Cloud backup services work much like traditional backup software. With a cloud backup service, however, your important data is transmitted over the internet and securely stored on a server in a professional data center.

Ideally, you should have both a local backup program in place and an off-site cloud-based backup service. The combination of Time Machine and iCloud Drive is a great example of using both. You can also go with a company that provides both local and cloud-based backup options in one plan. An online backup service is one of the best ways to protect yourself against the loss of precious data, whether it's the result of a crashed hard drive or an unintentional deletion. Reviews of the best online backup services, updated November 2018. This is the cloud backup service I pay for and use on my computers. Mac, Linux, iPhone. Backblaze is considered as the best online backup service for its amazing features like unlimited storage, excellent performance, reasonable price etc, It is simple to use and there is no need of worrying about how much data is syncing because it gives you unlimited space.

The advantage of having your important data backed up off-site, away from your home or office, is that it's safe from theft, fire, and other local disasters.

Below are reviews of most cloud backup services. Quickly compare features among our five favorites in this Online Backup Comparison Chart and get answers to your cloud backup questions in our Online Backup FAQ.

We also keep updated lists of the best Free Online Backup Plans, Unlimited Online Backup Plans, and Business Online Backup Services, if you're interested.

Cloud backup services, often called online backup services, regularly change pricing and plan details, so let me know if anything needs to be updated.

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Backblaze Review

What We Like

Unlimited storage
No file size limits
Relatively inexpensive
Can back up automatically
Supports previewing images before restoring them
Offline restore is an option
Includes mobile apps

What We Don't Like

Restoration is different for large files vs small ones
Keeps old versions of files for 30 days only

Backblaze is my favorite cloud backup service, mostly because everything about it is so simple, especially its pricing and software.

I also like that there are no file size limits, meaning you can finally back up your 100 GB virtual machine files and 3-hour 4K videos!

Backblaze is $6 /month /computer and allows an unlimited amount of storage. The cost can get down to a monthly $4.58 with a two-year plan purchase. This makes Backblaze one of the least expensive unlimited backup plans that I've reviewed.

If you're concerned about backing up online being complicated or confusing, you're going to love Backblaze. For what it's worth, this is the cloud backup service I pay for and use on my computers.

See A Tour of the Backblaze Service for more on how the program works.

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Carbonite Review

What We Like

Lets you back up an unlimited amount of data
There are three plans to choose from
You can pay for three years at once for a cheaper per-month cost
Files/folders can be added to the backup via Explorer
Keeps everything backed up continuously
Every plan is free for 15 days
There are mobile apps

What We Don't Like

No free online backup option
Doesn't back up large files by default (you have to select them manually)
File versioning is limited to 30 days
Only one plan supports offline restoration
You can't control the specific amount of bandwidth the program is allowed to use

Any exceptional backup service should be easy to use, automatic, reliable, and easy to restore from. Carbonite is all of these.

Many people rave about Carbonite's cloud backup plans — they've been popular options for a very long time. My experience has been similarly positive.

All of Carbonite's Safe backup plans allow for an unlimited amount of data backup from one internal hard drive, are per-computer, and require at least a 1-year prepayment.

Carbonite's lowest tier plan, Safe Basic, runs $6.00 /month ($71.99 /year). There are two higher tiers available as well, called Safe Plus and Safe Prime, and run $9.34 /month ($111.99 /year) and $12.50 /month ($149.99 /year), respectively. Each tier is a bit cheaper if two or three years is paid upfront. Plus, they each have a few extras over the base service like external hard drive and mirror image support.

Carbonite has mobile apps available for iPhone and Android systems and is one of the few cloud backup services with a BlackBerry app.

Premium appliance brands and expert service available inside select Best Buy stores. Camera Experience Shop Shop a wider selection, talk to a camera expert and try. Oct 05, 2018 The Best External Hard Drives of 2018. BEST FOR GENERAL BACKUP Western Digital My Book. The Best External Hard Drives for Mac. Best Buy Outlet. Clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned. Cardmember Exclusive. Limited time: 18 month financing on storewide purchases $479 and up. Wireless backup drive for mac. The 9 Best External Hard Drives to Buy in 2018. Search the site GO. Guides & Tutorials. With up to 510MB/s with the SSD version (and up to 130MB/s with the HDD version). Use it for Time Machine on your Mac, back up your photos, music, and video media, or take it along with you on a photo shoot to make sure your data is. If you are looking for MAC external hard drive that is portable and very light in weight, Backup Plus Slim is among the best. It comes in 9.6 mm thickness and weighs about 150 gm. It comes in 9.6 mm thickness and weighs about 150 gm.

Carbonite also has business-class cloud backup plans. In fact, it tops our Business Online Backup services list.

For more information on how the program works to back up your files, see our complete tour of the Carbonite service.

Carbonite purchased Mozy, another online backup service, in 2018.

Carbonite used to throttle bandwidth after backing up a certain amount of data but is no longer doing so for new customers.

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CrashPlan for Small Business Review

What We Like

Gives you unlimited storage space for files
Pricing is really easy to understand
You get unlimited file versioning
Zero file size limits
Really specific backup scheduling options
Can back up files from mapped drives
Works from mobile devices

What We Don't Like

You can't restore really large files via the web app
There isn't an offline backup or restore option
Doesn't support file sharing

CrashPlan has always been a favorite backup service. The plan pricing is simple to understand and the service itself is secure, quick, and not difficult to use.

There's one plan option with CrashPlan: $10 /month /computer with unlimited space to back up your files. So, if you want to back up from three computers, for example, the price is $30 /month; ten computers backed up to CrashPlan is $100 /month, etc.

CrashPlan used to have a plan called CrashPlan Home, targeted at home users. However, even the CrashPlan for Small Business plan can be used at home; the pricing and features work the same.

Our tour of the CrashPlan service includes screenshots of the program.

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SOS Online Backup Review

What We Like

Lots of options depending on how much storage space you need
Every plan has unlimited file versioning
Plans can be purchased yearly for a discount
There's a 15-day trial for every plan (no credit card required)
No limit on file sizes

Best Cloud Backup Service For Mac