Best Cloud Backup for Linux 2020

Finding the best online solution for you is tough, and it’s even tougher if you like open source software and work under the banner of the penguin. That’s because not many on our list of the best online backup services support Linux. Still, we found more than enough to help you choose the right service for you and backup your important data.

Working on Linux has its upsides. You don’t have to pay for it like you would with Windows or macOS, you can get in to the code and tinker with it and you won’t have to deal with the famous blue screen of death crashes of Windows.

It’s smart to use cloud backup because your hard drive might crash, someone could steal your laptop or some other accident might cause you to lose your data.

You can use our selection of the best data recovery software to try to recover your files, but that’s not a reliable method. You can’t depend on solid-state drives, either, because they experience more data errors, even though their failure rate is less than 1 percent.

It’s best to rely on the cloud in addition to local backup. That’s the 3-2-1 rule, anyway. With a cloud backup service, you can access your data remotely, set up automatic backups and do them in increments to speed up the process.

Best Linux Cloud Backup for 2020

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What Makes Online Backup the Best for Linux

Linux support is most important. We want a service that supports it with a desktop app that runs on an attractive, easy to use and intuitive interface. The web and mobile clients should have the same qualities.

Strong security will keep your files safe. Its strength depends on the encryption the service uses, when it uses it, how safe its data centers are and more. It’s best if the service is zero-knowledge, which makes it impossible for anyone other than you to read your files. Two-factor authentication will help, too, if someone steals your password.

More backup space for less money is better than emptying your wallet to backup your files. Besides value, services differ on how many subscription plans they offer. The more plans in the lineup, the better your chances of finding one that fits your needs. Unlimited backup space is best. If you’re looking for free backup, though, read our guide to the best free cloud backup.

A lot of cheap storage is good, but it won’t be usable if it takes forever to transfer files. All initial uploads take a long time, but they shouldn’t take longer than necessary. The speed of your connection is will depend on the infrastructure of the service, how close you are to its servers and your internet service provider. Block-level transfer will help with subsequent uploads.

A lot of cheap storage is good, but it won’t be usable if it takes forever to transfer files. All initial uploads take a long time, but they shouldn’t take longer than necessary. The speed of your connection is will depend on the infrastructure of the service, how close you are to its servers and your internet service provider. Block-level transfer will help with subsequent uploads.

Now that we’ve defined our criteria, let’s take a look at CloudBerry Backup with Wasabi, our top pick for Linux.

Cloudberry Backup Review

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1. Best Cloud Backup for Linux: CloudBerry Backup

CloudBerry Backup isn’t a standard online backup service. Rather, it’s a control center that helps you manage backup plans on other cloud storage services. In tech talk, it’s an infrastructure-as-a-service solution that doesn’t offer backup space.

Because of that, it needs a partner service to provide space for you to use for backup. For Linux, that’s Wasabi because it has excellent pricing and server infrastructure. The service is inexpensive and scalable, meaning you can set the size of storage you want and dictate how much you pay. You can find more information about it in our Wasabi review.

CloudBerry Backup supports many standard security methods for cloud solutions, but their availability depends on the partner service, too. With the right partner, CloudBerry Backup can use up to AES 256-bit on the client side.

Many services only support server-side encryption. If you have it on the client side, only you can control the encryption key and read your data. If you choose to use client-side encryption, be sure to memorize your password because CloudBerry Backup won’t be able to reset it.

During transfer, the service uses the TLS protocol to protect your files. It also offers versioning, which helps if you get hit by ransomware.

Wasabi supports at-rest encryption and gives you two-factor authentication. Though it doesn’t have native private encryption, it will work with CloudBerry Backup’s implementation.

Wasabi’s data centers are Tier 4, which is the highest rating the Uptime Institute gives, with a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. They have patrols, closed-circuit television surveillance and biometric scanners to keep intruders out. Read this for more information about them.

Other Reasons We Like CloudBerry Backup

Setting up CloudBerry Backup is not for the faint of heart. You have to add your account to the partner service you’re using manually and create the backup plan, which requires you to choose from many options. If you like to mess around with settings, you will love it, but mainstream users will want to steer clear.

