Using an online backup service is a good way to ensure that you don't accidentally lose access to important files.
Livedrive is a straightforward backup option that offers unlimited storage along with strong apps across desktop and mobile platforms.
However, it's on the expensive side and had the slowest upload speeds of all the services we tested.
Livedrive also does not encrypt all files locally before upload or offer the option to secure your backup with private encryption keys.
(Editors' Note: Livedrive is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Daxdi's publisher, Ziff Davis.)
Pricing and Platforms
Livedrive offers three consumer subscription plans, though the segmentation of features is a bit atypical for the online backup space.
The least expensive, called Backup, costs $84 per year.
It gives you unlimited storage space and can be used on one PC or Mac.
The next-most-expensive plan, Briefcase, costs $156 per year, but it doesn't include any backup capabilities.
Livedrive's Briefcase lets you access, edit, and sync your files across devices and on the web; it works similarly to a Dropbox folder.
This plan includes 2TB of storage space and apps for both desktop and mobile platforms.
The most expensive personal subscription option, Pro Suite, costs $240 per year.
You can use it on up to five PCs or Macs as well as an unlimited number of tablets or mobile devices.
This plan includes unlimited backup storage and 5TB of Briefcase storage.
Livedrive offers free 14-day trials for all of its plans, but you have to enter credit card information to take advantage of that.
There's also no free plan like those offered by competitors, including iDrive, OpenDrive, or Zoolz BigMind.
Compared with other backup services, Livedrive is expensive.
For example, iDrive costs $69.50 per year for 2TB of storage across an unlimited number of devices.
Backblaze offers unlimited storage for only $60 per year for one device.
Also, most services don't charge extra for folder syncing.
Acronis True Image and SpiderOak ONE, for example, provide this feature for free.
Livedrive also offers the $50-per-month Business Express and the $160-per-month Business Standard plans, which support three and 10 users, respectively.
These plans offer collaboration and backup tools for organizations, with the ability to add more users for a fee.
We've also tested Livedrive Business (the collective name for its enterprise plans) and found that it offers many of the standard features of entry-level cloud storage solutions.
It is also expensive and it lacks transparent data-protection policies.
Canceling a Livedrive account is more involved than we like.
To do so, users can call the UK-based Cancellation team, submit a ticket for cancellation, or use the account cancellation form.
Livedrive apps are available for Windows (7 and later) and macOS (10.10 and later) systems, as well as Android (5 and later) and iOS (11 and later) devices.
You can also download a version of Livedrive from the Microsoft Store, though note that this version does not offer the full capabilities.
The Store version, called Livedrive Content Viewer, does not let you set up and run backups, but you can view uploaded content and add files to your Briefcase.
Privacy and Security
Livedrive says it transfers files to its servers using TLS 1.2 encryption, but it does not encrypt regular backup files locally before upload, which is something the vast majority of other services do.
We much prefer the added security benefit of end-to-end encryption, rather than just during the upload.
Livedrive also notes that "individual customer data is split across multiple independent systems with no single system containing enough to retrieve an individual file via any unauthorized methods." All of Livedrive's data centers are based in the UK and are monitored to prevent intrusion.
Users do have the option to enable encryption for their Briefcase (the online file drive feature we discuss in more detail later).
Our Livedrive contact explained that this option encrypts the local copy of all Briefcase files using AES-128 security.
If you use this in conjunction with the optional password requirement (for launching the software), this prevents anyone who steals your laptop from accessing your files.
Competitors offer more advanced features, however.
For example, SpiderOak ONE offers end-to-end encryption for your files as well as the option to use a private encryption key.
IDrive, Backblaze, and SOS Online Backup offer similar security measures.
The lack of a private key encryption feature is a strike against Livedrive.
Acronis True image goes one step further, adding anti-ransomware software, which it has spun off into a free standalone product.
Daxdi's lead Security Analyst, Neil Rubenking, reviewed Acronis' Ransomware Protection and rated it four stars.
Livedrive does not offer any bulk mail-based backup or recovery services.
Backblaze and Carbonite can send you an external drive with your data or, a blank hard drive, if you want the company to upload your data in bulk.
Livedrive's privacy policy states that it may collect and process data you provide (such as contact info), data you make public (if you post about the company on social media, for example), and data you generate from using the app or site, as well as from other sources.
Livedrive uses this information to operate and improve its services; communicate with you; and to comply with legal requests, among other standard reasons.
For reference, Livedrive is based in the UK.
