Intuitive user experience: The software to back up your computer should be easy to use.Some backup services also support network-attached storage, but we didn’t make that a requirement. An external drive is often the primary storage location for important older files, especially for laptops. Support to back up external drives: A backup service should allow you to back up external storage drives.We looked for affordable services of both types for this guide. The option that’s better for you depends on how many computers you own. Amount of storage and number of devices: Cloud backup plans can be either unlimited plans that cover one computer or storage-based plans that allow you to back up multiple devices.
Most services also have iPhone and Android apps, but we didn’t find them all that useful, so we didn’t test them.
Support for Windows and Mac computers: We looked for services with both Windows and Mac apps.Most people shouldn’t pay more than $100 for a cloud backup service. It’s usually cheaper by the year the annual price typically ranges between $60 and $100 based on factors like the amount of storage or how many devices a service supports.
Details at a glanceĥ TB (upgradable to 10 TB for $100 per year)ġ TB (can add more at a rate of $0.00599 per GB per month)ģ0 days for free, $2 per month for one year, or $2 per month plus $0.005 per GB per month forever And if you just need as much space as possible, go with IDrive.
If you want to nerd out over every detail of your backups, go with Arq Premium. If you just want software that works and does everything for you, stick to Backblaze. Although Arq appears to be a smaller company than Backblaze or IDrive, support was just as quick to respond to our questions its documentation, however, isn’t as thorough, searchable, or readable without a glossary. But Arq Premium doesn’t support continuous backups, instead relying on scheduled backups, so there’s always a chance it won’t be perfectly up to date. Its restoration process is far less cumbersome than Backblaze’s and speedier than IDrive’s, too. During setup, Arq Premium encourages (but doesn’t require) you to use a private encryption key for a secure backup. The Arq Premium software gives you a lot of control over how your backup works, including options to choose how long to keep files around, to select any external drives, and more. Arq Premium supports up to five computers, and if you need more than the included 1 TB of storage, it’s an additional $0.00599 per gigabyte each month (which amounts to about $6 per terabyte each month, making it more expensive than Backblaze and IDrive for data hoarders). If you like to configure software to meet your specific needs, Arq Premium, available for Windows and Mac, offers far more customization options than Backblaze or IDrive and costs less than both for 1 TB of storage.