7 Best Backblaze Alternatives for Cloud Storage in 2026

Why Look for a Backblaze Alternative?

Backblaze earns its reputation as the simplest, cheapest unlimited backup service on the market — $99/year for one computer is genuinely hard to beat. But "simple and cheap" comes with real trade-offs that push a surprising number of users to switch. Three problems come up consistently:

• No true zero-knowledge encryption. Backblaze uses AES-256 encryption, but it requires you to supply your private key during restoration, meaning Backblaze holds access to your data at rest. It is not client-side encryption in the zero-knowledge sense.
• One computer per license. A desktop, a laptop, and a home server each require separate $99/year subscriptions. Families or multi-device users pay steeply for this limitation.
• Cold storage only. Backblaze is optimized for archiving, not active use. There is no file sharing, no collaboration, no streaming previews, and minimal version control configuration.

If any of those limitations apply to you, the alternatives below offer concrete improvements — with exact pricing so you can compare fairly.

Quick Comparison: Backblaze vs. Top Alternatives

1. IDrive — Best Overall Backblaze Alternative

IDrive is consistently the strongest direct replacement for Backblaze Personal Backup, winning top pick status from both Cloudwards and NYT Wirecutter. The single biggest differentiator: IDrive backs up every device you own — desktops, laptops, phones, tablets — under one subscription. Where Backblaze charges $99/year per computer, IDrive covers an unlimited number of devices for $70/year on its 5 TB plan.

What IDrive Does Better Than Backblaze

• True client-side encryption. IDrive supports a user-defined private encryption key. When enabled, IDrive cannot decrypt your data — Backblaze cannot make this claim.
• Physical restore option. IDrive Express ships you a physical hard drive loaded with your data, identical to Backblaze's Restore by Mail. Downloading 5 TB over a typical cable connection takes weeks; both services solve this correctly.
• Continuous and scheduled backups. IDrive lets you configure exactly when and how often backups run. Backblaze offers no scheduling control.
• 30 versions of every file retained, versus Backblaze's 1-year version history on the base plan.

IDrive Pricing

• 100 GB: $0.25/month (introductory, then ~$2.95/month)
• 5 TB Personal: $70/year (~$5.83/month)
• 10 TB Personal: $120/year (~$10/month)
• Business plans start at 250 GB for $99.50/year

Choose IDrive if: you have more than one computer or mobile device to back up and want proper client-side encryption without paying a premium.

2. Wasabi — Best Backblaze B2 Alternative for Developers

If you are comparing against Backblaze B2 (the object storage product, not the personal backup), Wasabi is the most compelling direct rival. Wasabi positions itself as "hot cloud storage" — faster retrieval than B2 while eliminating two cost categories that make B2 unpredictable at scale.

What Wasabi Does Better Than Backblaze B2

• No egress fees. Backblaze B2 charges $0.01/GB for downloads. That sounds trivial until you restore 10 TB of video footage and face a $100 surprise bill on top of your storage cost. Wasabi charges $0/GB for egress.
• No API request charges. B2 meters API calls; Wasabi does not. For applications making frequent small reads and writes, this difference is significant.
• S3-compatible API. Wasabi uses the same S3 API as Amazon, meaning most backup tools (Veeam, Rclone, Duplicati, Arq) connect to Wasabi without any configuration changes beyond updating the endpoint URL.
• Flat pricing: $6.99/TB/month with a 30-day minimum storage commitment — no tiers, no complexity.

Choose Wasabi if: you are a developer, MSP, or IT team already using B2 for server backups and want to eliminate egress fees without changing your toolchain.

3. pCloud — Best for Lifetime Plan Value

pCloud occupies a different category from Backblaze: it is a sync-and-storage platform rather than a pure backup tool, but its backup features are comprehensive and its pricing model is genuinely unique. pCloud sells lifetime plans — a one-time payment that eliminates monthly subscription fatigue entirely.

What pCloud Does Better Than Backblaze

• Lifetime plans. Pay once, own the storage forever: 500 GB for $199 (one-time) or 2 TB for $399 (one-time). At Backblaze's $99/year, you break even on the 2 TB lifetime plan in four years.
• Optional zero-knowledge encryption. pCloud Crypto adds client-side encryption for $4.99/month or $125 lifetime. Without it, pCloud uses server-side encryption only — so factor this in if privacy is the priority.
• File sharing and collaboration. pCloud generates shareable links, shared folders, and branded download pages. Backblaze offers none of this.
• Extended version history up to 365 days on standard plans, extendable to unlimited with add-ons.

pCloud Monthly Pricing (if not buying lifetime)

• Essential 500 GB: $4.99/month
• Premium 2 TB: $9.99/month
• Lifetime 2 TB: $399 one-time

Choose pCloud if: you want the long-term economics of a lifetime plan and value file sharing alongside backup capabilities.