Desktop Interface
Livedrive's desktop app is compact and straightforward, similar to Backblaze's.
It's not as striking as Acronis True Image's or SpiderOak ONE's interface, but we had no issues navigating the app or changing preferences.
Livedrive organizes information and settings across five tabs in a top menu: Dashboard, Settings, Restore, Support, and Web.
The Dashboard shows you the status of the latest backup task, along with when the next one is set to run (you can run it manually), and how much storage you have left.
You can also see the status of your uploads and downloads.
The Settings section breaks down into three modules, Backup Selection, Security Settings, and Advanced.
By default, the backup selection screen shows common folders like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures, though you can add any other individual folders via its built-in file browser.
Once you make your selection, you can select how often (as frequent as every hour) or at what time the program scans your selected folders for changes.
We prefer the more-sophisticated approaches of other services.
Carbonite, for example, implements a truly continuous backup option.
Acronis True image offers the same capability and lets you set up separate backup sets with individual upload schedules.
This might be useful if, for example, you want to back up your Documents folder every day but only need to run a full disk backup every month.
Livedrive doesn't have a disk image backup option either, a feature IDrive offers.
Security settings are a bit sparse; you can (as mentioned) encrypt your storage Briefcase or set the program to require your account password every time you launch it.
Livedrive organizes other settings in the Advanced settings module.
The Bandwidth option, for example, lets you limit the bandwidth the program uses for uploads or downloads.
You can also exclude folders or file types from your backup, and set upload priorities for specific file types.
The last security feature of note is Livedrive's Integrity Check, which verifies each one of your files online against those saved on your hard drive, to ensure that everything is consistent.
The amount of time it takes to verify all of these files is dependent on the total size of your backup, but be aware that running this check temporarily locks out the rest of the application.
The next tab over, Restore, lets you retrieve the latest versions of your files (and previous versions, too) from either your online backup or from your Briefcase.
Under the Backup Selection section, it organizes items based on the original computer from which you uploaded it.
You can easily restore everything in your Briefcase with a single button.
You choose the time period you want to restore from, the destination folder, and how it deals with duplicate files.
Livedrive keeps up to 30 previous versions of files from your backup selection or your Briefcase for an unlimited period.
It also keeps deleted files for 30 days before permanently getting rid of them.
The versioning feature worked fine with a text file that we uploaded to the Briefcase and edited at intervals.
For comparison, IDrive offers the same file version retention (previous 30 versions forever), but SOS Online Backup will keep all versions of a file forever.
OpenDrive keeps the past 99 versions of a file forever as well.
Livedrive divides the Support tab into a FAQs and Support section and one dedicated to Tutorials, though both ultimately lead to Livedrive's website.
If you click the Web tab, it also redirects you to the online portal.
Notably, the Need Help With Restore? button from the Restore tab still links to an unfinished web page at the time of this writing.
That would undoubtedly be a disappointment to anyone who clicked there needing help.
Web and Sharing
Livedrive's web interface features a clean and consistent design.
You navigate the console via a series of menu links: Devices, Latest Files, Photo Gallery, Briefcase, Account, Download, and Support.
Devices and Latest Files work as you expect; you can drill down into individual devices or folder structures to get to specific items.
The search functionality works well, but you can't filter files in the browser.
Right-clicking on a file lets you download it directly or view its properties.
Livedrive's photo gallery functions like any other web gallery, but it's a nicer way to view folders than a typical file menu.
It sorts photos in reverse chronological order, but there's no way to organize them any further.
Folders or some sort of geolocation data attribute would vastly improve this area.
Zoolz Big Mind offers more advanced photo features, including a fairly accurate object-recognition engine.
Livedrive doesn't include an option to enable two-factor authentication in the account settings, which should be standard for any web service that stores private data.
You can view your plan information and update personal information, as well as changing the web address at which friends and families can download your publicly shared files.
Speaking of sharing files, you can only share files that are stored in your Briefcase.
With Livedrive, you can either make files available at a public link or share them directly with individuals via email.
In this case, Livedrive sends the recipient a one-time access link as well as a username and password for subsequent access attempts.
We dislike that Livedrive requires recipients to sign up with an account.
The Download link brings you to the correct installer for your device and platform, while the Support tab displays an odd mixture of service information, knowledgebase links, the Livedrive Blog, and your account's universal File Exclusions preferences.
Livedrive's Speed
We tested Livedrive's performance by timing how long it took to upload three separate 1GB folders of mixed file types.
