7 Best CrashPlan Alternatives for Your Home Backup Needs
If you relied on CrashPlan to back up your home computer, you were likely dismayed when Code42, CrashPlan‘s parent company, announced they were discontinuing their consumer "CrashPlan for Home" service in 2017. The cloud backup service was popular among home users for its unlimited storage, ease of use, and ability for friends and family to back up to each other‘s computers for free.
The sudden phaseout of the service left many home users scrambling to find an alternative backup solution before their CrashPlan subscription expired. While Code42 encouraged users to transition to their small business plan, the cost of $10 per device per month is significantly higher than what most home users were paying.
So what‘s a cost-conscious home user to do? Fortunately, there are a number of great CrashPlan alternatives on the market that provide reliable cloud backup at an affordable price point for personal use. In this guide, we‘ll break down your top options and help you find the best CrashPlan replacement for your needs.
Why CrashPlan Exited the Consumer Market
CrashPlan launched its consumer service in 2007 and it quickly gained popularity, growing to over 1 million personal subscribers within a decade. So it came as a surprise to many when Code42 announced in August 2017 that they were sunsetting CrashPlan for Home to focus exclusively on business customers.
According to Code42‘s CEO Joe Payne, the company felt it could no longer adequately serve both consumers and businesses as the online backup needs and use cases of the two markets diverged over time. Supporting home users required different pricing structures, features, and support than business clients.
Focusing solely on business customers would allow Code42 to better align its resources and invest in innovation for their core market. While a tough decision, the company believed it was necessary for the long-term success of the business.
For CrashPlan for Home subscribers, the transition was gradual. Code42 stopped selling new home subscriptions and renewals in August 2017. Existing consumer accounts continued until their subscription end date, with a free 60-day extension past that to allow time to transition to a new service.
While users could migrate to CrashPlan‘s small business plan, there were some notable differences compared to the home service:
- Higher price of $10 per device per month ($120/year)
- No more free computer-to-computer backups to friends and family
- Stricter retention policies (deleted files removed after 90 days)
For many home users, these changes, along with the higher price tag, made CrashPlan‘s business offering a less than ideal substitute for their discontinued consumer plan. Fortunately, there are now many online backup services catering to personal users that provide a feature-set more in line with CrashPlan for Home at a competitive price.
Let‘s take a closer look at your best options:
Top CrashPlan Alternatives for Home Backup
1. Backblaze
Backblaze provides unlimited cloud backup for personal computers at just $6/month or $60/year per device. The service is dead simple to use – just install the app, select what you want to back up, and Backblaze handles the rest, automatically backing up your files on a continuous basis.
Backblaze keeps file versions for 30 days and you can restore files via web download, shipped USB drive, or mailed USB flash drive for an additional fee. There are no file size limits and backups include external hard drives. The service also provides the option to locate a lost or stolen computer.
Pros:
- Cheap unlimited storage
- Easiest to use
- Continuous backup
- No file type or size restrictions
Cons:
- Backs up only one computer per license
- Can‘t back up to local drives/NAS
- Limited to 30 days of file version history
Backblaze is best for users who want a simple, affordable "set it and forget it" cloud backup solution for a single computer. It‘s the most cost-effective option for unlimited storage.
2. iDrive
iDrive is an online backup service that offers 5TB of storage for just $52.12 for the first year ($69.50/year after that) to back up an unlimited number of computers and mobile devices. Instead of unlimited storage for one device, you get a large storage bucket that you can use to back up all your devices.
The iDrive app lets you select specific files and folders to back up, as well as set a backup schedule. Continuous backup is supported on the desktop app. You can restore files from the web, desktop app, or mobile app. iDrive also keeps up to 30 previous versions of all files.
Pros:
- Back up multiple computers and devices into one account
- Snapshots and versioning
- Archiving of deleted files
- Good for larger storage needs
Cons:
- No unlimited storage
- Slower backup speeds
iDrive is a great choice for users who have multiple computers or devices to back up and don‘t need unlimited storage. It‘s also a good option if you want more control over your backups and restores.
3. Carbonite
Carbonite Safe offers unlimited cloud backup for a single computer at $6/month or $71.99/year. For $9/month or $111.99/year, you can add backup for one external hard drive and access to your backed up files from a mobile app. Carbonite also offers a pricier plan with automatic video backup.
Carbonite automatically selects your user folders (desktop, documents, pictures, etc.) for backup and runs continuously in the background uploading changes. You can add folders to be backed up in the app. There are no file type or size limits and restores are handled via the desktop app or web browser.
Pros:
- Simple unlimited backup
- Supports external hard drive backup
- Automatic video backup (with Prime plan)
Cons:
- Limited to one computer per subscription
- Have to manually add folders outside of user directory
- No mobile app access with base plan
Carbonite is a solid choice for users looking for basic unlimited backup for a single computer. The lack of mobile app access with the base plan is a notable omission compared to competitors.
