Creating a Free Alternative to iDisk

.Mac has always been a little expensive when compared to other alternatives. The upside has always been a @mac.com e-mail address and seamless integration with OS X.

One of the best features of .Mac is iDisk, which acts as a remote hard drive for storing and sharing files.

But if you’re willing to get your hands dirty you can replicate many of iDisk’s features with free alternatives.

Any WebDav server will work–but many hosting companies don’t offer this.

There are ways to create your own WebDav server, but many of us still don’t have this option.

Luckily there are free services to fill the void, namely Box.net:

Box.net is a web-based service that lets you store files online, share with other people, and collaborate on projects.

Box.net is perfect because it’s free for smaller files which is ideal for many users and it offers a WebDav server.

Once your signed up you need to connect to your drive. To do this, open Finder and go to Go -> Connect to Server…:

Enter the address http://box.net/dav and click Connect. Enter your e-mail and password to connect to your WebDav server.

Now you can easily store and share files as if Box.net were just another hard drive.

You can also remotely access these files directly from Box.net:

Box.net makes it extremely simple to share folders with other users, so quickly sharing large files just became a lot easier. Not to mention you can also do things like Publish iCal Calendars.

iDisk is a great solution for anyone willing to spend a couple of bucks. But if you’re on a tight budget and want to share files quickly and easily, Box.net is a great solution.

Does anybody else know any free file hosts that support WebDav?

Similar Posts:

• Working with iCal’s Shared Calendars
• Stream in real time with DSS
• Share your Internet Connection Wirelessly
• Using Macfuse To Mount FTP and SSH as “iDisks”
• Network Your Mac with Other Windows or Mac Users

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Written by Brad Jasper on April 29, 2008 at 6:00 am - Creating a Free Alternative to iDisk has 19 comments - Categorized in General Tips, Intermediate Tips, OS X Tips

19 Responses to “Creating a Free Alternative to iDisk”

1. 
   Bryan
   Does anyone know if there is a way to re-create iDisk's ability to have a local copy and auto sync? April 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am
   
   
2. 
   Alex H.
   I love this system! It makes it easy for me to transfer files to and from school and home! April 29th, 2008 at 9:07 am
   
   
3. 
   Brown Recluse
   This "Seems" like a great free service but not really. I signed up, I tried to upload a file that was 60 megs and it prompted me saying I needed to purchase the $2 per month plan to upload files larger than 10 megs, IT DID NOT tell me that there was a limit for the $2 plan. That seemed fair so I paid the $24 per year.
   
   So then I tried again and it said I need to pay another $2 to upload files over $50 megs.
   
   This seems like a never ending deal where they slowly get you to go from a free service to paying who knows how much a month. You might as well use .Mac since it integrates so well... April 29th, 2008 at 9:56 am
   
   
4. 
   Brad Jasper
   Brown Recluse,
   
   To be fair 60 MB is a little large for a free host.
   
   Box.net handles smaller files very well--I don't have experience using any of their paid services.
   
   And yes I agree, if you are going to be paying for a service--you might as well use .Mac because it does integrate so well.
   
   This is merely for sharing smaller files, which Box.net does quite well.
   
   If you're willing to pay, may I suggest looking at JungleDisk: http://www.jungledisk.com/
   
   It's based off Amazon's S3--so it's extremely cheap.
   
   And you only pay for what you use.
   
   I wasn't a big fan of JungleDisk's layout--which is why I didn't talk about it in the post.
   
   Thanks,
   Brad April 29th, 2008 at 10:16 am
   
   
5. 
   Brad Jasper
   Bryan, I'll look into this for you.
   
   From what I could tell there's not a way to auto-sync like .Mac--but there may be a workaround.
   
