IDrive Review: Comprehensive and Affordable Cloud Backup for All Your Devices

Losing precious data to a hard drive crash, accidental deletion, theft, or disaster is a painful experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. That's why having a reliable offsite backup of your important files is critical. IDrive is one of the most popular cloud backup services, offering an enticing combination of features and affordable pricing for backing up multiple computers and mobile devices. I put the service through its paces to see if it lives up to the hype.

Here is my in-depth IDrive review, evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, and overall value to help you determine if it's the right backup solution for your needs.

What Is IDrive?

IDrive is a secure cloud backup service that allows you to automatically back up all your important files, folders, and system data from multiple computers and mobile devices to the cloud. It offers versioning, continuous backup, folder syncing, and easy restoration options.

Some of IDrive's key features include:

• Backup multiple computers and devices into a single account
• Continuous backup option to protect files in near-real-time
• Archive cleanup to remove files deleted from your computer from backup
• Sync files and folders across all linked devices
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android with automatic photo backup
• Snapshot backup to protect your files from ransomware
• Facial recognition to organize photos of people
• External drive and NAS device backup
• IDrive Express option to physically ship large backups

IDrive Pricing

Unlike some competitors such as Backblaze that only allow backing up one computer per account, IDrive lets you back up as many computers and mobile devices as you want, with the only limit being your total storage capacity. IDrive offers a range of plans for personal and business users:

Personal Plans:

• Free – 10 GB free
• Personal 5 TB – $59.62 first year ($79.50/year after)
• Personal 10 TB – $74.62 first year ($99.50/year after)

Business Plans:

• Team 5 TB – $74.62 first year ($99.50/year after) – 5 computers, 5 users
• Team 10 TB – $149.62 first year ($199.50/year after) – 10 computers, 10 users
• Team 25 TB – $374.62 first year ($499.50/year after) – 25 computers, 25 users
• Team 50 TB – $749.62 first year ($999.50/year after) – 50 computers, 50 users
• Custom business plans also available

All paid plans are backed by a 15-day money-back guarantee. While the 5 TB plan should be sufficient for most users, be aware that IDrive charges a hefty $0.25/GB for overages. Make sure to carefully select what you back up to avoid unexpected charges.

Getting Started

Signing up for IDrive and installing the software is a straightforward process. After creating an account, you download the app for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux). On first launch, you enter your username and password to link the device to your account.

IDrive's setup wizard walks you through selecting the files and folders you want to back up. It provides a default selection based on commonly-backed-up locations like your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders. However, pay attention here, because it sometimes selects more data than your plan allows. Deselect anything you don't need and add any additional folders to fine-tune your backup set.

By default, IDrive is set to continuously back up changes to your selected files, providing maximum protection. However, this can slow down your computer. You can adjust it to only back up at set intervals, like once a day, in the Scheduler settings. I recommend using continuous backup for files you edit frequently and scheduling backups for folders that don't change often.

Backup & Restore Features

What's most important with any backup service is that it reliably backs up your data and makes it easy to restore files when needed. IDrive succeeds on both counts with its robust set of backup features.

Some key capabilities include:

• Versioning – Retains the last 30 versions of all files forever, giving you flexibility to restore from different points.
• Archiving – Deleted and overwritten files remain in your IDrive archives until you manually delete them or enable automatic archive cleanup.
• Backup Scheduling – Automate backups to run daily, weekly, or monthly. Missed backups automatically run at next opportunity.
• Continuous Backup – Automatically detect and back up changed files in almost real-time.
• Bandwidth Throttling – Adjust the upload speed of your backups to avoid hogging all your bandwidth.
• IDrive Express – Have a physical storage device shipped to you for large initial or restores to save time and bandwidth.

With IDrive's versioning system, you can easily restore any file from up to 30 previous versions. Unlik Backblaze which only keeps versions for 30 days, IDrive retains them indefinitely.

For more catastrophic issues, IDrive makes it easy to restore all your data. You have the option to restore from a specific point in time, which is useful if you were hit by ransomware on a certain date and need to restore from a snapshot before the infection occurred.

The IDrive Express service, which physically ships a hard drive to you for large initial backups or restores, can be a lifesaver if you have a very large amount of data and a slow internet connection. It does cost $59.95 per use after the first time, which is free. But if it saves you from weeks or months of uploading/downloading, it may be worth it.

Mobile Backup & App

IDrive's mobile backup capabilities are among the best of any cloud backup provider. Its Android and iOS apps allow you to automatically back up your photos, videos, calendar, and contacts. The mobile app also supports backing up call logs, SMS messages, and your phone's address book.

You can configure the app to only perform backups when connected to WiFi to avoid using up your mobile data. It also offers an auto-upload option for photos and videos captured on your phone, similar to Google Photos or iCloud. The app provides a photo timeline view and facial recognition features to help you organize your memories.

