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ProductivityCloudBackupOnline

What are the best cloud backup services?

38

Options
Considered

293

User
Recs.

Aug 5, 2021

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

35 Options Considered

Best cloud backup services	Price	Platforms	Versioning
89 Backblaze	-	Windows; OSX; Android; iOS	Yes
76 CrashPlan	-	Windows; Linux; OSX; Android; iOS	Yes
76 Google Drive	-	Windows; OSX; Linux; Android; iOS	Yes
-- Mega	-	Windows; Android; iOS; Mac OS X; Chrome OS; Linux	Yes
-- SpiderOak	-	Windows; Linux; OSX; Android; iOS	-

Backblaze

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Top Con

No Linux support

There's no Linux client for Backblaze. See More

Top Pro

Beginner-friendly defaults

The default configuration includes everything except for system files to be backed up. That also includes external USB drives. This will work for most people. It can, of course, be customized to each person's liking. See More

Peter J. Mello's Experience

I don't use their consumer service, but rather their B2 cloud storage buckets to store the backups I make myself. I can't think of a single negative aspect of it... The price is staggeringly low, they offer more bandwidth than I can get from Comcast, and the API is really easy to just dive right in and use. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX; Android; iOS

Differential:Yes

Top Con

Pay extra to keep deleted files permanently

Additional $2/Month plus $0.005/GB/Month for files updated, changed, or deleted more than one year ago. See More

Top Pro

No file size or traffic restrictions

There are no limitations of file size or amount of data you can upload. The $5/mo plan gets you unlimited cloud storage. See More

Top Con

Backblaze does not support network (NAS) drives

If you use a thing like Drobo, Backblaze will not back it up. See More

Top Pro

Excellent restoration performance

Backblaze creates a zip file of all your files for you to download, thus decreasing the amount of data you need to download and increasing the speed of the download since it's one connection instead of multiple that need to be opened and closed for a list of files. See More

Top Con

Buggy

Top Pro

Secure

AES encrypted files are transferred over a secure SSL connection. See More

Top Pro

Download any backed-up files from any web browser

Some backup services like Carbonite require a client to be installed to restore files. Backblaze allows you to login and download any or all files from a web browser, meaning it also serves as an ad-hoc cloud storage platform. See More

Top Pro

Users can order a physical copy of their data

You can have a flash drive or an external hard drive delivered to you. They cost $99 and $189 respectively. See More

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CrashPlan

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Top Con

Buggy

Top Pro

Unintrusive

You set it up once and from then it runs in the background whenever you are not using your computers (or at specified times). See More

LivelyEmpusa's Experience

How could CrashPlan possible be on a 2019 list when there is no longer a consumer version See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; Linux; OSX; Android; iOS

Incremental:Yes

Top Con

Home edition discontinued

CrashPlan's home edition will be shut down on October 23, 2018. They are no longer accepting new signups or subscription renewals. See More

Top Pro

Supports multiple backup destinations

You can set up different files/folders to back up to specific places. See More

Top Con

Popular features (local backup and trusted offsite backup) no longer available

Top Pro

Differential and incremental file backup

CrashPlan updates only that part of the file that has changed, saving bandwidth and time. See More

Top Con

Heavy client

The BackupClient is based on Java and therefore a lot more memory-intensive than most other backup solutions See More

Top Pro

Unlimited online storage

The $5/mo individual plan and the $12.50/mo family plan gets you unlimited cloud storage. See More

Top Con

Buggy

Top Pro

Allows custom encryption keys

Custom 448 bit user-provided encryption key can be used to encrypt the backed up data in the cloud. See More

Top Con

Slow

Multiple people have expressed dissatisfaction with Crashplan's upload speed and the companies unwillingness to acknowledge the issue. It's become such a common complaint that there's a Twitter account that compiles tweets with people being frustrated with Crashplan's upload speeds. See More

Top Pro

Users can order a physical copy of their data

They will send you an external hard drive to your house. See More

Top Pro

Unlimited revision history

CrashPlan saves all previous versions of a file. See More

Google Drive

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Top Con

Not a backup solution

Does not backup your system files or your configuration, does not allow you to restore to a previous version (only for individual files). See More

Top Pro

Generous free plan

The free plan offers 15GB of space and has no limitations in terms of functionality. This space is shared across Drive, Gmail & Picasa. See More

Yanis's Experience

Google does the job ! See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX; Linux; Android; iOS

Cloud Storage:Yes

Top Con

Syncs just one folder

Once set up on your computer, Google Drive will create a folder that will sync with the cloud storage. Only files and folders within that folder will be backed up to the cloud and there's no way to change that. See More