We then averaged the resulting times.
For the test, we connected our Windows 10 test machine to Daxdi's test network (600 Mbps upload) via Ethernet so that the connection speed wouldn't be the limiting factor.
Livedrive turned in the worst performance of any of the services we tested, uploading the file sets in an average time of 27:11 (mm:ss).
This is much slower than the speedy IDrive (1:25) and even than the middling performers such as SOS Online Backup (6:42) and Backblaze (7:47).
An online backup service with fast upload speeds will certainly make initial and subsequent backups more convenient, but if you are just planning to have the software running in the background, these test results may be less consequential.
Mobile Backup
We had no trouble installing and signing in to Livedrive on a Google Pixel running Android 9.
As with the desktop and web applications, the mobile app has a clean design and performs well.
The hidden left-hand menu lists options for viewing your backups, accessing the briefcase, setting up mobile backups, and sharing files.
Livedrive can automatically upload all of your phone's photos and videos to your online storage in the background.
This is useful for shutter-happy mobile photographers or even those who just want redundant copies of their files.
Other services, such as IDrive and Acronis True Image allow you to back up even more data types, including contacts and calendars.
The Upload Files option allows you to browse through your local device folders and upload images, videos, and audio to your Briefcase.
The Music & Playlist section organizes all of your uploaded media files into a cloud player of sorts, though note that in order for music files to show up, you need to add them to a playlist from your Briefcase.
This process feels convoluted to us.
More importantly, it's not as seamless as streaming music services like Spotify, or even playing locally stored audio files.
Simple Backups, But You Can Do Better
Livedrive handles the basics of backup fine and we like its unlimited storage allotment and effective apps.
However, Livedrive costs a lot, lacks a truly continuous backup option, does not bundle the file syncing features in the base account, and performed poorly in our upload speed tests.
Furthermore, security and privacy options are not as robust as other services; it doesn't offer private key encryption or two-factor authentication options, nor does it encrypt all backup files locally before upload.
For better online backup options, look to our top picks in the category: IDrive, for its value and speed, and Acronis True Image, for its top-notch UI and excellent set of features.
If you'd rather keep your backups out of the cloud, take a look at our roundups of the best external hard drives and the best local backup software.
Cons
Using an online backup service is a good way to ensure that you don't accidentally lose access to important files.
Livedrive is a straightforward backup option that offers unlimited storage along with strong apps across desktop and mobile platforms.
However, it's on the expensive side and had the slowest upload speeds of all the services we tested.
Livedrive also does not encrypt all files locally before upload or offer the option to secure your backup with private encryption keys.
(Editors' Note: Livedrive is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Daxdi's publisher, Ziff Davis.)
Pricing and Platforms
Livedrive offers three consumer subscription plans, though the segmentation of features is a bit atypical for the online backup space.
The least expensive, called Backup, costs $84 per year.
It gives you unlimited storage space and can be used on one PC or Mac.
The next-most-expensive plan, Briefcase, costs $156 per year, but it doesn't include any backup capabilities.
Livedrive's Briefcase lets you access, edit, and sync your files across devices and on the web; it works similarly to a Dropbox folder.
This plan includes 2TB of storage space and apps for both desktop and mobile platforms.
The most expensive personal subscription option, Pro Suite, costs $240 per year.
You can use it on up to five PCs or Macs as well as an unlimited number of tablets or mobile devices.
This plan includes unlimited backup storage and 5TB of Briefcase storage.
Livedrive offers free 14-day trials for all of its plans, but you have to enter credit card information to take advantage of that.
There's also no free plan like those offered by competitors, including iDrive, OpenDrive, or Zoolz BigMind.
Compared with other backup services, Livedrive is expensive.
For example, iDrive costs $69.50 per year for 2TB of storage across an unlimited number of devices.
Backblaze offers unlimited storage for only $60 per year for one device.
Also, most services don't charge extra for folder syncing.
Acronis True Image and SpiderOak ONE, for example, provide this feature for free.
Livedrive also offers the $50-per-month Business Express and the $160-per-month Business Standard plans, which support three and 10 users, respectively.
These plans offer collaboration and backup tools for organizations, with the ability to add more users for a fee.
We've also tested Livedrive Business (the collective name for its enterprise plans) and found that it offers many of the standard features of entry-level cloud storage solutions.
It is also expensive and it lacks transparent data-protection policies.
Canceling a Livedrive account is more involved than we like.
