Apple iCloud vs. IBM Aspera on Cloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Apple iCloud
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Apple iCloud is a document management software offering from Apple. It includes features such as access to music, photos, calendars, contacts, and documents, and it is built into every new iOS device.
$0.99
per month
IBM Aspera on Cloud
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
IBM Aspera on Cloud is a hosted service of IBM Aspera. Rather than just optimizing or accelerating data transfer, IBM Aspera’s high-speed data transfer fully utilizes available network bandwidth to maximize speed and scale up with no theoretical limit, without impacting other network traffic. According to the vendor, the solution drives unmatched transfer speeds, end-to-end security, reliability, and exceptional bandwidth control. IBM Aspera on Cloud also offers file…
$1.01
per month per GB transferred
Pricing
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Editions & Modules
50GB
$0.99
per month
200GB
$2.99
per month
2TB
$9.99
per month
Pay as You Go
$1.01
per month per GB transferred
Standard Edition
$760.80
per year
Advanced Edition
$11,088.00
per year
Enterprise Edition
Contact Sales
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Apple iCloud
9.1
74 Ratings
8% above category average
IBM Aspera on Cloud
-
Ratings
Versioning8.750 Ratings00 Ratings
Video files9.270 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio files9.267 Ratings00 Ratings
Document collaboration8.963 Ratings00 Ratings
Access control8.461 Ratings00 Ratings
File search9.766 Ratings00 Ratings
Device sync9.473 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Apple iCloud
8.7
70 Ratings
1% above category average
IBM Aspera on Cloud
-
Ratings
User and role management8.654 Ratings00 Ratings
File organization8.266 Ratings00 Ratings
Device management9.467 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Apple iCloud
9.4
74 Ratings
10% above category average
IBM Aspera on Cloud
-
Ratings
Performance9.674 Ratings00 Ratings
Reliability9.674 Ratings00 Ratings
Storage Reports9.158 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Small Businesses
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 10.0 out of 10
DataMotion
DataMotion
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Score 9.6 out of 10
DataMotion
DataMotion
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Score 9.6 out of 10
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT
Score 6.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(74 ratings)
6.5
(13 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(21 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.5
(20 ratings)
8.1
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Apple iCloudIBM Aspera on Cloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Apple
iCloud is also great to keep access to photos synced across devices. Ex: I can snap a photo at a job site and have access to that photo on my desktop when I return to my office. I can then drop the photo into a document that is stored in iCloud and have instant access to that document on my iPad at a client's office later in the day. Seamless transitions make life much easier.
Read full review
IBM
It is best suited to products and companies which extensively use IBM cloud and other cloud hosted services by IBM. This is because since the existing interface is a little challenging to use, IBM's own products and platform is well integrated with IBM Aspera on Cloud and there's relatively little work for the integration team
Read full review
Pros
Apple
  • Syncing files, appointments, Notes and contacts. If I'm away from home, and set an appointment using my phone, that appointment automatically updates real time to my home laptop and vice-versa.
  • It stores files (e.g photos) nicely
  • Once it's set up, it's fairly easy to use.
Read full review
IBM
  • Ease of use: the Graphical User Interface doesn't require technical know-how to operate
  • Delivery Receipts: this allows us the confidence to know our files have reached our customers
  • Activity Monitor: lets you know how much data you have used, which is important for budgeting reasons.
Read full review
Cons
Apple
  • Customization - iCloud is great at the stuff it does well. But it lacks features that some competitors (in Google Drive or Dropbox) do really well. API support for third-party apps is really great for some other people.
  • Remote use - Managing or accessing information from iCloud while not on one of your logged-in apple devices can sometimes be an issue. From a work computer for example. It doable, but the experience is much less user-friendly.
  • Ability to edit documents on the cloud similar to google docs or some other competitors
Read full review
IBM
  • Track upload/download usage OVERALL to know how much space is left
  • Track cloud storage overall to know how much space is left
  • More easily send single links to users for download, rather than full access (I know it is possible, but it is not intuitive)
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Apple
It's so seamless that I can't imagine another product doing a better job synchronizing all of my devices. I simply do not think about it at all. Everything happens behind the scenes and I'm confident that Apple keeps my data safe and secure. I'm a happy customer as far as this is concerned. I have not had a bad experience with this service.
Read full review
IBM
No answers on this topic
Usability
Apple
While it may be great to use with other Apple products, I find it's an absolutist-style workflow to be debilitating and to lead to many problems. When you sign into the cloud, it completely takes over your device in many ways that you don't notice at first until there is a problem.
Read full review
IBM
No answers on this topic
Performance
Apple
Occasionally, large files that haven't yet been synced require a few minutes to pull down but I've rarely noticed delays. It does a good job of keeping data cached on my local machines while updating them with changes from other machines transparently.
Read full review
IBM
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Apple
Apple customer service is fantastic. iCloud is built with Apple in mind and its design is extremely intuitive and user-friendly. Additionally, whenever our team has encountered issues, the speed of Apple support has been more than timely in addressing our issues and solving our request. We have encountered relatively few issues in my time with the platform and this only improves our overall score for those who keep the platform stable.
Read full review
IBM
The support from IBM is fast and reliable. Very knowledgeable engineers provide you with the support on Aspera. We had a very good experience when opened tickets and we were able to get our issues resolved quickly. Most solutions are provided within a day so you can expect a quick turnaround time. Overall, the support has been very good.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Apple
No answers on this topic
IBM
The service provided by the authorized vendor was excellent. It was a good collaboration between the vendor IT team and internal IT team. They provided us with a timeline and we verified and approved that timeline. Daily stand ups and weekly meetups were conducted to update the internal team on progress. They were able to deliver all deliverables on time also, they conducted both alpha testing and beta version testing in time. Overall, they were able to complete the implementation in the given timeline.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Apple
Apple does offer an alternative to Office & the Google Docs family but trusting to use it with both internal and external parties is tough. Google is more universal and easier for 3rd parties to collaborate with. Apple works well for a closed internal group that is native to Apple's ecosystem. Google offers more storage space than Apple
Read full review
IBM
Aspera comes with IBM cloud so there isn’t really a choice. Since it’s built-in, it integrates well and there was no need to buy another solution. Therefore, I did not consider other options. It worked fine, gave access files, push data securely, and did it faster than standard HTTPS.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Apple
  • If I lose track of my credentials or my continuing education documentation, I could end up not being able to renew my certification. This would lead to a major loss in revenue.
  • Time is money and having all of my required documents easily accessible in iCloud saves me time and allows me to work more efficiently.
  • My Apple devices were certainly not cheap purchases. iCloud has allowed me to maximize my productivity through synchronizing my work no matter which device I'm working on.
Read full review
IBM
  • Aspera has changed the way we do business. We are now able to share huge file sets electronically, saving on external drives, shipping costs, time, and effort.
  • Our industry is very slow to commit to electronic alternatives to physical media. In less than three years, the positive results of using this service have caused over 70% of our user base to fully commit to electronic delivery, with the number of physical fulfillments quickly being driven toward zero.
  • Transfers within our own company, which formerly relied solely on FTP/HTTP transfer drives that would take days now take minutes with Aspera. Our software team relies on the speed and accuracy of the transfers.
Read full review
ScreenShots

IBM Aspera on Cloud Screenshots

Screenshot of automated workflowsScreenshot of simple transferScreenshot of transfer management