Top Pro

Allows collaboratively working on specific kinds of files

Iff you're using Google's office suite (Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, etc), you can invite both Google account holders and non-holders to access and/or collaborate on files created by those applications allowing multiple people to work on the same document at the same time. See More

Top Con

Behaviour can't be customized

There's no way to, for example, change how and when backups happen. See More

Top Pro

Can also be used to backup and view photos and videos

Can make use of the storage space to back up photos, see and share them via Google Photos which is a lot more than just viewing files. See More

Top Con

Data privacy not guaranteed

Data privacy is widely known as one of Google's weaknesses. Data shared through Google is most likely matched up with the user's profile inside other Alphabet inc. subsidiaries, and, due to the business model, used commercially. See More

Top Pro

15GB free

This space is shared across Drive, Gmail & Picasa. See More

Top Con

No official client for Linux

Google as of yet has a client for Linux, leaving many who use the service forced to use third party apps or the webpage. See More

Top Pro

Extendable functionality via apps

Third party Drive applications running in Chrome can add functionality such as image/video editing, project management, flowchart creation, etc. See More

Top Con

Terms and Conditions allow Google to own anything on Google Drive

They can create derivative works, they can perform it, they can modify it, and they can publish it at will. There are many other specific rights they take over your product. Read the Terms carefully and compare with ANY others. See More

Top Pro

Cheap for extra storage

$1.99 per 100GB, for up to 16TB. See More

Top Con

Low bandwidth

Impossible to upload all files in some cases. See More

Top Pro

Built-in office suite

Includes tools for writing, presentations and spreadsheets. See More

Top Con

Batch downloading in MS Office formats only

TLDR: Google makes it hard to either edit open formats or bulk download open formats, choose one and you lose the other. Google Drive by default converts your files when they are uploaded into their proprietary google document format. If you bulk download google formatted files, they are in the MS DocX for documents and MS XLSX for spreadsheets. You can stop files from uploading from being formatted into google's proprietary format, but then you lose the ability to edit the files (even if it's a plaintext) or download the files in different formats. If you want to download google formatted files in open formats such as plain text .TXT or .ODT, or PDF, each file needs to be downloaded individually by opening the file in Google Docs first, and then going to File > Download as. See More

Mega

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Top Pro

Free 50 GB of storage

Everyone with an account will get 50 GB of online storage. It is a simple sign up, just a minute's work. See More

Top Con

Mega plans are considerably more expensive than some of its competitors

PoliteSusanoo's Experience

Intuitive UI (especially compared to the competition), free storage is generous, affordable pricing, stellar encryption and so much more for your money. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; Android; iOS; Mac OS X; Chrome OS; Linux

Differential:Yes

Top Pro

Files are all encrypted

All the files stored online are encrypted on the client side. This means that only the user (client) can view, delete, or update the files. Stored files are encrypted via a few steps with your login password as the MasterKey. See More

Top Con

The free 50 GB of storage reverts to 15 GB after 30 days

In effect, Mega gives only 15 GB of free storage. See More

Top Pro

Multi-platform support

The user can access the stored files or upload new files using the browser. Additionally they can use their phones or tablets (Android and iOS devices). On windows MegaSync is provided for automatic backup and safer file access. To further improve access security, there is also an extension available for Google Chrome. See More

Top Con

Has a transfer limit

Both for free and paid accounts, there are monthly transfer limits. That is, the user can only upload/download a certain amount in one month. For instance, it is 10 GB/month for free users. The transfer limits, maximum and current can be viewed in the user's account page. See More

Top Pro

Client-side encryption

All files uploaded to Mega are first encrypted on the users side. To access files a decryption key must be supplied. For ease of use, the decryption key can be appended to the URL you share. See More

Top Con

Compatibility for browsers are limited

According to Mega, the service is known to work perfectly on Chrome and Firefox browsers. However, it has a "memory leak" problem in Internet Explorer 10, that requires the user to restart the browser after every few hundred MB of transfer. See More

Top Pro

Respects personal privacy

They will never look through your files unless they ask for permission. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use

Just drag and drop files in the browser window, then create a link for sharing. You will need an account to create a link. To streamline the process for new users you can start uploading as soon as you access the website and create an account while it's uploading. See More

Top Pro

Functional web interface

Top Pro

Cross platform

Linux, Windows and Mac. See More

Top Pro

Affordable storage plans

Besides the free 50 GB, users can upgrade storage based on their needs. The available options currently are 200 GB, 500 GB, 2 TB, and 4 TB. Details about pricing and such are available on the website (from €4.99/month). See More

