Carbonite vs Mozy: A 2020 Battle For The Business World
Many online backup services can backup your backup your data, but it can be tough to choose one that’s best for you, especially if you’re considering two services. In this article we’ll compare Carbonite vs Mozy to make it easy for you to choose between them. That said, if you feel you’d like another solution consult our best online backup list to learn which service is on top.
Carbonite is on that list because it offers unlimited storage for a decent price and, depending on the plan you choose, lets you backup multiple computers or servers.
MozyPro isn’t on it, though, because it’s very expensive. Still, it’s a versatile backup service that is good for businesses looking to backup multiple computers. Interestingly, it’s another Carbonite product. We’ll see if it can win a few rounds against its higher-ranked cousin.
If you want to know more about the competitors, read our Carbonite review and MozyPro review. If you’re confused about the difference between cloud storage and backup, read our explanation.
It’s smart to use cloud backup because you can’t be sure when your hard drive will crash or malfunction and make you lose your data. You can use data recovery software to try to recover your it, but that’s not a reliable method. You can’t rely on solid state drives, either, as they experience more data errors, even if their failure rate is less than 1 percent.
Over five rounds, we’re going to see how the services compare to each other to help you choose one. At the end of each, we’ll name a winner. After the bell, we’ll do a recap and declare the overall winner.
- 1
- Continuous Backup
- Incremental Backup
- Yes but not on Basic plan (all other plans) External Drive Backup
- Yes but only on Safe Backup Pro plan NAS Backup
- Unlimited Backup
- Versioning
- Private Encryption
- 2
- Continuous Backup
- Incremental Backup
- External Drive Backup
- NAS Backup
- Unlimited Backup
- Versioning
- Private Encryption
1. Value
It’s best if you get more for less money and have many plans to choose from because it increases the chances of finding one that fits your needs. It’s great if the provider offers a free plan or trial, too, so you can test the service. If you’re looking for free plans, read our best free online backup piece.
For those who need unlimited backup and would like to see other options than Carbonite, refer to our best unlimited online backup list.
Carbonite has three unlimited plans: Basic, Plus and Prime. Basic costs $71.99 a year and provides bare-bones unlimited backup. Plus is the most popular plan and it adds external drive backup and automatic video backup for $111.99 a year. For $149.99 a year, Prime gives you a courier recovery service on top of the rest.
Before subscribing, you should use the 15-day trial to test the service. If you decide it is a good fit, you can get a 5 percent discount for paying for two years or 10 percent for three. If you don’t need unlimited backup and would like to backup unlimited computers instead, IDrive is currently offering a discount. Read more about the service in our IDrive review.
It lets you backup multiple computers, too. Carbonite Safe Backup Pro starts at $287.99 per year and allows you to backup as many as 25 computers and provides 250GB of backup space.
Mozy’s plans provide backup space that you can share between unlimited computers and servers. You can pay on a per-month, annual or biennial basis. Plans start at 10GB and go up to 4TB, but Mozy only quotes prices up to 250GB on its website.
If you need more than that, you have to request pricing. There are also plans without servers that are cheaper than their counterparts.
It’s nice that there’s plan flexibility, but the problem is MozyPro starts at 10GB. That isn’t enough to backup a computer, let alone a server. If you have several servers, 4TB might not even suffice. The biggest issue, though, is how expensive it is. MozyPro charges a ludicrous price of $850 per year for 250GB of backup. Other services provide much better value.
The price per amount of storage isn’t close so we can’t even consider a proper match here. Carbonite wins because it offers unlimited storage for cheap.
2. Security
Strong security will keep your backup safe. Its strength depends on the encryption used in-transit and at-rest, which protocol protects your files during transfer and other factors.
In the best case, the service qualifies as zero-knowledge, which means only you can read your files. Two-factor authentication is important, too, because it helps if someone steals your password.
Carbonite encrypts user files with Blowfish 128-bit encryption before transferring them to the cloud using the TLS protocol.
The service then secures data on its servers with AES 128-bit and stores your key in a protected data center, so its employees can’t read your data. You can also enable private encryption if you’re a Windows user and manage the key yourself. In that case, the service will switch to AES 256-bit, but it won’t be able to reset your password if you lose it.
You can rely on two-factor authentication to help you protect your account, too. You probably won’t have to, though, because Carbonite has strong password requirements.
Carbonite stores your files in secure data centers. They can endure virtual attacks, as well as disasters, such as earthquakes and fires. Its security measures include redundant power distribution unit diversity, battery backup, on-site generators, climate control systems, 24/7 guard patrols, biometric scanners, electronic key cards and closed-circuit TV surveillance.
