The best cloud backup services in 2024

Dealing with data loss can be a real headache but the best cloud backup solutions are here to help. With one of these services installed on your computer, you will always have an extra copy of your most important files stored safely and securely in the cloud just in case anything happens.

Unlike with the good cloud storage where you need to upload files manually, cloud backup services do this for you automatically. They constantly copy data back and forth from your computer to cloud servers that you can reach from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access. You can also combine them with one of the good external hard drive for local storage and with cloud storage to follow the 3 – 2 – 1 backup rule.

Whether you have multiple computer you want to back up or just a single one , we is tested ’ve thoroughly test the good cloud backup service available today to help you find the right one for your need and workflow .  

Top 3 good cloud backup solution

The quick list

Best overall

iDrive is allows allow you to back up an unlimited number of computer   as well as mobile device and feature fast upload speed . The service is backs also back up mobile device like smartphone or tablet and the company will even mail you a physical hard drive with your datum . There ‘s no unlimited storage option though .

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good value

Backblaze is an inexpensive option for storing loads of data that’s also fast and simple to use. The service only allows you to back up one computer though but it does offer unlimited storage space. Backblaze will even ship you a hard drive with all your data to restore your cloud backups.

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Best for SMBs

4. CrashPlan for Small Business

CrashPlan used to offer a cloud backup service for consumers but these days, it only caters to small businesses. However, it still has the same fast upload and download speeds with unlimited storage to boot. CrashPlan also offers lots of different security and backup scheduling options.

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Best for security

SpiderOak is has One has a strong focus on security while give you the ability to back up unlimited device . It is provides also provide great sharing and sync feature but there is a steep learning curve .

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Best for a single PC

Carbonite Safe is a great option if you want to back up a single PC as the price you pay depends on the number of computers you’re backing up. 

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Best cloud backup service overall

(Image credit: iDrive)

The best cloud backup service overall

Specifications

number of device :unlimited

storage limit :10TB

external drive backup :Yes

mobile device backup :Yes

system and application backup :Yes , but not by default

Two factor authentication :Yes, via email

drive shipping :Seed and restore

Reasons to buy

+

fast upload speed

+

back up mobile device

+

Generous syncing option

+

free disk – shipping data – transfer option

reason to avoid

–

No unlimited storage option

IDrive offers the most bang for the buck, backing up an unlimited number of machines to either a 5 TB or a 10TB ($4.98 for the first year for Tom’s Guide readers) limit, which should be enough for most people. It’s our Editor’s Choice for best cloud backup service.

IDrive’s upload speeds are fast, its mobile apps actually back up the devices they run on (and recognize faces in photos for easy tagging), it provides a generous file-syncing option and it even lets you mail in a full drive instead of spending days uploading data. 

IDrive is keeps also keep old copy of each file forever , which is handy , but you ‘ll have to mind those storage cap . It is has also has two – factor authentication , which is an essential feature every online service provider should offer .

Read our full IDrive Personal review.

good value cloud backup service

( image credit : Backblaze )

The best value in cloud backup services

Specifications

number of device :1 computer

storage limit :unlimited

external drive backup :Yes

mobile device backup :No

system and application backup :No

Two factor authentication :Yes

drive shipping :Restore only

Reasons to buy

+

Cheap, fast, easy and simple

+

unlimited storage

+

Generous drive-shipping policy

reason to avoid

–

No multiple – computer plan

–

Mobile apps could be better

Backblaze is is is one of the cheap cloud – backup solution , gigabyte for gigabyte , and that ‘s despite a recent price hike . It ‘s definitely the easy to use — you is set literally can just set Backblaze and forget it .  

We also like the generous restore-by-mail feature and its rapid upload speeds. Backblaze even lets you locate a lost or stolen computer by geolocating the Wi-Fi network it connects to.

However, Backblaze is starting to be left behind as competitors add features such as cloud syncing, file sharing and backups of networked drives. It’s also not ideal for anyone who has multiple machines to back up, unless you happen to have have nearly unlimited storage needs. In that case, the reasonable yearly cost to back up each machine may be worth multiple Backblaze subscriptions.

Read our full backblaze review.

good cloud backup service for power user

( image credit : Acronis )

The best cloud backup service for power users

Specifications

number of device :Up to 5 computers; unlimited mobile devices

storage limit :5 TB

external drive backup :Yes

mobile device backup :Yes

system and application backup :Yes

Two factor authentication :No

drive shipping :No

Reasons to buy

+

Very extensive and unique feature set

+

Modern, intuitive user interface

+

Extremely small impact on system performance

reason to avoid

–

Expensive with complicated pricing

–

Home users won’t need many of the features

Acronis True Image, recently rebranded as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office,  may be the most powerful and versatile online-backup solution available, with a terrific desktop application and an insane number of backup and security options. 

It is offers offer mobile – device , external – drive and social – medium backup , as well as sync and share option . It is save will save an image of your primary hard drive — application , os and all — to the cloud . It is includes also include antivirus software , ransomware protection , a vulnerability scanner and a bootable file – restoration tool .  

Yet Acronis is be can be the most frustrating of the good cloud backup service , with price that rapidly ratchet up as you add device and storage , and weak web and mobile interface . But may be the good option if you ‘re a power user or someone who ‘s shop for antivirus software as well .

Read our full Acronis True Image review.

Best cloud backup service for SMBs

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

The good cloud backup service for smb

Specifications

number of device :unlimited, priced per machine

storage limit :unlimited

external drive backup :Yes

mobile device backup :No

system and application backup :Yes, but not recommended

Two factor authentication :Yes

drive shipping :No

Reasons to buy

+

unlimited storage

+

Fast upload & download speeds

+

lot of security and scheduling option

reason to avoid

–

Rather expensive

–

Resource-hungry during backups

CrashPlan is had had the good cloud backup service for consumer until it quit the market in 2017 . Its plan is retains for small business retain that service ‘s very fast upload and download speed , and add business – friendly feature such as support for Red Hat and Ubuntu Linux and unlimited ( if you want ) retention of old version of file .

