Best Cloud Backup Services 2026: Independent Ranking
We rank online backup services for computers — the kind that copies your whole PC or Mac to the cloud automatically, for home users and small businesses. This is not cloud storage with sync (that is our separate cloud storage ranking): a backup keeps copies of files even after you delete them on the computer, and lets you restore everything after a disk failure, theft or ransomware. We compare only verifiable facts: the yearly price of the cheapest plan for one computer with at least 1 TB, the storage it includes, the free trial, whether you can set a private encryption key, a published independent audit, two-step sign-in, how long deleted files stay recoverable, backup of external drives and phones, and restore on a drive shipped by mail. Every fact links to the official page and carries the date we checked it. Paid placements never change the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backblaze Computer Backup | 74 | $99.00 | Unlimited | Yes | Private key Audited External drives Restore by mail |
| 2 | IDrive Online Backup | 74 | $119.88 | 5000 | Yes | Private key Audited External drives Phone backup Restore by mail |
| 3 | Carbonite Safe | 56 | $95.99 | Unlimited | Yes | Private key External drives Restore by mail |
| 4 | CrashPlan | 50 | $88.00 | 50 | Yes | Private key Audited |
| 5 | Acronis True Image | 48 | $139.64 | 1000 | Yes | Private key Audited Phone backup |
| 6 | Jottacloud | 30 | $85.59 | 1000 | No | Phone backup |
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- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $99.00
- Storage on that plan, GB
- Unlimited
- Private encryption key
- Yes
Pros
- You can encrypt the backup with your own key: the company cannot read it
- Deleted files stay recoverable for a long time
- Unlimited or very large backup storage
- Security checked by an independent audit
Details Visit site ↗ 95% backed by facts
-
- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $119.88
- Storage on that plan, GB
- 5000
- Private encryption key
- Yes
Pros
- You can encrypt the backup with your own key: the company cannot read it
- Deleted files stay recoverable for a long time
- Unlimited or very large backup storage
- Security checked by an independent audit
Details Visit site ↗ 90% backed by facts
-
- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $95.99
- Storage on that plan, GB
- Unlimited
- Private encryption key
- Yes
Pros
- You can encrypt the backup with your own key: the company cannot read it
- Unlimited or very large backup storage
- Backs up external drives too
- Your data can be shipped on a physical drive
Cons
- Deleted files are purged quickly
Details Visit site ↗ 80% backed by facts
-
- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $88.00
- Storage on that plan, GB
- 50
- Private encryption key
- Yes
Pros
- You can encrypt the backup with your own key: the company cannot read it
- Deleted files stay recoverable for a long time
- Security checked by an independent audit
- Account can be protected with a second factor
Cons
- Small backup storage on the base plan
Details Visit site ↗ 70% backed by facts
-
- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $139.64
- Storage on that plan, GB
- 1000
- Private encryption key
- Yes
Pros
- You can encrypt the backup with your own key: the company cannot read it
- Security checked by an independent audit
- Phones can be backed up to the same account
- Long free trial
Cons
- High yearly price for one computer
- Small backup storage on the base plan
Details Visit site ↗ 75% backed by facts
-
- Price per year, 1 computer (plan of 1 TB+)
- $85.59
- Storage on that plan, GB
- 1000
- Private encryption key
- No
Pros
- Phones can be backed up to the same account
- Account can be protected with a second factor
Cons
- No private encryption key: the company holds the key
- Deleted files are purged quickly
- Small backup storage on the base plan
Details Visit site ↗ 75% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Arq Premium (65% backed by facts)
- ElephantDrive (65% backed by facts)
- Livedrive (60% backed by facts)
- Norton Cloud Backup (site closed to automated checks, )
- SpiderOak One Backup (site closed to automated checks, )
- Zoolz Cloud Backup (35% backed by facts)
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
30%
Price & Storage
The regular yearly price of the cheapest plan that backs up one computer with at least 1 TB or unlimited storage, in US dollars (first-year discounts and lifetime plans are not counted; a monthly-only plan counts as 12 months; prices shown in other currencies are converted at the ECB rate on the check date): $0 scores 100, $150 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Storage included in that plan: 5,000 GB or unlimited scores full (weight 2). Length of the free trial, logarithmic, 30 days scores full (weight 1).
30%
Privacy & Security
Whether you can encrypt the backup with your own private key or password that the company does not keep, so staff cannot read your files (weight 3), whether an independent audit or certification of the service is published — SOC 2 Type 2 or ISO/IEC 27001 (weight 2), and whether sign-in can be protected with a second factor (weight 1).
25%
Backup Features
How long files you deleted on the computer stay recoverable in the backup without extra charges: 365 days or "forever" scores full (weight 2). Whether external drives connected to the computer can be backed up, whether phones can be backed up to the same account, and whether the company can ship your data on a physical drive for a fast restore (weight 1 each). Features of a higher personal plan or a paid add-on count; they are marked in the company notes.
15%
Reputation
Average App Store (US) rating of the company's own app, weighted by the number of ratings (from the official iTunes Lookup API; weight 2), and the age of the service — 15 years or more scores full (weight 1).
How to choose a cloud backup service
Check what is actually backed up
Some services back up the whole computer by default, others only selected folders. If you keep photos or projects on an external drive, make sure external drives are included in your plan — sometimes only on a higher tier.
Look at the renewal price
First-year discounts are large in this market. Compare the regular yearly price you will pay from the second year, and check how many computers one plan covers.
Decide on a private key
A private key protects your files from anyone at the company. Keep it safe: lose it and the backup is gone. Some services offer it only on Windows or only when you create the account.
Check how long deleted files are kept
Ransomware and accidental deletions are often noticed weeks later. A longer retention period — a year or more — gives you time to roll back.
Keep the 3-2-1 rule
Three copies of important data, on two different kinds of media, one of them off-site. Cloud backup is the off-site copy; keep a local copy on an external drive as well for fast restores.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cloud backup and cloud storage?
Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) syncs a folder: if you delete or damage a file, the change is copied to the cloud and to every device. Cloud backup copies the whole computer automatically and keeps files for a set time after you delete them on the computer, so you can restore everything after a disk failure, theft or ransomware. Storage services are compared in our separate cloud storage ranking.
Which cloud backup service is the best right now?
The service ranked first has the highest Score under our open methodology. The right choice depends on your priorities: look at the factor bars — price, privacy, features — and pick the leader in the factor you care about most.
How do you compare prices?
We take the cheapest plan that backs up one computer with at least 1 TB or unlimited storage and use its regular yearly price — not the first-year discount that ends at renewal. A monthly-only plan counts as 12 months. Prices shown in euros, pounds or kroner are converted to US dollars at the European Central Bank rate on the check date; the original price is shown under the value.
What is a private encryption key and should I use it?
With a private key (or private encryption password) the backup is encrypted with a key the company does not keep, so neither staff nor anyone who breaks into the servers can read your files. The trade-off: if you forget the key, the backup cannot be restored by support. It is worth it for documents, ID scans and anything confidential — store the key in a password manager.
What does "deleted files kept" mean?
It is how long a file you deleted on your computer stays in the backup and can still be restored. With 30 days you have to notice a mistake within a month; with a year or "forever" there is far more time. We count only what the plan includes at no extra cost.
How do you rank cloud backup services?
On facts from official pages — each with a link and check date — combined by a fixed, public formula. We do not score upload speed or ease of use by hand, so the ranking is reproducible and cannot be bought.