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A good online backup service is insurance for your files—but the cheapest plan is not always the best value. The right choice depends on how many devices you own, whether you need unlimited storage, how long deleted files must remain recoverable, and whether you are protecting a computer or simply syncing a few folders.
This guide compares the leading services associated with the 2025 market, using plan and availability information checked for August 8, 2026. Prices can change, especially after introductory discounts, so treat the figures below as a buying guide rather than a permanent price list.
Best online backup services at a glance
| Service | Best for | Notable current price | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDrive Personal | Several computers, phones, external drives, or NAS devices | 5 TB from $6.99 per month for the first year when billed annually; standard monthly price listed at $11.99 | Storage is limited by your plan |
| Backblaze Computer Backup | Simple unlimited backup for one computer | $99 per year | No NAS support or full system image |
| Carbonite Safe | Unlimited backup for one Windows computer | $95.99–$161.99 per year | Useful features are split between tiers |
| pCloud | Cloud storage combined with folder backup | 500 GB for $49.99 per year; 2 TB for $99.99 | Not a complete computer-recovery product |
| CrashPlan for Endpoints | Small businesses needing long-term version retention | $8 per user per month or $88 per year | No longer a normal consumer recommendation |
1. IDrive Personal: best overall for multiple devices
IDrive Personal is the strongest all-round choice for a household or freelancer with more than one device. A single account can cover Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, external drives, mapped drives, and supported NAS hardware from manufacturers such as Synology, QNAP, Asustor, and Netgear.
That breadth matters financially. Paying for separate backup subscriptions for a desktop, laptop, phone, and NAS can cost more than one multi-device plan, even if an unlimited single-computer service looks cheaper at first.
#1 Best Overall
- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
IDrive Personal is quota-based rather than unlimited. Its listed standard monthly rates are:
- 5 TB: $11.99 per month
- 10 TB: $17.99 per month
- 20 TB: $29.99 per month
- 50 TB: $59.99 per month
- 100 TB: $119.99 per month
Annual introductory pricing includes $6.99 per month for 5 TB and $10.49 per month for 10 TB. The discounted rate applies to the first year; standard pricing begins afterward. Exceeding the allowance can also trigger an overage charge of $0.25 per GB per month, so check your storage usage before selecting a plan.
IDrive adds file synchronization, sharing, and cloud-drive functions. Do not treat those as identical to backup: IDrive Cloud Drive is a separate service and must be activated separately. The service also supports 256-bit AES encryption and a private encryption key that IDrive says it does not store. That improves privacy, but losing the key means you cannot decrypt or restore the protected data.
For a large first upload or a major recovery, IDrive Express can ship a storage device. Personal customers receive one free backup shipment each year; subsequent requests are listed at $59.95.
Who should choose IDrive?
Choose it if you need one account for multiple devices, a NAS, or a large family data set. Avoid it if “unlimited” is more important than device coverage or if you do not want to monitor a storage quota.
Useful IDrive account path
- Sign in to IDrive.
- Click your user name in the upper-right corner.
- Select Billing Information.
- Click View beside the relevant billing date.
2. Backblaze Computer Backup: best simple unlimited backup
Backblaze Computer Backup is easy to understand: one license protects one Windows or Mac computer with unlimited data, and the current annual price is $99. It continuously backs up user data, including internal drives and directly connected external drives, without an individual file-size limit under normal configuration.
Rank #2
- Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
The limitation is scope. Backblaze Personal Backup does not protect NAS devices, network shares, or network-mounted drives. NAS backup requires a separate B2 Cloud Storage workflow. It also does not back up the operating system, installed applications, program files, or temporary files, so it cannot rebuild a complete computer from bare metal.
Backblaze’s default version history is 30 days. You can enable one-year extended version history at no extra charge. A Forever option is available for $0.006 per GB per month for files older than one year. This distinction is important: Backblaze is primarily a current-data mirror with retention features, not an automatic permanent archive.
Restores are available through the web, and Backblaze offers mailed-drive recovery. Its restore page lists an up-to-8-TB USB hard drive for $279, including shipping and handling; the drive can be returned within 30 days for a refund.
Important external-drive catch
A connected external drive must remain connected periodically. Backblaze sends missing-drive alerts after 14, 21, and 28 days. Under the default retention setting, data from a disconnected drive can eventually disappear from the backup.