To do so, users can call the UK-based Cancellation team, submit a ticket for cancellation, or use the account cancellation form.
Livedrive apps are available for Windows (7 and later) and macOS (10.10 and later) systems, as well as Android (5 and later) and iOS (11 and later) devices.
You can also download a version of Livedrive from the Microsoft Store, though note that this version does not offer the full capabilities.
The Store version, called Livedrive Content Viewer, does not let you set up and run backups, but you can view uploaded content and add files to your Briefcase.
Privacy and Security
Livedrive says it transfers files to its servers using TLS 1.2 encryption, but it does not encrypt regular backup files locally before upload, which is something the vast majority of other services do.
We much prefer the added security benefit of end-to-end encryption, rather than just during the upload.
Livedrive also notes that "individual customer data is split across multiple independent systems with no single system containing enough to retrieve an individual file via any unauthorized methods." All of Livedrive's data centers are based in the UK and are monitored to prevent intrusion.
Users do have the option to enable encryption for their Briefcase (the online file drive feature we discuss in more detail later).
Our Livedrive contact explained that this option encrypts the local copy of all Briefcase files using AES-128 security.
If you use this in conjunction with the optional password requirement (for launching the software), this prevents anyone who steals your laptop from accessing your files.
Competitors offer more advanced features, however.
For example, SpiderOak ONE offers end-to-end encryption for your files as well as the option to use a private encryption key.
IDrive, Backblaze, and SOS Online Backup offer similar security measures.
The lack of a private key encryption feature is a strike against Livedrive.
Acronis True image goes one step further, adding anti-ransomware software, which it has spun off into a free standalone product.
Daxdi's lead Security Analyst, Neil Rubenking, reviewed Acronis' Ransomware Protection and rated it four stars.
Livedrive does not offer any bulk mail-based backup or recovery services.
Backblaze and Carbonite can send you an external drive with your data or, a blank hard drive, if you want the company to upload your data in bulk.
Livedrive's privacy policy states that it may collect and process data you provide (such as contact info), data you make public (if you post about the company on social media, for example), and data you generate from using the app or site, as well as from other sources.
Livedrive uses this information to operate and improve its services; communicate with you; and to comply with legal requests, among other standard reasons.
For reference, Livedrive is based in the UK.
Desktop Interface
Livedrive's desktop app is compact and straightforward, similar to Backblaze's.
It's not as striking as Acronis True Image's or SpiderOak ONE's interface, but we had no issues navigating the app or changing preferences.
Livedrive organizes information and settings across five tabs in a top menu: Dashboard, Settings, Restore, Support, and Web.
The Dashboard shows you the status of the latest backup task, along with when the next one is set to run (you can run it manually), and how much storage you have left.
You can also see the status of your uploads and downloads.
The Settings section breaks down into three modules, Backup Selection, Security Settings, and Advanced.
By default, the backup selection screen shows common folders like Desktop, Documents, and Pictures, though you can add any other individual folders via its built-in file browser.
Once you make your selection, you can select how often (as frequent as every hour) or at what time the program scans your selected folders for changes.
We prefer the more-sophisticated approaches of other services.
Carbonite, for example, implements a truly continuous backup option.
Acronis True image offers the same capability and lets you set up separate backup sets with individual upload schedules.
This might be useful if, for example, you want to back up your Documents folder every day but only need to run a full disk backup every month.
Livedrive doesn't have a disk image backup option either, a feature IDrive offers.
Security settings are a bit sparse; you can (as mentioned) encrypt your storage Briefcase or set the program to require your account password every time you launch it.
Livedrive organizes other settings in the Advanced settings module.
The Bandwidth option, for example, lets you limit the bandwidth the program uses for uploads or downloads.
You can also exclude folders or file types from your backup, and set upload priorities for specific file types.
The last security feature of note is Livedrive's Integrity Check, which verifies each one of your files online against those saved on your hard drive, to ensure that everything is consistent.
The amount of time it takes to verify all of these files is dependent on the total size of your backup, but be aware that running this check temporarily locks out the rest of the application.
The next tab over, Restore, lets you retrieve the latest versions of your files (and previous versions, too) from either your online backup or from your Briefcase.
Under the Backup Selection section, it organizes items based on the original computer from which you uploaded it.
You can easily restore everything in your Briefcase with a single button.
You choose the time period you want to restore from, the destination folder, and how it deals with duplicate files.
Livedrive keeps up to 30 previous versions of files from your backup selection or your Briefcase for an unlimited period.
