Carbonite vs. iDrive: Which Offers Better Cloud Backup for Small Businesses
Small businesses face many challenges, including the risk of losing valuable data. As a result, choosing a reliable cloud backup provider is crucial. Two popular options in the market are Carbonite and iDrive. But which one is better? In this post, we'll compare both services and help you make an informed decision.
Pricing
Pricing is an essential consideration for small businesses. Carbonite offers three plans: Basic, Plus, and Prime. The Basic plan starts at $6/month for unlimited computers, while the Prime plan costs $24/month for server backup, bare metal restore, and other advanced features.
In contrast, iDrive has three plans, too: Personal, Business, and Enterprise. The Business plan starts at $99.50/year for up to 250GB of storage, five user accounts, and unlimited devices.
Winner: Carbonite for providing more affordable pricing plans.
Features
Both Carbonite and iDrive offer similar features, including automatic backups, file sharing, remote access, and encryption. However, Carbonite offers additional features, such as external hard drive backup, courier recovery service, and server backup for small businesses.
On the other hand, iDrive offers a hybrid backup option, which allows you to back up to both the cloud and a physical device, as well as a free Express service, which enables quick transfer of large amounts of data.
Winner: It's a tie, as both offer unique features that appeal to different types of small businesses.
Performance
Carbonite's performance is impressive, with fast backup and restore speeds. It also has a comprehensive dashboard that displays valuable information, such as backup status, storage usage, and file size.
iDrive is known for its speed, too. Its hybrid backup option can be incredibly fast, as it saves data both on the cloud and a physical device simultaneously. It also lets you use a private encryption key to secure your data.
Winner: iDrive for its hybrid backup option's speed and added security.
Support
Both Carbonite and iDrive offer support via phone, email, and chat. Carbonite goes the extra mile by adding a courier recovery service, which sends a physical copy of your data if you lose it.
iDrive, on the other hand, offers 24/7 customer support and a video library with tutorials and webinars to help users.
Winner: It's a tie, as both offer responsive customer support and additional learning resources.
User Interface
Carbonite has a user-friendly interface that's easy to navigate, making it an excellent choice for small businesses without dedicated IT teams. It also has a mobile app that lets you access your data on the go.
iDrive's interface can be daunting for some users initially, but it's incredibly customizable, with granular controls over what's backed up and when.
Winner: Carbonite for its user-friendly and accessible interface.
Conclusion
Choosing between Carbonite and iDrive depends on your business's specific needs. Carbonite excels at affordability and user interface, while iDrive has better performance and added security. Ultimately, both offer excellent cloud backup and recovery solutions for small businesses.
References
- Carbonite. (n.d.). Carbonite Pricing. https://www.carbonite.com/backup-software/buy-backup/
- iDrive. (n.d.). iDrive Business – a cloud backup and storage solution. https://www.idrive.com/cloud-backup-for-business