Best online backup 2025: iDrive, Backblaze, Livedrive, and more

Online backup is your guard against any disaster that might impact your computer or local storage devices. Mechanical failure, acts of malice, or natural disasters are serious threats to the files and folders you have stored on your PC.

While I always recommend keeping a local backup for quick restores (see our roundup of the best Windows backup software for desktop solutions), uploading your data to an online backup service is a reliable way to cover your bases. The “backup rule of three” exists for a reason.

The good news for consumers is that there are many affordable and convenient cloud storage options, each offering unique selling points. My primary concern here is backup, but I do note other roles that a service can fulfill, such as file sharing, multiple-device support, and emergency-restore options. 

You might wonder why you don’t see services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox here. Those are more accurately defined as cloud storage. Besides typically lacking a desktop client, and offering limited, if any, automatic backup functionality, online storage syncing involves mirroring — where any deletions or changes are reflected on the other end. While online backup uses versioning, so older data is retained — an important failsafe.

iDrive Online Cloud Backup – Best cloud backup overall

Pros

• Online and local backup in the same job
• Supports multiple PCs and devices on the same account

Cons

• One of the pricier services, beyond the free version, though justifiably so

Just as when we originally reviewed all the major online backup services, iDrive remains the most comprehensive online backup service. And though it’s not the cheapest, it’s still affordable and comes with backup clients for nearly every PC and device. The company also provides additional storage for syncing all your devices and PCs, allows sharing of files with anyone, and has the ability to back up to a local drive. 

Since our review, iDrive has expanded its backup offerings to cover a variety of personal and team needs. Besides a very spare 10GB free tier, there’s a Mini tier that offers up to 500GB for $9.95 a year, a Personal plan that starts at 5TB for $69.95 the first year (or $149.25 for two years), and $99.50 each year after, covering one user and multiple devices.

Additional Personal tiers offer 10TB, 20TB, and 50TB options, with associated price increases. There are also Team plans that cover multiple users and multiple computers, at various storage capacities and different price steps.

Read our full

iDrive Online Cloud Backup review

Livedrive – Best for unlimited storage

Pros

• Fast, glitch-free performance
• Syncing briefcase with online editing (Pro version) or separate service
• Unlimited backup

Cons

• Mac Client requires third-party software for briefcase functionality

In our most recent review of Livedrive, the reviewer summed it up with one word: smooth. That’s really not a surprise, since Livedrive’s elegant setup, ease of use, and reliability — all the things that make it such smooth operator, so to speak, are the very things that made it one of our top picks for online backup over the last several years. There’s something to be said for how reassuring it can be to use a product that is artfully designed and executed.

And it also remains true that Livedrive’s value proposition is made even more sweet with the addition of unlimited storage. The standard Backup plan for one PC is approximately $99.90 for the first year and $119.88 per year after that (being a UK-based company, prices are listed in pounds and the conversion to dollars will fluctuate); a Pro Suite that covers five machines is $246.90 for first year and $329.88 for subsequent years.

Despite the servers being located “across the pond,” we experienced a brisk 5- to 10MBps upload rate from our base in San Francisco, CA, which should reassure U.S.-based customers.

Yes, Backblaze and Carbonite also offer unlimited storage, and are strong services in their own right, but there are caveats to both that push the highly polished Livedrive client ahead.

Read our full

Livedrive online backup review

Internxt Drive – Best budget backup

Pros

• Online storage, sync, and backup
• Fantastically affordable lifetime plans
• Extremely secure and private
• Free 2TB account

Cons

• Could use better help and task feedback
• Occasional connection errors

What if you want a straightforward storage and backup option that costs next to nothing and still provides backup features and a ton of storage? Internxt offers a 200GB storage plan for under $4 per month or you can opt for the lifetime 2TB plan for a one time payment of $149—that’s 2TB of cloud storage and backup forever.

Another great perk is that all of Internxt’s plans, regardless of cost, offer the exact same features. This means that even if you opt for the cheapest plan they have, you’ll still benefit from the full feature set including online storage, sync, backup, and sharing. The service is also extremely easy to understand and use, and for only a few dollars a month you’re able to use features which aren’t offered in free services.

Read our full

Internxt Drive online backup review

Arq 7 Backup – Best for consolidating online storage

Pros

• Super-clean interface and setup
• Affordable online storage
• Local and online backup
• Supports a wide variety of third-party online storage services
• Flawless in our testing

Cons

• No plain file backup
• Solo client software is a tad pricey

Over the years you’ve likely used more than one cloud or online storage services. Whether that be Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint, you name it. You likely also use one or more of these services to store different buckets of your data. With all of these different storage options the wires can get crossed and it can become increasingly difficult to ensure all of your data is backed up to the correct service. That’s where Arq 7 comes in.

Its support for myriad third-party online backup services is second to none. Arq 7 also supports multiple jobs that you can tailor to each service such as backing up vital documents to free cloud storage, or larger files to a premium service you use as well. The interface is clean and easy-to-use, which is a huge boon considering how intimidating backing up can be for new users.

