Data loss costs small businesses an average of $8,000 per incident and large enterprises over $100,000. The right backup solution runs silently in the background, encrypting and uploading your files continuously so you never think about it - until the day you need it and everything restores perfectly. Pair your backup with a cybersecurity solution and password manager for complete data protection.
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1. Backblaze
Backblaze Best Overall
Backblaze is the simplest unlimited backup on the market. Install it, and it backs up everything on your computer - no file selection, no storage caps, no bandwidth throttling. At $9/month per computer, it is dramatically cheaper than competitors that charge per-gigabyte. The restore process ships a USB drive to your door or lets you download a ZIP.
Version history keeps 1 year of file changes (extended retention available), so ransomware that encrypts your files can be rolled back. The B2 Cloud Storage add-on provides S3-compatible object storage for servers and NAS devices at $6/TB/month. For straightforward, set-it-and-forget-it backup, nothing beats Backblaze.
- Pricing: Personal $9/mo (unlimited); Business $18/mo per computer; B2 $6/TB/mo
- Pros: Truly unlimited, simple setup, fast restores, USB drive shipping, 1-year history
- Cons: No image-based backup, no NAS backup on personal plan, one computer per license
- Best for: Individuals and businesses wanting unlimited, hands-off backup
2. Acronis Cyber Protect
Acronis Cyber Protect Best Disaster Recovery
Acronis combines backup with cybersecurity in a single platform. Full image-based backup captures your entire system - OS, applications, settings, and files - so you can restore a complete working computer from bare metal. The 2026 version adds AI-powered ransomware detection that stops encryption attacks and rolls back affected files automatically.
For businesses with servers, Acronis handles physical, virtual, and cloud workloads with a single console. Disaster recovery spins up a cloud copy of your server within minutes of failure. The anti-malware, vulnerability assessment, and patch management features mean fewer security tools to manage separately.
- Pricing: Essentials $65/yr (1 computer); Advanced $100/yr; Business from $109/yr per workload
- Pros: Image-based backup, ransomware protection, bare-metal restore, cloud DR
- Cons: More expensive, heavier resource usage, complex for basic needs
- Best for: Businesses needing full system backup with disaster recovery and cybersecurity
3. IDrive
IDrive Best Value
IDrive offers 5TB of backup for $79.50/year across unlimited computers, phones, and tablets - making it the best per-device value in the category. Back up your work PC, laptop, phone, and NAS all to one account. The IDrive Express service ships a physical drive for bulk uploads or restores, avoiding days of downloading over the internet.
Snapshots let you restore your entire backup to any previous point in time, critical for recovering from ransomware. The file sync feature keeps folders synchronized across devices. For teams, IDrive Business adds centralized management, Active Directory integration, and server backup at $99.50/year for 250GB with per-device pricing.
- Pricing: Personal 5TB $79.50/yr; 10TB $99.50/yr; Business 250GB $99.50/yr
- Pros: Unlimited devices, physical drive shipping, snapshots, phone backup included
- Cons: Slower upload speeds, dated interface, business plans cap storage
- Best for: Families and small businesses backing up many devices on a budget
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Get Data Backup Buyer Leads4. Carbonite
Carbonite Best for Simplicity
Carbonite is designed for non-technical users who want automatic backup without configuration decisions. Install it, select your plan, and it backs up continuously. The Safe plans cover individual computers with unlimited storage, while Server plans handle Windows Server environments with centralized management.
Carbonite automatically identifies and prioritizes important file types - documents, photos, financial files - so critical data gets backed up first. The web-based file manager lets you access backed-up files from any browser. For businesses with 25+ computers, the endpoint protection plan adds remote deployment and admin controls.
- Pricing: Basic $6/mo; Plus $9/mo (auto video backup); Prime $12/mo (courier recovery)
- Pros: Extremely simple, automatic file detection, unlimited storage, good for non-tech users
- Cons: Slower initial backup, no image-based backup on basic, limited business features
- Best for: Non-technical users wanting completely automated, unlimited backup
5. Veeam
Veeam Best for IT Teams
Veeam is the enterprise standard for virtual machine and server backup. It handles VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud workloads from a single console. The instant VM recovery feature powers on a backed-up virtual machine directly from the backup file in under 2 minutes, eliminating downtime during restores.
SureBackup automatically verifies every backup by booting it in an isolated sandbox and running application-level tests. You know your backups work before you need them. The 2026 version adds ransomware-hardened repositories with immutable backups that cannot be encrypted or deleted by attackers even with admin credentials.
