EXPANDRIVE
Expandrive is a powerful software solution that allows you to mount cloud storage and network drives directly as virtual drives on your Mac. With Expandrive, users can seamlessly integrate cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Amazon S3 into their local file system, allowing them to work with cloud files just as if they were stored on their local hard drive. This review will delve into the features, performance, ease of use, security, and overall value of Expandrive for Mac.
- Simple Interface
- The interface of Expandrive is clean, simple, and intuitive. After installation, the software runs in the background and adds a cloud drive icon to your Mac’s menu bar. From there, you can quickly access settings, manage connected drives, and monitor upload/download progress. The integration into Finder makes it feel like a native macOS feature, rather than a third-party app.
- Easy Setup
- Setting up Expandrive is straightforward. You simply log into your cloud accounts from the app, and the software automatically mounts your cloud storage as virtual drives. Connecting network drives is just as simple—input the server address and credentials, and Expandrive will handle the rest. This ease of use makes it a great option for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time on setup.
- Drag and Drop Convenience
- Files can be managed with drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it easy to move files to and from the cloud storage directly within Finder. The familiar macOS experience means that you don’t need to worry about learning new workflows or interfaces.
- Advanced Settings for Power Users
- For those who want to dive deeper, Expandrive offers plenty of customizable settings, including configuring file cache size, setting up proxies, and adjusting synchronization behavior. These options give more control over how Expandrive works with your network drives and cloud services.
Nice looking or not, ExpanDrive 7 is definitely faster than ever. The earlier version improved up to a 500 percent increase in transfer speeds due to a multi-threading StrongSync kernel engine, where this latest edition speeds things up to truly fast levels, particularly with larger files. Browsing remote connections in the Finder finally feels as accessing and working on local hard drives. This is a major break through as most others ( CloudMounter and Mounting Duck ) experienced connection stability problems. No, ExpanDrive has none of these problems and provides very, very stable and fast connections. Better as aspected so we are impressed.
Such performance improvements can largely be attributed to intelligent caching, and ExpanDrive 7 addresses one longtime limitation by allowing users to change the location of such files to any volume, rather than consuming precious internal resources. ExpanDrive also nicely integrates with Spotlight, so search queries now show results from remote volumes alongside local drives.
Most external WebDAV connections need an extra addition to your normal path, in my case; remote.php/webdav/ check your provider for information if you run into problems.
Expandrive and Strongsync cover transport encryption (TLS), but we should also need to ensure the endpoint is encrypted and not by the endpoint itself but on the client side as well. This feature is found in CloudMounter but sadly not yet in ExpanDrive. In case of FTP use, we recommend to always opt for FTPS or SFTP (SSH transport).
ExpanDrive provides loads of possible external storage connections, and will be sufficient for most users. The connecting proces is done really easy and has no learning curve. You only need to enter your credentials for any external storage like Google Drive where Google needs you to confirm data access from ExpanDrive and in return provides a link which you need to enter in ExpanDrive and confirm. Your Google Drive is installed in Finder and a HD icon is placed on your desktop. You now have full access to Google Drive as if it was a local drive.
Files transfers are fast and even ‘sharing of links’ is a basic feature. In Big Sur 11.3 we get nice looking icons on the desktop where CloudMounter adds non iMac ugly icons. And as explained above I do like aesthetics even for my icons.
Security nowadays is a major concern for every internet user, as our private data is like honey for the bears ! ( just my own invented expression ☺︎ ) Users on the internet would like to have an additional choice to make use of encryption on their client side. You may argue about its validity as ExpanDrive only exist on your computer and has no link to whichever external cloud based storage. It only sits in your software as a means of data transportation. So does the absence of client side encryption makes you more vulnerable to the honey bears?
In a perfect world, this absence would be no issue, however in the present world it would be best to have encryption integrated in any application. If you wish to make use of external storage, you as a private person should never leave your sensitive information on a server, period. Hacks are done daily, people loose Bitcoins daily all due to hack-experts searching for the honey-pot. However, if companies store their data on external servers, this should always be encrypted to keep others from reading in case of data-theft.
Many cloud storage services utilize the OAuth 2 protocol to authenticate users and provide applications like ExpanDrive an API key for usage. ExpanDrive opens an embedded web browser connecting you to directly to Microsoft, Google, and others so that you can authenticate directly with them without the ExpanDrive app ever needing to capture and save your credentials.
Like any company, ExpanDrive claims fast file handling, but how does this perform in practice when compared with the likes of CloudMounter or Mountain Duck? Well to find out I ran a simple test copying blocks of large and smaller files from the iMac’s Finder to in this case Google Drive. FTP behaviour is too much influenced by connection factors to make a fair judgement.
CloudMounter ExpanDrive Music 8Gb Webfiles 1Gb time in seconds. ‘shorter is better’
| Time in sec | CloudMounter | ExpanDrive |
|---|---|---|
| Music 8Gb | 166 | 94 |
| Webfiles 1Gb | 31 | 33 |
Check the dramatic difference in transfer speed of file sizes, where small files make no much difference where large files make a huge difference in transfer speed/time. ExpanDrive is about 77% faster with large files as small files are equal in transfer speed.
CloudMounter in comparison surprised us again with a frequent error popup.