MozyPro has a strong approach to security. It invites third-party audits to ensure its data centers are up to the task of keeping your data safe. The facilities can withstand natural disasters, virus attacks and other unwelcome events that can jeopardize your data. Security staff is on site 24/7 and data centers are protected by closed circuit TV cameras, gates and electronic key access.
Your files are encrypted on Mozy’s servers. In fact, they are encrypted before they leave your computer and are protected in-transit with a TLS connection. MozyPro keeps your key by default and uses 448-bit Blowfish encryption. You can opt for private encryption, though, which switches the encryption algorithm to AES 256-bit.
Both service have strong security, but MozyPro uses a higher level of the Blowfish algorithm to encrypt your files before transfer, so it wins this round.
3. Speed
The initial backup with any service can take a long time. How long depends on your internet service provider and how close you are to a server. The closer you are, the better your connection will be. Services get more points if they allow you to tweak transfer settings, throttle speeds and use a block-level transfer algorithm, which helps after the initial backup.
Carbonite isn’t among the faster services according to our tests, which were conducted outside Boston with an upload speed of 10Mbps. It took more than three hours to upload a 1GB folder. Though the initial upload may be slow, subsequent uploads will be faster thanks to block-level copying. The download speeds were fast, too.
MozyPro was much faster on initial uploads as our tests showed that it needs about an hour to backup a 1GB compressed folder to the cloud. We ran our tests from Bangkok, Thailand over a WiFi connection with 55 megabits per second download and 22 Mbps upload speeds. The problem might be that MozyPro doesn’t compress data.
Mozy’s one hour for a gigabyte of data is great compared to Carbonite’s three, but not so much when compared to the rest of the online backup market. If you need a service that uploads your files like lightning, even on initial upload, take a look at speed test table in our Acronis True Image review.
Considering the difference in upload speed, it’s easy to guess which service is the better option here. Mozy wins this round.
4. Ease of Use
Initial setup of your backup, as well as subsequent ones, and recovering your data should be straightforward. That way, you can do proper work instead of worrying about your data. To ensure that, the desktop client should work on most operating systems and its interface, along with those of the web and mobile apps, should be pleasant and intuitive to use.
Carbonite’s desktop client is simple and doesn’t drown you in options. Most of the process is automated, so you only need to perform one step to initiate backup. It’s available for Windows and macOS.
The service color codes your files, so you can check their status easily. It excludes some files and extensions and doesn’t backup files larger than 4GB by default, so you’ll need to select them manually to include them.
If you click the “view my backup” link, you’ll be taken to the web interface. Though drab, it’s functional and lets you check your backup status, access files and manage your account.
You can do the same with Carbonite’s mobile app for Android and iOS. Its interface is clear and minimal so it won’t confuse you.
MozyPro requires more work than before you can start to backup your data. That said, once you set it up, it has features that ease the process going forward.
It’s straightforward to download the desktop client and the installation doesn’t take long. You don’t have to do much to set up your backup because MozyPro scans your file system and selects the most common file types for backup. It doesn’t have the most efficient interface we’ve ever seen, but the wizard helps get the job done. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
The web interface has an admin console with handy features that make it easy to handle account administration. You can search the connections to your account by user or device and see how much data is backed up and when the last backup was run. The “graphs and reports” section displays backup history and health and lets you set email alerts.
MozyPro’s smartphone apps can’t backup your data, but they let you access it. They are available for Android and iOS.
Mozy’s web interface isn’t as clear or attractive as Carbonite’s. It’s similar on the desktop front because Carbonite is easier to use. Carbonite wins this round.
5. The Verdict
Both services have two wins, but Mozy barely wins in security, and is far more expensive so we’re declaring Carbonite the overall winner. It’s simple to use, has strong security and offers unlimited storage for cheap.
MozyPro isn’t far behind in the ease of use, though. Plus, it has stronger default encryption which will ease your mind if you have sensitive data to encrypt. Both services give you the option to handle your private key so you don’t have to worry about rogue employees reading your files.
Winner: Carbonite
What do you think about this battle? Do you prefer Carbonite or do you find Mozy’s features justify it’s high price? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.
Branko has a bachelor’s degree in software engineering and likes to write cloud storage, backup and privacy laws. Naturally, he thinks Assange and Snowden are champions of the internet age. In his spare time, he does all sorts of stuff, including photography, reading, salsa dancing and learning languages. He also likes barbecue, hiking, traveling and skiing. Favorite movie never made: Jodorowsky’s Dune.