apps will automatically sync with Sync.com.

You can also view and stream photos and videos directly in the Sync.com interface without downloading them.

In our experience, the web interface runs smoothly. While it sometimes takes a bit of time to load all files in larger folders, the interface stays responsive even during loading.

Sync.com's desktop app isn't a real app - it's just a sync tool that handles file synchronization between your cloud storage and computer.

You can open the app interface on Windows by clicking the icon in the system tray at the bottom right of your taskbar. However, you can't access files directly through it. When you search for files, it will redirect you to either the web app (cloud icon) or file manager (folder icon) to open them.

When you install the app, you'll set up a sync folder. This folder is your desktop gateway to your cloud storage: You can use your file manager to access folders and files from your cloud storage, and copy new content that you want to save in the cloud.

In the settings, you'll find various sync options (more on that soon), but there's not much else to see in the desktop app. It serves its purpose as a sync tool and does what we expect - though it could use a more modern design.

On mobile, Sync.com keeps things simple. The minimalist app includes all features and sections from the web app, including the vault and favorites, and lets you upload photos and videos. One downside is that there's no proper document scanning feature - you'll need to upload documents as regular photos.

Here's a list of all platforms where Sync.com is available. Unfortunately, Linux users are out of luck, even though a Linux app is on their "long-term roadmap."

When Sync.com works as intended, you can access the latest versions of your files from anywhere. Your files stay in sync across all your devices.

Sync.com offers fairly flexible settings, though your options depend on which interface you're using.

Your cloud storage is split into two areas in the web app: Files and Vault.

You can add files to the vault not only through the web interface but also send them directly from your desktop PC. Simply right-click on a file and select "Copy to Sync Vault" from the context menu.

As mentioned, files in the vault don't sync. This means they won't update automatically when you make changes to documents on your computer. If you want to update them, you'll need to manually send the latest version to the vault.

On your desktop, you can choose which files to store locally and which to keep only in the cloud.

By default, new files you add to your Sync folder are only stored in the cloud. While you can see these folders and files on your computer in your Sync folder, they're just placeholders. The actual file is saved only in cloud storage, and you can only open it when you're online. This saves local storage space while still giving you quick access to your cloud files.

You can also set Sync.com to automatically download all newly added files to your device. In the desktop app settings, under the "CloudFiles" tab, you can choose how Sync.com should handle files by default. Here you'll also find the option to move older files that you haven't opened in a while to the cloud and remove them from your device:

You can also set detailed preferences for each folder and file in your Sync folder, choosing whether to store them on your device or keep them only in the cloud. You can do this in the file manager: Just right-click on the file and select one of these two options from the context menu:

The difference from the vault feature in the web interface is that files you store "cloud-only" this way still appear and stay updated in your sync folder, while vault items are only visible in the cloud. So if you want true "selective sync," you should use the vault feature instead.

On your phone, you can access both files in your regular sync folder and the vault. There's also an offline mode that lets you download files to keep them available locally. However, this feature is only available with paid plans.

Sync.com sticks to the basics. This means it's missing some features you might know from other cloud storage services.

We already mentioned it's not great for backups. You also can't limit bandwidth to speed up your internet connection when needed. With Tresorit, you can even schedule bandwidth limits for specific times and days.

We also miss having LAN sync, which you can find in pCloud. This feature lets you transfer files between devices on the same network using a LAN connection.

Here's a comparison of Sync.com's main sync features with other providers:

We evaluate sync performance using two metrics:

To compare providers fairly, we measured three key metrics (upload speed, download speed, and CPU usage) under identical conditions.

We created a test folder with the same content for all cloud storage services and synced it from a PC with a 400 Mbps connection (both upload and download). The test folder contained:

Here are the results:

Sync.com's performance is middle-of-the-road: While download speeds were excellent and even the best in our test, uploads took much longer. CPU usage was average.

Sync.com isn't just a cloud storage service - it's also a collaboration platform. You can use the files in your Sync folder yourself and share them with others.

To share files, click the Share button on the item you want to share. You'll see two options:

Each sharing method has different settings and options - let's look at both in detail.

Click "Share as Link" and Sync.com will create a link to your selected item. You'll go straight to the link settings where you can copy the link to your clipboard. You can also set a password here for extra protection of your shared content.

Under "View advanced settings," you'll find additional settings. Besides allowing comments, there's an option called "Enhanced privacy." According to Sync.com, this improves the security of shared links through stronger end-to-end encryption. This means files are only decrypted on the recipient's device (client-side). Without this option enabled, some decryption might happen on the server side.

Other settings are behind a paywall, available only to paying customers. These include link expiration dates, file download limits, and the ability to request files.

Do you work with certain team members regularly? Then it's better to invite them to an entire folder. Invited guests can edit the folder's contents and add new files.

