At a Glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Very reasonably priced for limitless backup
• Unlimited storage for one PC
• Great when you’re undecided what to again up

Cons

• Limited retention of deletions and revisions with default plans

Our Verdict

It doesn’t get simpler for neophytes than Backblaze, which defaults to copying the whole lot in your PC to the cloud—sure, the whole lot. Unlimited storage can be interesting for these with enormous knowledge units. Just remember that deletions and revisions aren’t retained eternally with out extra value.

Price When Reviewed

$9/mo I $99/yr

Best Prices Today: Backblaze

If you’re undecided what you wish to again up, the place it’s in your gadget, or simply wish to keep away from the stress of making an attempt to determine all of it out, Backblaze is the web “backup” (see beneath for a proof of the quotes) service you need. It presents limitless storage, and copies the whole lot to the cloud routinely. If your knowledge wants exceed the bounds of different cloud backup providers, Backblaze may show an excellent deal. Be positive to take a look at our best online backup roundup to match choices.

Further studying: For extra about knowledge backup, see our best free backup software/services and the best Windows backup software roundups.

What are Backblaze’s options?

Backblaze is a web-based storage service that gives an area consumer that copies knowledge out of your PC to the cloud. By far its most interesting facets are its ease of setup and limitless storage. By default, Backblaze copies new and adjusted recordsdata constantly, i.e, in close to actual time.

There’s not an entire lot to the Backblaze consumer interface, not less than when you don’t need there to be. There are choices after all, however they’re effectively out of the way in which in order to not intimidate much less tech-savvy customers. Note which you can’t manipulate recordsdata on-line, solely restore them.

Jon L. Jacobi

Because Backblaze begins at sq. one by “backing up” just about the whole lot besides identified short-term and program recordsdata, you don’t need to fuss with it until you wish to undertake a extra selective or complete method.

But whilst you used to have the ability to choose and select what you needed to repeat, Backblaze has moved to an exclusionary course of: You choose what you don’t wish to copy. While this ensures that less-savvy customers received’t miss something, it would show mildly counter-intuitive for a lot of.  

Jon L. Jacobi

If and when it’s time to revive knowledge, you possibly can after all achieve this by downloading through the net interface — in bulk or solely the person recordsdata you want. If that’s too gradual or impractical, Backblaze can even ship you your knowledge on as much as a 8TB exhausting drive for $189. You can maintain the media (these aren’t unhealthy costs), or return the drive and get your a refund. There’s additionally an choice to zip the recordsdata to Backblaze’s S3-compatible B2 service.

You might have observed that I’ve put “backup” in quotes a few instances and studiously used the phrase “copy.” That’s as a result of Backblaze will take away recordsdata from the cloud that you’ve deleted from the supply PC, and equally substitute older variations of revised recordsdata — until you intervene by paying 0.006 cents month-to-month for each gigabyte of these older recordsdata being stored.

The surcharge might be wherever from a mere pittance to one thing heftier relying on how giant your knowledge set is and the kind of recordsdata concerned. If you’re storing edited movies, it will likely be much more than say Word paperwork or textual content recordsdata.

Removal happens after 30 days by default, however you possibly can improve that to a full yr with out extra value through the version-history improve button on the consumer or on the web site. There’s after all the aforementioned 0.006 cent month-to-month/GB Forever possibility, as effectively.

Finding deletions and revisions proved intelligent, however a bit clunky. Instead of the right-click menu exhibiting you earlier variations, or a trash for the deletions, you employ the restore browser to return in time through the “Files uploaded” calendar (see the above picture). That’s superb, if you realize when the file you search nonetheless existed, however maybe not so superb in case your reminiscence of the file adjustments is hazy.

Back to these quotes. Backblaze is barely true “backup” when you go for the 0.006 cent/GB “Forever” model historical past. Otherwise, it’s truly one-way mirroring with restricted retention of deleted and adjusted recordsdata. Having simply gone searching for some 2015 knowledge on an area backup (exterior exhausting drive), I can attest that there’s generally the necessity for true “Forever” retention — aka, backup.

And bear in mind the rule of three in relation to backup: The unique knowledge, a duplicate of your knowledge, and a duplicate of the copy. Preferably with one of many copies off-site. These days, the latter usually means the cloud.

How a lot does Backblaze value?

In the spirit of Backblaze’s keep-it-simple-stupid philosophy, pricing can be uncomplicated, albeit significantly pricier than it was: $9 a month (previously $5), $99 (previously $60 and $50) a yr, or $189 (previously $110 and $95) for 2 years of limitless storage per PC.

Jon L. Jacobi

For customers with plenty of knowledge (and I imply heaps) who want limitless area, Backblaze’s pricing can prevent cash. But for extra skilled customers with regular sized knowledge units who know precisely what wants backing up, higher bargains abound.  

Should you buy Backblaze?

The simpler a backup course of is, the higher probability it’ll truly get executed. We know of no easier, extra foolproof on-line backup service than Backblaze — so long as you go for the ‘Forever’ model historical past. If you don’t, make certain the restricted retention received’t be a problem and improve the model historical past to the full-year possibility proper off the bat.

Editor’s word: Because on-line providers are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this overview is topic to vary with a purpose to precisely replicate the present state of the service. Any adjustments to textual content or our last overview verdict might be famous on the prime of this text.