Frequently Asked Questions

SIGNUP

• Is this a long-term commitment?

  Bitvibe Backup is a pay-as-you-go service. There are no long term contract commitments on your part. If you cancel, you'll be billed for the current month, but you won't be billed again. You data will be available for the whole month you're paid up for even when you cancel.

• How does the free trial work?

  Each plan includes 14 days free when you initially sign up. You will not be billed until after the 14 days has elapsed. If you cancel your plan during that 14 day period, you will not be charged a thing, so there's no risk! If you cancel your plan after your trial period has elapsed, you will be billed for the month since it's not possible to prorate for partial months. Each subsequent month, from your original sign up date will be billed as normal.

• Do I get a 14 day trial if I upgrade?

  You're only eligible for one free trial period, at the time when you initially sign up. If you upgrade your account, your account will change to the upgraded plan immediately. Of course, you can always downgrade at any time as well. There are no charges or fees to either upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time.

• How much does it cost?

  There are 5 different plans available, depending on your needs. Click <%= link_to "here", "/subscription-plans" %> to see which one is best for you.

• Other sites offer free storage, does Bitvibe Backup offer a free option?

  Our primary concern is the safety of your data and the reliability of our service. With a site like this, there are operating costs that must be paid in order to stay in business. We've seen lots of other sites that offer "free" storage but we've also seen many of them go out of business. What happens to your data when the company you've stored it with is gone? We have structured our pricing in a way that offers a wide variety of plans for a reasonable cost. This will allow us to stay in business so that your data will remain safe and always accessible to you.

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BILLING

• Can I change plans at any time?

  Yep. It's simple. Login into your account, click on the "My Files", select "Edit Account, and upgrade or downgrade. We don't even hit you with a "set-up" fee.

• Can I pay a year in advance?

  We're considering yearly plans so please let us know if you're interested. If we do decide to offer a yearly plan option, you'll be able to upgrade for no additional costs.

• What types of payment do you accept?

  We currently accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. At this time we only accept payments online so we will not be able to accept checks, money orders, Purchase Orders or take orders over the phone.

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MY ACCOUNT

• What if I go over my plan's alloted space?

  We have a generous way of calculating your storage space. We don't stop you cold when you go over your plans storage capacity. We calculate your average storage usage. For example, if you're using our 75 GB plan and have a few days where you wind up using 85 GBs and then delete some files, resulting in a monthly usage average of 75 GB, you will receive no additional charge for storage whatsoever.

  If you happen to exceed your plans average GB for the month, we will bill you a nominal fee of $0.55 for each GB that you are over. The same overage rate applies to all plans.

• What if I go over my plans allotted bandwidth?

  All of the plans include UNLIMITED bandwidth.

• Can I use it to backup my data on more than one computer?

  Yes! Our plans allow you to back up all your computers under one plan. No need to buy separate licenses for each computer. No “per computer” fee from us. For example, you have 5 computers in your home. Back them all up.

• What is the maximum file size that can be stored?

  The individual file limit is 5GB in size. There is no limit to the total number or size of files stored on the service. Note that "Package" files on the Mac, such as Aperture vaults or iPhoto libraries are actually directories made up of many files. The 5GB limit does not apply to the total package size, which can be virtually unlimited.

• How many files can I back up?

  You can back up as many files as you have.

• How many files can I store in a folder?

  There is no specific limit in Bitvibe Backup on the number of files in a single folder. The Windows Web Folder client has been tested with over 7000 files in a single folder without problems. There is no limit to the number of folders or sub-folders that can be created.

• Can I access my files from the web?

  Yes. Simply login to your account at bitvibebackup.com and go to your My Files tab. From there, you can upload from whatever computer you happen to be on (even if it's not yours) or download files that have been backed up from any of your computers, to the computer you're logged in on.

• How are my files encrypted with Bitvibe Backup?

  Bitvibe Backup encrypts files prior to uploading them using 256-bit AES. AES is an industry (and government) standard and is one of the most well studied and most secure encryption algorithms available. Bitvibe Backup uses a unique key for each file, and constructs the key using a HMAC that helps protect against certain attacks.

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GENERAL

• Where can I read your Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy?

  Follow these links: Privacy Policy, Terms of Service

• What countries do you support?

  Bitvibe Backup is available worldwide with users in over 100 countries around the world.

• How often can I restore my data?

  As many times as you need to.

• I have LOTS of data. How long will it take to back up?

  For a typical system on a typical broadband line, Bitvibe Backup backs up data at about 2-4 GB per day. But if left undisturbed on a fast connection, you can backup much more in a single day.

  You will experience faster or slower speeds depending on your connection.

• Will it take that long next time?

  Bitvibe Backup does what are called incremental and differential backups, which means we only back up portions of your files that have changed since the last time they were backed up. This saves lots of time, bandwidth, and storage space. After your initial backup, subsequent backups are relatively quick, and chances are that you won't even notice them.

• What if my internet connection disconnects while backing up? Or what if I shut off my computer in the middle of the backup?

  No problem! Bitvibe Backup will continue where it left off next time you are online.

• Any other questions before you sign up?

  If you have any questions about Bitvibe Backup, the plans or the signup process just <%=link_to "let us know", help_path%>.

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