Beyond backup, the IDrive mobile app allows you to access any of the synced files from your computers. You can also share files backed up from your phone with others via a secure web link. The app experience is well-designed and the feature set makes IDrive a compelling option to back up your mobile devices in addition to computers.

Folder Syncing

IDrive includes folder syncing capabilities, allowing you to keep a set of files mirrored across multiple devices and easily share them with others. While not as full-featured as dedicated sync solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive, it's a nice value-add.

You can choose any folder on your computer to sync and have it available on your other devices. Synced folders don't count against your backup storage quota. You can share synced folders with other IDrive users or generate a public link to share with anyone. Permissions are limited to view/edit, with no granular options.

One limitation is that the syncing is one-way only, in that your computer can download the latest version of any file, but if you make an edit, it won't sync that change back to IDrive. But overall, the folder syncing is a useful extra for easily accessing files across devices.

Security & Encryption

IDrive takes the security of your data seriously, using strong encryption and additional safeguards to protect your files:

• Secure Transfer – All data is secured with 256-bit AES encryption during transfer to IDrive's data centers.
• At-Rest Encryption – Your data remains encrypted while stored on IDrive's servers.
• Private Key Encryption – You can choose to set a private encryption key, known only to you, for added security. Note that this is not a true private key, but rather an extra passphrase used to secure your encryption key.
• Data Center Security – IDrive's data centers are protected by 24/7 surveillance, biometric access, and redundant power.
• Two-Factor Authentication – You can enable 2FA on your IDrive account for an extra layer of login protection.

For most users, IDrive's default encryption settings should provide adequate security. But if you're backing up sensitive information, you may want to add private key encryption. Just be sure to never lose that passphrase, or even IDrive won't be able to decrypt your data.

As an added safeguard against ransomware, IDrive includes a “Snapshot” feature that maintains a separate backup of your files that cannot be deleted or overwritten from the local computer. So even if your main backup gets corrupted, you can still restore from the snapshot.

Support & Reliability

IDrive provides several support channels, including 24/7 live chat, phone support, email, and an online knowledge base. In my experience, their support reps are knowledgeable and responsive, especially over live chat.

The IDrive website offers an extensive knowledge base of articles and tutorials covering most common issues. There's also an active user community forum where you can ask questions and get advice from other IDrive users.

In terms of reliability, IDrive has a solid track record. They use multiple data centers with redundant storage to safeguard against data loss. I never encountered any issues with scheduled backups not running or files being inaccessible.

The main source of negative feedback about IDrive comes from users getting hit with overage charges for exceeding their storage plan. Make sure you understand IDrive's storage limits and monitor your usage to avoid unexpected charges. The IDrive app provides clear indicators of how much data you're backing up.

IDrive Compared to Alternatives

How does IDrive stack up against other popular cloud backup services? Here's a quick comparison to the main alternatives:

IDrive vs Backblaze
IDrive is more flexible and feature-rich than Backblaze. It can back up multiple computers and devices, offers mobile backups, and includes folder syncing. Backblaze provides unlimited storage, but only for one computer. IDrive is less expensive if you have multiple computers, but Backblaze is cheaper for a single computer with a lot of data.

IDrive vs Carbonite
Like Backblaze, Carbonite's personal plans only support one computer per account, while IDrive handles multiple devices. Carbonite offers unlimited storage, while IDrive has storage tiers. IDrive has more advanced features, like continuous backup, folder syncing, and more customization options.

IDrive vs Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image is a full-featured local backup program with cloud storage capabilities. It offers more advanced backup options, like full disk images, while IDrive focuses mainly on file-and-folder backup. True Image is more expensive than IDrive and may be overkill for typical home user needs.

Final Verdict

After thoroughly testing IDrive and evaluating its features, performance, and overall value, I can confidently recommend it as an excellent cloud backup solution. It offers an impressive range of capabilities at a very affordable price. The ability to back up multiple computers and devices into one account is a standout feature compared to many competitors.

The main downside to watch out for is the potential for high overage fees if you exceed your storage plan. But with some care about what you select to back up, IDrive's 5 TB and 10 TB plans should be more than enough for most users' needs.

IDrive really shines in the depth of its features. From continuous backup to 30 file versions retained forever to folder syncing and even facial recognition in its mobile app, it goes far beyond basic cloud backup functionality. Yet it manages to stay user-friendly and not overwhelm you with complexity.

While IDrive may not be quite as simple or elegant as more basic solutions like Backblaze, the wealth of features and flexibility it offers make it an excellent value overall. If you have multiple computers and devices to back up and want greater control over your backup configuration, IDrive is hard to beat.

For its combination of features, performance, security, and pricing, IDrive earns a strong recommendation. It's a robust, reliable, and wallet-friendly cloud backup service for keeping all your valuable data safe.