MediaFire slashes cloud sharing prices
The war for your cloud hosting business just heated up, as major player MediaFire has cut prices to generate more business.
MediaFire is a Mac and iOS friendly cloud service that allows you to store and share files. Users can get 10 GB storage for free (ad-supported downloads) and 1 TB of space is now US$2.49 a month. Hyper-needy users can get up to 100 TB for $24.99 a month.
"With the launch of our new storage plans, we are looking to provide everyday users with a secure and affordable way to share and store all of their music, photos, videos, and files with the people that matter most," said Derek Labian, CEO and Founder of MediaFire, "Over the next few months, we will be launching several new and exciting products, including new and updated applications for iPad and Android."
Individual file size limits have increased to 20 GB, and folders can be easily uploaded and shared. The company provides an app for Mac that includes a menu bar icon you can drag and drop files on and then monitor the upload as it goes. Uploaders can send a URL link to people who are not subscribers so they can click and start a download.
MediaFire uses the desktop app to monitor your cloud storage and manage space, with the controls appearing in your menu bar. The app syncs with any other computer, and of course your iOS devices. The company says it is on the verge of offering updated and more powerful iOS versions of its apps.
The natural competition for MediaFire includes Google, DropBox and Microsoft OneDrive. One of the most popular services for Mac and iOS users is Dropbox. That company offers 2 GB of free space, with 500 GB priced at $49.99 a month -- considerably higher than what MediaFire is charging. Apple, Amazon and Microsoft offer between 5 and 7 GB for free. Amazon and Microsoft charge roughly $0.50 per GB, while Google costs $0.25 per GB between storage ranges of 20 and 100 GB. Apple's cloud services are very Mac-centric, and I mourn the loss of iDisk, which was a quick and easy cross-platform service.
All these price adjustments are terrific for people who have the need to share, transfer and collaborate.
