Quick Answer: The best cloud backup service overall in 2026 is Backblaze, thanks to genuinely unlimited storage for a single computer at a flat $9/month or $99/year, with no file-size caps or throttling. IDrive is the best choice if you need to back up multiple devices (including phones, NAS, and servers) under one plan, starting around $79.50/year for 5TB. Carbonite is worth knowing about mainly as a cautionary example: its “unlimited” personal plans look competitive at first but renew 26-67% higher after the introductory year. All three are backup services, not sync services — a distinction that matters more than most people realize before they need to restore something.
Key Takeaways
- Backblaze Personal Backup is genuinely unlimited for one computer at $9/month ($99/year), with no cap on file size or total storage — a rarity in this category.
- IDrive charges by total storage rather than per device, so one 5TB or 10TB plan can cover unlimited computers, phones, and even NAS devices under a single subscription.
- Carbonite’s biggest catch is renewal pricing: a Personal Plus plan quoted at $78.99 in year one can jump to $131.99 at renewal, a 67% increase, and personal plans require annual (not monthly) billing.
- IDrive uses AES-256 encryption with an optional zero-knowledge mode, while Backblaze and Carbonite default to AES-128, though only Backblaze offers a private-key option among the two.
- Cloud backup and cloud sync (like Google Drive or Dropbox) solve different problems — backup protects your whole computer against loss, while sync keeps a folder mirrored and easily shareable across devices.
Best Cloud Backup Services 2026: Quick Comparison
| Service | Best For | Starting Price | Storage Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backblaze | Unlimited single-computer backup | $9/mo or $99/yr per computer | Unlimited (per device) |
| IDrive | Multiple devices, NAS, servers | $79.50/yr (5TB, promotional) | Fixed pool (per account) |
| Carbonite | Bundled antivirus (Plus/Prime tiers) | $95.99/yr (Basic, 1 computer) | Unlimited (Personal tier only) |
All three are true backup services: once installed, they continuously and automatically copy your files to the cloud in the background, and if your computer is lost, stolen, or its drive fails, you restore everything from the cloud rather than starting over. Here’s what sets each one apart.
Backblaze: Best for Unlimited Single-Computer Backup
Backblaze built its entire reputation on one simple, aggressive promise: truly unlimited backup for a flat price, with no storage cap, no file-size limit, and no throttling as your backup grows.
Backblaze’s pricing
Personal Backup costs $9/month, $99/year, or $189 for two years, covering one computer with unlimited storage of every file on it and any connected external drives. Business Backup runs at the same price point but adds an admin panel for managing multiple workstations, and Enterprise Control adds OIDC SSO, backup lockdown, and restricted restore options for larger organizations. Backblaze also sells B2 Cloud Storage separately, a developer-focused, S3-compatible object storage product priced at $6/TB/month — a completely different product from Computer Backup, aimed at businesses building applications rather than backing up a personal computer.
Backblaze’s limitations
Version history for deleted or changed files defaults to 30 days on Computer Backup; extending that to one year or “Forever” requires an upgrade, with Forever retention pricing available only by contacting Backblaze directly. Backblaze doesn’t support backing up NAS devices or servers the way IDrive does, and its default encryption is AES-128 rather than the AES-256 some competitors use. A newer Backblaze Restore desktop app has removed the old 500GB-per-request cap on web-based downloads, closing what used to be a real disadvantage against IDrive for large restores.
Backblaze pros and cons
- Pros: Genuinely unlimited storage per computer with no file-size cap, simplest flat-rate pricing in the category, physical USB drive restore option for large recoveries.
- Cons: Covers only computers and connected external drives (no phones, NAS, or servers), 30-day default version history, weaker default encryption (AES-128) than some competitors.
IDrive: Best for Multiple Devices Under One Plan
IDrive takes the opposite approach from Backblaze: instead of unlimited storage per device, it sells a fixed storage pool that can cover an essentially unlimited number of devices — Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, servers, and NAS — all under one subscription.
IDrive’s pricing
Paid Personal plans run $6.99-$9.99/month depending on tier, or as an annual plan, roughly $79.50/year for 5TB and $99.50/year for 10TB in the first year, with a 30% first-year discount common on most tiers. The catch: promotional pricing is for year one only, and it’s worth checking the standard renewal rate for whichever plan you pick before signing up. A freelancer with three devices to protect typically pays far less on IDrive’s 5TB Personal plan (shared across all three) than on Backblaze, which charges per computer.