- Pricing: Community Free (10 workloads); Essentials from $400/yr; Enterprise from $1,500/yr
- Pros: Instant VM recovery, SureBackup verification, immutable repos, multi-cloud support
- Cons: Complex setup, expensive, overkill for file-only backup
- Best for: IT teams managing servers, VMs, and cloud infrastructure
6. Wasabi + MSP360
Wasabi + MSP360 Best Custom Stack
Wasabi provides hot cloud storage at $6.99/TB/month with no egress fees, no API fees, and no minimum retention period. Pair it with MSP360 (formerly CloudBerry) backup software for a fully customizable backup stack that you control. This combination often costs 50-80% less than integrated solutions at scale.
MSP360 supports Windows, Mac, Linux, SQL Server, Exchange, and VMware with granular scheduling and retention policies. The managed backup service edition lets MSPs monitor all client backups from a single dashboard. For businesses with large data volumes, the zero-egress-fee model means restores never incur surprise charges.
- Pricing: Wasabi $6.99/TB/mo; MSP360 from $49.99 one-time per server
- Pros: Cheapest per-TB storage, no egress fees, fully customizable, MSP-friendly
- Cons: Requires two products, more setup complexity, no consumer-grade simplicity
- Best for: Cost-conscious businesses with large data volumes and technical staff
7. Datto
Datto Best MSP Platform
Datto is the gold standard for managed service providers protecting client businesses. The SIRIS appliance sits on-site, takes screenshot-verified backups every few minutes, and replicates to the Datto cloud. If a server goes down, the appliance instantly virtualizes the server locally - clients keep working while you restore the primary hardware.
Inverse Chain Technology means every backup is a full image without the storage penalty of traditional full backups. The cloud-to-cloud product backs up Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with granular item-level recovery. For MSPs billing per-endpoint, Datto integrates with ConnectWise, Autotask, and all major PSA platforms.
- Pricing: Custom per-appliance; typically $200-500/mo per client depending on data volume
- Pros: Instant local virtualization, screenshot verification, hybrid cloud, MSP billing integration
- Cons: Expensive, MSP-only sales model, requires Datto hardware
- Best for: MSPs protecting small business clients with guaranteed uptime SLAs
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Platform | Starting Price | Storage | Image Backup | Devices | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backblaze | $9/mo | Unlimited | No | 1 per license | Simple unlimited |
| Acronis | $65/yr | 500GB-5TB | Yes | 1-5 | Disaster recovery |
| IDrive | $79.50/yr | 5TB-10TB | Yes | Unlimited | Multi-device value |
| Carbonite | $6/mo | Unlimited | Plus plan | 1 per license | Non-tech users |
| Veeam | Free (10) | Bring your own | Yes | 10-unlimited | IT teams |
| Wasabi+MSP360 | $6.99/TB | Pay per TB | Yes | Unlimited | Large data volumes |
| Datto | Custom | Hybrid | Yes | Per appliance | MSPs |
Ready to protect your data?
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Get Matched to the Right Backup SolutionHow to Choose
Just want unlimited file backup? Backblaze. Set it and forget it at $9/month with no storage caps.
Need full system recovery? Acronis. Image-based backup restores entire computers from bare metal.
Multiple devices, tight budget? IDrive. 5TB across unlimited devices for under $80/year.
Managing servers and VMs? Veeam. The enterprise standard with instant recovery and backup verification.
MSP protecting clients? Datto. Local+cloud hybrid with instant virtualization and MSP billing tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best data backup solution for small business?
Backblaze is the best overall for straightforward unlimited backup at $9/month per computer. For businesses needing image-based backup with disaster recovery, Acronis Cyber Protect is the best choice. IDrive offers the best value with 5TB for $79.50/year across unlimited devices.
How much does cloud backup cost for business?
Cloud backup ranges from $6/month (Carbonite basic) to $30+/month per server (Acronis). Most small businesses spend $7-15/month per computer. IDrive offers 5TB for $79.50/year. Enterprise solutions like Veeam and Datto start at $50+/month depending on storage and server count.
How often should I back up business data?
Critical business data should be backed up continuously or at minimum every hour. Most backup solutions run automatically in the background. Follow the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite. For databases and financial records, real-time replication is recommended.
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
Backup copies your files to another location for retrieval if originals are lost. Disaster recovery (DR) goes further - it creates full system images that let you restore entire servers, operating systems, and applications to working state within minutes. Acronis and Datto specialize in DR, while Backblaze focuses on file backup.
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