What does online backup represent? Once you have installed it, an online backup service starts to scan your computer for backup-able files, identifies and securely encrypts the data and sends it for storage in a cloud server. Online backup differs from common cloud storage and syncing services because its purpose is to automatically retrieve, store and protect all the important files, including system files.
Having this in mind, as well as a few other capabilities included in such services, such as customizable files selection, backup scheduling, various extra features provided by some services (as for example remote drive wipe in case of device theft), as well as the strong encryption this type of backup may come with, let’s take a look at seven of the most appreciated online backup services:
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CrashPlan
CrashPlan stands out in various online tops for its extremely well designed user interface, fast file processing capabilities, stealthy security options and unlimited storage plan at the price of $59.99 per year. It comes from Code42, it has a free 30 days trial option, as well as a Family Plan and a Business Plan ($10/month/computer). Available for all mainstream operating systems (Windows, MacOSX and Linux), it withstands continuous minute-by-minute backups and gives the user access to its files from anywhere, anytime, via his or hers mobile devices.
As its presentation webpage is more than explanatory and you may check the PC Mag review for test results and comparative specifications, it suffices to say that this service has no identifiable faults, the only mention being that for sharing and collaborative purposes, IDrive and SOS online Backup are the recommended services ahead of CrashPlan.
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iDrive
The iDrive service actually managed to score better than our number one in the PC Magazine top of best 2016 backup services. However because of its mediocre CMS and easily over-chargeable features, it comes off as a good, yet problematic service sometimes.
Its $59.50 price per year brings in a 1TB backup space. Maybe you are lucky and get a deal as the one available on its webpage the day we accessed it – only $14.88 for the first year (limited offer), anyway this service also has a Basic Free version that never expires and comes with 5GB storage space and 5GB syncing space. The other paid versions are Personal, Team and Business, all with more than one pricing plan – as you may see here.
IDrive features multiple devices backup for a single account, a complementary hybrid backup with IDrive Wi-Fi (local storage), real-time backup and others (as Comparitech puts it, IDrive is “one of the most feature-rich” services of its kind), as well as a special physical storage data retrieval via a shipment in less than a week – all the saved data is sent to you via a maximum of 3TB hard drive (the Express Backup feature, included in the initial pricing plan at a frequency of once a year for Personal, and three times a year for Business; see other details here).
Another notable mention would be that Pro Softnet Corporation, which is the parent company, owns its own physical servers, which improves the privacy and cyber-security status for their storage.
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SOS Online Backup
Another specialists’ favorite when it comes to rankings, the SOS Online Backup service by Infrascale comes with infinite cloud storage (there are some nuances here, depending on the type of pricing plan you decide for). It only provides the Business (home offices and SMBs) and Personal (home and family) plans, starting from $29.99, respectively $4.99 a month, also offering a 30 days free (15 days for Personal) trial period. Compared to CrashPlan, the product page is almost telegraphic for SOS, not much to see there.
However, reviewers appreciate the unlimited storage plan, as well as its features, cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac and Linux again), synchronization and sharing options, remote tracking and wiping of the data in case of theft, NAS-backup capacity and others, as you may see in this BestBackups in-depth review of SOS. The signaled weaknesses consist of the low degree of user-friendliness, as well as the lack of permissions’ customization options for shared files.
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Carbonite
Carbonite, “the better backup plan”, also provides unlimited storage for its two versions, Business (starting from $189 per year), and Personal (starting from $42 per year, although the product’s landing page reads: “plans starting at $59.99/yr.”). The 15 days free trial allows those interested in this service to test its capabilities. Alternatively there are available reviews to help in forming an advised opinion; for example CNet tested the Personal plan in 2015, appreciating its low price, hybrid option and optional courier service that allows the backed-up data to be delivered in the form of an encrypted drive, but also noticed the file-size limitation of maximum 4GB, the lack of monthly payment options, as well as the conditioned client-side encryption, available only with Windows desktop client.
Comparitech deems Carbonite as having a good value for its costs and being one of the most popular backup services on the market. The encryption employed for the files is 128-bit Blowfish encryption, following which the transmission to the data centers is secured via SSL.
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Acronis
Acronis’s services come in pricing tailored to the number of computers benefiting from online backup, starting from $49.99 for one PC. The 30-day trial of Acronis True Image 2016 is available for those who wish to test beforehand. The key feature, according to their webpage, would be their fastest backup and recovery speeds, a characteristic also specific to Acronis True Image Cloud, their other product dedicated to online backup. The supported OS do not include Linux.
The PC Mag review confirms the fast upload speeds, while noticing as cons the unavailability of continuous backup, the lack of password protection for shared files, as well as the more expensive pricing than its competitors, among others; in conclusion they find it unusual that some common features in online backup are missing with Acronis.
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BackBlaze
Unlimited storage for $50 a year makes BackBlaze a strong runner-up in some tops – the availability of local backup, its optional client-side encryption, the continuous backup option and its strong password support help in making it a strong competitor, while its more unusual policy on deleted files (only a 30 days retention period) is considered a minus. The 15-day trial allows hands-on testing.
The product itself is marketed via the low-cost & ease of use combination. It comes with business ($50 per year) and personal ($5 per month) plans and the same providers have a B2 Cloud Storage plan at $0.005/GB a month, first 10Gb free.
The BackBlaze issues noted by PC Mag are pretty important, so you might want to check this product’s faults by yourself if interested: slow transfers or unfriendly user interface are not minor disturbances, especially when employing such services for a lot of files, as it is the case in an enterprise environment.
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Mozy
The last but not necessarily the least product featured in our presentation is Mozy, coming with “attractive pricing for the best (online, cloud backup, and data) backup”. The three distinct products are MozyPro, MozyEnterprise and MozyHome and they come in one year, two years and monthly plans. Their features include military-grade security, cross-device synchronization and a Data Shuttle service.
The downside comes from the lack of support for file sharing, its high pricing and the slower upload speed when compared to same range competitors.
To conclude, here is a wise recommendation that considers the right questions to ask before deciding upon which online backup service you want to acquire.
