When comparing CrashPlan vs iCloud, the Slant community recommends CrashPlan for most people. In the question“What are the best cloud backup services?” CrashPlan is ranked 3rd while iCloud is ranked 16th. The most important reason people chose CrashPlan is:
You set it up once and from then it runs in the background whenever you are not using your computers (or at specified times).
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
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).
Pro Supports multiple backup destinations
You can set up different files/folders to back up to specific places.
Pro Differential and incremental file backup
CrashPlan updates only that part of the file that has changed, saving bandwidth and time.
Pro Unlimited online storage
The $5/mo individual plan and the $12.50/mo family plan gets you unlimited cloud storage.
Pro Allows custom encryption keys
Custom 448 bit user-provided encryption key can be used to encrypt the backed up data in the cloud.
Pro Users can order a physical copy of their data
They will send you an external hard drive to your house.
Pro Unlimited revision history
CrashPlan saves all previous versions of a file.
Pro Synchronisation and backup services
iCloud syncs a users settings and files across a range of Apple hardware making for a simple solution to backup and sync data across ones Apple devices.
Pro Documents in the Cloud
Integrates different office tools such as Keynote or Pages for writing and presentations, etc with iCloud.
Cons
Con Buggy
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.
Con Popular features (local backup and trusted offsite backup) no longer available
Con Heavy client
The BackupClient is based on Java and therefore a lot more memory-intensive than most other backup solutions
Con Buggy
Con Apple devices only
Con Certain file restrictions
Does not allow uploading certain file types.