IDrive’s features and limitations
IDrive supports optional zero-knowledge encryption, where you set a private key at signup that IDrive itself never stores — losing that key means permanent, unrecoverable data loss, and the choice can’t be reversed after account creation. IDrive Express ships a physical drive for large seed backups or emergency restores, with one free shipment included per year on Personal plans (additional shipments cost $59.95 each). Independent testing in 2025-2026 flagged some reliability concerns, including restore speeds around 48 hours per terabyte and occasional backup interruptions, which is worth weighing against Backblaze’s more consistent restore experience.
IDrive pros and cons
- Pros: One subscription covers unlimited devices including phones, NAS, and servers, optional zero-knowledge encryption, generous free tier (10GB, no credit card required).
- Cons: First-year promotional pricing can mask a steep renewal increase, restore speeds have been reported as slower than Backblaze’s, and losing a self-managed private encryption key is unrecoverable by design.
Carbonite: The Renewal-Price Trap to Understand Before Buying
Carbonite, now owned by OpenText, markets itself as an affordable unlimited backup option, and its first-year pricing genuinely is competitive. The problem shows up at renewal.
Carbonite’s pricing and the renewal jump
Carbonite Safe (personal) plans start at Basic ($95.99/year for one computer, unlimited storage), Plus ($131.99/year renewal, adds external drive backup and bundled antivirus), and Prime ($161.99/year renewal, adds courier-based recovery). The catch documented across multiple independent pricing analyses in 2026: promotional first-year rates run 20-40% below standard renewal pricing, and in the most extreme documented case, Personal Plus jumped from a $78.99 promotional rate to $131.99 at renewal — a 67% increase. Carbonite also requires annual (or multi-year) billing for personal plans; there is no true monthly option, so the “per month” price you often see advertised is just the annual total divided by 12.
Carbonite’s limitations
Carbonite’s “unlimited” storage claim applies strictly to Personal plans — Business plans (Carbonite Safe Pro) have hard storage caps of 250GB or 500GB depending on tier, and exceeding them triggers overage fees or forces an upgrade. There’s no free plan and no free trial for Personal plans, meaning you commit to a full year of billing before ever testing the service. Multiple community discussions and independent reviewers specifically cite Backblaze and IDrive as the alternatives people switch to after a Carbonite renewal shock.
Carbonite pros and cons
- Pros: Bundled antivirus on Plus and Prime tiers, courier-based physical recovery on Prime, genuinely unlimited storage on Personal plans (not Business).
- Cons: Steep, well-documented renewal price increases (26-67%) after the first year, annual-only billing with no free trial, and Business plans are hard-capped rather than unlimited despite the brand’s overall unlimited positioning.
Encryption and Ransomware Protection Compared
Encryption strength and ransomware-specific features differ meaningfully across the three services, and they matter more than most buyers realize until an actual incident happens. IDrive uses AES-256 encryption by default and offers optional zero-knowledge encryption where IDrive itself never has access to your key, plus built-in ransomware detection that scans for suspicious file-encryption patterns and immutable backups that can’t be deleted or modified for a set retention period. Backblaze and Carbonite both use AES-128 rather than AES-256 by default — not a practical vulnerability, since AES-128 has no known real-world exploits, but a step behind on paper. Backblaze does let you set your own private encryption key in its desktop app, with the same all-or-nothing tradeoff as IDrive’s zero-knowledge option: lose the key and Backblaze cannot help you recover your files. Carbonite offers no private-key encryption option at all — it holds all encryption keys on your behalf, which is simpler but means Carbonite can technically access your data if compelled to or compromised.
Version history is the other ransomware-relevant factor, since malware can sit dormant on a machine for weeks before triggering encryption, silently corrupting backups the whole time it’s hidden. IDrive offers unlimited file versioning by default, which matters if you don’t discover an infection until well after it started. Backblaze’s default 30-day version history means a clean copy from before an infection could already be gone by the time you notice something’s wrong, unless you’ve paid for the Extended Version History upgrade. Whichever service you choose, turning on two-factor authentication for the backup account itself closes off one of the most common ways these accounts actually get compromised — a backup account secured only by a reused, previously-leaked password is a soft target regardless of how strong the underlying file encryption is.
Backup vs. Sync: Why This Distinction Matters
Cloud backup services like the three above solve a different problem than cloud sync services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, and confusing the two is one of the most common — and costly — mistakes people make when protecting their data. A backup service continuously copies your entire computer (or a large portion of it) to the cloud in the background, specifically so you can restore everything if your device is lost, stolen, or its drive fails; you generally don’t browse or share files directly from a backup. A sync service mirrors a specific folder across your devices and the cloud, making files easy to access and share, but it isn’t designed as protection against a lost device — if you delete or corrupt a file in a synced folder, that change often syncs everywhere too, and a ransomware infection can encrypt a synced folder just as easily as a local one. Many people run both: a sync service for active, shareable files, and a backup service like Backblaze or IDrive as a safety net for the rest of the computer.
