Finding the Best IDrive Alternatives for 2020
IDrive is an excellent backup service that comes with a wealth of features, including hard drive cloning, mobile backup and private encryption, as well as syncing and sharing functionality.
Nonetheless, it also has certain flaws, the biggest of which is it’s lackluster speeds, especially on faster connections. Because of this, we’ve assembled a list of the best IDrive alternatives to help you find other options.
Because of its cloud storage features — such as syncing and sharing, as well as a timeline for media files — IDrive makes it onto our list of the best cloud storage for photos. It’s also on the top of our best backup software list, despite its problems.
This list focuses primarily on personal users looking for IDrive alternatives, so if you’re a small business, we recommend having a look at our list of the best online backup for business.
The Best IDrive Alternatives
- Backblaze — Easy-to-use, unlimited online backup
- Carbonite — Streamlined unlimited backup with great security
- Acronis True Image — Cheap and fast unlimited backup
- Zoolz Home Cloud Backup — Easy-to-use backup with great speed and privacy
- SpiderOak ONE — Solid cloud storage features and unlimited versioning
1. Backblaze
In many ways, Backblaze represents the opposite approach to online backup, compared to IDrive. Instead of loading its backup software with features, it focuses on providing a simple and streamlined backup process without too many bells and whistles. For a more in-depth comparison between the two services, be sure to read our IDrive vs Backblaze battle.
The service is reasonably priced, offering unlimited backup for just $6 per month, but only for a single device. Although its download speeds are excellent, its upload speeds leave a bit to be desired. IDrive itself is on the slower end, though, so either way you’re going to struggle with speed when choosing between these two backup services.
By far the biggest drawback of this service is its security and privacy, which is severely hampered by its approach to encryption. Because you have to upload your encryption key in order to restore your data, the encryption cannot be said to be truly private. This means that the company can hand your files over to the authorities if it’s served with a warrant.
2. Carbonite
Carbonite is another service that focuses on ease of use and simplicity, rather than providing a ton of features. Its unlimited storage and streamlined backup process — as well as its strong security and privacy — makes it an excellent IDrive alternative for those who don’t see the need for all of IDrive’s advanced features.
Unfortunately, Carbonite Backup has a relatively complicated pricing scheme compared to most of the other services on this list, which can make getting started a bit of a hassle. The download speeds when you’re restoring your data are also pretty awful, but they are still better than IDrive’s speeds.
That said, even on the cheapest plan Carbonite is a great option for those who are just looking for a straightforward way to backup their data. If you’d like to learn more about how it stacks up against IDrive, be sure to read our IDrive vs Carbonite matchup for a more thorough analysis of how they compare. We also have a list of the best Carbonite alternatives.
3. Acronis True Image
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like commiting to a monthly or yearly subscription, then Acronis True Image is easily the best choice out of all of our IDrive alternatives. The basic version provides you with unlimited cloud backup and a wealth of features for $49.95, without the need for additional payments down the line.
Although the client is a bit messy and occasionally lags, Acronis makes up for this in part by providing a bunch of features. This includes ransomware protection, system cleanup and the ability to create a hidden partition for your backup.
Acronis also does great with security and privacy. The encryption is strong and private, and you get to choose between a bunch of different data centers, which means you aren’t forced to keep your data in a country with poor cloud privacy laws if you don’t want to.
4. Zoolz Home Cloud Backup
If speed is your biggest problem with IDrive, then Zoolz Home Cloud Backup is an excellent alternative. Not only that, but its security and privacy is also great, and the company is compliant with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
However, if you like some of IDrive’s features, such as disk imaging, mobile backup and the ability to instantly restore your data, then Zoolz might not be for you. This last point is crucial to note because Zoolz provides only cold storage, which means that you have to wait a few hours between requesting a restore and actually being able to download your data.
5. SpiderOak ONE
If the file sharing and sync functionality is what appeals to you about IDrive, then SpiderOak ONE is definitely worth considering because it shares these features. It also comes with excellent security and privacy, as well as unlimited versioning and devices.
Another huge advantage of SpiderOak ONE over IDrive is the speed, especially in terms of downloads. SpiderOak compresses your data on its servers, so you can restore it incredibly fast.
SpiderOak ONE is also the only entry on our list of IDrive alternatives that’s compatible with Linux. In fact, it’s on our best online backup for Linux list, which makes it an excellent alternative for those who use the open-source operating system.
Final Thoughts
That’s it for our list of the best alternatives to IDrive. Although IDrive is a great service that will suit many users, its slow speed and sometimes sluggish client can be deal breakers to many. All the IDrive alternatives listed above are solid choices, but picking the right one for you will depend entirely on what you value most in an online backup solution.
However, none of the above IDrive alternatives have a free plan, like IDrive does. If you’re looking for the best free alternative to IDrive, you can check out CloudBerry Backup instead. However, Cloudberry isn’t a storage service, so it does need to be paired with a separate online storage provider, which is why it doesn’t make it onto our main list.
We also have a price comparison cloud storage chart that might help you.
What did you think of our best IDrive alternatives? Do you agree with our list, or did we miss a service you think should’ve been included? 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.