With plenty of cloud-based storage systems, what makes Internxt any different, and should you trust them with your files?
I am quite skeptical about cloud storage, and although I have a hard drive upon backing up another hard drive in my home, I still use cloud storage as another backup, so maybe I'm not that skeptical. If it's not an SSD drive, I fear that it won't be readable in a few years, so I back up using cloud storage. Perhaps it's just ignorance of what is best and what offers the best options for online storage.
The new kid on the block is Internxt. Launched in 2020, it has a no-frills approach to uploading and layout, promises military-grade encryption and zero-knowledge technology. Ok, the last two went right over my head, so what do they mean? Military-grade encryption refers to AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256-bit keys. Put simply, it's the safest form of scrambled gibberish that can only be decrypted by the person holding the key, you. And zero-knowledge technology means that there is no password or otherwise for anyone to access your data, even Internxt. So, with a little more digging around on what they mean already, I feel more at ease.
So, What Do They Offer?
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Internxt offer secure cloud storage for all your files, on all of your devices. Any file type you care to upload can be accessed and shared via your computer, tablet, mobile phone, basically any device with a connection to the internet.
The upload speeds, as you would guess, depend on your connection, and I didn't find any problems uploading or downloading files. For myself, this was raw files from the Nikon Z 7II JPEGs from the Google Pixel 6 Pro, a couple of PSD/PSB files, and some tracks from Epidemic Sound thrown in just to test the file formats I would mainly use and perhaps want to access from different devices. Everything worked fine with no hiccups.
From a pricing point of view, I would say they are fairly competitive. They have a simple system for adding more free space, 10 in total, to your subscription. Install the mobile app = 1GB, subscribe to the newsletter = 1GB, install the desktop app, and so on until you reach 10 GB.
What I liked
- The reassurance of the military-grade encryption.
- The backup facility from the desktop app.
- Simple interface design.
- Easy folder creation.
- Ease of use on the devices I tried.
- No advertisements.
- Competitive pricing.
The above image is from the photos gallery, where your images are curated by date and synced from your devices should you wish. You can also create your galleries and folders here.
What I Didn't Like
The uploaded JPEG files don't show the thumbnail of the image. This I did find quite counterintuitive from a visual point of view, as the Pixel Pro records the images as PXL_, then 17 digits. So I had to preview each image before finding and downloading the one I wanted. When I inquired about the thumbnails, I was assured that this feature would be added to the drive very soon. As for the rest of the files, I rename them anyway, so this wasn't an issue.
Conclusion
With plenty of cloud storage options out there, why would you choose Internxt? I would say the streamlined and simple nature of how it works. It's not all bells and whistles; it's simply just a no-nonsense. 256-bit encrypted cloud storage option that anyone can use.
You have the storage option of photos, which can be synced from your devices or the drive to store any other file formats, plus the backup facility for peace of mind.
8.99 euros / month for 2TB: this is very, very, very expensive. IDrive or Crashplan are way less expensive (although crashplan sucks!)
Too expensive