Useful Backblaze paths
To restore files, sign in on the Backblaze website and select View/Restore Files.
To change exclusions in the desktop app:
- Open Backblaze and select Settings or Settings….
- Open the Exclusions tab.
- Click + and choose the folder.
- Click OK.
Be careful: exclusions apply across all drives. Excluding a folder name can exclude matching folders on another drive as well.
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- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
3. Carbonite Safe: best unlimited option for one Windows computer
Carbonite Safe provides unlimited cloud backup for one computer or hard drive. Its annual personal prices are $95.99 for Basic, $131.99 for Plus, and $161.99 for Prime.
The plans are differentiated less by storage than by what they automatically include:
| Plan | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Basic | Unlimited backup, but automatic video backup, external-drive backup, and files larger than 4 GB are restricted or require manual selection |
| Plus | Adds external-hard-drive backup and automatic video backup; supports files up to 100 GB under the relevant selection rules |
| Prime | Adds Webroot SecureAnywhere antivirus and lists courier recovery at $9.99 per incident instead of $99.99 |
Carbonite’s external-drive feature requires Plus or Prime, a directly connected drive, and a supported Windows file system such as NTFS or FAT32. It does not automatically cover network drives, flash drives, SD cards, shared drives, or remotely located devices. If a covered external drive is disconnected, Carbonite removes it from the backup after 180 days.
Like Backblaze, Carbonite Safe protects user files rather than an entire operating system. It is also unsuitable as a database backup for SQL, Exchange, or other interconnected systems: restoring individual database files may not produce a usable database.
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Manually add a file in Windows
- Find the file or folder in Windows Explorer.
- Right-click it.
- Select Carbonite; Back this up.
- On Windows 11, choose Show more options first if the command is hidden.
- Confirm the dialog.
Carbonite is a reasonable choice when you want unlimited capacity for one Windows PC and prefer a conventional annual subscription. The Basic plan is less attractive if your important data includes videos, large files, or an external hard drive.
4. pCloud: best hybrid storage and folder-backup option
pCloud sits between cloud storage and traditional backup. Its Desktop Backup feature automatically copies selected folders from Windows or Mac to the pCloud account, while the broader service also provides file access and synchronization features.
Rank #4
- Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Current annual individual pricing lists 500 GB for $49.99, 2 TB for $99.99, and 10 TB for $299.99. Lifetime plans are also advertised, but their prices are promotional and should not be treated as a permanent standard rate.
pCloud retains previous versions and deleted files for up to 30 days by default. A paid one-year Extended File History option has also been offered. The service can import backups from Google Drive, Dropbox, Dropbox Business, OneDrive, Google Photos, and Facebook, although some integrations have changed or disappeared because of third-party API changes.
pCloud is best for someone who wants a reasonably priced cloud locker with an automatic copy of selected folders. It is not a substitute for disk imaging, bootable recovery media, or bare-metal disaster recovery.
Start a third-party backup on the web
- Sign in to my.pCloud.
- Select Backups, then Third-party.
- Choose the service you want to copy.
- Click Start.
- Connect the external account and grant access.
5. CrashPlan for Endpoints: best for business retention
CrashPlan belongs in this comparison mainly for small businesses and professionals, not ordinary households. Its current Endpoint offering lists unlimited cloud storage, unlimited versioning, Windows, Mac, and Linux support, end-user restores, and device migration. Pricing is $8 per user per month or $88 per user per year for small businesses.
There is an important availability correction for older reviews. CrashPlan Essential, previously marketed to consumers at $2.99 per month for 200 GB, is now listed as a legacy plan and is no longer available to new customers. Existing subscribers can continue receiving support, but a new customer should not build a buying decision around Essential.
For a family computer, CrashPlan Endpoint is usually more business-oriented—and potentially more expensive or complicated—than necessary. For a small company that needs long version retention and cross-platform endpoint coverage, its pricing and retention policy are more compelling.
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Best Value
- [Upgraded Version] - This external hard drive features a mirrored logo stripe combined with a striped anti-slip design, and the rounded corners of the casing make it easier to grip. The stripes also have a heat dissipation function, ensuring stable and fast data transfer.