It also keeps deleted files for 30 days before permanently getting rid of them.
The versioning feature worked fine with a text file that we uploaded to the Briefcase and edited at intervals.
For comparison, IDrive offers the same file version retention (previous 30 versions forever), but SOS Online Backup will keep all versions of a file forever.
OpenDrive keeps the past 99 versions of a file forever as well.
Livedrive divides the Support tab into a FAQs and Support section and one dedicated to Tutorials, though both ultimately lead to Livedrive's website.
If you click the Web tab, it also redirects you to the online portal.
Notably, the Need Help With Restore? button from the Restore tab still links to an unfinished web page at the time of this writing.
That would undoubtedly be a disappointment to anyone who clicked there needing help.
Web and Sharing
Livedrive's web interface features a clean and consistent design.
You navigate the console via a series of menu links: Devices, Latest Files, Photo Gallery, Briefcase, Account, Download, and Support.
Devices and Latest Files work as you expect; you can drill down into individual devices or folder structures to get to specific items.
The search functionality works well, but you can't filter files in the browser.
Right-clicking on a file lets you download it directly or view its properties.
Livedrive's photo gallery functions like any other web gallery, but it's a nicer way to view folders than a typical file menu.
It sorts photos in reverse chronological order, but there's no way to organize them any further.
Folders or some sort of geolocation data attribute would vastly improve this area.
Zoolz Big Mind offers more advanced photo features, including a fairly accurate object-recognition engine.
Livedrive doesn't include an option to enable two-factor authentication in the account settings, which should be standard for any web service that stores private data.
You can view your plan information and update personal information, as well as changing the web address at which friends and families can download your publicly shared files.
Speaking of sharing files, you can only share files that are stored in your Briefcase.
With Livedrive, you can either make files available at a public link or share them directly with individuals via email.
In this case, Livedrive sends the recipient a one-time access link as well as a username and password for subsequent access attempts.
We dislike that Livedrive requires recipients to sign up with an account.
The Download link brings you to the correct installer for your device and platform, while the Support tab displays an odd mixture of service information, knowledgebase links, the Livedrive Blog, and your account's universal File Exclusions preferences.
Livedrive's Speed
We tested Livedrive's performance by timing how long it took to upload three separate 1GB folders of mixed file types.
We then averaged the resulting times.
For the test, we connected our Windows 10 test machine to Daxdi's test network (600 Mbps upload) via Ethernet so that the connection speed wouldn't be the limiting factor.
Livedrive turned in the worst performance of any of the services we tested, uploading the file sets in an average time of 27:11 (mm:ss).
This is much slower than the speedy IDrive (1:25) and even than the middling performers such as SOS Online Backup (6:42) and Backblaze (7:47).
An online backup service with fast upload speeds will certainly make initial and subsequent backups more convenient, but if you are just planning to have the software running in the background, these test results may be less consequential.
Mobile Backup
We had no trouble installing and signing in to Livedrive on a Google Pixel running Android 9.
As with the desktop and web applications, the mobile app has a clean design and performs well.
The hidden left-hand menu lists options for viewing your backups, accessing the briefcase, setting up mobile backups, and sharing files.
Livedrive can automatically upload all of your phone's photos and videos to your online storage in the background.
This is useful for shutter-happy mobile photographers or even those who just want redundant copies of their files.
Other services, such as IDrive and Acronis True Image allow you to back up even more data types, including contacts and calendars.
The Upload Files option allows you to browse through your local device folders and upload images, videos, and audio to your Briefcase.
The Music & Playlist section organizes all of your uploaded media files into a cloud player of sorts, though note that in order for music files to show up, you need to add them to a playlist from your Briefcase.
This process feels convoluted to us.
More importantly, it's not as seamless as streaming music services like Spotify, or even playing locally stored audio files.
Simple Backups, But You Can Do Better
Livedrive handles the basics of backup fine and we like its unlimited storage allotment and effective apps.
However, Livedrive costs a lot, lacks a truly continuous backup option, does not bundle the file syncing features in the base account, and performed poorly in our upload speed tests.
Furthermore, security and privacy options are not as robust as other services; it doesn't offer private key encryption or two-factor authentication options, nor does it encrypt all backup files locally before upload.
For better online backup options, look to our top picks in the category: IDrive, for its value and speed, and Acronis True Image, for its top-notch UI and excellent set of features.
If you'd rather keep your backups out of the cloud, take a look at our roundups of the best external hard drives and the best local backup software.
Cons
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