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Memopal Online Backup Review: Is It Safe to Use in 2024?

Josh Fasulo Josh Fasulo Cloud Hosting Expert

Memopal is a secure, easy to use online backup service that lets you access all your files from an unlimited number of devices. It doesn’t offer unlimited backup and its security could be better, but it has some great syncing, sharing, and versioning features.

Overview

Secure, Automatic Cloud Backup for All Your Devices

Memopal claims to be the only online backup service you need. It developed its own cloud platform, so it can keep its pricing competitive while providing all the features you could ever want. Sounds good, right? Well, I gave it a try to see if its services could support the claim.

One thing I liked was that Memopal’s cloud backup service includes a Sync folder. From this folder, you can easily access up-to-date versions of your files on any device and share your files with anyone.

And when I say you can access your files from any device, I mean it. Memopal works with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Blackberry operating systems, and you can access backed-up files from your computer, tablet, and smartphone. It also has cross-platform functionality, so it doesn’t matter what OS you use.

The service doesn’t have a true “storage” feature, meaning it doesn’t give you added storage space in addition to your cloud backup data limit. However, its cloud backup acts like storage because it will retain every version of your files, and if you delete something from your computer, it will still be available on Memopal.

You can get a free 3GB plan, but to get more backup space you’ll have to upgrade to one of Memopal’s annual plans (Pro, Business, or White label), which are capped at 5TB.

Overall, Memopal has its advantages: it’s an easy-to-use cloud backup service that lets you connect an unlimited number of devices. But it also has its drawbacks. I’m going to take a closer look at performance, security, and features so you can determine if Memopal is the right choice for you.

4.2

Features

Memopal Sticks to the Basics When It Comes to Features

Data Server Locations Italy
Backup and Restore Options Automatic/daily/weekly backups, real-time status update, backup status reports
Limits and Restrictions 10GB file size maximum, bandwidth throttling (optional – client-side), photo backup only on mobile apps
Applications and Operating Systems Windows 7 and later, Windows Server 2003/2008, Mac OS X 10.7 and higher, Linux Debian 6 and CentOS 6 e Ubuntu 12, iOS, Android, Blackberry
Encryption Keys Server-side SSL certificate
File Access Via web app, desktop client, and mobile apps, multi-device syncing
File Sharing

Memopal’s feature list isn’t extensive, but some of these features are convenient to have. You can have backup status reports emailed to you, create a “favorites” list of files you access often, and manage folders within your account to organize your backups.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important features to help you decide if Memopal is right for you.

Automatic Backups for Unlimited Devices

You can use the same Memopal account to back up as many computers as you want, which is a great feature for businesses and large households. You can also back up external hard drives, as well as photos from an unlimited number of tablets and phones.

Memopal can back up any file from your computer, with no file-type restrictions, but it won’t be able to take a true mirror image of your computer. It also has data caps on its free and business plans, and a maximum file-size limit of 10GB on uploads.

If you make a change to a file on your device, Memopal will create a new version of the file, which will live forever on your backup unless you manually delete it.

By default, backups run automatically when you turn on your computer, but you can schedule daily or weekly backups if you prefer.

Memopal Schedule Settings
From the Settings menu, you can easily schedule Memopal’s backup

Two Apps for Restoring Data

If anything ever happens to your data, you can restore individual folders and files from both the web app and desktop app. And if you accidentally modify a file, you can restore it from a previous version saved to your backup.

Memopal Version Restore
Memopal makes it easy to select a version to restore, but the restore interface is a bit clunky

The web app has its limitations, though. You can only restore your entire backup from the desktop app. Restored files default to the Downloads folder on your computer, although this can be changed through your desktop app settings.

Memopal does not offer a courier recovery service or any other offline restore option.

Memopal Restore Location Selection
You can modify Memopal’s restore location through the desktop app

Standard Security That Could Be Better

Memopal uses 256-bit AES encryption and server-side SSL to protect your files during transfer. It claims that this level of security is so strong that “it would take over 100 years of continuous attempts to translate a single file intercepted during transfer.”

But what Memopal doesn’t offer is private encryption. This means that all encryption and data protection only come from Memopal’s Italy-based servers. These data centers use RAID-5 technology to distribute your data in chunks across multiple servers.

Memopal also doesn’t offer two-factor authentication. If you don’t want to take any risks when it comes to security, IDrive or SpiderOak are cloud backup services that automatically provide these options.

To protect against manmade or natural disasters, Memopal’s Global File System (MGFS) creates redundant copies of files that are stored in several locations. This system also makes it impossible to determine the name of the original file or who owns the data.