4. Carbonite — Best Plug-and-Play Unlimited Backup

Carbonite is the closest competitor to Backblaze Personal Backup in terms of target audience: non-technical users who want unlimited storage, automatic backups, and zero configuration. Where Carbonite beats Backblaze is on encryption — Carbonite applies true client-side encryption by default, so your data is unreadable without your key.

What Carbonite Does Better Than Backblaze

• True client-side encryption built-in, not an optional key-escrow setup.
• External drive backup on higher-tier plans — Backblaze excludes external drives from its base plan.
• Multi-PC plans. Carbonite Safe Plus ($112/year) and Safe Prime ($133/year) cover additional computers and include automatic video backup, which the base Backblaze plan omits.
• Courier recovery service on Prime tier, comparable to Backblaze Restore by Mail.

Carbonite Pricing

• Safe Basic: $83.99/year — unlimited backup for 1 PC, no external drives
• Safe Plus: $112/year — adds external drive backup and automatic video backup
• Safe Prime: $133/year — adds courier recovery and 500 GB cloud storage

Choose Carbonite if: you want Backblaze-style unlimited backup but need it to work on external drives and include encryption you can verify.

5. CrashPlan — Best for Small Business Backup

CrashPlan withdrew from the consumer market in 2017 and now focuses exclusively on small businesses and IT teams. That focus shows: CrashPlan for Small Business offers unlimited storage per device with configuration depth that neither Backblaze nor IDrive can match.

What CrashPlan Does Better Than Backblaze

• Unlimited storage per device with no per-gigabyte metering.
• Indefinite version history — CrashPlan retains deleted files and file versions forever, not just for 1 year like Backblaze's base plan.
• Granular backup configuration: set backup frequency to as often as every minute, define inclusion/exclusion rules with regex, and throttle bandwidth by time of day.
• Centralized admin console for managing backup status across all company devices from one dashboard — essential for IT teams.

CrashPlan Pricing

• Small Business: $9.99/device/month (unlimited storage, unlimited version history)
• Enterprise: custom pricing, typically $15–$25/device/month with SLA guarantees

Choose CrashPlan if: you manage backup for a business with multiple employees and need centralized visibility, compliance-ready version retention, and configurable policies.

6. Jottacloud — Best for European Privacy Compliance

Jottacloud is a Norwegian cloud backup provider whose data never leaves Norway — a meaningful distinction for users subject to GDPR or who distrust US-based cloud infrastructure. It offers unlimited storage on its personal plan, matching Backblaze's headline feature while adding stronger privacy guarantees.

What Jottacloud Does Better Than Backblaze

• Norway-based data centers outside US jurisdiction — no CLOUD Act exposure.
• Unlimited storage for personal use at $7.50/month, covering unlimited devices, not just one computer.
• Optional client-side encryption via Jottacloud's "Secret" folder feature, where files are encrypted before upload.
• Photo and mobile backup included, with automatic camera roll syncing from iOS and Android.

Jottacloud Pricing

• Personal Unlimited: $7.50/month or $75/year
• Business: from $4.50/user/month (100 GB per user, expandable)

Choose Jottacloud if: you are based in Europe or handle data for European clients and need cloud backup that stays within European legal frameworks.

7. MEGA — Best for Always-On End-to-End Encryption

MEGA is the strongest choice if encryption is non-negotiable and you do not want it as an optional add-on. Every file stored on MEGA is end-to-end encrypted by default — MEGA employees cannot read your data under any circumstances. This is the architecture Backblaze lacks entirely.

What MEGA Does Better Than Backblaze

• Zero-knowledge encryption with no opt-in required — it is on by default for every account, every file.
• 20 GB free storage, which Backblaze does not offer at all.
• End-to-end encrypted file sharing — share a folder with a client and the link itself carries the decryption key, so MEGA's servers never see the file contents during transfer.
• Cross-platform sync on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

MEGA Pricing

• Free: 20 GB
• Pro Lite 400 GB: $5.83/month
• Pro I 2 TB: $11.67/month
• Pro II 8 TB: $23.33/month
• Pro III 16 TB: $35/month

Choose MEGA if: encryption is your top priority and you want it baked into the architecture rather than bolted on as an optional feature.

