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What is MEGA? How to download with MEGA

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What is MEGA? How to download with MEGA

MEGA is one of the most well-known storage companies, yet its reputation is tainted. However, we hope this big free cloud storage bargain would last longer than a month.

What is MEGA?

MEGA is a secure cloud storage service that provides customers with superior end-to-end encryption and a generous free plan with plenty of capacity. However, its past is fraught with controversy, and its zero-knowledge encryption complicates collaboration.

MEGA cloud storage was founded in 2013 as a successor to the iconic Megaupload — which you can learn more about in our guide to what Megaupload is — by the infamous Kim Dotcom. MEGA was founded in New Zealand following the removal of Megaupload’s servers in Hong Kong as a cloud service committed to the security and privacy of its customers’ data.

Despite the controversies surrounding it, MEGA remains a very secure cloud service and one of the finest options for anyone seeking for a lot of free storage space. A free account comes with an incredible 20GB of cloud storage. MEGA earns a spot on our list of the top free cloud storage providers as a result.

Although MEGA offers a substantial free plan, its subscription plans are rather expensive, and it does not give nearly enough cloud storage to justify the cost. There are undoubtedly better choices that provide significantly more storage at a lesser price. You may read our evaluation of Sync.com if you’re seeking for a bargain that combines high-quality security with an affordable price.

MEGA features

End-to-end encryption is a unique MEGA feature. All files submitted to MEGA’s servers are encrypted on the client side, so only the user may decode their own data. A secure cloud storage service with two-factor authentication.

MEGA has several features – some required, some not so useful. It includes several sharing options and excellent extras like a chat client. It lacks third-party software interaction, thus it’s not ideal for collaboration, leading some users to Google Drive and OneDrive.

Secure cloud service MEGA allows for easy sharing. It’s great for exchanging sensitive info and protecting shared connections. Everything uploaded to MEGA is secured with a separate encryption key. Only paying users can establish link expiry dates and passwords.

You may also share folders with MEGA users. This method of sharing folders allows you to control who may upload to the shared folder and change its contents.

MEGA’s UI might be crowded at times, and many of its functions, especially those related to file sharing, overlap. Tresorit, on the other hand, is a secure cloud storage solution that simplifies file sharing for users. More about Tresorit and its superb sharing options can be found in our Tresorit review and comparison to MEGA.

MEGA also has a variety of apps, from desktop and mobile to live chat and dedicated file sharing apps.

Live chat is useful for teamwork and is protected by MEGA’s encryption system. But bear in mind that metadata like your contact’s email address remains unencrypted. Both the MEGA website and the mobile app provide chat.

You may exchange files from your PC or from your MEGA cloud storage within the conversation. There are no previews while transferring files via chat, so remember the name. It’s a little niggle, but MEGA could do better.

MEGA also saves prior versions of files, protecting them from unintentional modifications transferred to the cloud. Versioning is enabled by default, and older files have a clock symbol next to them.

Due to MEGA’s strong focus on privacy and security, connection with third-party programs like Google Docs is difficult. Google Drive is one of the greatest solutions for cloud-based file collaboration.

MEGA’s file management interface is pretty thorough, including tabs for recent and deleted files, incoming and outgoing shares, and storage management data. There’s no need to download anything.

Using MEGAcmd, you may utilize a command-line interface to control your personal cloud. Scheduled uploads and backups may be set up using MEGAcmd and WebDAV interface.

MEGA Pricing

MEGA’s primary selling point is its great free plan, which includes 20GB of storage and a substantial transfer quota. MEGA also offers four premium subscription options and a separate business plan. However, these plans are rather expensive and lack critical features, so there is no need to upgrade unless you want the increased storage space.

What you have with Free Account?

The free plan includes the majority of MEGA’s capabilities, with the exception of time limitations and password protection for links, extended retention periods for deleted files, and the option to share your monthly transfer capacity with other accounts.

