Cubbit Review
Summary
Avoid monthly fees on your cloud storage service and enjoy full privacy with Cubbit. This storage hub allows you to save, sync, and share files anywhere and at any time. What’s more, you can expand and increase your storage space, depending on your needs.
Overall
9/10Pros
- No monthly fees
- Keeps files 100% private
- Works on all devices
Cons
- Some of the features are still under development
- Can use a lot of CPU power
With Cubbit, you can turn your hard drive into a private cloud where you can store, share, and back up files as you please. Interested? Well, learn more about this new device here.
Don’t have time to read the whole thing? Just click on any of the links below to skip to that section.
Overview
To use a cloud storage service, you will need to pay a premium either monthly or yearly. While such a pricing scheme may seem small at first, it can accumulate and get expensive over time. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular cloud services today and how much you may be paying.
Service | Storage Size | Price Annually | Price in 5 Years |
pCloud | 500GB | US$60 | US$300 |
Microsoft OneDrive | 1TB | US$70 | US$350 |
Sync | 1TB | US$60 | US$300 |
Bitcasa | 1TB | US$99 | US$495 |
Dropbox | 2TB | US$120 | US$600 |
Apple iCloud | 2TB | US$120 | US$600 |
Then there’s Cubbit, which offers a one-time payment. At €349 or around US$417 for 1TB and €289 or US$345 for 512GB, it isn’t really cheap. But it does cost less if you’re going to use the same service for 5 years or more. At this price point, however, Cubbit costs more than some of the NAS drives around.
Read More: Mudr Band Review: Control Your Apple Watch With Gestures
Features
No Monthly Fees
One of the selling points of Cubbit is its one-time fee. Just choose your cell and you are set for life – or until the company lasts. No need to pay monthly or annually just to access and share your files.
Privacy By Design
What we love about Cubbit is that no one can access your files, not even the company. This is due to its zero-knowledge technology, which makes it impossible for anyone to see your content without your permission.
Cubbit is said to use a military-grade protocol, which splits your files into many encrypted pieces and safely distributes them over a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. So if you’re working on a classified project or running a business that requires the utmost privacy, then Cubbit is certainly a great option.
Expand Up to 4TB
Another benefit of the Cubbit over other cloud services is its expandable feature. Aside from the built-in storage of the cell, you can connect it to an external storage device and your cloud space can increase by 50% of the attached storage. It can support up to 4TB.
Multiple Users
Here’s a feature that’s still in the works but looks very promising. For every Cubbit cell, you can create up to 4 accounts. Each account will then have its own folders and storage.
Disaster Proof
One difference between Cubbit from NAS and personal cloud is the manner in how your files are saved. With Cubbit, your files are everywhere. To be specific, they are split into chunks and spread redundantly and randomly over the network. So whenever you need to access a file, parts of it will come from other cells and be delivered to you as a whole.
With this design, your data and files will always be accessible to you anywhere you are. More importantly, they’ll remain 100% safe even in the event of a blackout, disconnection, earthquake, flood, or fire.
Fast Performance
Since you can keep Cubbit close to you, transferring and saving your files to your cell is incredibly fast.
Instant Upload
Here’s another feature that the company is working on. Once development is complete, the company says you can upload your files instantly to your cell and it will automatically sync to the cloud.
Specs
Dimensions (L x W x H) | 6.3 inches (160mm) x 5.6 inches (142 mm) x 2.2 inches (56 mm) |
CPU | Dual-core ARM Cortex A53 processor up to 1.2 GHz |
System Memory | 1 GB DDR4 |
Network Connectivity | 1 x Gbit Ethernet |
USB | 1 x USB 3.0 |
Power Supply | 12V DC jack |
Cubbit can work as a desktop application for macOS High Sierra, Windows 10, and newer Linux, including Elementary, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian-based devices. It’s also said to be compatible with any browser through the company web app. For mobile devices, however, you may have to wait for a while since the company is still working on an app for Android and iOS.
Aesthetics
One of the things we love about Cubbit is its design. Shaped like a hexagon and inspired by the beehive, it looks different – in a good way. Unlike NAS drives, a Cubbit cell is smaller and more discrete. It also comes across as simple and minimalistic with no flashing or colored lights other than the sleek logo in front.
Final Thoughts
Cubbit keeps your files 100% private and allows access to multiple users. Storage space is also expandable and there are no monthly fees to pay. More importantly, it’s disaster-proof, so you’ll never lose data ever again. Overall, it’s a great choice for cloud storage, especially for businesses and professionals. However, for personal use and if you don’t need to share, sync, and collaborate, an external hard drive may be a cheaper, easier, and better choice.
What’s different about Cubbit is that its strength lies in its numbers. Anyone who is using the “Swarm” or network is also contributing space. So the more users there are, the more powerful the system becomes. But what if there aren’t enough users? Well, we’ll just have to see.
Now, unlike most crowdfunding projects, Cubbit is not in the concept or prototype stage. It is an already working product with thousands of units already sent around the globe. So it’s not much of a risk compared to other products on Indiegogo.