8. Tresorit — Best for Regulated Industries and Compliance

Tresorit targets the same zero-knowledge niche as MEGA but with an enterprise-grade feature set that makes it suitable for legal, healthcare, and financial teams handling sensitive documents. It is the most expensive option in this guide, but it addresses compliance requirements that cheaper services cannot.

What Tresorit Does Better Than Backblaze

• Zero-knowledge encryption with HIPAA and GDPR compliance documentation — Tresorit provides Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) for healthcare clients.
• Link access controls: set expiry dates, password protection, and view-only permissions on shared links.
• Remote device wipe — if an employee leaves or a device is stolen, revoke access and wipe the local Tresorit cache remotely.
• Data residency options: choose whether your data is stored in EU or US data centers to meet jurisdictional requirements.

Tresorit Pricing

• Personal 2 TB: $12.50/month
• Business Standard (per user): $14/user/month
• Business Plus (per user): $19/user/month
• Enterprise: custom pricing, typically $25+/user/month

Choose Tresorit if: you work in a regulated industry — legal, medical, financial — and need verifiable compliance documentation alongside zero-knowledge encryption.

Migration Tips: Moving Away from Backblaze

Before You Cancel

• Download a local copy first. Use Backblaze's "Restore" feature to download a ZIP of your most critical data before switching. Large restores can take days over a typical connection; request the physical hard drive option (Restore by Mail) for datasets over 1 TB.
• Do not cancel until your new backup completes. Seed the new service fully before letting the Backblaze subscription lapse. You want confirmed, verified coverage before you have a gap.
• Check Backblaze's 30-day deletion policy. Backblaze permanently deletes your stored backup 30 days after cancellation. There is no grace period extension.

Migrating from Backblaze B2 to Wasabi

• Both services use S3-compatible APIs, so tools like Rclone, Cyberduck, and Duplicati need only an endpoint URL change. Replace the B2 endpoint with s3.wasabisys.com and update your access keys.
• Use rclone copy b2:your-bucket wasabi:your-bucket to migrate data directly between services without downloading locally. Backblaze does not charge egress for transfers to Cloudflare partners, but standard egress rates apply otherwise.

Compatibility Notes by Alternative

• IDrive: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux. Supports NAS devices (Synology, QNAP) via dedicated apps.
• pCloud: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Virtual drive mounts locally — no need to sync a local copy.
• Carbonite: Windows and macOS only. No Linux, no NAS support on personal plans.
• CrashPlan: Windows, macOS, Linux. Supports NAS backup via agent install.
• MEGA: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Full Linux CLI client available.
• Wasabi: Any S3-compatible tool. No proprietary client required.

Which Backblaze Alternative Should You Choose?

The right alternative depends on what specifically fails you about Backblaze right now:

• Multiple devices on one plan → IDrive. It is the clearest upgrade path for households with more than one computer. The $70/year 5 TB plan undercuts what Backblaze would cost for two machines.
• Object storage without egress fees → Wasabi. If you are a developer or IT team using B2, Wasabi's identical S3 API means migration is a one-line config change, and you eliminate per-GB download costs permanently.
• Long-term value without a subscription → pCloud. The 2 TB lifetime plan pays for itself in four years compared to Backblaze's annual fee, and you get file sharing built in.
• Unlimited backup, simple setup → Carbonite. The closest functional match to Backblaze Personal with encryption that actually holds up, and external drive support on mid-tier plans.
• Business or team use → CrashPlan. Indefinite version history, centralized management, and per-device unlimited storage justify the $9.99/device/month for any IT-managed environment.
• Privacy-first, European jurisdiction → Jottacloud. Norway-based infrastructure, unlimited devices, and GDPR alignment make it the natural choice for European users.
• Maximum encryption, no exceptions → MEGA or Tresorit. MEGA for personal use at a lower price point; Tresorit when you need compliance documentation alongside zero-knowledge guarantees.

If you are still weighing whether to leave Backblaze at all, our full Backblaze review lays out exactly where it excels and where its limits become dealbreakers. For multi-device households, our IDrive review and Sync.com review offer direct comparisons with hands-on testing. Whatever your use case, you should not pay for a backup service that does not encrypt your data the way you expect — or that forces you into a single-computer limitation when your digital life spans many devices.