Bitcasa
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cloud storage |
| Founded | 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California , United States |
| Products | Infinite Drive (cloud storage service) |
Bitcasa, Inc. was a U.S.-based cloud storage provider established in 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri before relocating its headquarters to Mountain View, California, where it operated until ceasing operations in 2017. The company created client applications compatible with Microsoft Windows, OS X, Android, and web browsers, while an iOS app was awaiting approval.
The company's primary offering, Infinite Drive, originally featured unlimited centralized storage with client-side encryption, media streaming capabilities, file version control, backup options, and access across multiple mobile platforms. In 2013, Bitcasa transitioned to a tiered pricing structure ranging from 1TB at $99 annually up to the Infinite tier at $999 per year. By October 2014, the unlimited storage plan was discontinued; the highest tier was capped at 10TB for $999 per year, requiring existing customers either to adjust their plans or delete their accounts.
In May 2016, Bitcasa withdrew from the consumer cloud storage sector to concentrate on enterprise solutions, marking a strategic shift toward business-to-business services.
History
The concept behind the company was a finalist at the TechCrunch Disrupt event in September 2011. In 2012, Tony Lee joined as vice president of engineering, and Frank Meehan became a member of the board of directors. That June, Bitcasa raised $9 million in investment funding from firms such as CrunchFund, Pelion Venture Partners, Horizons Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Samsung Ventures, and First Round Capital.
In January 2017, CEO Brian Taptich announced that Bitcasa had been acquired by Intel, but an Intel representative later clarified that no acquisition had occurred.
Products and services
Bitcasa provided client software supporting web browsers, OS X, Microsoft Windows (from XP through Windows 8), Linux, along with a mobile application for Android. Its offerings enabled centralized streaming storage that allowed users to access files simultaneously across devices without the need for syncing or duplicating files.
The company filed a patent application for an "infinite storage" algorithm designed to minimize actual storage consumption by detecting duplicate content and encrypting stored information. Bitcasa implemented convergent encryption by assigning anonymous identifiers to data prior to upload; if identical data already existed on servers (such as popular music tracks), it was not re-uploaded but instead flagged for client access—resulting in faster upload times. All data was encrypted on the client side and transmitted using enterprise-level AES-256 encryption.
Reviews highlighted Bitcasa’s cloud service as a robust solution compatible with Mac, PC, and Android platforms but noted its pricing was higher than many competitors.
Mobile
Access to Infinite Drive was available through mobile applications on Android, Windows RT, and via web browsers with offline file viewing support. The app categorized media—photos, videos, music, and documents—independently of folder hierarchies. Video content was streamed and automatically transcoded depending on network bandwidth. Users could upload, download, or share files directly through social media platforms. Any file size could be shared via web links distributed by email, text message, or IM. Following server migration, only Android, iOS, and browser apps received updates, limiting compatibility with other device types.
Security
An article from September 2011 on Extreme Tech described Bitcasa's convergent encryption approach as largely secure but pointed out several potential vulnerabilities.
November 2013
On November 19, 2013, Bitcasa revealed an increase in pricing for its Infinite Storage plan. While existing subscribers retained their original rates, the announcement sparked considerable discontent among users on company forums and in blog discussions. Subsequently, Bitcasa removed both the announcement and related user feedback from online platforms. At the same time, the company launched a developer API to broaden its service capabilities.
October 2014
Bitcasa declared on October 23, 2014, that it would discontinue its grandfathered 'infinite' storage plans, despite prior commitments to maintain them for current customers. The firm later reversed this stance, attributing the change to 'insufficient demand' and 'misuse,' and instead proposed standard subscription options priced at $10 per month for 1TB or $99 per month for 10TB.
Customers were allocated a 23-day period to transfer or retrieve their data before it was scheduled for deletion—a deadline criticized as impractical given Bitcasa's download performance. A migration process resulted in some permanent data loss, which led to unfavorable user reactions and diminished community participation.
Although annual subscribers were eligible for prorated refunds upon cancellation, Bitcasa disabled the ability to cancel accounts directly and declined requests from support to delete accounts.
On November 13, 2014, a judge in Northern California issued a temporary restraining order barring Bitcasa from deleting or restricting access to data belonging to Infinite Plan subscribers. Bitcasa contested this injunction and extended the deadline for users by five days without mentioning the court's decision. A hearing held on November 19 concluded with Bitcasa prevailing in the legal dispute.
In February 2015, Bitcasa terminated its Community Forum.
April 2016
On April 7, 2016, the company replaced its complimentary 5GB storage plan with a limited 60-day free trial. Users enrolled under the previous free tier were automatically transitioned into this trial; accounts and data were subsequently deleted if users did not upgrade to paid subscriptions.
By April 21, 2016, Bitcasa announced it would cease offering consumer cloud storage services to concentrate exclusively on enterprise solutions. Customers were given until May 20, 2016, to download their stored content before it was removed. After this date, consumer services were discontinued as Bitcasa shifted focus solely toward developer-oriented products.
September 2016
Four months later, customers had yet to receive refunds, and the company's website was no longer accessible.