Cubbit Software Review

Hello, this is TheTechBoy with a review of  Cubbit software. 

Disclaimer: Cubbit's beliefs about other cloud providers is not ours, and this review is just about Cubbit software and not their stances on other cloud providers.   

    Cubbit brands itself as an eco-friendly alternative to cloud software. It basically distributes encrypted chunks of data and hosts them on Cubbit "cells" around the world. According to Cubbit, "Cubbit protects your files with military-grade encryption, splits them into pieces, and safely distributes them over the network of Cubbit Cells through end-to-end encrypted channels." To read more about this complex infrastructure click here. On the other hand, regular cloud providers have servers where your data goes and not miniature "Cells" around the world. 

An infographic showing the network of Cubbit cells and how they are connected

Installation/Setup 

After creating an account Cubbit asks you to download its application. There is an application for Mac, Windows, and Linux. When installing the program it asks if you want to restart (I decided not to until I uploaded some files) and then it asks what folder you want to sync to the Cubbit "Swarm." (A Swarm is what it calls it "distributed network.") After this, the Application says it will update and shows that the Cubbit is in "Hatch" phase. It also says the software is updating and it would take a few hours to update. I immediately relaunched the application and clicked a blue button that says "Claim your cell." However, this is only a test of the software and a "Cell" is the server that you can buy from Cubbit. In order to access your cell, you must allow it through the firewall. Without a cell, you get 1 GB of storage free from Cubbit. 

After uploading a 250 KB file to my Cubbit folder the application shows a hexagonal animation. After the file is uploaded it shows how much CO2 you saved and how much space is left in your "distributed cloud." The Transfers tab shows the files you saved to Cubbit and The tab "Notifications" shows your notifications. 

Sharing

One of the main purposes of a cloud is being able to access files from almost any device with an internet connection. If you want to share, you have to use the Cubbit web app. I tested the web app in Chrome and the Chromium version of Edge and it works well. The web app allows files to be shared via a link.  Files are encrypted before sharing, and files can be shared with anyone with the link or anyone with the link and the decryption key. Due to your file being in encrypted bits all around the world, the Loading speeds leave a lot to be desired. However, the Upload speeds in the web app are pretty fast.  

After spending a few minutes in the web application the loading speeds are near-instantaneous.  The Manage Link has a toggle that prevents the link from being shared. Nevertheless, if the person you shared the link with does not reload, they can still download the file. 

 

Uploading

Cubbit has a feature called Selective Sync. In Selective Sync, you may create a new folder in your (local) Cubbit folder that can either stay locally on your computer and in the cloud or only in the cloud. Yet, if that is turned off files should stay on your drive.  Read more about this here. 

Lack of Consistency. 

The Cubbit desktop application and the web application lack consistency. The web app provides more features such as sharing and uploading files. Uploading using the web app is faster than using the desktop app. The Cubbit desktop application also closes every time you want to use a new program and does not have a full-screen mode. Sometimes it will stay on the taskbar though even when you click out of the screen. In order to launch the application quickly pin it to your taskbar. Cubbit sorts files alphabetically in both the desktop and web applications. In my understanding, the desktop application is for syncing to your computer and the web app is for everything else. 

Beta

    This program is still very much in Beta or "Hatch" mode. Slow upload speeds for files in the kilobytes and megabytes is not as big of an issue because you only get 1 GB of storage. Cubbit also lacks a smartphone application (it is in progress)  meaning mobile users have to use the web application. Yet, on my A71 5G the web application kept crashing when I tried to download a .XML file. However, downloading a .jpg worked well but I had to put my device in desktop mode.

    This is not good as many people use their phones as their primary or only device. Also, Cubbit has a weird error where if you try to log in, you can log in with just your password (bad autofill data) but instead of invalidating the login, it gets you a weird screen. This is the main reason why I tested across different browsers and profiles. It even works with random letters. Thankfully you do not get access to anyone's data. 

Conclusion

This service is very much in beta, and time-sensitive files should not be stored here. Hopefully, the Cubbit application comes out soon and the desktop application gets better. Cubbit also makes "Cells" and using those instead of its free cloud service may be faster and more reliable. 

  Cubbit is a fledgling cloud provider that if given time to grow, may be a good choice for the eco and privacy-conscious. Tech Talk To You Later!! 

    Would I use this, maybe not but some people may like it? Cubbit is a fledgling cloud provider that if given time to grow, may be a good choice for the eco and privacy-conscious. Tech Talk To You Later!!

  

Update: Cubbit has alerted me that they now have a subscription plan. Check it out here. 

Disclaimer: Cubbit's beliefs about other cloud providers is not ours, and this review is just about Cubbit software and not their stances on other cloud providers.