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Canonical's Ubuntu One cloud storage service hit Mac OS X in a beta on Thursday, bringing Ubuntu's Dropbox competitor to all widely used platforms. The service already had applications for Windows, iOS, Android, and of course, Ubuntu.

"As this is a beta we are still working hard fixing bugs to make the Mac client even slicker," Canonical said in an announcement. "Please be patient whilst we iron out the kinks over the coming weeks." Users can report bugs at the Ubuntu One help site.

Just like Dropbox, SkyDrive, or Google Drive, Ubuntu One adds a folder to your file system for sharing files across devices. It also provides a management console from which you can add folders to sync, manage connected devices, share links, and configure settings on syncing, notifications, and limits on upload and download speed:

Beyond the desktop and mobile clients, there's a browser-based tool to access files from any device. I tested out syncing a file from a Mac to an Ubuntu PC this morning, and it worksquickly. In addition to 5GB storage, the free tier of the service provides file sync across all platforms, sharing folders and files, and mobile access. Canonical is in the money-making business, though, so there are subscription options and integration with the Ubuntu One Music Store in a manner similar to that used by Amazon's Cloud Drive.

For $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, Ubuntu One users can add 20GB for a total of 25GB storage, and can continue to add 20GB blocks for the same price. For $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year, users get the additional 20GB plus music streaming on mobile, with a cache for offline listening. You can start off with six months of free music streaming and 20GB of storage by buying one track from Ubuntu One.

Ubuntu One hit the 1 million user mark last year, and offers adeveloperprogram for building applications on top of the service.

Jon Brodkin / Jon is Ars Technica's senior IT reporter, covering the latest in business technology and the intersection of consumer technology and IT. He also writes about technology policy, patent litigation, supercomputing, and wireless technology.

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Ubuntu's cloud storage service hits Mac in beta, with 5GB free