〉13 Best Backup Software: Free & Paid (2024)

What is the best backup software?

Here are my top picks for the best backup software to use this year.

1. Backblaze.

Backblaze is one of the best backup software on this list. It can help your business back up critical data to the cloud easily and affordably. Plus, it offers unlimited backup of files of unlimited size and at a fast speed.

Best for

Backblaze is best suited for small businesses and provides an effective cloud solution for creating a backup of business-critical files.

Features

Version history - Backblaze comes with a default feature that automatically backs up an old or deleted file for up to one year. You also have the option of backing up these important files forever at an additional price.
Automatic filtering - It is capable of managing various internet speeds to automatically adjust the backup speed.
Mobile Apps - It allows you to easily access all the apps on your iOS and Android devices. You can easily browse your media files, open a Word document, or share a system image on Facebook via mobile devices.
Invisible encryption - Backblaze has a built-in encryption system. It automatically encrypts all files scheduled for backup and transfers them via a secure SSL (https) or FTP connection to Backblaze's data center.

Pros

Take advantage of its manual control feature by turning off the automatic control feature to control how much Internet bandwidth you want to use for backup, disk imaging, and disk cloning.
Offers a “manual filtering” function that allows you to select multiple threads simultaneously for backup, depending on Internet speed.
Allows you to easily browse and download all files on your mobile devices.
It offers biometric security, two-factor authentication, and a staff that is available 24 hours a day to ensure the absolute security of your data.
It comes with a simplified data recovery policy. Users don't need to subscribe to Backblaze to get their data back.

Cons

You can get the subscription for only one computer per account.
Does not allow you to sync files to your Backblaze account via mobile apps.

Pricing

The monthly subscription costs 6 dollars, while the annual subscription is offered at a bargain price of 60 dollars.

2. Unitrends.

Unitrends offers free backup software for Hyper-V and VMware. The free version of the software makes it possible to secure data up to 1 TB. Additionally, paid plans offer more advanced features like cloud integration, granular protection, global deduplication, and more.

Best for

It is suitable for IT administrators who are looking for free backup software.

Features

Reduced management - It has an intuitive user interface and pre-integrated backup devices that reduce time consumption by up to 50%.
Customizable dashboard - You can easily manage lots of backups with just two clicks. It also allows for secure, controlled, and self-service recovery by assigning role-based access to backup files.
AI-based ransomware detection system - Unitrends intelligently analyzes complex patterns of data characteristics to alert administrators to the top warning signs of a ransomware threat. It will find important data points and then start syncing the entire system to a local drive.
Automated testing - Its recovery assurance function automatically tests complete application restores, determines actual recovery time and points, identifies potential recovery threats, analyzes compliance with service level agreements, and automatically suggests corrective actions.

Pros

Offers effective pairing with third-party hyper-scale cloud services to maintain a cloud storage at low cost.
It provides instant recovery for VMware vSphere, Windows, Microsoft Hyper-V, onedrive and the unified recovery of bare metal.
Effectively identify and fix bugs in VSS and other software that could hinder the backup and recovery process.
It offers a free version
Offers easy upgrade at any time

Cons

Its subscription cost is significantly higher than that of other backup tools.
SQL and SharePoint backups take a bit longer

Pricing

Its annual subscription starts at $349 per resource and goes up to $1,699 per resource for the Enterprise solution. Unitrends also offers a freemium plan for up to 1TB of backup.

3. AOMEI Backupper.

AOMEI has a powerful base of over 20 million users and offers services in over 180 countries. In addition, the software offers two versions, “Business” and “Home”, to meet specific needs.

Best for

AOMEI is suitable for personal use as well as for small businesses looking to expand in the future.

Features

Multiple backup types - It offers four backup types, including system, disk, partition, and file backup, to help you choose the right option for greater efficiency.
Scheduled backup - Allows you to schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups. This ensures that you never miss a single piece of data.
Backup to an external/internal storage device - It allows you to easily create a backup on internal or external storage devices like solid state drives.
Disk Space Manager - It automatically deletes old backups to free up space for new backups. It also uses differential or incremental backup to optimize the use of disk space and store a greater amount of relevant data.

Pros

Allows you to easily deploy the backup image to a large number of computers.
Instantly create a portable version by quickly copying the installation directory
You can back up and restore an infinite number of computers and servers across multiple organizations.
Offers effective technical support
Effectively reduces administrative costs
Comes with a NAS knowledge base and a PXE network boot tool.
Offers an intuitive user interface to help uninitiated users easily create a backup
It comes with a wide range of open-source tools, including Image Deploy, PXE Boot, and OneKey Recovery, among others.
Its premium editions come with lifetime updates.
It also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Provides a free standard edition of the software

Cons

Available for Windows users only
The user interface has a few functional bugs

Pricing

The cost of its lifetime license is around 60 dollars.

4. NovaStor.

NovaStor is capable of protecting files, folders, applications, and systems from data loss. In addition, it offers direct access to the team of backup experts to help you with efficient customer support 24 hours a day.

Best for

NovaStor is ideal for IT administrators looking for a cost-effective solution to address their data backup challenges.

Features

Flexibility - It supports various operating systems and virtualization solutions. Plus, it's compatible with several third-party business applications, including Windows 10 or Vista, Linux, VMware, and Hyper-V, among others.
Infinite scalability - NovaStor offers infinite scalability to handle rapidly increasing data volumes. Its distributed system architecture ensures optimal throughput while guaranteeing the lowest network load.
Extensive customer support - NovaStor provides effective support via email, telephone, and remote access.
Automated backup process - It offers comprehensive heterogeneous restore and backup functions that include monitoring, reporting, and effective central media management. In addition, the entire process is automated and operates without interruption with greater fault tolerance.

Pros

Its Multistreaming speeds up the data backup process and significantly reduces restore and backup operations.
Easily control backup jobs from offices, branches, and remote clients through a single point of access.
Its multi-tenant platform offers faster data transfer speeds and end-to-end encryption for greater data security.
You can easily manage local and offsite backup in the cloud.
Enables centralized monitoring of backups across distributed workplaces.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can easily host their customers' data in their own data center.

Cons

Several options for saving the configuration may seem confusing for the end user.
It is not an image-based backup solution
A bit more expensive than the other options available

Pricing

NovaStor's annual subscription plan starts at $2,500 per year and goes up to $9,500 per year. You can also request quote-based pricing for a custom plan.

5. NAKIVO.

NAKIVO offers an efficient and reliable backup solution for Hyper-V, VMware, and Nutanix AHV virtual environments. Plus, it offers powerful enterprise-grade data protection features at great prices. Some of its most important features include extended support, disaster recovery automation, and more.

Best for

NAKIVO is the best solution for businesses looking for an affordable data backup solution for physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

Features

Image-based backup - It effectively captures the entire VM, including system status, all disks, and configuration files.
Incremental backup - NAKIVO ensures the backup of only modified data blocks in order to reduce backup windows, offload the production network, and ensure optimal use of storage space.
Flexible backup - It allows the creation of up to 4,000 recovery points for easy and faster data recovery. It takes advantage of the Grandfather-Father-Son retention policy to rotate these points on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis.
Reduced storage space requirements - It effectively removes duplicate data blocks to save more backup space. It also saves storage space by multiplying data space up to 10 times.

Pros

It is equipped with a built-in Exchange and SQL log split function that makes it easy to remove cumbersome log files to free up additional storage space.
You can create a backup efficiently thanks to the data transfer mode without a local network.
It takes advantage of network acceleration to compress data and traffic reduction techniques to double backup speed and halve network congestion.
It also allows the user to control bandwidth consumption through the advanced bandwidth control feature.
Effectively reduces snapshot overhead and instantly creates identical copies of virtual machines to reduce space consumption.
You can install the software with a single click on Windows.
Easily recover application objects and individual files from deduplicated and compressed backups.

Cons

The user interface may seem cumbersome for new users.

Pricing

Pricing plans start at $99 per outlet and go up to $399 per outlet.

6. Retrospect.

Retrospect is one of the best backup programs for comprehensive data protection and cloud backup. It comes with a free 45-day trial and offers impressive backup solutions, especially for Mac users. Additionally, it offers reliable email data protection, as well as other data security features.

Best for

Retrospect is suitable for individuals and business owners looking for cost-effective backup software for Mac devices.

Features

Email Protection - Provides powerful data security for email systems including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and AOL, among others. It also ensures compliance with data protection laws, including the GDPR.
Proactive AI - Its backup scripts optimize the backup window of the entire environment. It uses concepts like linear regression and decision tree algorithms to protect all sources.
Monitoring tools - It integrates easily with new era surveillance systems, such as Slack, Nagios, and IFTTT.
iOS app - It's compatible with all Apple devices, including your iPhone, iPod, or iPad, to monitor all backup activities on the go.

Pros

It supports multiple encryption algorithms, including the military-grade AES-256 algorithm, to ensure data security at rest and in transit.
Offers long-term backup retention allowing users to recover data that is at least 5 years old.
It offers the ability to create backups of specific sets of data on the cloud. Filter data based on multiple conditions, including dates, file names, and types.
Incremental backup helps avoid storing duplicate data and ensures optimal storage utilization.
Provides a free trial with all relevant features.

Cons

Not suitable for business use
Does not provide a mobile application for Android users

Pricing

The official Retrospect site does not mention prices. That said, online reviews suggest that it comes at a one-time cost of $49.

7. iDrive.

IDrive offers unlimited backup of multiple devices, including personal computers, Mac, iOS, and Android devices. On top of that, it offers an intuitive dashboard so you can easily edit and access backup data.

Best for

If you want a backup tool for your small business, then IDrive is a great option.

Features

Online file sync - Enable real-time synchronization of files and folders across all devices linked by iDrive without impacting your backup storage data.
Snapshots and version management - Get a historical view of data with snapshots to ensure timely recovery and protection against ransomware.
Disk image backup - Create a backup of the entire drive, program, setting, or files with the original information structure.
Mobile Apps - Offers highly immersive iOS and Android mobile applications for accessing the database on the go.

Pros

It keeps up to 30 previous versions of files in the database.
Its archive cleaning function allows old data to be permanently erased by matching it to the current backup to ensure that no data is lost.
Get detailed reports through activity reports, sharing reports, and backup status reports, among others.
Leverage 256-bit AES encryption to store and transfer files with a user-defined key.
Allows you to increase network bandwidth through compressed and incremental data backup.
Easily restore and manage data and system settings via a web console on remote machines.
You can secure the online backup of servers including MS SQL Server, Office 365 Mailbox, MS Exchange Server, MS SharePoint Server, Hyper-V, Oracle Server, Linux servers, and VMware.
Perform the remote installation of iDrive through Windows Server on multiple machines.
Full compliance with data security regulations, such as SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, and SEC/FINRA.
Control all backup types from a single administration console.

Cons

Does not provide unlimited storage

Pricing

IDrive provides a freemium plan for up to 5GB of storage. Paid plans start at $52.12 for up to 2TB of storage.

8. Carbonite.

Carbonite offers online backup solutions for businesses and individuals. The good news is that it offers a fully functional 30-day free trial and reliable data protection solutions, allowing you to test the software before making the final purchase.

Best for

It is ideal for personal use and small businesses.

Features

Easy to use - It offers easy installation and configuration on the personal device. In addition, it ensures easy and safe retrieval of files from the cloud in the event of a malware attack.
Extended Support - Carbonite claims to have 'award-winning' support that is available for free every seven days of the week.
Advanced Encryption - Carbonite comes with end-to-end encryption that ensures data security during automatic backup and for data at rest.
Profitability - It offers affordable subscription plans tailored to individuals and small businesses for data protection.

Pros

It has powerful data migration capabilities to ensure an efficient transition to the cloud or the transfer of data from one cloud to another.
It offers disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) to ensure that high-priority applications are always online.
Leverage legal custody, remote wiping, and location tracking to manage employee devices.
It is capable of backing up data from up to 25 computers.
Allows you to recover files from machines affected by ransomware
Support for multiple platforms including MySQL, Oracle, Hyper-V, among others.
Offers incremental backup to ensure optimal use of storage space.

Cons

Sometimes you need to restart the server
The restore option takes too long to restore the data.

Pricing

Its subscription plans start at $24 per month and go up to $83.34 per month billed annually.

9. BackupRadar.

Backup Radar offers powerful backup and compliance reports. The software is capable of helping businesses reduce the time it takes to check their backup files.

Best for

Backup Radar is ideal for businesses looking to automate their remediation process.

Features

Automate remediation - Leverage closed-loop service ticketing integration for Autotask and ConnectWise.
Backup compliance reports - Leverage scheduled, on-demand, and customized reports to keep all stakeholders up to date.
Automatic ticketing - Use its closed-loop backup management process to avoid human error and improve efficiency.
Customization - Set up customizable thresholds to easily define and implement data policies.

