The Best Backblaze Alternatives of 2020
Backblaze is a good service for those who are looking for a simple and streamlined backup process, but there are several drawbacks that might make you want to consider other options. For this reason, we’ve put together a list of the best Backblaze alternatives so that you can find the service that’s right for you.
Among these drawbacks is a lack of image-based and mobile backups, as well as flawed private encryption. Backblaze also provides you with very little information about your backup while it’s in progress, and you can’t exercise as much control over it as you can with other services. You’re also limited to a single device per license, and the speed is less than ideal.
The Best Backblaze Alternatives
- IDrive — Feature-rich backup with unlimited devices and private encryption
- Acronis True Image — Feature-packed and cheap unlimited backup
- Zoolz Home Cloud Backup — Fast and easy-to-use backup with great privacy
- SpiderOak ONE — Secure backup with extensive sync and sharing functionality
- Carbonite Backup — Easy-to-use backup with unlimited storage and private encryption
1. IDrive
Unlike Backblaze, IDrive gives you a great deal of control over your backup process, letting you choose exactly what files and folders you want to backup, as well as when and how you want the backup to proceed. In fact, IDrive tops our list of the best cloud backup services and, as such, is the first of our alternatives to Backblaze (read our full IDrive vs Backblaze comparison).
Although you don’t get unlimited storage, you can backup 5GB of data for free and the paid plans are reasonably priced. You can also backup as many devices as you like, and IDrive offers mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Unlike Backblaze, IDrive also offers true private encryption, which is important if you want to be completely sure that your files can’t be accessed by anyone else.
Image-based and hybrid backups are also included, as well as file syncing and sharing functionality, which are all things that Backblaze lacks. The latter two are actually features more common to cloud storage services (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) than they are for online backup providers, so if these are what you’re most interested in, check out our cloud storage services comparison chart. Take a look at our best IDrive alternatives list, too.
2. Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image is another backup service that provides a wealth of features, from a wide array of different backup types (image-based, hybrid, mobile, servers and NAS devices) to ransomware protection, system cleanup and drive cleansing. Acronis will also keep an unlimited number of versions of changed files and retain deleted files for as long as you want.
Security and privacy are top-notch, featuring private and strong encryption, as well as multiple data centers located all around the world. This means that you can avoid storing your data in countries with poor cloud privacy laws (such as the U.S.) if you so desire.
Acronis also offers excellent speeds, especially for uploads, which is where Backblaze is the slowest. Perhaps the best thing about Acronis, though, is that you get all this — as well as unlimited storage — for a one-time purchase, rather than a recurring subscription, which is incredibly rare in the cloud backup space.
3. Zoolz Home Cloud Backup
Zoolz provides a well-designed client that makes backing up your files easy to do, while also giving you a lot of control and information about the process. When you first set up the software, you’re given a thorough introduction to all of its features, which includes handy functionality like different backup modes that stop uploads from running while watching movies or playing games.
Upload and download speeds are excellent, and if your backup is too large to transfer in a timely manner, you can have Zoolz mail you a physical device. What sets this apart from most other courier services is that it can be used not only to recover your data but also for uploading it in the first place.
Security and privacy are excellent, as Zoolz allows for truly private encryption and sports a clear and concise data collection policy. The data centers themselves are provided by Amazon storage, which means that European, Australian and Japanese customers will have their data stored locally rather than in the U.S.
4. SpiderOak ONE
Owing to its powerful sync and sharing features, SpiderOak can really be considered both a piece of backup software and a cloud storage service.
Any files you include in your backup can also be placed inside your SpiderOak Hive folder, which is synced between all of your devices. Backed up data can also be placed inside of a “share room.” You’re given a download link for this “share room,” which you can, well, share with other people.
In terms of the actual backup functionality, SpiderOak offers strong security and privacy due to its private encryption, but there are no mobile or image-based backups. While the upload speed isn’t anything amazing, download speeds are lightning-fast due to your files being compressed server-side.
Out of the five alternatives to Backblaze listed in this article, SpiderOak is the best Backblaze alternative for Linux, which is especially notable because the latter is not compatible with the open-source operating system.
Unfortunately, SpiderOak is one of the more expensive services, with the cheapest plan costing the same as Backblaze but offering only 150GB of data storage.
5. Carbonite
Carbonite has a lot in common with Backblaze, offering unlimited backup storage, a simple and easy-to-use backup app and reasonable prices (though you can look at our Carbonite alternatives list if it’s not for you). Both are fairly bare bones when it comes to features, and they struggle with less-than-ideal speeds.
The biggest difference between the two is that Carbonite offers truly private encryption, so those who are looking for a more secure backup service than Backblaze but like everything else about the software will probably find Carbonite the most suitable alternative. Because it offers unlimited online backup, Carbonite is also a great CrashPlan alternative for private users.
Unfortunately, Carbonite won’t let you backup your external hard drive unless you opt for the Plus plan, which — at $9.34 per month — is quite a bit more expensive than Backblaze. There’s also no multithreading or proper throttling, and there’s no way to run a manual backup of your data, so you have to decide if privacy is more important to you than these drawbacks. Read our full Backblaze vs Carbonite comparison, and see how it compares to IDrive in our IDrive vs Carbonite piece.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, finding the backup service that suits you depends entirely on which factors you value the most. However, while all of these services come with their own pros and cons, you’ll undoubtedly be well-served by any of them.
What did you think of our alternatives to Backblaze? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.
Originally a software engineer, Aleksander decided to leave the office lifestyle behind to live as a digital nomad. He now spends his time writing about technology and tourism, which allows him the freedom to call many different places home. When he’s not writing, he likes to read fantasy/sci-fi, listen to podcasts about history and politics and travel.