iCloud too slow - fed up - need alternate solution - What is that?

Given I’d suspect what was posted is a partial list of what is installed here, and given the possibility of latent corruptions and the effort of untangling this piece-by-piece, I’d push the proverbial Big Red Reset Button.

Back up, wipe this Mac, reinstall macOS (reset), migrate your documents and settings from your backup, and do not migrate the add-on apps.

Reinstall just the apps you need.

No add-on security apps, no add-on “coffee shop” VPN apps, no add-on cleaner apps, no add-on firewall apps. Solely re-install the apps you need.

I’d also consider whether your desktop and documents should be stored in iCloud, too. Apple offers that feature by default and it has advantages, but its performance is very much dependent on link speed. Keeping your files locally will be faster, but it also means you will want to be good about backups. backups means connecting to a local HDD or maybe SSD for Time Machine, or installing a NAS with Time Machine server support and backing up to that, or some other archival strategy. The various add-on security apps and the “coffee shop” VPN can slow this iCloud desktop and documents traffic, too.

In recent years, Apple Account practices are too often the problems leading to breaches. Not malware. Not add-on apps. Account and password and passcode security. (Suggestions)

But the add-on apps can leak privacy, and can introduce stability and performance issues. One of the better-known add-on security apps for macOS was caught and fined for harvesting personally-identified web browsing and web purchasing activity. Not fined because of the data collection. Fined because they didn’t disclose the collection and sale somewhere in the fine print end-user licensing agreement. The licensing agreements we all always read, right?

And the “coffee shop” VPNs are too often shady, and for negligible or no benefits for the end-user, for inherently reduced performance wrapping a tunnel in a tunnel, and some of these VPN apps quite possibly also “borrowing” your own network connection for other traffic for other people.

As for identity theft, acquire your credit reports from the bureaus and review those, and also enact a credit-reporting freeze.

Your concerns have seemingly made you into a piñata of profits and problems; of cash and of personal data and of poor performance.

marthawa wrote: …My life has improved greatly! I switched to Dropbox syncing my Mac and disabled iCloud syncing for Documents, Downloads, and Desktop.

That sounds right for you! I'm quite happy with iCloud Photos. And I'm OK with iCloud Drive, since I have room on my Mac, and I choose those few files that I want to keep remote only. I almost never need to transfer large files. As long as I use it for the sort of stuff I that think it was intended for, iCloud is working for me.

But I think if I were needing fast transfer-- maybe in collaborations, then I might want another service. Dropbox sounds like it might be OK.

Zurarczurx wrote:

But none of that will necessarily speed up iCloud. I've got no VPN, no AV, no cleaners and this Mac is a clean install, not a migration from my last one - i.e. no settings transferred across, just files via USB disc with all apps downloaded from scratch.

None of those are slowing your connection.

Added anti-malware and VPNs can absolutely slow a Mac, and can slow a network connection.

As can other factors which might be common between the original post’s case and your seemingly different case. And factors that might be common between the original post here and your case, including Wi-Fi or LAN networking or ISP issues. As can variables which are far less than visible, including Apple iCloud server load.

Given the mix of visible and less-than-visible aspects of most any performance question, the sequence I’m suggesting here tests with things that can be controlled, and can be disabled or removed and then tested.

And both anti-malware and VPNs can hammer performance.

I consider myself fortunate if I get 1Mb/s up to iCloud but usually see rates down at 100-200kb/s.

I’ve not noticed (persistent) slowness with the local iCloud access and usage, below what would be reasonably expected for the local network link and ISP link performance.

Whether alternatives are faster depends on the entirety of the network connection, and the performance of the local system, and the remote server. A NAS on the same LAN may or may not be faster, because HDDs can be pretty slow. Put differently, network configurations can all have different pieces, and different performance, and different limits, and different failures. And we can view and can address what we can.

I'd suggest removing NordVPN completely and testing. Simply turning off a VPN is often insufficient.

Repeat: Everything MrHoffman said. VPN, MacCleaner, antivirus? It sounds like you've chosen nearly everything that can corrupt your computer. You should stay away from advertisements.

Also, you didn't mention our storage on our internal drive. If you have less than 15% free, then you're in for slowdowns and other crazy stuff.

iCloud upload is just slow. I only use it for calendar, notes, etc. because the upload rates I get are not much better than dial-up at times. It's just the way it is. If you need stuff on your iDevices urgently then use airdrop or mail them to yourself.

BTW - your post is a full-house bingo card of apps which are not approved of round these parts. If I were you I'd pour myself four fingers of my favourite tipple to prepare for the onslaught.

But none of that will necessarily speed up iCloud. I've got no VPN, no AV, no cleaners and this Mac is a clean install, not a migration from my last one - i.e. no settings transferred across, just files via USB disc with all apps downloaded from scratch. I consider myself fortunate if I get 1Mb/s up to iCloud but usually see rates down at 100-200kb/s.

Zurarczurx wrote: But none of that will necessarily speed up iCloud.

Not necessarily. And it may be important for you to say which aspect of iCloud you're referring to. I'm sitting at a cafe with horrible internet, and pictures move from my phone through iCloud to my Mac in minutes, sometimes seconds. iCloud Drive seems slower.

I do wish iCloud Drive kept a QuickLook version local. Sometimes I'm not sure if I really want a file. I'll go here:

Feedback - iCloud - Apple