4. SpiderOak One Backup
SpiderOak One offers a 150GB plan for $6/month or $69/year, or a 400GB plan for $11/month or $115/year. A 2TB plan is also available. All plans let you back up an unlimited number of computers and mobile devices.
SpiderOak emphasizes security. Your data is encrypted end-to-end and only you have the keys to decrypt it. Not even SpiderOak‘s employees can access your backed up files.
The SpiderOak desktop app lets you select folders to back up and runs backups continuously. You can access your files from Windows, Mac, or Linux computers or iOS and Android mobile devices. File versions are kept for an unlimited time.
Pros:
- Backs up unlimited computers and devices
- Strong security and privacy
- Cross-platform support
- Keeps unlimited historic versions of files
Cons:
- No unlimited storage option
- More expensive than some competitors
- Slower backup and restore speeds
SpiderOak One is a good choice for security-conscious users who want to back up multiple devices and are willing to pay a bit more for better privacy and more features. It‘s also a good option for Linux users.
Other CrashPlan Alternatives To Consider
Here are a few other online backup services worth mentioning as potential replacements for CrashPlan:
Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image is a full-featured backup solution that can handle both your cloud and local backup needs. Plans range from 250GB to 5TB of storage and cover unlimited computers and mobile devices.
SOS Online Backup
SOS offers unlimited cloud backup for up to 5 computers for $44.99/month or $400/year. While more expensive, it provides additional features like Facebook backup and an unlimited number of versioned files.
Zoolz Home Cloud Backup
Zoolz offers "Cold Storage" plans with 100GB to 1TB of storage to back up unlimited computers and devices for as low as $19.99/year. Cold Storage archives less frequently accessed data at a cheaper price but with a 3-5 hour retrieval delay.
How to Choose the Right CrashPlan Alternative
With so many online backup services to choose from, how do you pick the best one to replace CrashPlan? Here are a few key factors to consider:
Supported Devices – If you only need to back up one computer, you can opt for a more basic unlimited plan. But if you have multiple computers and phones you want backed up, go with a service that allows for multiple devices under one account.
Storage – How much cloud storage will you need? Unlimited plans make sense if you have a large amount of data to back up from a single computer. If you need less storage or want to back up multiple devices, a large storage bucket that you can divvy up may be a better fit.
Features – Consider what additional features are important to you. Do you need access to your backed up files from your phone? Do you want your external hard drives backed up? How about extensive versioning of changed files?
Ease of Use – CrashPlan was popular because it made backing up simple. If you want something similar, go with a service that automates the process and provides a clean, intuitive interface. If you‘re more technically inclined, you may prefer a service with more advanced options and control.
Security – Most cloud backup services encrypt your data both in transit and at rest. But if you‘re particularly security conscious, you may want to use a zero-knowledge provider that offers end-to-end encryption, meaning your files can only be decrypted with a key that only you possess.
Cost – The price for online backup can vary quite a bit from under $4/month to over $15/month. More expensive doesn‘t always mean better – it depends on your specific needs. Be sure to compare plans based on the storage and features you‘ll actually use.
By assessing your cloud backup needs against these criteria, you should be able to find the service that best fills the void left by CrashPlan. Focus on the factors that are most important for your use case.
Making the Switch from CrashPlan
Once you‘ve chosen a new cloud backup service, you‘ll need to make the transition from CrashPlan. Here‘s a general process to follow:
- Export any data you want to keep long-term from your CrashPlan account before your subscription ends. You can move the data to an external hard drive or a local backup.
- Sign up for your new backup provider and install the application on your computer.
- If you had a lot of data backed up to CrashPlan, you may want to seed your backup by sending a hard drive to your new provider. Some services like Backblaze offer this option.
- Configure the backup settings in your new backup app, selecting the folders and files you want backed up.
- Let the initial backup complete, which may take several days depending on the amount of data you have. Most services will prioritize new and changed files after the initial upload.
- Once the backup is current, you can remove the CrashPlan application from your computer. Make sure to check that your new backups are running smoothly and regularly check in on the status.
Switching to a new backup system can seem daunting, but it doesn‘t have to be a headache. Take your time to weigh your options, and don‘t hesitate to take advantage of free trials to test out an application before committing.
The Best CrashPlan Alternative?
For most home users, Backblaze is going to be the easiest and most affordable option for unlimited backup. At $6/month per computer, it‘s the closest in price and functionality to the old CrashPlan for Home while still providing a best-in-class backup service.
Users who need to back up multiple computers and devices are better off with iDrive‘s 5TB plan, which is an excellent value and provides a bit more flexibility than Backblaze.
If having more control over your backups, strong cross-platform support, and robust security are important to you, SpiderOak One is the way to go, even if it is pricier than other options.
Whichever replacement for CrashPlan you choose, the most important thing is that your irreplaceable photos, documents, and other data are being continuously and securely backed up to the cloud. With so many great, affordable options for home users, there‘s no reason not to have an offsite backup to protect your files from disaster.