Top Pro

Open source client

Top Pro

50GB free

50 GB trial for new accounts after registering for a month, then 15 GB. There's also three upgrade plans, starting at 500GB and $110/yr. 15GB may not seem much, but Dropbox only offers 2GB for the free plan. This is better than Google Drive because Google Drive storage is shared with all the Google services you are using. See More

SpiderOak

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Top Pro

Unintrusive

Backups can be scheduled making for an unobtrusive experience as they can be set to run when you are not using the PC. See More

Top Con

Ugly UI

IndependentKakka's Experience

Was great until a few months ago after a full OS wipe and reinstall. Now I can't get it past syndication step 7. Several messages to support have not been answered. I suspect the issue could be the new install has mirrored dynamic drives. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; Linux; OSX; Android; iOS

Top Pro

Zero knowledge

Data is locally encrypted before uploading to Spideroak. They cannot recover your data even if they wanted to since it is stored in encrypted state on their servers. See More

Top Con

Sharing is unintuitve

The way that sharing is done is a bit backwards as you have to select "new" in the options to then go through a few boxes of selections to then finally pick what file to share. See More

Top Pro

Combines cloud syncing, storage service and backup client

Thus you have a single service for all of the things instead of having to use multiple clients or services. See More

Top Con

Not great on Linux

Top Pro

Incrementals

SpiderOak updates only that part of the file that has changed, saving bandwidth and time. See More

Arq

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Top Pro

Only you know the encryption password

No privacy concerns. See More

Top Con

Complicated setup

When it comes to ease of use most cloud backup service are pretty easy as it is just one signup, with Arc you need to download install and activate it to then register for an Amazon account, this extra step may be troublesome to some people or just annoying. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX

Incremental:Yes

De-duplication:Yes

Top Pro

Reliable

Amazon services offer solutions with almost 100% durability and 99.99% availability. Even if the system loses data-centers, you will still be able to access your files. See More

Top Pro

Can store data directly in a variety of cloud storage providers

Arq is client-side software that runs on your computer and talks directly to generic cloud data storage providers. No third-party service in the middle means lower costs, better reliability, lower risk of a service ceasing to operate, ease of migration to other storage targets. Amazon Glacier and/or S3 GreenQloud DreamObjects Google Cloud Storage S3-Compatible Server SFTP Server See More

Top Pro

Open document format backups

Unlike other backup programs that store data in proprietary formats, Arq stores them in an open document format allowing for easy viewing. See More

Dropbox

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Top Con

Can be used for backup, but technically Dropbox is a for syncing, not backup

If you delete a file on one machine, it will be deleted on all machines, and from Dropbox. This file can be restored for up to 30 days, but to keep files for longer than that, there is an additional fee. See More

Top Pro

Allows selective sync

Selective Sync is a feature of the Dropbox desktop application that allows you to select only the folders you want to be synced to your computer. See More

Yanis's Experience

My second go-to for sure ! See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Linux, OSX, Android, iOS, Windows Phone

Offline access:Yes

Top Con

Not enough storage in free plan

Top Pro

Free (extra) storage space

Dropbox personal accounts start out free, with 2GB of space, but users can get extra space by recommending the site to friends, or taking part in events like "Dropquest", where users can win extra space by solving puzzles. See More

Top Con

Privacy concerns

Although data is encrypted between your computer and Dropbox, Dropbox staff (and anyone they grant access to) can view any of your files. Some services encrypt files before they are uploaded to the cloud, Dropbox does not. See More

Top Pro

Security

Dropbox transfers files over SSL and stored data is AES-256 encrypted. See More

Top Con

Syncs just one folder

Once set up on your computer, Dropbox will create a folder that will sync with the cloud storage. Only files within that folder will be backed up to the cloud and there's no way to change that. See More

Top Pro

Allows sharing a folder

Using a desktop client: right click on the folder you want to share and select Dropbox > Share This Folder, then enter the e-mail addressees of people you want to share the folder with. See More

Top Con

Behaviour can't be customized

There's no way to, for example, change how and when backups happen. See More

Top Pro

Has an API/works nicely with other apps

Many mobile apps can and do use Dropbox for storage. This means not just that your files are accessible on the go, but that those apps automatically get live syncing with your desktop and the web. See More

Top Pro

Reliable, easy to use and easy set up

Top Pro

Add-ons

There are official and third-party Dropbox add-ons that extend the functionality of the service and add ease of use features. See More

Top Pro

Many platforms supported

You can access Dropbox via Web / Mac / Windows / Linux/ iOS / Android / BlackBerry / Kindle Fire. See More