Our only minor quibble with the service is that it’s a bit of a one-trick pony—it only does backup. There are no additional features such as partition or drive-image backups, cloning, sync, or recovery via boot media. Still, in regards to backup, Arq 7 does an excellent job, and with its support for third-party services it’s one of the most versatile backup services we’ve ever tested.

Read our full

Arq 7 Backup review

Pros

• 5GB free account
• Browser interface and local apps
• Syncs across devices
• Vault for non-distributed backup
• User definable expiration dates for file and folder shares

Cons

• No scheduled backups for Vault

Sync.com offers both a paid and a free tier service. The free tier comes with 5GB of backup cloud storage and most of the features offered in their premium services as well. The Sync.com service is easy to use and as secure as any other online backup service we’ve come across. It has both an attractive and well-designed web interface as well as a desktop app available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

Sync.com also makes syncing files across your devices easy to do and even has a Vault option to back up files without transferring them to the local Sync folder in case you wish to keep files unchanged or separated for any reason. While 5GB of storage may not be enough for power users or businesses, if you’re just looking to keep files stored online and the ability to sync them across multiple devices without having to pay anything, Sync.com is a reliable service with great functionality. Plus, you can always upgrade to a paid tier for more storage as needed.

Read our full

Sync.com review

Backup software with cloud backup/storage support

Typically, we separate our reviews of cloud backup services from local backup software (as seen in our best Windows backup software roundup.) But those lines have been blurred with backup software that includes support for cloud backup and storage. The following are reviews of such hybrid offerings:

• R-Drive Image 7.3: This great backup program gets even better with expanded support for cloud storage services — including the Amazon S3 and S3-compatible repositories
• Iperius Backup Basic: This backup program offers power aplenty, but the learning curve and interface might occasionally flummox less-experienced users.
• EaseUS ToDo Backup 2025: A full-featured program that ranks among the top; it’s free version is particular robust.
• Handy Backup 8.5 Professional: Top-notch features might’ve garnered an Editors’ Choice award had it been entirely glitch-free and a bit easier to learn.
• Ashampoo Backup Pro 26: Overarching support for myriad backup chores with easy-to-understand wizards.
• Zinstall FullBack: Unique among backup programs, it offers full migration of backed up data and apps to a new OS installation — for a relatively steep price.
• Aomei Backupper Pro: A complete backup solution capable of preserving your important data both locally and remotely.
• Acronis True Image: Besides being feature-packed, including support for cloud backup storage, Acronis throws in protection against viruses and malware.
• R-Drive Image: Our top pick for best Windows backup software just keeps getting better with each new iteration.

Even local backup software that doesn’t offer a formal cloud component can be made to incorporate the most popular online storage services, using a cloud storage manager.

The good news is that you have lots of options for putting together a comprehensive backup strategy including local and remote copies of all your data!

How we tested

As noted above, the performance of online backup services will vary wildly according to their location and the network equipment between you and the data depository. We installed the software and backed up the same 2GB data set to check for any major issues or glitches in the client software. These are noted in the reviews.

See our article on how PCWorld tests cloud backup services for all the details.

Why you should trust us: It’s in our name, PCWorld. Our reviewers have been testing PC hardware, software, and services for decades. Our backup evaluations are thorough and rigorous, testing the promises and limitations of every product — from performance to the practicalities of regular use. As PC users ourselves, we know what makes a product stand out. Only the best online backup services make this list.

How to pick an online storage and backup service

Cloud backup has unique considerations. Familiarizing yourself with the following key areas can help you find the cloud backup service that best meets your needs.

Capacity

Obviously, you’ll need as much storage as you have data, plus a little, or possibly a lot, more if you want to track changes and save previous versions of files. Some services keep multiple versions of files, some don’t. In many cases there’s a time limit.

Price

Nearly all online services charge for a maximum allowable amount of data, and generally uploads are free. Aside from the free tiers available from a service like Dropbox, pricing is fairly consistent across services, though you definitely get more capacity for your money from some vendors, notably Backblaze.

Features

As we mentioned previously, in addition to backup, you may want to share your files with others, work with them from mobile devices, or even edit them with office applications such as those available with Dropbox, Google, and OneDrive. If you do intend to work online, we recommend that you maintain a local copy as backup, and a hedge against internet downtime. 

OS and device support

Most services provide client backup software for the major operating systems (Linux, OS X, and Windows) and both Android and iOS. Make sure the service you sign up for supports your entire panoply of computers and devices.

Privacy

If you’re concerned about the privacy of your data, make sure you use a service that allows the use of a personal encryption key that you define. Do NOT lose it, as it is absolutely required to restore your data. Sadly, using your own key often limits the types of services (e.g., no mobile backup) available.

If private encryption keys aren’t available, read the privacy policy, especially with the free services—there are significant differences.