PowerFolder Pro review

PowerFolder Pro differs from other products in this test in that it's sold primarily as a synchronisation service, with online storage as a bonus. As with Tilana Reserve, it's aimed more at the small business user and SMEs than the average consumer.

Its interface, while complex and in some areas slightly dated, is at least a little more slick and user-friendly than Tilana's. You can easily select which folders you want to synchronise across systems connected to your account, either choosing from the usual suspects (Music, Pictures, Contacts and so on) or your own custom folders. Clients installed on other systems are invited to join the new folder, and doing so is practically idiot-proof.

PowerFolder, as with Tilana Reserve, cleverly offers more advanced controls over what syncs, where and how. You can decide how often folders synchronise and where they synchronise to, and even set up scheduled synchronisations for a specific time of day.

Better still, the program is just as happy synchronising across a local network as across the web, making it a good choice if you want to synchronise PCs and laptops connected to a home or office LAN at higher speeds. The service works with multiple users in and out of the office, and features such as a friends list and a chat window add to its appeal.

The difficulty for PowerFolder is that, at $53 (£37) for a single user with five computers or around £20 per user in a small business scenario, it's going toe to toe with Live Mesh, which offers similar features gratis, albeit with less advanced customisation. As Live Mesh is easier to use, faster and easier on the eye, it's hard to recommend PowerFolder instead.

Author: Stuart Andrews