Online databackup solution combined comparisons There are plenty of comparison articles about online backup solution. We have tried to gather the best ones for you in order to facilitate your online databackup solution decision process. NextAdvisor.com Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line: Excellent and comprehensive online backup with easy remote file access, exclusive discount Great low-cost online backup with exclusive discount; can back up external drives Unique combination of unlimited backup, file syncing across computers, cloud storage and external drive backup Best combination of online backup, cloud storage and multi-device sync; free 30-day trial Packed with new features, includes 5 computers and local backup; nice interface, savvy mobile apps, and social media backup. Most secure, customizable, streamlined file backup for advanced users
Solid backup with a lot of configurability; no mobile app access or file sharing Solid online backup with file sharing and the ability to back up to 5 computers, though the interface is not the best Fast and transparent browser-based backup with file sharing; infrequent backup schedule Geared towards businesses; Exchange and SQL backups; compliance for financial, medical companies Well-priced solution for file sharing and collaborative work; not true automated backup solution Easy to use, but can't match the safety of off-site backup Labnol.org This week I have been testing the various online backup services, both paid and free, and here s a summary of how these service compare against each other. Online Backup Services with Free Storage If you only have a limited amount of data (< 2 GB) on your computer that you want to store in the cloud, any of the following backup services should solve your problem without you having to shell out a penny.
All the above online backup services (except for SkyDrive) work in a similar way you download a small client to your desktop, mark the local folders that you want to backup online and the tool will automatically monitor and upload files from these folders to the cloud. Once your files are backed up, you can also access them online except in Mozy. Of all these services, my favorites are SugarSync and ZumoDrive. They offer almost an identical set of features and are extremely easy to configure. SugarSync is available for Mac and Windows while ZumoDrive also offers a Linux client. While Dropbox is also an awesome service for file synchronization and online backup, it has one major limitation it will only backup files and folders that are placed inside the Dropbox folder. Hopefully this will change in future versions. Subscription Based Online Backup Services When 2 GB is insufficient to store the massive number of photographs, emails, documents and other important files that are piled up on your hard drive, you can go for a subscription based service. Here are some good options along with their pros and cons. 1. Backblaze (tour) The true set it and forget it backup service Extremely easy to setup. The service will automatically backup your entire computer excluding folders that contain the OS and your applications. If you create a new folder on your computer, you don t have to remember to add it to the backup queue. The option to restore files from the backup could have been a bit simpler. 2. Carbonite (tour) Makes data recovery really simple Colored dots on your files and folders indicate the status of your backup at a glance. No dot means the file is not selected for backup. You can remote access your backups from anywhere using the browser and there are apps for iphone and BlackBerry. The restore function in Carbonite is done pretty nicely and you can recover files using Windows Explorer itself. Carbonite s web interface is clean but their desktop client looks old and a bit untidy.
3. Mozy (tour) - The original cloud backup service Mozy will automatically group your files and folders into sets like documents, emails, photos, music, etc. so it becomes easy for you to select stuff that you want to backup online. In addition to online backup, the more recent version of Mozy can also back up your data to an external disk. Mozy offers quite a few easy ways to restore files from the backup. 4. idrive (tour) For quick and easy backups When you start idrive, it offers a folder tree of your computer just select the folders that you want to backup online and you re done. You can also add files and folders to the backup queue with a simple right click inside Windows Explorer. You can restore data through the idrive desktop client. Individual files and folders can also be recovered from idrive s website. Their Family plan can help you backup multiple computers to a single IDrive account. 5. CrashPlan (tour) One backup service for all platforms With CrashPlan, you can easily backup your files to multiple locations including the cloud, to another folder on the same hard-disk, to other computer on your home network or to any other Internet connected computer (social backup). The desktop client is intuitive and won t confuse you with a plethora of options. CrashPlan is among the very few online backup services that s available on all platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux. 6. Jungle Disk (tour) Metered online storage Jungle Disk uses Amazon S3 for data storage. You can use a single license to backup multiple computers. Jungle Disk supports Windows, Mac and Linux. 