Best Backup Software in 2026: 9 Tools Compared

Backblaze is the easiest cloud backup for a single computer. Install it, let it scan your files, and it backs up continuously in the background, with unlimited storage for that machine. You do not need to pick folders or manage storage limits, which is why many people who have put off backing up finally stick with it. Restores can be done by download, and a shipped hard drive option is available for large restores.

The price is $99 per year per computer in recent listings, and each extra computer needs its own licence. External drives are included only if they stay connected regularly, so a drive you plug in once a month may not be fully covered. For one main PC or Mac that holds your photos and documents, Backblaze is our pick for simplicity.

IDrive suits a household or a small office with several computers, phones and tablets. Instead of paying per computer, you buy a pooled storage amount, such as 5 TB, and back up unlimited devices into that pool. That model is cheaper than per-device pricing once you have three or more machines, and it includes disk image backup, file versioning and sync features in the same account.

Pricing changes with promotions, with first-year discounts that do not reflect the renewal rate, so we list the starting price as See website and recommend checking the renewal price before you buy. A 10 GB free plan lets you test the app with a small set of files. The interface is busier than Backblaze, and first uploads can take days on a slow connection. For many devices on one bill, IDrive is the better value.

Acronis, formerly known as True Image, does more than copy files. It creates a full image of your whole drive, including the operating system and apps, so you can restore a dead computer to a working state, not just recover documents. It also adds antivirus, ransomware protection and vulnerability checks, which suits users who want backup and security in one agent.

Entry pricing is listed from $49.99 per year for the basic home plan, with higher tiers adding more cloud storage and security features. That breadth brings complexity, and if you already pay for antivirus, some features will overlap. For a user who wants a complete system image plus security, and who is comfortable with more settings, Acronis is the most complete home option here.

Carbonite has long aimed at users who want backup to just happen. Once installed, it backs up files automatically to the cloud, with version history and a courier recovery service that ships your files on a drive when a download would take too long. That set-and-forget approach suits people who do not want to think about storage, schedules or folders.

Pricing is listed from $6.33 per month on some plans, with different tiers for basic, plus and prime features, and per-computer billing. There is no permanent free plan, only a trial, so test it with your real file set before paying. Carbonite is less flexible for multi-device households than IDrive, but for a single computer owner who wants a quiet, automatic backup, it remains a dependable choice.

CrashPlan is now aimed mainly at small businesses, and that focus shows in its admin tools. An owner can manage backups across team computers, set retention policies, and restore files for a user who has lost a laptop, all from one console. Storage per user is unlimited, which removes the need to guess how much data each employee will back up.

Entry pricing is listed from $2.99 per month per user in recent comparisons, with higher tiers for more admin and security features. Home users may find the business setup more formal than Backblaze or IDrive, and there is no free plan. For a small team that needs managed endpoint backup without enterprise complexity, CrashPlan is a practical fit.

EaseUS Todo Backup is a local backup tool for Windows users who want to image a drive, clone it to a new SSD, or schedule regular file backups to an external drive. The free version covers basic disk and file backup, while paid versions add scheduling, incremental backup, WinPE boot media and more. Cloning is a particular strength when you upgrade to a larger drive and want to move everything without reinstalling Windows.

Pricing varies by edition and licence type, so we list it as See website. Mac users should look elsewhere, and cloud backup is not the main reason to buy EaseUS. For a Windows user who wants a local image they control, and a fast restore without waiting for a cloud download, it is a solid and affordable option.

Macrium Reflect is a favourite among technicians for local imaging, because its disk images are reliable and its rescue media can restore a computer that will not boot. You can image a whole drive, schedule incremental backups, clone to a new drive, and mount an image to recover a single file without restoring everything. That control makes it ideal for a user who keeps a backup drive at home and wants a fast, local recovery.

The interface assumes some technical comfort, and pricing varies by home, workstation and server editions, so check the edition that fits your use. There is no built-in cloud storage in the same way as Backblaze, so pair Macrium with an external drive stored safely, and ideally with a cloud copy for off-site safety. For local imaging quality, Macrium is hard to beat.

Veeam is best known in business IT for backing up virtual machines, servers and cloud workloads, with fast recovery and ransomware-resistant options. For smaller use, Veeam Agent provides free backup for Windows and Linux machines, covering whole computers, volumes or files to local or network storage. That free Agent is a useful entry point for a technical user who wants business-grade imaging without a business budget.

The full Veeam platform is a different product, with pricing quoted for business use, so we list it as See website. Setup and recovery assume more knowledge than Backblaze or Carbonite, and home users may find it too formal. For a small business, a home lab, or a technical user managing several machines, Veeam Agent and the wider platform offer a level of recovery control few home tools match.

Arq takes a different model: you buy the software once, and you bring your own cloud storage, such as Amazon S3, Google Cloud, Backblaze B2 or a local drive. That means your backup cost is the software licence plus whatever your storage provider charges, and your data is encrypted with a key you control before it leaves your computer. For privacy-minded users who do not want a vendor holding both the software and the storage, that separation is appealing.

Arq 7 is listed at $49 for a one-time licence in recent comparisons, with storage billed separately by your provider. Setup requires choosing and configuring a storage destination, which is more work than Backblaze. If you are comfortable with cloud storage and want control over where your encrypted backups live, Arq is a flexible and cost-effective long-term choice.