5 Best Cloud Backup Services

Sync.com offers fantastic value for money without sacrificing major features. Being based in Canada is sure to make some wary with the country’s Five Eyes membership, but the zero-knowledge policy with end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication across all of its tiers promises to keep data secure.

This includes the free 5GB tier, which might be enough for cloud storage but it’s unlikely to suit those wanting a cloud backup service. Fortunately, Sync.com is rather generous with storage space when it comes to its premium packages, beginning at a low price and ranging as high as 10TB per person. Sync.com also offers an Unlimited plan, with unlimited storage, for $15 per month/per user! You'll need a minimum of two users to take advantage of this deal, but it offers users the most storage, and a full raft of features, for their money.

Although applications remain unavailable for Linux, Sync.com supports a wide range of operating systems. It is particularly impressive on mobile, maintaining a clean user interface without stripping features. You can read more about Sync.com in our full review.

NordLocker 2.0 is an encryption tool developed by the trusted privacy brand NordVPN. It's a tool primarily developed to allow users to encrypt their data on a local hard drive, and whilst it currently has apps for Windows and Mac, it is about to roll out Android and iOS apps, too, making it an extremely well-rounded service.

Besides encrypting the files stored on your local drive, NordLocker lets you choose files and folders that you want to save in the cloud. This allows you to back up files securely by simply copying them into the 'cloud locker' folder. This works like Dropbox – but with end-to-end encryption. The concept of a Dropbox-style folder that backs up important files with added encryption means that you can back up data without concern that it could be intercepted by the company or accessed via a warrant. With NordLocker, your backed-up data stays completely private and yours.

There's 3 GB of storage available for free users, but you can increase this to 500 GB by paying just $3.99 per month. The great thing about NordLocker is that you can use it on as many Windows and Mac computers as you like with just a single subscription – and it will work on multiple user accounts on a single PC.

Admittedly, this service is not as feature-rich as some of its competitors. It fills a completely different niche, however, by offering encryption and encrypted backups rather than some of the advanced features you get elsewhere (file versioning, full disk imaging, and backups via FTP or from NAS devices, for example). This does make it slightly more limited, but if encryption is what you want, this service is well worth testing. 

What's more, you can opt to manually copy the entirety of your hard drive into your cloud locker if you want to. Any time you update your cloud locker folder, those changes will be automatically updated on the cloud. NordLocker also allows you to sync your data from the cloud to multiple devices by simply installing the service and logging in with your credentials. You'll be able to share your files or folders with your contacts if you like, too. All in all, NordLocker is an excellent service for those who want to encrypt their data locally and back it up in a completely private manner. 

IDrive has a range of features that cement its place, from robust advanced scheduling and restore options to its range of support across Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Unfortunately, the service falls short with no Linux app but you can get it working through the web or via scripts. Since it doesn’t backup all files by default and places a distinct focus on sync capabilities, some might argue that another cloud backup service should take IDrive’s spot on this list.

Despite this, IDrive Personal subscribers can connect to as many devices as they choose under the subscription, paying either $69.50 per year for the 5TB plan or $99.50 per year for 10TB. Backup is intuitive, only using block-level file copying to replace the changed portions of a file rather than uploading the entirety again. True archiving also means that locally deleted files will be held on the cloud until it is manually cleaned up.

Despite all of this, the company is based in the United States, a country known for its intrusive stance on privacy. You can opt for a locally stored private encryption key to keep your information safe from prying eyes, however, this removes IDrive’s sharing features and cannot be recovered if forgotten. Once you opt for this option, you cannot change it without resetting everything, including your stored data.

Livedrive is a reliable cloud backup service based in the UK. Alongside a straightforward, uncluttered, and extremely easy-to-use interface, Livedrive offers users unlimited backup storage space and all the features and functionality you would expect from a premium cloud backup service.

The web-based interface is accompanied by standalone apps that are available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. File versioning gives you the ability to go back 30 file versions to easily recover previously saved data. Even deleted files are saved for 30 days, which ensures you can get them back if you need to. Folder scans at regular intervals of your choice, photo preview, and automatic photo and video backups are also available. Livedrive also includes a handy music playback feature that lets you play your music files directly from cloud via the user interface.

In terms of security, you can rest assured that Livedrive will keep your files safe and secure, thanks to the fact that your files are encrypted in transit via TLS 1.2 encryption standards in transit, and at rest on its secure servers with AES 256-bit encryption. Livedrive’s UK data centers are ISO 27001 certified, protected with 3 layers of physical access security, and include network monitoring on a 24/7/365 basis. What’s more, your data is obfuscated and distributed across systems to ensure no individual files can be accessed by any unauthorized entity. Users in the European Union will also  appreciate the fact that Livedrive is fully GDPR compliant.

For personal use, Livedrive offers three payment options: Backup, Briefcase, and Pro Suite. The Backup plan is the base plan offered by Livedrive and includes unlimited backup storage for 1 user and the ability to access your files through the mobile app for €7.99 per month. With the Briefcase plan, you get 2TB of cloud storage space to sync across devices along with automatic mobile photo and video backup for €10.00 per month. The Pro Suite plan essentially combines the Backup and Briefcase plans into one, plus you’ll get 5TB of cloud storage space to sync across devices and the ability to add 5 individual users to your account for €17.00 per month. For an additional €5.00 per month, you can add NAS backup to your subscription plan. And if you want to try before you buy, you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial for all subscription plans.

Tresorit has become a household name due to its reliable and feature-rich cloud storage service. Its focus on business packages makes it a standout cloud backup candidate for those who need to back up large amounts of data regularly. With that said, it does also cater to individuals as well as organizations with over 100 people.

We love that Tresorit offers two-factor authentication and a zero-knowledge policy that provides end-to-end encryption without storing a single encryption key on its servers. This is the highest kind of security available for your data and means that no staff member or government authority will ever be able to force Tresorit to provide access to your data. 

To test the service and what it can do, Tresorit offers a 14-day trial of its Premium, Solo and Small Business packages, and a 7-day money-back guarantee. In our Tresorit Review, we praised the firm’s Swiss origin, which is always praised by privacy enthusiasts.  And we are sure that you will be impressed with its feature set, which is definitely more complete than most of its competitors. The drawback? This service is a premium product that you will pay more for.