For a while now, I’ve been looking for a consolidated place to store and share files. Pics, videos, large files — so many needs, so few offerings.
FileDropper came highly recommended, but there was a cost associated. Granted, the basic plan was only $.99 per month, but it’s still a hassle to buy anything on the Internet when there are free alternatives. Then, someone sent me an offer for a Free accounts for bloggers as well as members of Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Mixx, and del.icio.us. It was a sign. I tried it tonight.
What I found was that their claim of being “The simplest file sharing website ever” is quite true. The interface is one that my mother-in-law can use (and she has trouble with working her email). Member files are never deleted, it has incredibly fast upload and download speed, and there are no count down timers.
MegaUpload has issues. A premium account is great but when you upload something and send it to your friends, they have to wait for a slot to clear. You get 250 gigs of file storage with a $9.99 monthly fee. It’s the slowest service I have tried, particularly in the download area. If you don’t have a US, UK, or Canada based IP, you’re in for a long wait. Worst of all, the beeping buttons when you mouse-over them drives me insane.
RapidShare is one of the most popular options for downloading or uploading files. The monthly account is around 10 euro and provides some good options for premium users. The problems is, when it comes to the free user, the road is a bit rocky. There is excessive pressure to sign up for a paid account and bandwidth is slower for free users.
While I’m not a big fan of paying for anything when there is a free alternative, I can say that FileDropper would be something that I would actually buy. Luckily, I don’t have to. This free offer came at the right time. I’m a blogger, digger, stumbler, redditer, mixxer, and deliciouser, so I think I qualified for the freebie. FYI, it expires May 15.
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There will be more stories about free offers on the Internet coming soon. This story was too fun to let it go.
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31 Comments, Comment or Ping
bacos
“Redditor”. Think “editor”.
Apr 27th, 2008
JD Rucker
@Bacos - thanks for the fix. I need to get a better editer for this blog.
OOPS! lol
Apr 27th, 2008
Wibble
Yeah, but who owns the service?
I’m rather suspicious of new services like this seeing how much snooping is going on… you never know who has access to your files, better off sticking with th tried and tested providers.
Apr 27th, 2008
Fafnir
Rapidshare also has a pretty major technical issue - if someone’s ISP uses transparent proxies, they can’t download anything from it without paying.
Apr 27th, 2008
MewIII
noscript & adblock plus & filterset.g => nobeep, noads
Apr 27th, 2008
Millions Livio
Mediafire.com is a much better option and entirely free.
Apr 28th, 2008
Ackbar
IT’S A TRAP!!!
Apr 28th, 2008
aaron
Thanks for the tip, I love using these sites. I have accounts on a bunch and you missed one of my favorites. http://www.adrive.com is much better than megaupload, it’s completely free, and it’s 50gb for free. The speeds are faster and less constraints (2gb file upload).
Apr 28th, 2008
mundens
If you don’t mind paying a _little_ bit, I think Amazon S3 (http://www.amazon.com/S3-AWS-home-page-Money/)provides the best service.
Apr 28th, 2008
David Berman
Another alternative is our site, http://www.sendtoperson.com. Our site is very simple to use, free to send up to 1Gb every month, and most importantly, is very effective at getting your files delivered.
Apr 28th, 2008
Cenaddar
I signed up, uploaded a few things (the speeds were about 300-500kbps), and am quite pleased. With 250GB of space and a 5GB file limit (yeah, 5 gig files are A-OK) I can’t see why people would go with an alternative site like ADrive or MediaFire.
Then again, if no one else uses File Dropper I won’t have to worry about lagged servers… so don’t use it! Go with Rapidspit! It’s way better, really!
Apr 28th, 2008
Jennifer
On the subject of file backup, sharing and storage …
Online backup is becoming common these days. It is estimated that 70-75% of all PC’s will be connected to online backup services with in the next decade.
Thousands of online backup companies exist, from one guy operating in his apartment to fortune 500 companies.
Choosing the best online backup company will be very confusing and difficult. One website I find very helpful in making a decision to pick an online backup company is:
http://www.BackupReview.info
This site lists more than 400 online backup companies in its directory and ranks the top 25 on a monthly basis.
Apr 28th, 2008
hghjfgh
It’s 250 “Gb” not “GB” –> About 30 gigabytes… IT’S A TRAP!
Apr 28th, 2008
Smumdax
I regularly use sendspace.com Actually, it was the first I found, and it fit my needs… so I never looked for anything else. I usually use it to send some work files, like PSDs or a couple mp3s or Zip/Rar files of pictures I took… anything that is too large to send via normal email. I don’t use it for movies and stuff like that, so I don’t see why people would need 5 Gig… much less 250 Gig … I prefer keeping my files on my computer, thank you.
Apr 28th, 2008
ajay
i like the skydrive from ms
Apr 28th, 2008
Zia
Anybody tried MyBloop ? Unlimited (yes!) storage.
http://zia.blogspot.com/2008/03/mybloopcom-unlimited-free-file-storage.html
Apr 28th, 2008
thenonhacker
NinjaShare.com gets the job done, and no need to signup.
Apr 28th, 2008
dingdong
iFile.it does the same and more and is completely free + nice file organizer
Apr 28th, 2008
Life on Mars
Really useful list, I love them!
Apr 28th, 2008
digerati
Site no longer accepting? Link no worky?
Apr 28th, 2008
thenonhacker
I’ve read all comments in Digg and it makes sense that the site could be a fly-by-night operation OR they do not know what they’re doing. The least we should do is to make sure you use a password you’ve never used before. http://digg.com/tech_news/File_Sharing_Site_Offers_250GB_Storage_Free_to_Diggers
Apr 28th, 2008
hi
Megaupload happy hour for the win
Apr 28th, 2008
PCNews
Nice tip. I’ll try it to see if it is really OK.
Apr 28th, 2008
kylere
1. Start a 250Gig online storage service
2. Wait 6 months
3. Reveal company as front for RIAA/MPAA
4. Profit
Apr 28th, 2008
Ash Haque
I call complete BS
Last night it said wait till tomorrow morning, this morning it said 9pm, tonight specials gone.
Apr 29th, 2008
Peter
Has no one ever heard of YouSendIt.com another great free site.
Apr 29th, 2008
Nerd Quiz
I wonder how well filedropper is doing at that price when there are other free options, either way– Kudos to them!
Apr 29th, 2008
anonymous
Has anyone been able to upload a file over 3GB on filedropper? I tried uploading a 3GB file (a few times) and it didn’t work. The site seems a bit shaky to me.
May 1st, 2008
poopybuns
Hasn’t anyone ever heard of http://www.drop.io ? it isn’t huge space, but your options for upload and ease of use / sharing is AMAZING
May 2nd, 2008
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