6 Top Alternatives to Carbonite for Cloud Backup

As a Mac and software expert, I know firsthand the devastating impact of data loss. Whether it‘s from a drive failure, theft, ransomware, or an accidental delete, losing your irreplaceable photos, documents, and other files can be catastrophic. That‘s why having a reliable backup system is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself.

While Time Machine and an external hard drive are a good start, they don‘t offer complete protection. If disaster strikes your home or office, your backup drive could be lost along with your computer, leaving you with no way to recover. That‘s where cloud backup comes in.

By continuously uploading your files to secure servers in the cloud, you‘re guaranteed to have an offsite copy of your data that can withstand any local disaster. And by choosing the right provider, you can make cloud backup effortless – it will run silently in the background, keeping your files safely backed up without any work on your part.

Carbonite is one of the most well-known cloud backup services, but it‘s not necessarily the best, especially for Mac users. In this guide, I‘ll share my top recommendations for Carbonite alternatives that provide better value, faster speeds, and more advanced features. Whether you have a single Mac or multiple computers, I‘ll help you find the ideal cloud backup solution for your needs.

But first, let‘s look at some eye-opening statistics that highlight the importance of having a rock-solid backup strategy:

• 94% of companies suffering from catastrophic data loss do not survive (University of Texas)
• 70% of small businesses that experience major data loss go out of business within a year (DTI/PricewaterhouseCoopers)
• The average cost of downtime is $5,600 per minute (Gartner)
• 30% of people have never backed up their data (World Backup Day)
• 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute (Kensington)

Frightening, right? The good news is that backing up your data has never been more accessible or affordable. Let‘s look at how cloud backup works and the key features you should prioritize.

How Cloud Backup Works

Cloud backup, also known as online backup, is a type of data backup where a copy of your files is transmitted over the internet and securely stored on remote servers. Typically, you install a backup application on your computer, tell it what files/folders to back up, and set a backup schedule (though many will automatically back up new and changed files continuously).

The software then scans your drive(s), encrypts your data, and uploads it to the provider‘s servers. Most services keep multiple redundant copies in geographically separate data centers for added protection. And your data remains encrypted at all times, only accessible by you.

That‘s the high-level overview, but to choose the best service, you need to understand the key features and considerations:

• Supported operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.)
• Backup frequency (manual, scheduled, continuous)
• Versioning (how many previous versions of files are kept and for how long)
• Storage limits and pricing
• Security and encryption (client-side vs. server-side)
• File type exclusions and backup sets
• External drive and network drive support
• Restore process and options (web, desktop app, shipped hard drive)
• Deleted file retention
• Bandwidth throttling
• Cost and terms of extra storage

Throughout this guide, I‘ll touch on these features and weigh the relative strengths and weaknesses of each Carbonite alternative.

Best Cloud Backup for Mac (and Windows) Users

1. Backblaze

For Mac users looking for a simple, unlimited, and affordable cloud backup solution, Backblaze is my top pick. It‘s the closest alternative to Carbonite with a few notable advantages:

• Easier to set up and use (no file selection required – it backs up everything except system files by default)
• Faster upload speeds
• More frequent backup (continuous)
• Longer version history (30 days vs. Carbonite‘s 12)
• Cheaper ($60/year vs. $71.99/year)

Backblaze‘s Mac and Windows apps are identical, so you get the same great experience on both platforms. Additionally, you can enable backups for attached USB drives and restore files via web, desktop app, or have a hard drive shipped to you.

The only downside of Backblaze is you can‘t back up multiple computers to a single account – each computer requires a separate $60/year subscription. But for a single computer, it‘s the best deal in cloud backup.

2. IDrive

For those who need to back up multiple Macs, PCs, and mobile devices, IDrive is my go-to recommendation. Instead of a per-computer cost, IDrive charges based on total storage, and a single account can back up an unlimited number of devices. That gives you a lot more flexibility.

IDrive also offers several advantages over Carbonite:

• Faster backup and restore speeds
• Longer version history (30 versions vs. Carbonite‘s 12)
• More frequent backup (continuous)
• Supports unlimited devices (Carbonite charges per computer)
• Free local backup option in addition to cloud backup

The main limitation is IDrive does not offer unlimited storage – 5TB is the maximum. But that should be plenty for most users, even with multiple computers backed up. If you hit the limit, you can always add more space for an additional fee.

IDrive Personal costs $69.50/year for 5TB, which is only slightly more than Backblaze charges for a single computer. 10TB is available for $99.50/year. For multi-computer homes and small businesses, it‘s by far the best value in cloud backup.

3. Acronis True Image

Acronis True Image is unique in that it can create a full disk-image backup of your system in addition to file-level backups. If your Mac‘s drive fails completely, you can restore your entire system to a new drive and be up and running immediately. It‘s the closest you can get to a local Time Machine backup in the cloud.

Acronis also supports both Mac and Windows, backs up mobile devices, and includes 250GB of cloud storage with every subscription (upgradeable to 500GB or more). However, the software is more complicated than Carbonite, and the cloud storage pricing is a bit steep:

• 250GB – $49.99/year
• 500GB – $69.99/year
• 1TB – $99.99/year

If you need full image backup or want your cloud storage included with your local backup software, Acronis may be worth the premium. But for basic cloud file backup, Backblaze and IDrive offer better value.

Niche Cloud Backup Solutions

While the above services are my core recommendations, there are a few other Carbonite alternatives worth mentioning for specific use cases:

SpiderOak One

If security is your top priority, SpiderOak One offers a unique "zero-knowledge" privacy policy where your encryption keys are only stored on your devices. Not even SpiderOak‘s employees can access your data. Just don‘t lose your password, or your data will be unrecoverable!

SpiderOak supports Windows, Mac, and Linux and offers 150GB for $6/month or $69/year, 400GB for $11/month or $115/year, or 2TB for $14/month or $149/year.

Livedrive

UK-based Livedrive is one of the few remaining services, along with Carbonite and Backblaze, to offer unlimited storage for a single computer. However, it‘s more expensive at £6/month or £60/year (about $78/year) and doesn‘t support continuous backup, versioning, or external drive backup like Backblaze.

OpenDrive

OpenDrive takes a different approach by offering unlimited backup for a single user (rather than a single computer) for $99/year. So you could back up your iMac, MacBook, iPhone, and iPad to a single account, for example. But its backup software is clunky, and I wouldn‘t recommend it for mission-critical data. Stick with IDrive if you need to back up multiple personal devices.

Choosing the Right Carbonite Alternative for Your Needs

As you can see, there‘s no shortage of cloud backup options to choose from. But in testing dozens of providers over the years, I keep coming back to a few key recommendations:

• Backblaze for simple, unlimited, and cheap ($60/year) backup of a single Mac or PC
• IDrive for multi-computer households that need to back up several Macs, PCs, and mobile devices to a single account (5TB for $69.50/year)
• Acronis True Image for full disk-image backups

For most users, I suggest a 3-2-1 backup strategy. That means having three total copies of your data (your live data plus two backups), with two copies on different media (e.g., an external hard drive and the cloud) and one copy offsite (in the cloud). A combination of Time Machine plus one of the recommended cloud backup services above will give you a comprehensive data protection setup.

If I had to pick just one though, I‘d go with Backblaze. For only $5/month, it‘s a small price to pay for complete peace of mind. You really can‘t put a price on your photo, video, and music libraries.

The most important thing is that you get some sort of automated cloud backup system in place ASAP. Even if you have a local backup, an offsite copy is critical to protect against theft, fire, floods, and other local disasters. Don‘t put it off until it‘s too late – get your data backed up to the cloud today. You‘ll be glad you did.