4.7

Ease of use

Beginner-Friendly Cloud Backup

With automatic backups and simple app interfaces for personal plans, you don’t need any technical experience to use Memopal. Likewise, its Business and White label plans offer a broader but user-friendly admin panel to manage your company’s accounts.

Memopal Business Admin Panel
For its Business plans, Memopal offers a robust admin panel to manage your colleague’s accounts

Access Your Files from Any Computer

When you add a new computer to your account, Memopal automatically creates a Sync folder on the Desktop. Sync lets you access the same version of a file from more than one computer. Simply drag and drop files into the folder and they will be available on all your synced computers.

Memopal Sync Folder On A Mac
Your Memopal Sync folder looks like any other folder on your computer

You can edit any file in the Sync folder from any connected device. When you save your file, Memopal Sync will automatically update your document to the latest version on every synced computer.

Multiple Ways to Share Files

If you use the Memopal web app, you can share links to your files or folders via email, Facebook, or Twitter.

Memopal Web Sharing Link
Memopal makes it easy to share a link to your file

You can also share links to files or folders on your computer by dragging and dropping them to the desktop client or by clicking on the Send File button and manually selecting the files or folders.

You can still share files if they’re not currently backed up. Memopal will automatically upload your selected files to its server before activating the link.

Memopal Desktop Clien File Sharing
The  Send File option on Memopal’s desktop client lets you share any file on your computer

The mobile app lets you share any uploaded file in multiple ways: via text, direct drop, email, or even through social media.

Easily Organize and Share Photos

One of my favorite features is Memopal’s Photo Album. Memopal will automatically search for image files across all your folders and use the date in their metadata to organize them by year.

This makes finding your photos much easier than with most cloud backups, and you can easily share links to your images directly from the album.

Memopal Photo Album
Memopal’s Photo Album web app automatically searches for image files in all your folders and organizes them in the Photos folder

Setting Up an Account

Setting up an account with Memopal is quick and painless. First, you need to install Memopal’s desktop app. Activating a free 3GB account requires just your email and a password. For its paid Pro, Business, and White label plans, you’ll need to provide your name, phone number, and address, as well as a method of payment.

Once you’re signed up, you can adjust your advanced settings, which include changing your backup schedule, backup speed, and maximum file size for uploads. If you have large files, make sure you increase the maximum file size so they will be backed up. 500MB max is the default, but you can increase the size up to 10GB.

Memopal Default Size Cap
I didn’t like that for backups, Memopal’s default cap for file size is set at 500MB

You have two options when it comes to backing up your data. Memopal’s My Documents folder will automatically back up your computer’s Desktop, Documents, and media folders, while the Custom option lets you select any folder from your computer. You can’t back up individual files.

Memopal Custom Folder Selection For Backup
Memopal makes it easy to add specific folders to your backup, although you won’t be able to select individual files

Memopal’s desktop app lets you backup your entire computer (if space allows), but on your tablet or mobile device, you can only back up your photos.

Memopal Mobile App Backup Function
Memopal’s mobile backup function is easy to use but limited to Photos
4.1

Performance

Average-to-Slow Speeds on Top of Technical Issues

To test Memopal’s performance, I created a 3GB folder of documents, photos, videos, and music and ran a series of backup and restore tests.

Backup Tests

According to Memopal, backup times depend on how much data you’re uploading and the speed of your internet connection. The backup speed is set to “automatic,” but you can manually throttle your bandwidth by adjusting this advanced setting. For this test, I left it on the default automatic setting.

Memopal Backup Speed Settings
I Iike that Memopal lets you adjust your backup speed to control your bandwidth throttle

Before running my backup tests, I checked my connection speed over Wi-Fi. My online speed test used a data center more than 200 miles from my location.

Internet Speed Test Before Backup
My pre-test internet speeds were 6.50Mpbs for uploads and 24.41Mbps for downloads

I ran my first backup at 1:00 PM on a Monday and it took 1 hour and 50 minutes. I’ve tested several cloud backup services, and for a 3GB folder, this backup was a bit longer than most.

I ran a connection speed test during the backup and both my upload and download speeds were about 12% slower than my pre-test speeds. So with speed settings on automatic, it appeared Memopal was slightly throttling my bandwidth.

Internet Speed Test During Backup
During my first back up with Memopal, my connection speeds were about 12% slower for downloads

I ran my second backup test on a Thursday morning at 8:30. This time, my before-and-after speed tests used a London-based server (20 miles from me) and upload speeds were almost identical, though download speeds were cut in half – suggesting there was still some bandwidth throttling going on. My Thursday backup took 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Internet Speed Test During Backup
Upload speeds during my second backup with Memopal were fine, but download speeds dropped by 12Mbps

I ran my third backup test at 1:00 PM on a Sunday afternoon to see if backups on the weekend would be quicker. They weren’t. Strangely, it took nearly 5 hours for my Sunday backup to finish.