If you’re one of those users, you should read our how to use CloudBerry Backup with Amazon S3 guide to get a sense of what you need to do to get it to run.

It’s not easy to recover files, either, but it does enable you to create an intricate backup plan that suits your needs.

The desktop client has a clear interface that’s similar to Microsoft Office’s, but it’s not the most attractive we’ve seen. Block-level backup is now available for Linux users and image-based backup is on the way.

Linux users who don’t use a graphical user interface can access the web interface from the desktop app. There’s also a web interface that you can get to via the CloudBerry website, but it only works with Amazon S3. You can learn more about CloudBerry Backup’s ease of use in our CloudBerry Backup review.

Most cloud backup providers charge you by the number of computers and gigabytes of space you use, but CloudBerry Backup only requires a one-time license. At $49.99, Desktop is the cheapest option. The most expensive one, Ultimate, costs $299.99. You can test the Desktop backup with a 15-day free trial before deciding to subscribe.

Once that’s done, you need to get a backup service that provides backup space. Wasabi charges 0.0049 cents per gigabyte of storage. That means 1TB only costs $5 per month. Unlike other IaaS services, Wasabi doesn’t charge for downloading, either.

CloudBerry Backup doesn’t affect your speed, but the third-party service might. Wasabi has data centers in Oregon and northern Virginia. Another will open in the Netherlands in January 2019.

We tested it from southeast Asia and got an average speed of 19 minutes for a 1GB folder. That’s a great result considering the files were encrypted using CloudBerry Backup’s client-side encryption before being sent. Plus, the speeds will get better the closer you are to Wasabi’s servers.

CloudBerry Backup has good security, fast speeds and a low price when partnered with Wasabi. That said, it’s not easy to use and requires a third-party service to run. Considering that Linux users aren’t average Joes, though, they will feel at home using it. All that makes the combo fit to be our top pick for Linux.

Cloudberry Backup Review

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2. CrashPlan for Small Business

CrashPlan launched in 2007, but withdrew from the consumer market in 2017. Still, it has a plan that’s cheap, offers good features and can be used by home consumers.

It’s easy to install the desktop client and the process only takes a couple of minutes. Using it is not hard, but creating your first backup isn’t a one-click operation. That’s because there’s no way to backup by file type. You’ll have to build your backup plan manually, even though it’s unlimited.

The client is intuitive and easy to navigate. Navigation tabs for backup, restore, settings, history and destination are lined up vertically along the left side.

If you need to supervise your backup, the web interface should do the trick. You can use it to check user statistics, create reports and monitor file restoration. There was an app for smartphones, too, but it was discontinued.

CrashPlan for Small Business uses AES 256-bit encryption to scramble your files before transfer and AES 128-bit to protect them in-transit. By default, the service retains your key, so it can reset your password if you lose it. The catch is that it also enables a rogue employee to look at your data. You can choose to retain your key to avoid that.

Either way, you should make sure to have a strong password because CrashPlan for Small Business doesn’t offer two-factor authentication.

The security at its data centers is strong, with 24/7 surveillance and other measures in place to prevent intrusion, and they can resist power failures, natural disasters and fires. The service is HIPAA compliant, too.

Other Reasons We Like CrashPlan for Small Business

For $10 a month, you get unlimited backup for one computer. That’s not the best value, but it’s not the worst, either. Because it’s a monthly subscription, you can cancel at any time, which is unusual for a cloud backup service. Before buying it, you can use the 30-day free trial to see if the service works for you.

It’s hard to like CrashPlan for Small Business’ speed because it’s not fast. You could disable some of its processes while backing up your files, but we don’t recommend doing so. If your system resources are low, you can enable throttling and set the client to remove the limit once you’re away. Block-level copying will speed up subsequent backups.

CrashPlan for Small Business doesn’t backup by file type, lacks two-factor authentication and could be faster. That said, it has a monthly plan that is a decent value, unlimited backup, strong security and good ease of use. It’s a good service overall, which is why it’s second on our list. Learn more about it in our in-depth CrashPlan review.