Top Pro

Doesn't use lots of disk space on mobile devices

If you have a full 2GB Dropbox on your computer, and install the app on your phone, it will let you see your entire structure of folders and files, but it only downloads them as and when requested, saving your phone's storage space. See More

Top Pro

It works great with large stores

Top Pro

Folders can be downloaded compressed to save bandwidth

To save bandwidth and download speed you can choose to compress a folder into a zip archive for download. See More

Top Pro

Adjustable bandwidth use

To not slow down the network or save traffic you can limit the upload and download speeds of Dropbox. See More

Top Pro

Instant disaster recovery

Your files always synced online means instant disaster recovery. When your hard drive becomes unbootable, pick up another laptop and just carry on with your life from where you last saved. See More

Top Pro

Allows sharing a single file via link

Whether using desktop client or web interface, simply right click on the file you want to share and select Dropbox > Share link, then send the link to the people you want to share the file with. The recipient does not require a Dropbox account. See More

Jottacloud

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Top Pro

Linux support

Linux support was added and continues to improve. See More

Top Con

Your data is not stored encrypted

While your data is uploaded on a secure SSL connection, it is stored in plain text on the server. It is not the most secure cloud backup. See More

Top Pro

Your data is stored in Norway

Norway has rigorous data protection laws. Governments or judicial authorities should not be able to have a look at your data through legal means. See More

Top Pro

Offers sync and backup

Files in your sync folder are kept synced between your devices. You can also specify separate folders to be backed up to the cloud at scheduled intervals. See More

Top Pro

Unlimited storage for €7.50/mo

Top Pro

Good privacy policy

Jottacloud is under Norwegian jurisdiction and as such authorities aren't likely to force turning over data stored on their servers. See More

Top Pro

In lots of languages including Dutch

And also serviced in the Netherlands locally by LiveSchijf.com. See More

Top Pro

Nice Android and iOS apps

Top Pro

5GB of space in the free plan

Mozy

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Top Con

Ridiculously high pricing

Top Pro

Shared folder with Stash

Stash is a local sync folder similar in functionality to Dropbox. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; Linux; OSX; Android; iOS

Top Con

Basic plan doesn't allow personal encryption keys

Top Pro

Prevents from social engineering attacks

Mozy end-users are not susceptible to social engineering. At Mozy, there is no one person who can authorize the deletion of a given individual’s data. Our process of cleaning and deleting a customer’s data is a very structured and automated process, and you can’t call us up and short circuit that process. See More

Top Con

No unlimited storage plan

Every plan for Mozy has a limit on the storage meaning there is no price one can pay for piece of mind of unlimited storage. See More

Top Pro

Allows for personal encryption keys

Top Pro

Can set two backup targets

A feature called 2x Protect will back up everything to two backup targets - one online and external device attached to your computer. See More

Carbonite

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Top Con

They've lost data before

There have been occasions where a paid subscriber was not ever able to get back their data. See More

Top Pro

Users can order a physical copy of their data

For users in the US there is a option to receive their backup data on external media, meaning not only is there a backup in the cloud but you can order hard backups anytime. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX; Android; iOS; BlackBerry

Top Con

No external hard drive support in the $59.99/yr plan

You need to upgrade to the HomePlus $99.99/yr plan to back up external drives. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive software

Does not require deep system knowledge to operate Carbonite's software. See More

Top Con

Personal encryption keys only work on Windows

Top Pro

Unlimited online storage

The $59.99/yr plan gets you unlimited cloud storage. See More

Top Con

Files above 4GB have to be uploaded manually

Carbonite won't upload files above 4GB unless you do it manually. See More

Top Pro

Allows for personal encryption keys

pCloud

Add Video or Image

Top Pro

Mapped drive

Top Con

Not a well known company

Edward Brent's Experience

I've been looking for a simple solution, safe backup for my files. A friend of mine told me he is really happy with pcloud, i've signed up and was more than impressed with the many functionalities they provide. Besides the backup, you get to recover your trash, rewind your files and check previous versions of your files in case you've backed up unwanted edits See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Mac, Linux

Cloud Storage:Yes

Top Pro

Desktop application for all platforms

Radomir Valchev's Experience

I have been using pCloud for over 3 years now and te service is amazing. The speed of upload are with the speed of light. See More

Top Pro

Mobile applications for Android and iOS

Top Pro

Lifetime cloud storage plans

Top Pro

Excellent upload speed

Top Pro

No synchronization speed limits

Sync files as fast as your internet plan allows you to. See More

Top Pro

Branding

You can add your own cover, title image and description when sending a download link. See More