After adding a user, you can assign them a role. Editors can edit files, while Viewers can only see them but not make changes. You can also decide if the selected user can add apps and see other users.

While it's a bit disappointing that many features are only available in higher-priced plans, Sync.com's file sharing options are generally solid. Here's a comparison of the main sharing features:

One of the biggest advantages of Google and Microsoft's cloud storage is how smoothly they work with their office tools. You can edit documents directly in the cloud and work with others in real-time, seeing all changes instantly.

Sync.com can't match this: Unlike Dropbox, it doesn't have its own editor for opening and editing documents. It only offers a comment feature, which at least allows for back-and-forth collaboration.

Real-time collaboration is only possible through Office 365 integration. This lets you open your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from the cloud storage using Office web apps and save changes directly to Sync.com.

If you're already using Microsoft products and have an Office 365 subscription, connecting these services is easy. However, Sync.com isn't an all-in-one collaboration platform.

Here's a comparison of Sync.com's collaboration features:

Sync.com wants to stand out from other cloud storage providers through its security and isn't shy about criticizing its competitors. On their security page, they claim "it's no secret that Dropbox is hostile to customer privacy" because Dropbox keeps the key to user data.

It seems Sync.com wants to position itself as a zero-knowledge alternative to Dropbox and others. Unfortunately, the provider appears to make bigger promises about their privacy and encryption standards than they can actually deliver.

In the past, Sync.com often used terms like "zero-knowledge" and "end-to-end encryption," for example in a blog post by the CEO from 2014 or an earlier privacy whitepaper. Today, Sync.com only mentions end-to-end protection in a few posts and doesn't mention zero-knowledge at all anymore.

This change, along with unclear communication on the topic, makes us somewhat skeptical. While Sync.com explains that files are encrypted locally and transferred encrypted, they don't explain where the decryption keys are generated and stored. If only users had access to the keys, we'd expect Sync.com to continue marketing itself as a zero-knowledge and E2E cloud storage service.

This isn't the end of the world, since end-to-end encryption isn't standard for all cloud storage services anyway. However, from a provider that promotes security so heavily, we'd expect the highest privacy standards - or at least transparency and clear information about how their encryption works.

Setting aside the privacy questions, Sync.com does offer high security standards. They protect data during transfer with TLS (Transport Layer Security) and encrypt it using the AES-256 standard. They also store data on their servers with AES-256 encryption, covering both data in transit and data at rest.

You can read details about the technical infrastructure in the SOC report by Sensiba, an independent audit and consulting firm.

Additional security features include two-factor authentication (2FA), which prevents unauthorized account access, and detailed user permissions that let administrators control access precisely.

When sharing documents, Sync.com offers extra security options like password-protected links, expiration dates for shares, and link statistics. This helps users maintain control over who can access their data.

Sync.com protects you from data loss. You can view old versions of your files and restore them with just a few clicks. Depending on your plan, file versioning goes back 180 to 365 days – the free plan offers 30 days.

Deleted files aren't gone forever: Sync.com keeps a copy of deleted items that you can restore. The same time limits apply as with file versioning.

Sync.com is a Canadian company using servers in Canada, which according to GDPR Article 45(1) offer an "adequate level of data protection," as stated by the provider. The company claims to be both GDPR and PIPEDA compliant. PIPEDA is the Canadian equivalent to GDPR, a federal privacy protection law.

Unfortunately, Sync.com lacks GDPR-specific audits and ISO certifications. As mentioned before, they could provide more information about their privacy standards. They don't publish transparency reports about government requests and other relevant topics.

Here's a comparison of the key privacy features:

Sync.com offers a free plan with 5 GB storage and limited features. There are six paid plans - three for individuals and three for teams.

Here's an overview of Sync.com's plans:

While Sync.com isn't the cheapest cloud storage option available, it offers reasonable prices depending on your storage needs and plan. This is especially true for the Solo Basic plan with 2 TB of storage, where Sync.com ranks as the second most affordable provider in our comparison.

The comparison table below shows the monthly costs from different providers in our review, broken down by storage size and number of users:

Sync.com gets many things right: It impresses with its user-friendly interface, flexible sync settings, and good value for money - making it a practical cloud storage solution without unnecessary bells and whistles.

However, Sync.com's privacy promises set high expectations that lead to disappointment: Their lack of transparency about zero-knowledge standards and end-to-end encryption leaves a bad taste, especially for a provider that claims to prioritize data privacy.

If you're looking for cloud storage with a clear focus on privacy, you'll be better off with providers who clearly communicate their encryption standards and consistently implement end-to-end encryption.

What do Sync.com users think about the platform? We looked at popular review sites and gathered common customer feedback:

Is Sync.com not the right cloud storage for your needs? Here are some alternatives you might want to consider:

Here are the best alternatives to Sync.com: