Mac online backup services FAQ: Can you provide a comparison of Mac OS X online backup services?
As I continue to dig deeper into the topic of Mac OS X online backup services, I thought I'd start putting together a Mac online backup comparison chart. I just went through the websites of all the online backup services vendors to put together the details below.
Mac online backup services - comparison chart
Here's an early version of my "Mac online backup services" comparison chart. I'll add and clarify the online backup service information as I learn more. Also, if you are a user of any of these Mac online backup services and want to improve this data, just leave a comment below.
| Carbonite | Dropbox | iDisk | iDrive | ZumoDrive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free storage | N/A | 2 GB | N/A | 2 GB | |
| Tier 1 storage | "Unlimited", $55/year, one computer | 20GB / $9.99/month | 20GB / $99/year | 150GB - $4.95/month | 10GB $2.99/month |
| Tier 2 storage | N/A | 50GB / $19.99/month | 500GB - $14.95/month | 25GB $6.99/month | |
| Tier 3 storage | N/A | 50GB $9.99/month | |||
| Backup scheduling | Yes | ||||
| Multi-device access |
Web interface. iPhone and BlackBerry apps. |
Mac, Windows, Linux. iPhone iPad Android |
Web interface. | TBD | |
| File sharing | Yes | Yes | |||
| Restoring data | App in Mac System Preferences | Finder view, and web interface. | ? | iDrive desktop app, or web interface | ? |
| Online support | Documents online, no user forums. | Manuals, and forums with thousands of questions and answers. |
PDFs and FAQs. No user forums. |
? | |
| Pro's |
"Unlimited" storage for one computer. For someone needing a lot of storage for one computer, their price is lowest. |
Best overall experience so far. | TBD | TBD | |
| Con's | Price is per computer, no family pack, so if you need to backup multiple systems, this gets very expensive. | Must use "Dropbox" folder in home directory. | TBD | TBD | The "trick" required to get 2GB access is a major turnoff. |
| Notes |
Best overall experience so far. Required use of the Dropbox folder may be a problem for novices. |
Website looks very old. | The trick required to get the 2GB storage is so annoying I can't bring myself to recommend this online backup service. | ||
| Website | carbonite.com | dropbox.com | Apple's MobileMe | idrive.com | zumodrive.com |
Mac online backup services comparson chart - summary
I hope this comparison chart of currently available online backup services/solutions is helpful. Again, I'll be adding more information as I learn more, so please stay tuned, and please leave a comment below if you have personal experience with any of these online backup systems.
For more information on individual online backup systems, please visit my "Mac online backup services" article.
Mac online backup services and Dropbox.com
One thing I have to add: As of December, 2010, Dropbox.com seems to be a big leader in this battle, at least in terms of marketing and mindshare. Everywhere I look, from Twitter to Facebook to Google, people refer to Dropbox.com as the de facto standard for online backup services, with developers writing apps for it, etc. Here's a link to my Mac OS X Dropbox review.
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