Backing up your data is important. You can’t afford to be the one losing all your precious data just because you didn’t have the foresight to back it up. In this digital age, our most private and personal information is on computers, our business is on computers as well, so it’s vital that we backup all our data online. But choosing the right online backup can be a daunting task. The process involves working around a lot of factors, many people don’t want to think too much about backups, they want all the backup to happen by itself, and there are some options that go by this very “Set it and Leave it “ approach so which one should you go for. After testing a number of online backup solution providers, we found two of the very best and excellent services namely Crashplan and Backblaze.
This article was last updated on 9 October 2024
Backblaze vs Crashplan – Head-to-head comparison
Now the question is why one to choose among these two? Since both Backblaze and Crashplan are well-known in the domain of online backup, it becomes a difficult choice. Both offers excellent features that cater both individual and business needs. We know it is hard to compare what they offer, so we have taken the task to put Backblaze vs Crashplan and see how they fit in the cloud backup comparison.
Crashplan:
Without any doubt, Crashplan is one of the best online cloud backup services in the market currently. With its easy-to-use slick interface, fast backup speeds and airtight security features, it is quite easily the number one choice of users globally.
Backblaze:
Backblaze is a user-friendly and convenient backup service that is popular for its set it and leave approach. It’s easy on the pocket and gives its users the peace of mind they seek with an online backup service. Though it is convenient, BackBlaze has faced criticism for having fewer features as compared to its other counterparts. We are comparing these two excellent services today to help you choose the right one. Here are 10 points to help you choose the right one:
1 – User Friendliness
When it comes to user-friendliness, they both provide “Set it and leave it” automated backups. Once they are installed, they will regularly backup your data and keep it backed up 24/7. Backing up process is somewhat the same for both the services. When it comes to restoration of data, Crashplan lets you do it from both desktop application and through the web app, but it limits the size to 500 MB while Backblaze will only let you restore through the web interface with no restrictions on size.
Winner: Backblaze.
Reason: Backup starts automatically once you have Backblaze installed while Crashplan requires a little more hands-on approach.
2 – Features
There are some features that make one service superior to the other. Crashplan lets you backup your data to external hard drives as well as the cloud thus giving you an extra layer of data security. CrashPlan also sports some additional features that Backblaze doesn’t like:
- Storing deleted files forever (Unlike Backblaze’s 30 days).
- Storing up to 1000 versions of each file for up to 4 years (Unlike Backblaze’s 34 versions over a 30 day period).
- Battery saving settings for Laptop users.
Winner: Crashplan
Reason: Crashplan definitely sports more features than Backblaze. Backblaze is basic for most users, but someone with technical knowledge would prefer Crashplan over Backblaze when it comes to Features.
3 – Cost
In Backblaze vs Crashplan comparison, we found that both the services charge about the same amount monthly for a single computer. However, it’s much complicated when it comes to the Family Plans and Annual Plans. Without going much into details, let’s just say that Crashplan is more economical if there are more than 2 computers to back up while Backblaze is much cheaper for single computer users.
Winner: Tie
Reason: Because both the services charge somewhat the same amount, however, Crashplan becomes more economical if you want to back up more than one computer. Indeed, the best for businesses!
4 – Speed
Our Crashplan vs Backblaze comparison shows that both the services offer impressive speed. They can back up about 100 GB data at 7–8 Mbps. Backing up speed is somewhat the same for both Crashplan and Backblaze. However, Backblaze wins when it comes to the speed while restoring your data.
Winner: Tie
Reason: Both the services backup at almost the same speed.
5 – Compatibility
Crashplan is compatible with more operating systems than Backblaze. Backblaze supports Windows and Mac only while Crashplan supports Windows, Mac, Solaris and Linux.
Winner: Crashplan
Reason: Crashplan is extending its support to more operating systems, hence, gets an edge in the Crashplan vs Backblaze comparison.
6 – Mobile Applications
Crashplan is a clear winner when it comes to mobile applications too as it has apps for more platforms such as Android, iOS, Kindle Fire and Windows Phone whereas Backblaze only has apps for iOS and Android. In addition to being on more platforms, Crashplan also lets you access unlimited files from your backup on the go, whereas Backblaze limits the file size you can access to 30 MB only.
Winner: Crashplan
Reason: It is available on more platforms, and its mobile app is also loaded with easy-to-use features.
7 – Data Security
Data security is the most important factor while considering an online backup service. In our Backblaze vs Crashplan comparison, we found both the services offer airtight data security; they both utilize 448-bit encryption. Your files are encrypted multiple times before they are stored on the cloud. The encryption protocol followed by Crashplan and Backblaze is even better than the 128-bit encryption that many online banks and e-commerce businesses use.
Winner: Tie
Reason: Both the services offer 448-bit encryption and are encrypted multiple times from transmission till the storage phase, so it’s hard to declare one a winner here.
8 – Memory Usage
Crashplan takes up more memory as compared to Backblaze. Crashplan documentation reads as follows: You may want to consider the memory usage of these services if you have an older PC, or you’re backing up a large amount of data.
Winner: Backblaze
Reason: Takes up less memory, hence leaving you with more disk space.
9 – Technical Support
In Crashplan vs Backblaze comparison, Crashplan leads the race when it comes to the technical assistance. You can get help via a variety of options like live chat; ticketing, or you can simply call in and get help from a Customer Service Representative. Backblaze being a much newer service offer limited support options like Email ticket support and a response time of 24 hours.
Winner: Crashplan
Reason: Numerous options available i.e. Chat, Ticket, Call, email, etc. while Backblaze sports fewer support options.
10 – Reliability:
Even though both of these services are highly reliable, Crashplan is not as smooth as Backblaze. Upload and download speeds are often inconsistent when it comes to Crashplan whereas we haven’t seen reported cases of any such hiccups by Backblaze users.
Winner: Backblaze
Reason: Backblaze is more consistent, smooth and easy to operate, while Crashplan can be unpredictable at times with fluctuating upload and download speeds.
Crashplan vs Backblaze Conclusion:
Both the services are great and are best at what they do. However, we would like to say that Crashplan is more for enterprise/business purposes, while Backblaze is a good fit for individuals.