But connection speeds weren’t the issue here the issue was the backup freezing. Frustrated, I contacted customer support about this problem. (See what happened in the Support section.)

During backups, Memopal gives you a detailed status report that includes how much data is left to transfer and estimated completion time. But what’s unique about the status report is that it tells you which files have upload errors, and Memopal fixes those errors before completing the backup.

Memopal Backup Status Update Including Errors
I liked that Memopal alerted me whenever files had uploading issues

You can access your files from the web console as soon as they’re backed up, but there are limitations. You can view images, but you can’t view videos. You can read PDFs, but you can’t read Word documents. And you can play music, but only on certain web browsers – for instance, I could play music on Chrome but not Safari.

However, you can access and edit files in your Memopal Sync folder immediately.

Another technical glitch I encountered was that Memopal put my files under two separate device names: my laptop named Josh’s MacBook Pro, which held just 7.3MB of files, and the newly created Joshâs MacBook Pro, which held the rest of my files. I reached out to customer support to see why this happened. See the Support section for their response.

Memopal Device Name Glitch
It was strange that Memopal split up my backup and put most files under a strange device name

Restore Tests

To test Memopal’s restoration capabilities, I ran two tests: one at 8:30 AM on a Wednesday and the other on Friday at 1:00 PM.

My Wednesday morning restore took 54 minutes. I didn’t notice any performance issues, and my internet speeds were nearly in line with my normal speeds.

Internet Speed Test During Restore
Restoring data from Memopal didn’t throttle my bandwidth at all

I didn’t have any internet speed issues on Friday morning either, but it took much longer, clocking in at nearly two hours. Part of the reason was that more than 100 photo files in one particular folder had errors during restoration, and Memopal took some extra time to fix the errors before restoring the files to my computer.

4.0

Privacy

Memopal’s Privacy Policy Is Not Quite Clear

According to its Terms of Use, Memopal is an Italian company governed by Italian privacy regulations “to the extent your local law allows.” However, its parent company, Defenx, is based in Switzerland and abides by Swiss privacy laws, which are some of the strictest in the world.

When I inquired about the policy that applies to individuals residing outside of Italy or Switzerland, customer service directed me to the Memopal Terms of Use and Defenx Privacy Policy through provided links.

What I can tell you after reading both is that Memopal adheres to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means your personal data is only used to provide Memopal’s services and to communicate with you. If you integrate third party software, your personal data may also be shared with these services.

While Memopal complies with GDPR,  it doesn’t comply with HIPAA, FERPA, or the GLBA. And while its privacy policy meets EU standards because Memopal’s data centers are in Italy, it can’t guarantee the privacy of your data when it’s transferred to another country.

3.9

Support

Somewhat Helpful Support… When You Can Get It

Memopal has several support options, including telephone, chat, email, and a user guide. But because it is a small company with just 10 employees, human support is limited.

Memopal Support Options And Chat Functions
You can find the chat support bubble e in the bottom-right corner of Memopal’s website

The user guide has articles and video tutorials on how to set up and use Memopal, but it won’t give you answers to technical or security issues.

There are telephone support numbers for the US, UK, and Italy, but they are only available Monday to Friday, from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Central European Time. This means if your business is based in New York, you can reach support from 4:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the UK. If you’re in Los Angeles, you’ll need a strong cup of coffee when you contact support between 1:00 AM and 7:00 AM.

I emailed support to ask about why my backup was split into two device names, and to see why my backup was freezing. (Memopal says that if you email support or sales, you should receive a response within 24 hours.) I got a response within 15 minutes asking me for more information. While that was great, I never received a reply and had to follow up after five days.

I received a same-day reply to my follow-up email. And while I appreciated the support team’s effort to resolve why my backup was split into two devices, I didn’t feel like much time was spent considering why my backup was freezing.

Memopal Support Email Response
Memopal’s support agent didn’t really address why my backup was freezing

When I couldn’t find answers to my questions about security and privacy in the user guide, I turned to chat support. The live chat is supposed to be available during the same hours as phone support, but because resources are limited, this isn’t always the case. And when the chat is available, it can take a few hours to get a response.

Memopal Chat window Wait Time
When I tried chat support, I had to wait for a few hours to connect with an agent

After sending a message and waiting for a few hours, I got a reply from the same support agent who helped me over email. But rather than give me direct answers, he provided links to articles and policies I’d already read.

Finally, I tried UK phone support, but after ringing for a few minutes, I heard a generic voicemail greeting with no company name, so I didn’t feel comfortable leaving a message. I tried calling the next day and got the same result. (My guess is that if I managed to speak to someone, it would end up being the same support agent again.)

