So, if the data you’re backing up isn’t sensitive (i.e. Having the ability to choose encryption types can drastically speed up data transfers, too.įor instance, consider that local encryption can significantly impact the time it takes to complete a file transfer. Users can opt for either automatic encryption using a 128-bit Blowfish key, or use stronger local encryption utilizing AES-256. I have to give Carbonite an A+ on their encryption methods.
The Plus and Prime plans aren’t available on Apple systems. Though they do support Mac and Windows systems, Mac users are restricted to the Basic plan. Lastly, I wanted to point out a feature that I thought was a little odd. I like the idea of the courier service since it’s nice to have a hard copy of your data, especially if you experience hardware problems like a failed drive and need to completely rebuild a PC. It adds an automatic video backup feature and a courier recovery service too. The third and last plan improves upon the Plus plan with two additional features as well. And secondly, it has a feature called “mirror image backups.” Basically, this is a drive imaging feature, that can clone your hard drive bit for bit, which is great for backing up your operating system in addition to your files. First, the Plus plan permits unlimited local backups. Next, the Plus plan improves upon the Basic plan with only two additional features. And naturally, all the plans come with customer support. But the Basic plan doesn’t permit local backups. However, the cloud storage is restricted to one computer. The Basic version is pretty light, though it does have automatic and secure cloud backups and cloud storage. It only supports Windows 7, 8, 10, and OSX 10.6 and later versions.įurthermore, each subscription plan has different features, and each higher-level plan includes all of the lower plans’ features. So if you’re a Linux user, you’re out of luck. In fact, they only support Windows and Mac. The first feature you should be aware of is that Carbonite doesn’t support very many operating systems.
However, Carbonite only has a 15-day free trial.
Some backup providers will let you use their software client free for as long as you wish, but restrict use to local backups only, which essentially cuts out all of the cloud storage features. I would have preferred that it was more granular, but they don’t offer monthly or bi-annual plans.Īlso, note that they don’t have a completely free version of their service. Though their pricing is fair and reasonable, I don’t really like their subscription term lengths. Naturally, the more features you purchase, the higher the price of the product. They have a tiered service, and you need to purchase higher-level subscriptions to unlock more features. PricingĬarbonite uses a pricing model that fairly typical among cloud backup providers. Keeping that in mind, let’s start analyzing this service by looking at their pricing model. But are they right for you? Today we’re going to pick apart this cloud backup provider piece by piece so you can make an informed decision before ever committing to a subscription.įirst off, note that they really focus on backups, which makes them an entirely different type of service than online storage providers like Dropbox or Google Drive. Their headquartered in Boston, and are a clear leader in the backup industry. Carbonite is a cloud backup and storage company based in the United States.