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Online backup is your protection against any disaster that might befall your computer or local storage devices. Mechanical failure, acts of malice, or natural disasters are serious threats to the data 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.
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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.
Why you should trust PCWorld for online backup reviews and buying advice: 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.
iDrive Online Cloud Backup – Best cloud backup overall
Pros
- Online and local backup
- Supports multiple PCs and devices on the same account
- Can back up Office 365, Google Workspace, and NAS
- Low price per terabyte
- Basic imaging and disaster recovery
Cons
- QNAP app install issues
- Needs better imaging and disaster recovery implementation
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, has the ability to back up to a local drive, and supports basic imaging and disaster recovery.
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 Personal plan that starts at 5TB for $24.88 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, 50TB, and 100TB 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
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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, multi-device sync, and mirroring
- Fantastically affordable lifetime plans
- Extremely secure and private
- Free 1GB account
Cons
- Could use better help and task feedback
- The backup is actually one-way sync/mirroring
If you want a straightforward storage and backup option that’s super affordable and includes a generous amount of encrypted storage, Internxt is it. Using the link here, you can get the lowest-cost annual plan for $1.43 a month or a little over $17 for the year. That includes 1TB of storage. The Premium plan costs twice that (approx. $35 per year) and includes 3TB of storage
But it’s the Lifetime plans that make Internxt a truly exceptional value. For a one-time outlay of $129.87, $259.87, or $389.87, you can have Internxt’s backup features along with 1TB, 3TB, or 5TB of storage for life (assuming the company is around for that long). The storage alone makes these plans a steal.
Internxt offers sync, backup (including scheduling), sharing, and a recent addition — antivirus. Note that backups are mirrored data, meaning old data is overwritten with new; so no versioning — although the company says that that feature is forthcoming.
For most people, current-state backup is sufficient. Internxt is also very easy to set up and use. If you’ve been dragging you feet on committing to a backup solution, this is a hard proposition to pass up.
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:
- MSP360 Managed Backup: Backup for multiple computers at a decently low fee. Local and online, file-based and imaging, along with disaster recovery are all provided via manageable local clients.
- R-Drive Image 7.3: This backup program has 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; its 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.
- Aomei Backupper Standard: A respectable free backup program, if you can tolerate the occasional ad. It’s cloud storage is affordable but can only be used for backups, no other data.
- Acronis True Image: Besides being feature-packed, including support for cloud backup storage, Acronis throws in protection against viruses and malware.
- Retrospect 19 Solo: We like that this backup program includes support for both proprietary and third-party cloud storage, but not its lack of disaster recovery.
- Retrospect 19 Desktop: The pro version to Solo’s consumer version, Retrospect Desktop covers all the bases, but has a steep learning curve and high price.
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.
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.
FAQ
How reliable is cloud backup?
Generally speaking, data centers are backed up to the hilt, and some of the larger ones even back up to different geographical locations. Availability (hopefully 24/7) can also be important. Check for news of outages and the vendor’s own service blogs. In truth, all the services we’re aware of are near-100% reliable.
What speed and data transfer rates should I look for?
Speed in many cases is far more dependent upon your broadband connection than that of the online service, though the geographical location of the storage and the equipment in between can make a significant difference. Check the location of the data servers if speed is important to you. Or, just give the trial a whirl and see if you can live with it.
How often should you schedule backups?
Ideally, you should back up your data as often as possible. This is especially true if you are working on an important project or have data that you absolutely cannot afford to lose. It’s a good idea to automate the backup process and have the cloud service back up your data every hour or so.
What’s the difference between cloud backup services and services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive?
Services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are considered to be cloud storage services. This means that a user must place their files or data onto the service’s cloud manually. These storage services usually offer a free version with limited storage or a paid version with increased capacity. They can also come with basic services such as automatic cloud backup and the synching of file versions.
A cloud backup service provides continuous versioning and backup of all the file history on your device. They will continuously and automatically back up every specified file on a device. Cloud backup service providers also offer additional data security measures such as end-to-end encryption.
Is it safe to store my data online?
Yes! All cloud backup services offer encryption of your data both during the transfer to and from your computer as well as while your data is stored on the provider’s servers.
While this encryption stops others from being able to view your data, it doesn’t necessarily stop them from stealing it. But rest assured that the level of security against theft with these services most likely rivals that of your own device. So generally speaking, while not infallible, cloud backup services are one of the most secure options for storing your data.
Do you need to back up everything on your computer?
You should at least back up all data that you can’t stand to lose. All devices will likely experience technical issues over time and oftentimes this leads to your data being lost from that device. So you should do regular backups of everything that is important to you. However, backup services typically offer more storage than most people can use, so it’s never a bad idea to safely store all of your data in case of emergency.
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