- 【Ultra-thin and quiet】 - The motherboard adopts JMicron 578 noise-free solution, giving you a quiet working environment. Lightweight and portable size designed to fit in your pocket for easy portability.
- 【Ultra-Fast Data Transfers】 - Pairing this external hard drive with JMicron 578 solution USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces enables blazing-fast data transfer. It boasts theoretical read speeds of up to 125MB/s and write speeds of up to 103MB/s.
- 【Plug and Play】 - With no software to install, just plug it in and the drive is ready to use.The hard disk chip is wrapped with an aluminum anti-interference layer to increase heat dissipation and protect data.
- 【What You Get】 - 1 x Portable Hard Drive, 1 x USB 3.0 Cable, 1 x User Manual, Gift-type shell packaging ,Three-year manufacturer's warranty and free technical support services.
Online backup versus cloud sync
Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and OneDrive are primarily synchronization and storage tools. They keep selected folders available across devices, but synchronization can also reproduce deletions or unwanted changes. A dedicated backup service generally offers different retention and restore controls and is designed to protect more of the computer’s user data.
None of the consumer services above should automatically be described as a full system image. If you need to restore Windows or macOS, applications, settings, and data after a failed drive, check specifically for disk-image support, system-state backup, bootable recovery media, or use a separate local imaging tool. IDrive documents disk-clone functionality; Backblaze and CrashPlan focus primarily on user-file backup.
How to choose without overpaying
- Count devices first. For one computer, unlimited services are straightforward. For several computers, phones, external drives, or a NAS, IDrive’s multi-device coverage may be better value.
- Measure the data you actually need to protect. A 500 GB or 2 TB pCloud plan can be economical for selected folders. A quota-based IDrive plan becomes less attractive if your storage regularly exceeds the allowance.
- Check exclusions. Confirm whether videos, files over 4 GB, external drives, network locations, and application data are included automatically.
- Decide how long deleted files should survive. Thirty-day history is not enough for every ransomware or accidental-deletion scenario. Compare the default retention period and the cost of extending it.
- Test the restore before trusting the service. Download several files, open them, and verify that folder structure and filenames are usable. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a tested safety net.
- Keep another copy. Follow the 3-2-1 approach: three copies of important data, on at least two types of storage, with one copy off-site. Cloud backup should not be your only copy.
Which service is cheapest for your situation?
| Your situation | Likely value pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One computer with a large amount of ordinary personal data | Backblaze | $99 per year for unlimited backup is simple to budget |
| One Windows PC with videos or a directly connected external drive | Carbonite Plus or Prime | Basic does not automatically cover those items |
| Several computers and mobile devices | IDrive | One account covers a broad mix of platforms |
| Selected folders plus cloud-storage access | pCloud | Lower-capacity plans can cost less than unlimited backup |
| Business endpoints and long version retention | CrashPlan Endpoint | Business-oriented retention and cross-platform support |
FAQ
What is the best online backup service for most people?
IDrive Personal is the best general choice for households with multiple computers, phones, external drives, or supported NAS devices. For one computer and a preference for unlimited storage, Backblaze is simpler.
Is Backblaze really unlimited?
Backblaze Computer Backup offers unlimited backup for one computer, including directly connected external drives. It does not include NAS or network-mounted drives, and it does not create a complete operating-system image.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Is cloud storage the same as online backup?
No. Cloud storage and sync services mainly keep selected folders available across devices. Online backup services provide different retention and restore behavior and are intended to protect computer data more broadly.
Which online backup service is best for a full computer replacement?
Do not assume that any service in this comparison provides bare-metal recovery. Most focus on user files. If you need the operating system, applications, settings, and files restored together, look for disk-image and bootable-recovery support or pair online backup with a separate system-imaging tool.
The Bottom Line
Choose IDrive Personal if you are protecting several devices, external drives, or a NAS. Choose Backblaze for uncomplicated unlimited backup of one computer. Choose Carbonite Plus or Prime when a single Windows PC has videos or an external drive. Choose pCloud when you mainly want affordable cloud storage with selected-folder backup. Choose CrashPlan Endpoint only when you are buying for a business and need long version retention.
Whichever service you select, perform a test restore and maintain a second local or offline copy. The subscription protects against one class of failure; a layered backup strategy protects against more of them.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