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3. SpiderOak ONE

SpiderOak ONE isn’t your typical cloud backup service because, like our best cloud storage services, it provides sync space that you can use to sync files across your devices.

Its desktop client doesn’t have an attractive interface. It feels dated, but, thanks to its utilitarian nature, it’s clear and straightforward to use. The five tabs at the top of the client let you navigate through it. They are “dashboard,” “backup,” “manage,” “sync” and “share.”

SpiderOak ONE’s web interface mirrors, in part, the features of the desktop client. There’s no home tab to show you your account activity, though, and you can’t alter your backup plan. That said, you can access your sync space, as well as manage and share tabs. There’s also an account tab to get to and alter your personal and billing information.

The smartphone app is easy to use, but it’s limited in functionality. The menu on the left lets you access and download files that have been backed up from your devices. You can also go to your Hive sync space and “ShareRooms.” It’s available for Android and iOS.

SpiderOak ONE is built around privacy and uses private encryption by default. That helps protect your privacy, but the service won’t be able to reset your password because of it. SpiderOak ONE uses AES 256-bit to encrypt files before they leave your computer and TLS/SSL to protect them in-transit.

It doesn’t keep a central database of your file metadata, but it does create a local one on your computer. Metadata is encrypted when it’s being shared between devices. That peer-to-peer approach is a good method to protect your privacy.

Though your data is encrypted and no one will be able to read it, SpiderOak outfits its data centers so that they can withstand virtual and physical attacks, earthquakes, floods and fires. They are SAS 70 Type II compliant and classified as Tier 3 by the Uptime Institute.

SpiderOak ONE doesn’t offer two-factor authentication to new users, but some legacy users have it.

Other Reasons We Like SpiderOak ONE

SpiderOak ONE has four plans. The 150GB plan costs $5 per month or $59 for the year. The 400GB plan is $9 a month or $99 per year. The third plan is the best value at $12 per month, or $129 a year, for 2TB. The last plan gives you 5TB for $25 per month or $279 for the year. All of them allow you to backup unlimited devices.

SpiderOak says it takes about an hour to upload 1GB of data and our tests confirm that claim. That might seem slow, but it’s about right for an online backup. Once it finishes, block-level backup will speed things up.

SpiderOak ONE takes great care to protect your privacy and offers decent speeds, but it doesn’t quite match our top two services in terms of value. Its ease of use isn’t great, either. If you want to learn more about it, though, you can read our SpiderOak ONE review.

SpiderOak ONE Review

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4. Duplicati

Duplicati is an open source backup solution that, like CloudBerry Backup, lets you choose your cloud service for file backup. Plus, you can use it to backup locally to an external hard drive, local server or network-attached storage device.

Because Duplicati doesn’t provide storage space, you have to choose a storage provider. There’s a lot of flexibility, though, if you don’t mind the work. It can be paired with MEGA, Google Drive, OneDrive and others. You can see a pricing table in our Duplicati review.

Duplicati requires you to download a desktop client, but you’ll use the web client most of the time. The web interface has a clean look and it’s easy to get around using the navigation tabs on the left side. Though it offers many options, the user experience remains simple, but it’s not as simple as stand-alone backup solutions.

After you create a backup plan, Duplicati will give you the option to encrypt files before transferring them to the cloud. It uses AES 256-bit encryption, which has never been cracked as far as anyone knows. Duplicati lets you enable SSL, too. That will protect your data from eavesdropping, but it will also slow your backups down.

If you encrypt your data, you’ll have to create a password. Duplicati will tell you if it’s weak and generate a strong one for you if you need it to do so.

That’s all that depends on Duplicati. The rest depends on the partner services. Some, such as Amazon Drive and OneDrive, don’t encrypt your data, but that shouldn’t be a problem because Duplicati can. We feature Duplicati in our best Mac backup article as well, you can read more about its options there.