   I will get back to you on this. April 29th, 2008 at 10:17 am
   
   
6. 
   Travis Jeffery
   Here are some other ways to send files, I copied this straight out of email I just sent some dude:
   
   - On the Mac, zip capability is built-in just follow this page: http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/zip.html and then you would attach that file in your emails.
   - With a Pownce (www.pownce.com) Pro account you can send up to 100MB files but it costs $20/year.
   - iDisk will work as well just follow this page here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=52369
   
   There are also a lot of file hosting sites out there:
   
   - http://www.gigasize.com/index.php
   - http://www.sharebig.com/
   - http://www.eatlime.com/ April 29th, 2008 at 10:29 am
   
   
7. 
   John Gibson
   I was looking over the plans...
   
   Free - 1gb space 10mb limit on file size
   
   5gb Plan - 1gb file limit - 7.95 / month = 95.40 / month
   
   .mac gives you 10gb (split evenly between email and storage) You can also go online and reduce the email footprint and give more space to your idisk. Plus the ability to upload files up to 2gb.
   
   So once you factor the limits to the free account, and your needs, it may seem that .mac isn't all that bad...
   
   Just saying April 29th, 2008 at 11:54 am
   
   
8. 
   Brown Recluse
   I actually agree with you, that 60 megs is quite large for a free host, BUT when I tried to send it it prompted me saying that if I upgraded the $24 per year option I could send files "larger then 10 megs". It didnt say anything about a size restriction. Then I said, that sounds fair so I paid the $24 bucks then tried again, then it said, guess what, you need to pay another $24 bucks per year for files larger than 50 megs.
   
   I think that is very misleading at best, dishonest at worst... April 29th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
   
   
9. 
   Brad Jasper
   Brown & John,
   
   I completely agree that if you're going to spend any money on a solution like this--your best bet is .Mac.
   
   It integrates and syncs well with OS X.
   
   Both Box.net and .Mac are fairly expensive when it comes to price--however, Box.net has a free version.
   
   This alone is what made me recommend it. April 29th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
   
   
10. 
    Dan
    The unfortunate thing for some of us is the unavailability of broadband so we can take advantage of .mac/iDisk/webdav etc. Much of rural America is stuck with dial up or satellite which, in my opinion, is not worth the very high cost. I'll have to stick with other means of storage and transportation of files. April 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
    
    
11. 
    Thomas
    German users may consider "www.gmx.net" which gives you free email and a 1GB webdav storage, more storage if you sign up for some of their cheap monthly plans. I believe there is no limit on file size, but there is a limit on monthly traffic. April 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
    
    
12. 
    Chris
    What about Gdrive from Google? This has been rumored for years. Has anyone heard of this being released? The idea would be similar to .Mac where your Gmail and Gdrive storage would be 1 shared limit. April 29th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
    
    
13. 
    Steve
    I recommend Omnidrive. www.omnidrive.com. Granted you get 1GB... And it's free. April 29th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
    
    
14. 
    Trackback
    *DaydreamNation » iDisk replacement … for free

    [...] Voor alle X users die het zoals ik niet zien zitten om een .Mac account aan te schaffen aan €99 of €179 per jaar hebben we hier Box.net. Ideaal om je iCal events te publishen! Bok.net via Mactips.org [...]

    April 30th, 2008 at 3:27 am
    
    
15. 
    Brad Jasper
    OmniDrive looks great Steve. Do you know of any file size limits?
    
    Thanks! April 30th, 2008 at 7:19 am
    
    
16. 
    Matias
    Hi,
    
    not exactly iDisk. But in my case - and I guess in most cases - even much better because it offers free backup to the net with versioning of up to 2GB: mozy
    A bit more detail here my blog.
    You can access the files from anywhere.
    Great ! April 30th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
    
    
17. 
    smugg
    Free, but only 50 MB, http://nethdd.eu/ May 1st, 2008 at 2:53 am
    
    
18. 
    macFanDave
    One neat trick was to compose an e-mail in GMail, attach the files you want to be available online but instead of sending it, you save it as a draft. I've done this before, but with relatively small files.
    
    For you guys, I tested it with larger files and bumped into the 20MB limit. Sorry about that. May 1st, 2008 at 6:46 am
    
    
19. 
    Chris
    Can you use a Rapidshare account for this? June 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am
    
    

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