I need more cloud storage, but I have commitment issues. I always want to try something new, and I’m always looking for more gigabytes. New service Copy has my storage woes covered. Free users are sitting pretty and will do even better with a generous referral program.
We’ll take a look at the Copy app and see if it has the features to match up to all that space they’re tossing around.
Make It Rain Gigabytes
Copy is the new kid on the cloud storage and sharing block. You start off with 5 GB of free space, and while I think five free anything is pretty good, 5 GB might not sound like much. Still, it’s at least as much as I got free with either Dropbox or Google Drive and almost as much as SkyDrive gave me.
Here’s the kicker, though: with every friend you sign up, you get another 5 GB. The referral scheme is only good for a limited time, but while it’s going on, you can rack up some serious space. If you do decide to go pro, you can get 250 GB of cloud storage for just under a hundred bucks a year.
Everything is done in the Copy menu bar app, including moving the Copy folder.
Now that you’ve got just an embarrassing amount of storage with Copy, you need to put it to use. Install the Copy application, and you’ll need to create an account on your first launch if you haven’t already. You’ll choose where you place your Copy folder; the default location is your user folder, which may not the most convenient, so choose wisely, because if you change your mind, you have to move the folder from within the app.
Once you’re set up, all files you stick in your Copy folder will be mirrored on the Copy website or accessible on other devices running Copy and logged into your account. If you don’t want everything synced, though, click Manage My Files in the application preferences, and deselect anything you don’t want Copy to mirror anymore.
Only sync the files you want in Copy.
There are two great sharing features in Copy. The first is the ability to invite other Copy users to shared folders. The folder is added to their accounts and mirrored on their machines, and they can edit the folder’s contents, making it a great way to accomplish group collaboration.
The second–and equally cool–way to share files with Copy is right in the Finder right-click menu. Select any file or folder in your Copy folder, and then right-click on it and choose Copy Actions. Not only can you see the history of the file, handy if it’s ever been shared with other users, but you can send a public link through the Copy app or copy the public link to your clipboard. Unlike folder sharing above, which requires sendees be signed up with Copy, public links make it really easy to share files with anybody.
Share files from Finder.
The Need for Speed
I’ve read some user reviews complaining about Copy’s upload speed. I didn’t have a problem there, but I also didn’t try to upload a ton of stuff at one time, either. I noticed even after my files were all synced, they didn’t necessarily show up in my Recently Changed menu for a while, though. But just for sharing a few files, the speed was good. Still, if you can get three friends to sign-up and install the Copy app, you’ll have a full 20 GB, so maybe you will want to move a ton of stuff over, after all.
Manage your bandwidth in Copy.
Copy makes it really easy to manage your bandwidth, so if you’re trying to get other stuff done while syncing files, you can tell Copy to cool it for a while. Check the upload and download rate boxes and set your speed. Uncheck them when things open up and you want to let Copy do it’s thing unhindered. If everything just becomes too much for Copy, though, you can pause syncing from the menu bar.
Final Thoughts
Copy’s first job is syncing, which works perfectly. It’s the easy sharing that makes the app so great, though. I like being able to share files with collaborators; that function has a ton of uses, not just for coworkers but among family and friends, too. If I want to share a recipe with my mom, I can stick it in our shared folder, and I can keep a household folder with my husband for all the boring but important stuff we both need a copy of. Equally useful is the ability to share public links, via email, messaging, or social media. It would be nice to share right from the menu bar icon, but I guess you can’t have everything.
Shared folders can make group projects a lot simpler.
The amount of space you get for free can’t be overlooked. 5 GB is definitely respectable and an additional 5 GB for every person referred is amazing in itself. You can rack up some serious space doing that. It’s only for a limited time, though, so you should probably jump on that deal if you’re interested. The app works great and the service is solid, not giving me any problems while I was syncing and sharing. With all that space, Copy’s hard to say no to.
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