FAQ

Buying Storage

Is Wuala free?

Wuala is free and always will be. You start with 1 GB which is provided by us, and you can get more by buying or by trading your idle local disk space. Buying additional storage is simply an option for those who can’t trade or who simply want more. Please note that all users who trade or buy automatically become pro user and can switch off the ads (additional features to follow).

Is this a perpetual subscription?

No. We will tell you before the year is over and ask you to renew. If you don’t, that’s fine. Note however that you can't cancel your subscription and get (part) of your money back. Your payment gets you a whole year.

What if I don’t renew my subscription next year?

It might happen that you store more data than your quota allows, i.e. that you exceed your quota. Currently, we don’t do anything about this, only that you can’t store additional files until you’re below your quota. However, we will reserve the right to block part of your files or to even delete part of your files, after informing you several times. Please see our terms of service for detailed conditions.

Which payment options are supported?

We accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) and PayPal. All payments are performed using PayPal's secure online transaction system.

I don’t have a credit card, how can I pay?

If you opt for a PayPal account you can transfer money from your bank account to your PayPal account and then use your PayPal account to buy storage. For more information click here.

Send us an email to sales@wuala.com and let us know if you prefer a different payment option - we might add it in the future.

When will the storage be available?

After we have received your payment, we will upgrade your account automatically. Please log out in order to see your updated storage.

Isn’t selling storage against the philosophy of a distributed storage system?

We don’t think so. Because Wuala is a distributed storage system, every user has the ability to trade storage and earn additional storage in proportion to what he contributes to the system without needing to pay. Buying additional storage is an option for those users who can’t or don’t want to trade, or those who simply want more than they can trade.

All files are being treated equally. There is no difference between files of users who use the free storage, trade storage or have bought storage. If more users are active in Wuala and if they have more storage, this is to the benefit of those who trade, because only when files are stored, traders can earn more storage.

Most importantly Wuala has always had a mixed approach. Our aim is to leverage peer-to-peer technology where it brings the largest benefit for the users, but to rely on central servers where it’s more efficient. In the same sense we try to reach all types of users and not exclusively those who are able to trade storage.

Who provides the storage?

For each GB of storage, we add servers to the Wuala network which provide redundant storage for your files. All files are treated equally, no matter whether you use the free GBs provided by us, or whether you trade or buy additional storage.

Where is my data actually stored?

When you store a file in Wuala, it is first encrypted on your computer and then uploaded to our servers and to the grid storage. Our servers store the file redundantly so that it can be fully reconstructed from our servers. The grid storage provides an additional backup.

What about security and privacy?

Security and privacy are core features of Wuala. All files that you store in Wuala are encrypted on your computer first, before they are uploaded. The encryption keys are derived from your password. Since your password never leaves your computer, no one unauthorized, including us, can access your files. This is the same for all users and for all files stored, no matter whether the user uses the free storage, trades or buys storage.

What about availability and guarantees?

We can’t give any guarantees or service level agreements at the moment. Instead, we offer you our promise that we will do our best to make sure your data is always available. Your encrypted files are stored redundantly on our servers so that even if a server crashes, they can be resurrected. Encrypted fragments of your files are also stored in the grid storage which provides an additional backup.

Please note that the main reason for temporary unavailability are bugs in the client software, which improves every day.

Can I earn money by trading storage and then selling it?

No, that's currently not possible. This would make sense only once people have earned vast amounts of storage that they don’t need for themselves. We will keep looking at this option in the long run.

I want additional storage but I'd rather trade than buy. How do I do that?

You can get additional storage simply by trading idle local disk space (cf. "Trading Storage"). To do so, start Wuala, go to the preferences by going to Tools > Options > Trade Storage (Win/Linux) or Wuala > Preferences > Trade Storage (Mac). If you have questions, you can click on “Learn more” on the bottom left in that window. All users who trade or buy automatically become pro users and can switch off the ads (additional features will follow).

I don't want to buy nor trade. What now?

Then you can simply use the 1 GB that is provided by us. There’s absolutely no obligation to trade or to buy.

Can I transfer storage from one account to another?

No, that’s currently not possible.

I am a pro user. In my profile it says how much I trade and how much I bought. Can I turn that off?

Yes, of course. Start Wuala, go to Tools > Options > Privacy (Win/Linux) or Wuala > Preferences > Privacy (Mac). There you can uncheck “Show my quota to others in my profile”.

What happens to my files when my pro membership expires?

If you have stored more files that your quota (usually 1 GB) allows, you can still access your files, but you cannot upload additional files. Therefore, we recommend, renewing your subscription. Please note: If you don't react, we will reserve the right to block part of your files or to even delete part of your files, after having informed you several times.