Pros

Create a backup log to keep track of the data.
It has an elastic architecture designed with security in mind and offers high performance and availability.
Create brand relationships with high personalization capabilities.
A very responsive mobile user interface.
Offers multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Provides very responsive customer support
View each backup report on the audit screen

Cons

Not affordable for small businesses
Complex user interface

Pricing

Its monthly plan costs $99 when billed annually.

10. IvyBackup.

IvyBackup offers three editions of the software, namely home, standard, and pro, to meet the specific needs of users. It has a simple user interface and offers data backup scheduled by event or manually.

Best for

It is a good backup software for Windows users.

Features

Multiple language support - It supports numerous languages including French, German, Italian, and Russian, among others.
Create specific backups - Easily configure the backup utility to allow specific files to be backed up instead of the entire database. Full control of the database will save you time and storage resources.
Lightweight - Cloud-based software is lightweight and saves much of the capital spent on buying the latest hardware.
Error-free recovery - It continuously checks data for duplicity, corruption, or malware infection before performing any restore function.

Pros

Provides a simple user interface and allows users to easily create a backup.
256-bit AES encryption and regular security checks.
Allows you to monitor the entire backup history and filter backup data based on dates.
Easily create automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups of your data.
Send backups to a variety of destinations including local storage, Dropbox, Google Drive, network drive, and more.
Easily configurable with the native system
Works with incremental backup to avoid redundancy and data duplication.
Offers a 30-day money-back guarantee
Reliable email customer support

Cons

Not suitable as a business solution
Does not provide phone or chat support

Pricing

Its one-year subscription prices start at around $19.95 per month and go up to $34.95 per month.

11. Ashampoo Backup Pro 16.

Ashampoo backup software provides reliable security against viruses, ransomware, and Windows errors. In addition, it provides solutions to protect a specific file or part of a disk and manage the database easily.

Best for

It is suitable for IT administrators who are looking for a highly customizable backup solution.

Features

Entire partition backup - Easily create disk partition backups and save them to the output location of your choice through a simple process.
Incremental automatic updates - It ensures that all archived files are automatically updated when you make changes.
UEFI support - It is an effective recovery system that ensures the recovery of corrupt operating systems. It also ensures that the system is automatically reinstalled and started.
Windows Optimizer - Leverage Windows Optimizer to effectively adjust system settings, reclaim disk space, and achieve optimal performance.

Pros

Offers real-time protection against malware
Offers backups for specific disk partitions or files.
You can store your backup data on external hard drives or flash drives.
Its Infinite Reverse Incremental technology takes up very little space to store the backup, saving you up to 50% storage space.
The adaptive backup process goes up and down depending on the availability of resources on the machine.
offer strong end-to-end encryption for the database

Cons

The user interface is not user-friendly
The recovery drive is a bit slow

Pricing

The downloadable version costs 25 dollars.

12. Genie9.

Genie9 cost-efficient data backup solution

Genie9 offers a cost-effective data backup solution for freelancers and startups. It supports multiple platforms, including Windows and Linux, and offers intelligent solutions for seamless media access.

Best for

It is ideal for freelancers looking for an efficient and affordable data backup tool.

Features

Easy installation - It allows backup configuration in 3 easy steps. You can start doing backups within a few minutes after installation.
Disaster Recovery (DR) function - It offers fast and reliable data recovery through an intuitive wizard-based user interface.
Control my backup - Easily control when the backup is running or let Genie back up data automatically. You can also turn off the computer after the backup process is complete.
Backup tracking - Use its Genie Timeline mobile app to stay up to date with the latest system backup information.

Pros

Offers an offsite backup solution
Equipped with an integrated search engine
Access the chronological view to track file version history.
File version management support
You can take advantage of its “SwiftRestore” feature to ensure that individual folders and files are restored instantly.
You can create incremental backups with rollbacks to save time and storage space.
Easily access all of your backup files without the need for software.
Offers military grade 256-bit AES encryption.

Cons

Does not offer USB 4.0 support

Pricing

Its monthly subscription costs around 11 dollars per month.

13. Synametrics.

Synametrics is a backup tool that prevents third parties from accessing your files. This fast and secure software solution supports multiple platforms including Unix, Windows, and MacOS X.

Best for

It is suitable for businesses that are looking for a highly private data backup solution.

