After an extensive review of online backup services, we have concluded that Mozy Pro is the all-around winner for those serious about online backup protection. Criteria for this evaluation included data transfer speed, software features, service capabilities, etc.
While Mozy also offers an unlimited home service plan, we do not suggest it for most due to the capped transfer speed and one problem that was experienced with the home-level service.
Intronis eSureIT is the runner-up in our testing. While their software is capable, and the service offers some very interesting features, such as Intelliblox and multiple PC backup support, higher pricing, slower transfer speeds, and the fact that revisions count against the disk space quota cause Mozy Pro to come out on top. We have also reported a few suggestions to Intronis regarding usability enhancements that should be made to the software.
IDrive deserves mention. The IDrive software is excellent, and the service works flawlessly for small backups. However, we encountered serious problems when backing up a large collection of files, such as icons or fonts. IDrive provides very attractive pricing. If the issue mentioned above were resolved, we could easily see IDrive moving into the top position.
The only downside we have noticed with Mozy Pro is a delay which often occurs when transitioning between files for upload and download operations. The delay can sometimes be frustrating, but in tests, the overall speed of Mozy Pro still beats the competition.
Update: Please see the comments for an evaluation of the ElephantDrive backup service.
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I just wanted to mention that Intronis has recently dropped their prices quite significantly. They also offer 2GB free. However, I think they are going after businesses more than home users.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Mozy Pro is definitely a great service provider… BTW – Scandisk Titanium now offers free online backup with their pen drive.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:24 am
I have tried IDrive and Mozy Home. I found IDrive worked flawlessly even for large amounts of data. I have nearly 100 GB of data, including mostly pictures. I was actually able to store data faster with IDrive compared to Mozy Home.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Interesting. You did not include ElephantDrive, which in my tests beat Mozy for speed handily.
@Tech blog: I think you mean SanDisk, not “Scandisk.” Their USB drive has some variant of BeInSync on it. I’ve never used it – can you comment on the performance?
October 14th, 2008 at 12:35 am
@Mohave: We had not heard of ElephantDrive until your mention. However, we took a day to evaluate the service. While their speed is great, it is setup more like an upload service than a backup service. We completely understand that it is a backup service and see how it works, but the user interface of the software is lacking, to say the least. File/folder selection is very cumbersome, as is viewing afterwards. With ElephantDrive, you must setup your folder configuration manually, just as you have already done on your own system (where much of that has been done automatically by software installations), which can be quite time consuming for those with well-categorized folders. With all other backup services we have evaluated thus far, file/folder selection is just a matter of checking off what you want to backup, and then it is “mirrored” online. The ElephantDrive service seems particularly well suited for category-based backups. That is, if you only need to backup photos, Word documents, music, videos, or other files that are only of a certain file extension, it should work great. However, for those who want to be able to select exactly what to backup and do so easily with any file types, ElephantDrive just does not fit the bill.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I have to agree about ElephantDrive. I tried them when I saw the comment here last night (before the review update), and the software is awful.
October 14th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
It is great SP, but I need a cheaper price than Mozy Pro.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Mozy Pro looks really good. I will give it a try.
October 18th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I’ve used both Mozy Pro and JungleDisk Pro, and for me personally I like and use JungleDisk Pro. But for clients, I have been recommending Mozy or Mozy Pro, just because it has a simpler interface. Carbonite is another service that some of my co-workers swear by.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
@Rob Steenwyk – JungleDisk Plus is certainly very nice for online storage, but it does not offer automatic (either timed or continuous) backup functionality for changed files. It was, therefore, not included in this evaluation. Carbonite, on the other hand, was included in our evaluation. It does not have the flexibility and functionality that Mozy and a couple of the others do, though, as far as the software, which is why it did not do better in the rankings. Carbonite did do well as far as the service options and performance.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
When choosing an online backup service, I recommend you Google the service in the following way, “known technical issues with“, where is the name of the backup service.
It will provide some helpful information.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:22 am
Definitely; it is so important to backup your valuable content. Every day thousands of computer files are needlessly put at risk. Finding a solution that is right for you is so important.
-Jordan
November 13th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Thanks for the great post.
Consider reviewing DocLanding for your online backup services. They launched at DEMOfall08 this year, and they are pretty cool. It is geared towards small businesses and entrepreneurs. Beyond the tools listed above, DocLanding also offers versioning, document annotation, controlled (timed) sharing, and it is compliant (HIPPA, SEC, and more). It is nice if you need to share sensitive documents without paying for a courier.
Keep up the great posts,
Will
December 8th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Skadoit! offers affordable online data backups at only $6.95/month or $69.95/year. Unlimited support is included in the service price.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I recently came across a company offering a similar service with an interesting twist – all the data is stored in Canada, which apparently has much more strict privacy laws than in the US.
http://fiveht.com/Data-Vault-Home.html
December 15th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
On November 12 2008, Xdrive LLC part of AOL LLC, sent out to Xdrive account holders an AOL official mail notifying them that the Xdrive service will be shutting down on January 12 2009. On December 12 2008, Xdrive LLC sent a second notice to Xdrive account holders. Check your SPAM box if you don’t see it in your inbox especially if you have a non-AOL email account.
Today is December 17th 2008…so that leaves Xdrive account holders 27 days to get their assets off of the Xdrive service. I would not recommend waiting until the last day. Get it done today…!
ElephantDrive offers an easy migration page for moving data.
ElephantDrive is the only solution provider working in cooperation with Xdrive using their Open Xdrive API. While competitors of ElephantDrive may offer discounts on their subscription plans, you’ll have to do all the work of transferring your digital assets. ElephantDrive is committed to helping every Xdrive account holder make transitioning their digital assets seamless and transparent by using the Xdrive to ElephantDrive migration page.
ElephantDrive offers packages that are designed to protect the digital assets of individuals, SMBs, and large organizations.
Xdrive consumers with questions about transferring their digital assets over to ElephantDrive can check our Common Questions page.
Matt K. Olson
Consultant @ ElephantDrive
December 17th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’ve been trying to use IDrive for a couple months now. The software is slow, unreliable, hangs, etc. – just unbearable! I’ll try Mozy or Carbonite!
December 20th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Another one to checkout is http://www.MyOtherDrive.com. They not only have online backup with AES 128-bit encryption support and unattended operation, but they also have the most complete file sharing capabilities.
December 20th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Mozy is a great Utah company. Whether in house or outsourced, backing up all of your data is extremely valuable. Myotherdrive.com does have a compelling model. Does anyone know how long they’ve been around?
July 21st, 2009 at 2:34 pm