Ultimately, it seems like Memopal support is a one-person operation unless technical issues need escalation. And the user guide doesn’t offer much in terms of technical or troubleshooting support, so it’s not always easy to get help when you need it. But when you do reach support, it’s friendly and helpful (mostly).

3.9

Pricing

Limited Plan Options and Low Data Limits

Memopal’s plans and pricing are a bit confusing. On its website, it lists just two options for personal plans: a 3GB Free plan for one user (with up to 10GB extra when you invite friends) and a 500GB Pro plan for unlimited users. But when you click Buy Now on the Pro plan, or try to upgrade from the Free plan, you have five options (200GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 5TB) – all for a single user.

When I contacted Sales, I was told you can have unlimited users on one account, but you must share the same login details.

Memopal Plans
Memopal’s free plan is limited, but its upgradable Pro, Business, and White label plans offer up to 5TB of space

The 5TB of backup space you get with Memopal’s most expensive plan is probably enough for small businesses, but most cloud backup services can offer more space on their top-tier plans at lower prices.

All Memopal subscriptions are annual. There are no unlimited backup plans (if unlimited cloud backup space is important to you, you may want to check out Backblaze), but on a single account, you can back up as many devices as you want until you reach your data limit.

Memopal’s Business plans start at 500GB and offer dedicated second-level support and a custom branded subdomain for your company’s web app. The top-tier White label plan lets your business use Memopal’s data centers for your cloud storage, and you can translate its software and apps into 16 languages.

You can pay for your Memopal subscription with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, or bank transfer.

Comparison

How does Memopal match up to the competition?

BoxCompareOur Score4.6Compare
AcronisCompareOur Score4.6Compare
MemopalCompareOur Score4.1Compare
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Memopal REVIEW: BOTTOM LINE

Memopal makes backing up your data to the cloud easy. Its desktop app is simple to use, and automatic backups with never-ending version retention will ensure you have access to your most up-to-date data and the option to restore older file versions.

The Sync feature is convenient for accessing files from multiple devices, and the user-friendly Photo Album web app lets you easily see all your photos in one location.

Sure, Memopal doesn’t offer unlimited backup and it’s pricier than most online backup services when it comes to the amount of backup space available. But if you’re looking for a user-friendly cloud backup service with customized Business plans, Memopal is worth a try.

FAQ

How does online backup work?

Online backup is designed to protect your data from loss. With online backups, you transfer encrypted copies of your files from your computer, tablet, external hard drive, or smartphone directly to a secure cloud server. This acts as an insurance policy against cyber attacks, theft, and other potential forms of loss.

Like syncing services, online backup services maintain up-to-date copies of your files. But unlike syncing services, if you delete a file from your device, it won’t be deleted from your backup.

If you’re not sure where to start with online backups, we’ve put together a list of the best, most trustworthy backup services in 2024.

How much do online backup services cost?

Online backup services can range in price depending on how much space you require, the features and add-ons available, how many devices you want to back up, and the level of security you need.

In terms of pricing, Memopal falls somewhere in the middle. For a low-cost option, give Polarbackup a try. And if you want impressive functionality and don’t mind a hefty price tag, check out SOS Online Backup.

Does Memopal have iOS and Android apps?

Yes. You can use these apps on an unlimited number of tablets and smartphones to access all your backed up files, share files, and back up photos.

Does Memopal work on Mac?

Memopal works on Mac and iOS. It also works on Windows, Linux, Android, and Blackberry. And it has cross-platform functionality, so you don’t have to stick to one operating system to back up and sync your devices.
Josh Fasulo Josh Fasulo
Josh is a longtime writer and editor with experience in everything from content writing and copywriting to screenwriting. He has an MBA and loves analyzing and overthinking everything. His passions include creative writing, film and TV, sports, spreadsheets, and most of all, spending time with friends and family by the lake. Josh grew up in Maine, lived in California for many years, and now calls jolly-old England home.
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Ottimo server esterno

Io uso da anni la versione free che può arrivare fino a 10GB e mi trovo meglio che non con Google Drive, sia per l'interfaccia più bella e intuitiva, sia per mantenere i file precedenti e quelli eliminati sul Mac. Metterei però l'opzione di eliminare automaticamente questi file dopo tot tempo in modo da avere più spazio libero. A volte si impalla, ma poi si sistema da solo automaticamente. L'assistenza via email e veloce e esaustiva. Tutto è migliorabile, ma insomma mi trovo bene.

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Alberto, Italy
January 03, 2023
5
Family sharingMulti User SharingExpert SupportBackupSmart syncPersonal SolutionBusiness SolutionTeams optionsOffline foldersFile history and recovery
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