- Cloud Drive Integration
- Expandrive lets you mount cloud storage services as if they were local drives. You can access files from a variety of cloud platforms including:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- Amazon S3
- Box
- Nextcloud
- FTP/SFTP
- WebDAV
- and many more.
- Once mounted, these cloud drives are easily accessible from Finder or File Explorer, and you can drag, drop, or edit files just like they were stored locally on your Mac.
- Network Drive Access
- In addition to cloud storage, Expandrive supports network drives such as SMB, FTP, SFTP, and WebDAV. This makes it a great tool for connecting to file servers or accessing remote files on your office network, home server, or personal NAS (Network-Attached Storage).
- No Syncing Required
- Unlike traditional cloud-sync tools, Expandrive doesn’t require syncing the entire cloud drive to your local device. Instead, it uses a virtual drive system that allows you to access files directly in the cloud without consuming local storage space. This is particularly useful if you need access to a large number of files but don’t want to waste space by downloading everything.
- Background Uploads and Downloads
- Expandrive runs in the background and continuously syncs or uploads files as needed, ensuring that you can edit, save, or delete files while the software handles data transfers in the background. This helps prevent slowdowns or interruptions during your workflow.
- Offline Access
- You can mark files or folders for offline access. This feature ensures that certain files are always available even if you are not connected to the internet. Once reconnected, any changes made while offline are automatically synced to the cloud.
- Encryption for Security
- For security-conscious users, Expandrive provides end-to-end encryption for cloud storage access. Your data is encrypted during transmission to prevent any unauthorized access when accessing cloud services.
- Multiple Cloud Accounts
- Expandrive allows you to connect and mount multiple accounts from a single cloud provider. For instance, you can mount multiple Google Drive or Dropbox accounts simultaneously, making it an ideal tool for users with multiple work or personal accounts.
- Customizable Settings
- Expandrive offers a variety of customizable settings to fit your specific use case. You can adjust things like network drive settings, cache settings, and how often files are synced or updated.
- Performance Optimizations
- The app is designed to handle large files and complex workflows. Whether you’re dealing with large video files, large-scale projects, or a high number of files, Expandrive performs consistently without significant delays.
- Speed and Efficiency
- Expandrive is known for its fast performance when accessing cloud and network drives. Thanks to its optimized algorithms, users experience minimal lag when accessing or modifying cloud-stored files. The use of caching ensures that even large files can be accessed quickly and efficiently, without requiring users to wait for lengthy uploads or downloads.
- File Management
- File management within Finder is seamless. Files are opened and edited directly from the cloud, and Expandrive handles file transfers in the background, so you can continue working without interruptions. The software is reliable when it comes to syncing and managing file states, and it ensures you always have the most recent version of your files when online.
- Offline Capabilities
- The offline mode works as expected, allowing you to continue working even without an internet connection. When reconnected, the files you modified will automatically sync to your cloud storage, making it a robust solution for users who need continuous access to files, even when on the go.
- System Resource Usage
- Expandrive is generally light on system resources. It runs quietly in the background, using minimal CPU and memory. Even when handling large files, it doesn’t noticeably affect the performance of other applications, ensuring that you can multitask without slowdowns.
| Unified Access to Multiple Cloud Services | A centralized hub for accessing multiple cloud services from a single place. Instead of opening multiple apps or websites for Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud services |
| No Local Storage Consumption | With Expandrive, you don’t have to sync your entire cloud drive to your Mac. |
| Seamless Integration with macOS | The app integrates smoothly with macOS, offering a familiar experience through Finder. |
| Cloud and Network Drive Support | Expandrive supports not just cloud storage but also network drives. This makes it highly versatile for users who need access to both types of resources. |
| Security | Expandrive offers encryption for cloud connections, ensuring that sensitive data is transmitted securely. |
| Pricing | The pricing for Expandrive may be a bit steep for casual users, especially considering the subscription model. |
| Occasional Syncing Issues | While Expandrive generally performs well, syncing can sometimes be inconsistent. |
| Limited Cloud Storage Management | While Expandrive is great for accessing cloud files, it doesn’t offer extensive management features. |
| Requires Active Internet for Cloud Access | While files can be accessed offline if downloaded, cloud access requires an active internet connection. |
- Single User License: $59.95 (one-time purchase)
- Team License (up to 5 users): $99.95 (one-time purchase)
- Free Trial: 7-day trial with full access to all features.
Is Expandrive for Mac Worth It?
Expandrive is a highly functional and efficient tool for users who need seamless access to their cloud storage and network drives directly from their Mac. It eliminates the need for syncing large files or managing multiple cloud accounts through different apps, providing a unified solution that makes accessing files much simpler.
Its support for **offline access
**, *security features*, and *ease of integration* with macOS make it a great choice for professionals and power users who rely heavily on cloud storage and need to manage large datasets without consuming local disk space.
While the pricing might be a deterrent for casual users, for those working with multiple cloud accounts or needing efficient file management across several services, Expandrive offers strong value. However, users who don’t mind using the native cloud storage apps or those on a budget might want to explore cheaper alternatives.
- Pros: Seamless integration with multiple cloud services, no local storage consumption, offline access, secure connections, powerful and easy to use.
- Cons: Pricing, occasional syncing issues, limited cloud storage management features.
Overall: Expandrive is an excellent solution for those who need efficient and unified cloud access across multiple services. It’s a great tool for professional, businesses, or anyone who frequently works with large amounts of data across cloud and network drives.
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