Other Reasons We Like Duplicati

Duplicati is open source, so you don’t have to pay for it. All you have to do is download it from Duplicati.com. You’ll need to sign up for a compatible online backup or cloud storage service, though, and that will probably cost you.

How fast your initial upload goes will depend more on the partner service you choose than Duplicati, but it does play a role. It can quickly compress and encrypt files, which has a big affect on speeds. We tested it by transferring a 1GB compressed folder to Google Drive and it took just 12 minutes to finish.

Viable cloud storage partners for 1TB of storage space include Dropbox for $99.99, Amazon Drive for $59.99 and Backblaze B2 for $60. Backblaze B2 charges per gigabyte, so you can go lower or higher, depending on your needs. If you’re interested, read our Backblaze B2 review to learn more.

Duplicati Review

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5. Jungle Disk

Jungle Disk is an online backup solution aimed at businesses. Because of that, you need to have at least two users. That’s not ideal, but Linux users don’t have many options. On the plus side, it’s fast and lets you choose how much space you need by partnering with Amazon S3. To learn more about Amazon S3, read our Amazon S3 review.

It also supports Rackspace Cloud Files, which is by far the most expensive IaaS provider. If you want to see the pricing table, read our Rackspace Cloud Files review.

Once you sign up with Jungle Disk, you have to create a personalized domain for your master account. After you do so, you can add users. To ease the process, the service offers live chat support, which is a nice touch.

You can use the web portal to manage your users and grant permission to access usage and backup reports.

Each user will have to install the client separately. A wizard will guide them through the process, but it’s still confusing because they will have to connect to an online disk, set up sync folders and more, most of which is outside the normal scope of online backup solutions.

The user experience isn’t as simple as it is with set-it-and-forget-it services, such as Backblaze. If you’re interested in learning more about its setup process, read our Backblaze review.

Jungle Disk encrypts files at-rest and in-transit using the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm. It also supports private, end-to-end encryption if you’d like to hold on to your encryption key. You can let the service handle it, too. If you do that, though, it won’t be able to reset your password for you.

Data center security will depend on whether you choose Amazon S3 or Rackspace Cloud Files as your cloud provider. Both take the usual measures to secure their server facilities against physical and virtual intruders and natural disasters.

There’s no native two-factor authentication, but account admins can get it by using Google Accounts to log in to their Jungle Disk control panels.

Other Reasons We Like Jungle Disk

Jungle Disk requires at least two users and supports up to 250. It costs $4 per license for computer backup. Licenses give you 10GB of backup for free, so the absolute minimum you’ll pay is $8 a month (two users, $4 each).

That’s a decent price, but the cost can increase because you’re billed 15 cents per gigabyte beyond your first 10GB. You need to factor in the partner service, too. In the case of Amazon S3, the cost is 2.3 cents per gigabyte until you reach 50TB. Rackspace Cloud Files is more expensive, though, at 10 cents per gigabyte.

Note that Amazon S3 also charges 9 cents per gigabyte downloaded in usage fees. See here for the full pricing table.

Jungle Disk isn’t as fast as some of the services we’ve tested, such as Acronis True Image (read our Acronis True Image review), but it’s not nearly as bad as the slower ones.

We tested the service with a WiFi connection that had a 25 megabits per second download speed and 10 Mbps upload speed. It took an hour and a half on average to upload a 1GB folder and around nine minutes to download it.

The service doesn’t have a good plan for single users and it’s confusing to use. That’s why we placed it last on our list. If you still want to learn more about it, read our Jungle Disk review.

Jungle Disk Review

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Final Thoughts

Linux users can’t be picky because there aren’t many quality services in our cloud storage compare chart that work on the operating system. There are several quality ones, though, including CloudBerry Backup with Wasabi and CrashPlan for Small Business. They both have strong security and decent pricing. If neither works for you, you can choose Duplicati or SpiderOak ONE, as well.

We don’t recommend Jungle Disk, though, because it’s not user-friendly and targets businesses.

What do you think of our list? Do you agree that CloudBerry Backup with Wasabi is the best option for Linux? Do you know of other services that would satisfy Linux users? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.

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