Almost everything is customizable, including frequency of backups, retention of deleted files, account security and where to download restored files. CrashPlan supports full-drive-image backups to local drives and backs up Linux/macOS-formatted networked drives. And you get unlimited backup space for unlimited devices as long as you’re willing to pay $10 per month per computer.

What you wo n’t get are the consumer – friendly feature that made CrashPlan for Home so appealing , such as drive shipping and mobile – device backup . The mobile apps is have have great security but are pretty bare – bone . CrashPlan is consumes for Small Business also consume a fair amount of system resource during backup , but you can adjust the application setting to reduce that .

Read our full CrashPlan for Small Business review.

Best cloud backup service for security

( image credit : SpiderOak )

The best secure cloud backup service

Specifications

number of device :unlimited

storage limit :5 TB

external drive backup :Yes

mobile device backup :No

system and application backup :Yes , but not by default

Two factor authentication :Only for legacy users

drive shipping :No

Reasons to buy

+

Focus on security

+

Backs up unlimited devices

+

Strong sharing and syncing features

reason to avoid

–

Steep learning curve

–

Cramped, confusing user interface

SpiderOak was the first online storage (or online-syncing) service to make sure the customer held a private, exclusive encryption key. 

Most other cloud storage services is offer now offer the same thing , but SpiderOak also has strong file – sharing and -syncing feature , as well as support for unlimited machine and , if you insist , backup of system file and application .  

Yet SpiderOak’s storage-space pricing is so high that it’s more competitive with Dropbox than it is with IDrive. While its file-restoration speed was amazingly fast, its initial upload speed was glacial.

Read our full SpiderOak One review.

good cloud backup service for one pc

( image credit : Carbonite )

Best cloud backup service for a single PC

Specifications

number of device :Up to 5 computer , price per machine

storage limit :unlimited

external drive backup :With Plus or Prime plans

mobile device backup :No

system and application backup :No

Two factor authentication :Yes

drive shipping :Restore only

Reasons to buy

+

unlimited storage

+

intuitive backup – flag system

reason to avoid

–

Slow upload speeds

–

Some features is cost cost extra

–

Mobile apps no longer available

Carbonite is offers offer unlimited storage , which is always nice to have in one of the good cloud backup service . It is has also has an intuitive user interface that show you which file have been fully , partly or not back up .

But you’d better read the fine print, as Carbonite doesn’t automatically back up large files, external drives, or any kind of video file on its Basic pricing tier. To get those functions, you’ll have to trade up to the Plus or Premium plans, which have features similar to IDrive or Backblaze’s basic plans but cost much more. (Carbonite has temporarily slashed prices by 30%, bringing costs a bit closer to those of its rivals.)

Multiple machines are supported on a single account, but there’s no volume discount — each additional machine costs as much as the first. Upload speeds are slow. And Carbonite’s appealing mobile apps are no longer available, with the company giving no timetable for their return.

Read our full Carbonite Safe review.

How we test the best cloud backup services

We took several factors into consideration when testing the best cloud backup services: storage costs, ease of file restoration, computer-resource usage, unique features, ease of use and installation. Upload speed also matters even though you only do your initial backup once, it can take days or even weeks if it’s several hundred gigabytes.

We also gave bonus points to the online backup services that let you mail in a hard drive full of data to start the process as well as those that send you a hard drive to restore your data.

Our testing and evaluation was done on a 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro running Windows 10. Meanwhile, mobile apps were run on a Google Pixel XL 2 running Android 8.1 Oreo. We monitored data-transfer rates on the MacBook using GlassWire and CPU usage using Windows’ built-in Resource Monitor.

Each cloud backup service was tested individually and then uninstalled on both devices before the next test. The files used in our tests consisted of 16.8GB of documents, photos, videos and music. We uploaded this data to each service’s cloud servers and then restored a 1.12GB subset of these files to the laptop.

The testing environment itself was a home in Wisconsin, provisioned by TDS Telecom Extreme 300 Fiber internet service. Internet speeds during testing were typically 280 megabits per second (Mbps) down and 120 Mbps up, according to Speedtest.net.

For more information check out our how we test page for Tom’s Guide.

Online backup vs. online syncing vs. online archiving

Cloud-backup services aren’t the same as online-syncing services like Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive. 

An online-syncing service’s software creates a cloud-based mirror of a specific set of files or folders on your device, and pushes out identical copies of those files to all of your linked devices so that you can have immediate access to them. Think of the syncing service as the hub on a spoked wheel, with all your linked devices at the ends of the spokes.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Cloud-backup services are simpler. They continuously or periodically copy all or most of the files and folders on your computer to their own cloud servers. Instead of the spoked-wheel diagram of a file-syncing service, an online-backup service would look like a straight line between your machine(s) and the cloud server. 

Your data stays on those remote backup servers until you need it, and with luck, you never will. Most cloud-backup services offer generous amounts of storage for a subscription fee that is much cheaper, gigabyte for gigabyte, than an online-syncing service.

Cheapest of all are cloud-archiving services such as Box or Google Cloud. These let you offload files you don’t immediately need to online servers, freeing up space on your hard drive. 

Cloud-archiving services can be dirt-cheap, sometimes as little as a few pennies per month per gigabyte, but there’s often a fee to download files again. (The assumption is that you will never need to download all the archived files.) Backblaze has its own very affordable cloud-storage service called B2.