MEGA free

It includes 20GB of permanent storage, which is already rather big for a free subscription. Additionally, there are numerous methods for extending your storage.

By installing MEGAsync, MEGA’s desktop application, you’ll receive an additional 5GB of storage. Additional 5GB is available for installing the mobile application and 5GB for validating your phone number. These incentives, which total 15GB, are valid for 365 days.

Additionally, you may earn an extra 5GB of bonus storage for each MEGA friend you bring. Each confirmed referral earns you a one-year bonus, allowing you to quickly extend your storage capacity whenever you need it, at no cost to you.

Do not be concerned if your additional storage does not display instantly. MEGA will send you an email confirming the availability of your additional storage, but it may take a few days for it to show in your account.

It’s worth mentioning that free accounts have transfer restrictions, although the particular quantity is not specified and often resets every 24 hours. Additionally, it is decided by your IP address, which means that in the worst-case situation, you may just connect to MEGA using a VPN.

If you’re not interested in a free MEGA account, you may check out Icedrive, another privacy-conscious cloud provider that offers an amazing free plan with 10GB of storage.

What you have with Paid Account?

The Pro Lite plan is the most affordable way to enhance your MEGA cloud storage account. For $5.85 per month, it includes 400GB of cloud storage and 1TB of transfer (4.99 euros). Additionally, you can pay an annual charge, which will bring your total to $58.59 (49.99 euros).

The Pro I plan is the next step up, costing $11.71 (9.99 euros) per month or $117.19 (99.99 euros) each year. It includes two terabytes of cloud storage and a two-terabyte transfer allowance.

The Pro II plan costs $23.43 per month (19.99 euros) or $234.39 per year (199.99 euros). This provides you with 8TB of cloud storage and an 8TB monthly transfer allowance.

The Pro III plan is the most costly, costing $35.15 per month (29.99 euros), and includes 16TB of transfer and storage capacity. If you choose a business account, you’ll receive unlimited cloud storage and transfer for $5.86 (5 euros) per user per month, with a minimum of three users.

These are not the lowest options available. pCloud is less expensive, and it provides a great cloud storage service in general.

MEGA Apps for Desktop and Mobile

MEGAsync is primarily responsible for the desktop experience. When the software is installed, it creates a MEGA folder on your computer to which all of your data is synchronized. During the app’s installation, you can pick whether to sync all folders or only selected folders.

On Windows, the MEGAsync application shows as a taskbar icon. The program is mostly used as a file transfer manager, allowing you to upload and download files and folders, as well as manage synchronised folders. Additionally, it allows you to stream files while your computer is online, similar to a peer-to-peer service.

One minor issue with the program is that it lacks a “back” button, which means that anytime you access a menu, you must click away from the app and then reopen it from the taskbar. This might quickly get irritating if you have a lot of work to accomplish in the app.

The mobile app operates in the same manner as any other mobile cloud service application. You may upload and download files, as well as give and receive links and transfer files. Turning on “media upload” immediately uploads your photographs and videos to MEGA, and the mobile app also includes access to MEGA’s chat function.

MEGASync

MEGAsync generates a sync folder on your hard drive, which is used to sync all of your data. You may select which folders to sync and even add new folders to your MEGA cloud storage account.

MEGASync

Syncing folders is simple and may be accomplished using the desktop app’s system tray icon. By choosing the “sync” option in the app’s dot menu and then selecting “add sync,” you can choose which folder to sync. You may then select a folder on your hard drive to sync to the cloud and specify the folder on your MEGA cloud account to sync to, or create a new cloud folder for it.

MEGA, on the other hand, does not support block-level sync, which means that an edited file must be reuploaded in its entirety, rather than only the modified sections. This results in data synchronization being somewhat slower than with certain rivals.

Summary

Despite all the drama surrounding it, MEGA remains a solid cloud storage service. MEGA’s free plan is very generous, with an upgradeable 20GB of storage. However, if you need more storage than the free plan offers, its prices can be prohibitive.

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