How to Choose the Right Cloud Backup Service
If you have one computer with a large amount of local data — photographers, video editors, or anyone with a big media library — Backblaze’s flat, unlimited-per-computer pricing is very hard to beat, especially past a few terabytes where per-TB pricing elsewhere gets expensive fast. If you need to protect several devices, including phones or a home NAS, under a single bill, IDrive’s shared storage pool model is usually cheaper overall than paying for Backblaze on each device separately. If you’re considering Carbonite specifically for its bundled antivirus, run the actual renewal-year math first — a standalone antivirus subscription plus Backblaze or IDrive often works out cheaper than Carbonite’s bundled Plus or Prime tier once the introductory pricing expires.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Whichever cloud service you choose, backup professionals generally recommend the 3-2-1 rule: keep at least three total copies of important data, on two different types of storage media, with at least one copy stored off-site. A cloud backup service like Backblaze or IDrive naturally satisfies the off-site requirement, but it shouldn’t be your only copy — pairing it with a local external hard drive backup gives you a faster local restore option and protects against the rare case of a cloud provider outage or account issue affecting your only copy.
Related Storage and Security Guides
Cloud backup is one piece of a broader data-protection stack. If you’re deciding between backup and everyday cloud storage for active files, see our comparison of the best cloud storage services, covering Google One, iCloud+, and Dropbox. Since ransomware is one of the main threats a good backup protects against, pairing your backup service with antivirus software covers the prevention side of the same risk. And if a lost or stolen device is part of what you’re protecting against, a Bluetooth tracker can help you recover the device itself, not just the data on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cloud backup service overall in 2026?
Backblaze is the best overall choice for most individuals, thanks to genuinely unlimited storage for one computer at a flat $9/month or $99/year, with no file-size caps. IDrive is the better choice if you need to cover multiple devices, including phones or a NAS, under one subscription.
Is cloud backup the same as cloud storage?
No. Cloud backup services like Backblaze and IDrive continuously copy your entire computer to the cloud specifically for disaster recovery. Cloud storage or sync services like Google Drive and Dropbox mirror a specific folder across devices for easy access and sharing, but aren’t designed as a full-computer safety net the way a backup service is.
Why does Carbonite’s price increase so much at renewal?
Carbonite offers aggressive first-year promotional pricing (20-40% below standard rates) to attract new customers, and that discount disappears at renewal. In the most extreme documented case, a Personal Plus plan increased 67% from its promotional rate to its renewal rate, so it’s important to check the standard (non-promotional) price before subscribing.
Does Backblaze really have no storage limit?
Yes, for Personal and Business Computer Backup plans covering one computer — there’s no cap on total storage or individual file size. This applies only to Backblaze’s Computer Backup product; its separate B2 Cloud Storage product is priced per terabyte and is aimed at developers rather than personal backup.
Can IDrive back up more than just computers?
Yes. Unlike Backblaze, which covers only computers and connected external drives, IDrive supports backing up phones (iOS and Android), NAS devices, and servers, all counted against the same shared storage pool under one subscription.
Which service has stronger encryption?
IDrive uses AES-256 encryption by default with an optional zero-knowledge mode, while both Backblaze and Carbonite default to AES-128. Backblaze lets you add your own private encryption key for extra protection, which Carbonite does not offer at all.
What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?
The 3-2-1 rule recommends keeping at least three total copies of important data, stored on two different types of media, with at least one copy off-site. A cloud backup subscription satisfies the off-site requirement, but pairing it with a local external drive backup is still recommended for faster local restores and redundancy.
Do I need both a backup service and cloud storage like Google Drive?
Many people benefit from both, since they solve different problems: cloud storage keeps active, shareable files synced across devices, while a backup service protects your entire computer against loss, theft, or drive failure. Relying on sync alone leaves you without a safety net if your only device is lost or damaged, and it won’t protect a synced folder from ransomware encryption either.
How does Backblaze’s physical restore option work?
Backblaze can ship a USB drive containing your backed-up data for large restores where downloading over broadband would be too slow, and a newer Backblaze Restore desktop app has removed the previous 500GB cap on standard web-based downloads. IDrive offers a similar service called IDrive Express, with one free shipment per year on Personal plans and additional shipments priced at $59.95 each.
Why does file-version history matter for ransomware protection?
Ransomware can sit undetected on a computer for weeks before actually encrypting files, which means a backup with only a short version-history window might have already overwritten the last clean copy of a file by the time an infection is discovered. IDrive’s unlimited versioning is the safest default here, while Backblaze’s 30-day window requires a paid upgrade to extend for stronger protection against slow-acting infections.
