Best Backup Software in 2026
Backblaze is the simplest and best value for personal computer backup, unlimited storage for $99/year. iDrive offers better value for multiple computers and includes mobile backup. Time Machine (Mac) and File History (Windows) work well for local backup. For business, Acronis and Veeam lead the enterprise space.
Never lose important files with reliable backup protection.
Everyone knows they should backup their data. Almost no one does it properly until they lose something irreplaceable. Good backup software runs invisibly in the background, protecting everything automatically. The best backup is one you don't have to think about, set it up once and forget it exists until you need it. The cost of any backup solution is trivial compared to lost family photos or business data. Toolradar data: of the 1,602 productivity tools in our catalog, 288 are fully free, a solid starting pool when you just need reliable backups running at no cost.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backblaze | From $8.25/mo | 4.5 196 reviews | Individuals wanting simple, unlimited cloud backup for one computer |
| iDrive | From $11.99/mo | 4.5 1,202 reviews | Families and small businesses with multiple computers and phones |
| Time Machine (Mac) | Free | 2.0 508 reviews | Mac users wanting local backup paired with a cloud service |
| Acronis Cyber Protect Home | From $4.17/mo | 4.6 2,269 reviews | Power users that want full disk image backups plus active ransomware protection. |
| Carbonite | From $7/mo | 3.8 3,442 reviews | Casual users that want unlimited cloud backup with US-based phone support. |
| Duplicati | Free | 3.9 18 reviews | Tech-comfortable users that want free encrypted backup to S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, or Dropbox. |
| Veeam Backup & Replication | Free plan | 4.7 828 reviews | Mid-large enterprises that need backup + replication across VMs, physical servers, and cloud workloads. |
Individuals wanting simple, unlimited cloud backup for one computer
- Pro: Truly unlimited storage at $99/year, no caps regardless of data size
- Pro: Set-and-forget with continuous background backup
- Pro: Restore via download or a mailed USB drive, now free if you return it within 30 days
- Con: One computer per license ($99)/year each for multiple PCs
- Con: No local backup option, cloud only
Backblaze's Personal Backup at $99/year for unlimited data is incredibly fair and generous, especially compared to per-GB pricing models.
Families and small businesses with multiple computers and phones
- Pro: Unlimited devices on one plan, PCs, Macs, phones, tablets
- Pro: 5TB storage covers most households
- Pro: Local + cloud hybrid backup in one app
- Con: 5TB cap, not unlimited like Backblaze (10TB available for $99.50/yr)
- Con: Interface feels cluttered compared to Backblaze
iDrive publishes a real grid.
Watch out
First-year yearly/2-year prices are promos. Official note: discounted price applies to the first year; standard pricing applies from year two (idrive.com/pricing).
Mac users wanting local backup paired with a cloud service
- Pro: Built into macOS, zero cost, zero setup complexity
- Pro: Hourly snapshots with easy visual timeline recovery
- Pro: Works with any USB or network drive
- Con: Local only, no protection against theft, fire, or physical damage
- Con: Requires an external drive ($50-100 for 1-2TB)
Time Machine's pricing is exceptionally generous as it is a free, built-in utility with macOS.
Watch out
Requires purchase of external storage
Power users that want full disk image backups plus active ransomware protection.
- Pro: Full disk image backup
- Pro: Active anti-ransomware
- Pro: Reasonable per-year pricing
- Con: Heavier than Backblaze
- Con: Per-device pricing
Acronis' pricing is on the higher side, especially for the Advanced and Premium tiers.
Casual users that want unlimited cloud backup with US-based phone support.
- Pro: Long-tenured cloud backup
- Pro: Unlimited storage
- Pro: Phone support
- Con: Slower than Backblaze
- Con: One-PC pricing
Watch out
Business plans have storage limits
Tech-comfortable users that want free encrypted backup to S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
- Pro: Free + open source
- Pro: Backup to any cloud
- Pro: Strong encryption
- Con: Requires setup work
- Con: UX less polished
Duplicati's pricing is exceptionally generous, as it is entirely free.
Watch out
Requires user's own cloud storage
Mid-large enterprises that need backup + replication across VMs, physical servers, and cloud workloads.
- Pro: Industry-leading VM backup
- Pro: Strong replication + ransomware features
- Pro: Mature global presence
- Con: Enterprise pricing
- Con: Heavy implementation
What Is Backup Software?
Backup software copies your data to a separate location so you can recover it if something goes wrong, hardware failure, theft, ransomware, or accidental deletion. Modern backup includes cloud backup (offsite), local backup (external drive), and hybrid approaches. Good solutions automate the process so it happens without thinking.