Top Pro

Other users can upload files to your storage

Have others upload files directly to your account from any browser using "Upload links". See More

Top Pro

2tb storage and 2tb bandwidth

Unlike all the other clouds this makes it great for sharing large files. To lots of people. See More

Top Pro

Cross-platform

Backup and use your files from any device with Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or iOS. See More

Top Pro

Desktop app doesn't take space on hard disk

Computers see it as a network drive. See More

Top Pro

No file size limits

Allows you to store your HD videos, FLAC music files, and large documents. See More

OneDrive

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Top Pro

Full integration in Windows 10

Once setup OneDrive folder and local folders can be the same slowing for seamlessly integration into Windows OS. See More

Top Con

Strictest code of conduct

Terms of Service forbid any kind of nudity, or that incites, advocates, or expresses pornography or racism among other things. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX; Android; iOS

Cloud Storage:yes

Free storage size:yes

Max storage size:yes

Top Pro

Collaboration via Office 365

If you use Office 365 with OneDrive, you can share a file to edit collaboratively in real time. See More

Top Con

Becomes slower when it picks up a "Linux" user-agent

This may be intentional by Microsoft to force OneDrive users to use Windows. When OneDrive picks up a "Linux" user-agent it becomes slow whereas when from the same computer and browser it picks up a "Windows" user-agent it becomes considerably faster. See More

Top Pro

Microsoft Office integration

It integrates with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc as if you were using OneDrive locally. See More

Top Pro

Automatic photo uploads from phone

When Android, iOS and Windows Phone users shoot a photo with their phone it is automatically uploaded to OneDrive via app. See More

Top Pro

Music file syncs with Groove Music

Music files put in the Music folder in OneDrive sync with Groove Music. See More

Top Pro

No setup for Windows 8/8.1

If you use Windows 8 or 8.1, OneDrive is already built in your system and can be accessed via file explorer. See More

Box

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Top Pro

Extendable via plugins

There are plug-ins for applications that allow interactions with Box. See More

Top Con

Log in on every use

Any time the app is opened the user's log-in needs to be typed in, which can become annoying. While it is a nice privacy feature, an option to turn it off would be nice. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows; OSX; Android; iOS; Windows Phone; BlackBerry

Top Pro

Sharing and privacy features built for business and IT users

Such as advanced sharing options, task assignment, notifications. See More

Top Con

No Linux client

Top Pro

Cross-platform desktop and mobile

Box is available for Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phones. Which mean access to ones files no matter the device or platform used. See More

Top Con

Missing collaborative apps

Not being able to easily back up office works through an integrated office suite can be a set back when comparing to backup apps like Drive. While you can set certain apps to save their files to the Box folder, it is not as easy as using something like Google Docs, which not only saves while you are working but as soon as you are done, with no extra steps. See More

Top Pro

Salesforce and NetSuite support

Newfang Cloud

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Top Pro

Privacy Focused and Transparent

All the files are encrypted and access is logged on the blockchain that I can verify. Only those with access can view the files. See More

Top Con

New to the market

The service is relatively new, but migration shouldn't be a problem See More

Top Pro

Transparent and Simple Billing

I am currently using it for free under Alpha release, but the pricing is straight forward with billing for storage and download, no unnecessary list of unbundled API' are billed. All the usage is logged on the blockchain that can be audited against the bill. See More

Top Pro

Good for video streaming & hosting

Due to the distributed nature of servers, video streaming is performant and better than current providers. Quite cheaper too. Files are downloaded from an edge network. See More

Top Pro

Very easy to integrate

SDK just has a couple of endpoints with good documentation See More

B2 by Backblaze

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Top Con

Not a backup service

Using B2 for backup requires learning and setting up third-party tools See More

Acronis True Image

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Top Pro

Cross Platform

Acronis is available for: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Facebook See More

Top Con

Non Windows Versions Less Capable

Capabilities, features, and GUI, are less robust on the Mac version. See More

Top Pro

Provides Scripts and Instructions for Complete Uninstall

https://kb.acronis.com/content/48668 See More

Top Con

Downloads / Restore from Cloud Times Out

Acronis expects most users to restore from local copies. Cloud restoration capabilities is far from robust. One has to navigate a file tree to download files in small batches because larger downloads (talking anything more than a few GBs) times out. Major PITA. See More

Top Con

Very unreliable

Has a variety of bugs that can make the software almost unusable. Very slow, frequently hangs, and has been known to freeze the computer. Can make your data inaccessible and offers unhelpful error messages with no further instructions. See More

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