Features

File distribution - Easily post files from a single location to multiple computers on the local network or on the Internet.
SyncriBox - This is a highly secure and private alternative to DropBox or Google Drive. It does not allow unauthorized access by a third party and has no bandwidth restrictions or monthly fees.
Cloud snapshots - Easily create backup snapshots to the most common destination, including storage services from Google, Amazon S3, or Microsoft Azure.
Machine sync - Efficiently sync folders or files across multiple machines and apply changes to all data locations in real time.

Pros

The multi-level backup solution offers universal access
It is compatible with all devices including Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Incremental data storage ensures optimal use of storage space while avoiding data duplication.
You can easily share project files with one or more users.
It automatically synchronizes changes made to a particular file across all machines.
Offers a multi-level backup system
100% on site solution
Offers highly detailed and immersive data reports
The web-based system guarantees remote access from anywhere
It is free software if it is used for personal purposes.

Cons

Does not provide round-the-clock chat support.
Too expensive compared to the backup functions it offers.

Pricing

Its paid subscription plans start at $49 billed annually.

Note: Backup tools that are not yet included in this article include Acronis True Image, EaseUS Todo Backup, Paragon Backup & Recovery, and Backup4all.

What is backup software?

Backup software makes it possible to create similar files for each corresponding data set so that the data is never compromised. In other words, they help you back up and maintain accurate copies of critical digital documents. Digital documents may include, but are not limited to, files, folders, audiovisual data, computer servers, and vital applications.

As a reliable data recovery software, it virtually eliminates the risk factor associated with altering, deleting, or corrupting valuable data.

How do you use backup software?

There are three types of backups, namely:

Full backup
Differential backup
Incremental backup

How you use the software depends on the type of backup you want to take. The procedure for making full backups is more or less the same in the different software programs. However, differential and incremental backup procedures may vary.

Let's see how you can use backup services to do a full backup with the example of the MiniTool ShadowMaker.

Initially, download and install the software.

You will usually be able to choose whether you want to operate it locally or remotely.

Then, click on the “connect” option depending on the mode in which you want to operate. In general, a backup platform will ask you what you want to back up - for example, specific files, Windows systems, programs, disks.

You are then prompted to choose where you want to save the backup files. It could be a separate folder on your computer, an external hard drive, a USB drive or flash drive, or anything else.

After completing the formalities, you can now click on the option that displays “Save.”

Finally, your backup process will begin.

What should you look for in backup software?

There are various types of backup software available on the market. While requirements vary depending on your needs, there are some standard features that you might want in your system backup tool.

Here are a few of them:

1. Data compression.

In the professional world, backup software often has to manage huge amounts of data. Storing such large amounts of data is not easy and generally requires a considerable amount of space. So you need a tool that can make space for all the data by compressing it into smaller packets.

2. Scheduling backups.

Scheduling backups is essential in business and personal configurations.

While making backups is a simple task, it's common for you to get preoccupied with urgent tasks and forget everything. This is where backup planning comes in handy.

With backup scheduling, all you need to do is determine the time and frequency at which you want to perform backups in advance and schedule the software. The software takes care of the rest.

3. Data security.

Cybercriminals don't just run after your company's core files. If they had the chance, they would also gladly attack your backup files. That's why it's not enough to back up without worrying about data security.

You need a fast backup tool that offers end-to-end encryption, can provide password protection, and limit the number of users who access it. If it allows for a white list and a two-factor authentication system, that's even better.

4. Integration with mobile platforms.

The ideal backup software should offer integration with smartphones and tablets. It should allow you to monitor backup activities, perform administrative tasks, provide permissions, and receive notifications on mobile devices for a seamless data backup experience.

This is not an exclusive list of characteristics. Other desirable features include sending backup notifications, running simultaneous backups, the possibility of virtualization, etc.

Summary.

So that was the list of some of the best backup software. These tools can easily help you keep the heaps of data in a safe and organized manner.

However, you should look at each tool carefully to decide which one fits your needs.

For example, if you are self-employed or run a small business, you can opt for options like Unitrends and Synametrics that offer free versions and affordable premium versions. On the other hand, businesses with a large budget and complex data backup needs may choose options such as Backup Radar and Naviko.

Additionally, if you prefer not to pay recurring monthly fees, you can opt for AOMEI Backupper which offers backup software for a one-time cost of $60.

Are there backup tools that are not in this article? Let me know in the comments.

Recommended reading: If you are interested in other ways to secure your data, check out my reviews of best data recovery software And my choices of best database software to be used this year.