Why Backup Matters
Hard drives fail. Laptops get stolen. Ransomware encrypts files. Accidents happen. Without backup, data loss is permanent. The 3-2-1 rule is the gold standard: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite. Good backup software makes this achievable without complexity.
Key Features to Look For
Automatic Backup (Essential)
Runs without manual intervention
Cloud Storage (Essential)
Offsite protection against local disasters
Versioning (Essential)
Recover previous versions of files
Encryption (Important)
Protect backup data from unauthorized access
Unlimited Storage (Important)
Back up everything without worrying about size
File Restore (Important)
Easy recovery of individual files
Full System Restore (Nice to have)
Recover entire computer after failure
Mobile Backup (Nice to have)
Protect phone photos and data
How to Choose Backup Software
Determine what you need to protect, file-level backup is simpler, full system images enable bare-metal recovery
Consider offsite protection, cloud backup protects against fire, theft, and ransomware that encrypts local drives
Check recovery speed, Backblaze now mails a USB restore drive for free if you return it within 30 days; iDrive Express still ships a drive for fast restore
Factor in long-term costs,5TB on iDrive costs $79.50/first year but renews at full price ($99.50/yr)
Evaluation Checklist
Verify initial backup speed, first backup of 500GB+ can take days or weeks depending on upload speed
Test file restoration before you need it, download a few files and verify they're intact
Confirm versioning, how many previous versions are kept and for how long (Backblaze keeps 1 year by default)
Check external drive handling, Backblaze requires external drives to connect every 30 days or they're dropped from backup
Verify encryption, Backblaze offers optional private encryption key, iDrive encrypts with a personal key by default
Pricing Overview
Backblaze Personal / Business
Simplest set-and-forget cloud backup, Business adds multi-user admin
$99/year unlimited
iDrive Personal
Multiple devices including mobile backup
$79.50/first year, 5TB
Acronis Cyber Protect
Full system image + cloud backup combo
$49.99/year + 500GB cloud
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Only having one copy of data, If your only backup is an external drive sitting next to your computer, a fire or theft loses both. The 3-2-1 rule exists for a reason: 3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite
- ×
Never testing restoration, 30% of backup restores fail due to corruption or misconfiguration. Test a restore quarterly, download random files and verify they open correctly
- ×
Keeping backup drive permanently connected, Ransomware encrypts every connected drive. Disconnect external backup drives between sessions, or use cloud backup that ransomware can't reach
- ×
Confusing cloud sync with backup, Dropbox and Google Drive sync your current files, if a file is deleted or corrupted, that change syncs everywhere. True backup preserves point-in-time versions
- ×
Waiting to start backing up, Hard drives have a 2-5% annual failure rate. On a 5-year-old drive, the probability of failure is significant. The cost of losing irreplaceable photos and documents is infinite compared to $99/year
Expert Tips
- →
Follow 3-2-1 for real protection, Time Machine to an external drive (local) + Backblaze (cloud) gives you 3 copies across 2 media with 1 offsite. Total cost: ~$150/year including the drive
- →
Enable private encryption keys, Backblaze and iDrive both offer personal encryption keys that prevent even the provider from reading your data. Set this up during initial configuration, it can't be added later on Backblaze
- →
Use iDrive Express for initial seeding, If you have 1TB+ to back up, the first upload can take weeks. iDrive ships you a physical drive to load data locally, then they upload it at their data center
- →
Extend Backblaze version history, Default is 1 year. For $2/mo extra, you get forever version history, worth it if you might need to recover old versions of documents
- →
Set up backup right now, Stop reading and do it. Backblaze takes 5 minutes to install and runs silently forever. The next hardware failure, theft, or ransomware attack is unpredictable
Red Flags to Watch For
-
No encryption at rest or in transit, your backup provider can see all your files
-
No versioning or only keeping the latest version, useless against ransomware that encrypts files before you notice
-
Storage limits that force constant management of what to include and exclude
-
No restore testing option, if you can't verify your backups work, they might not when you need them
The Bottom Line
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cloud sync (like Dropbox) the same as backup?
No. Sync mirrors your current files, if you delete or a file gets corrupted, that change syncs too. Backup preserves point-in-time copies you can restore from, even if current files are damaged.
How much storage do I need for backup?
Depends on your data. Most people have 200GB-1TB to back up. Services like Backblaze offer unlimited, removing the guesswork. Check your current disk usage to estimate.
How often should backups run?
Continuously or daily for important data. Most modern backup software runs in the background automatically. The goal is that you never lose more than a day's work.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Backup Software in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-backup-software
Sources
Prices and plan details on this page come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker:
- Backblaze pricing, checked
- iDrive pricing, checked
- Time Machine (Mac) pricing, checked
- Duplicati pricing, checked
- Veeam Backup & Replication pricing
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