7. SugarSync (tour) Access your backups from any mobile device SugarSync works in near real-time and will immediately back up any file changes that are made in one of the monitored folders. You can easily access your backups over the web or from any of your mobile devices through apps. SugarSync is not integrated with Windows Explorer and therefore it is a bit cumbersome to add new folders for backup. 8. ZumoDrive (tour) Simple and elegant ZumoDrive is extremely easy to configure just right click any folder on your computer and add it to the ZumoDrive cloud. Restoring files from ZumoDrive may involve some effort. It offers ZIP archives of your folders that you ll have to manually extract to the right locations. Online Backup Services Compared
The following chart compares the cost, available storage and other essential features of all the previously mentioned online backup services. Which Online Backup Service Should You Use? If you are looking for an extremely simple way to backup your entire Mac or Windows PC without having to select individual files and folders, go with BackBlaze. It offers unlimited storage and requires no configuration but restoring data from BackBlaze is not very convenient. SugarSync is another brilliant option for creating online backups as it works across multiple computers (and platforms) and you can access your data on a variety of devices. However, if you have loads of data to backup, SugarSync can get a bit pricey. The backup service that has impressed me the most is CrashPlan it s available for Mac, Windows and Linux. What s unique about CrashPlan is that it also can create local backups on other computers that are either owned by you or your friends. Thus data restoration will become extremely fast in the event of a hard disk failure because you won t have to download backups from the Internet. The downside with CrashPlan is that it doesn t offer web access to your backups. If you see this as a limitation, go with Carbonite. It integrates very nicely with Windows Explorer, you can backup any file or folder with a simple right-click and all your files can accessed over the web anytime, anywhere. Data restoration is also easy with Carbonite. You may also like: ZumoDrive Online Backup and Sync Service Online Backup Services Review and Comparison BackBlaze for Automatic Online Backup idrive (Internet Drive) for Online Backup
Mozy for Online Backup Gadgetadvisor.com After an extensive review of online backup services, we have concluded that Mozy Pro is the all- around winner for those serious about online backup protection. Criteria for this evaluation included data transfer speed, software features, service capabilities, etc. While Mozy also offers an unlimited home service plan, we do not suggest it for most due to the capped transfer speed and one problem that was experienced with the home-level service. Intronis esureit is the runner-up up in our testing. While their software is capable, and the service offers some very interesting features, such as Intelliblox and multiple PC backup support, higher pricing, slower transfer speeds, and the fact that revisions count against the disk space quota cause Mozy Pro to come out on top. We have also reported a few suggestions to Intronis regarding usability enhancements that should be made to the software. IDrive deserves mention. The IDrive software is excellent, lent, and the service works flawlessly for small backups. However, we encountered serious problems when backing up a large collection of files, such as icons or fonts. IDrive provides very attractive pricing. If the issue mentioned above were resolved, we could easily see IDrive moving into the top position. The only downside we have noticed with Mozy Pro is a delay which often occurs when transitioning between files for upload and download operations. The delay can sometimes be frustrating, but in tests, s, the overall speed of Mozy Pro still beats the competition. Onlinebackupdeals.comcom Here is a handy table for a quick comparison of the different online backup services that I have reviewed. This table compares the personal or home online backup plans that each company offers. For a more complete review and information on business backup options please read the full review pages listed to the right. Want to know our top rated online backup services? Take a look at our top online backup services page to see what services are the best on different categories. OUR TOP FIVE ONLINE BACKUP SERVICES COMPARED These are our top five online backup services compared. Backblaze CrashPlan Carbonite SpiderOak IDrive Free / Trial Free Trial Free Trial Free Trial Free 2GB Free 5GB Operating System Windows & Mac Windows, Mac & Linux Windows & Mac Windows, Mac Windows & & Linux Mac Size File Sharing Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Start at 100GB 150GB Locked Files
Mapped Drives Mobile Apps Restore Options Client, Web, DVD, USB HD Client, Web Client, Web Client, Web Client, Web Cost $5.00 / Month $50.00 / Year $95.00 / Two $5.00 / Month $49.99 / Year $89.99 / Two $119.99 / Three $139.99 / Four $59.00 / Year $109.00 / Two $139.00 / Three $10.00 / 100GB / month $4.95 / Month $49.50 / Year