Best Mac Backup Software: Free and Paid Options

Whether or not you should backup your Mac should never be in question. Every Mac user needs a backup solution that is reliable and keeps all data safe. You never know when something could happen to the computer, but you need to be ready when that moment comes. Get backup software that will keep all your precious data safe in case of anything.

The things that can cause data loss include physical damage to the hard drive, it being stolen and malware effects among others. Whether it is personal files you have stored in the Mac or all your crucial business data is in there, backup software will help you get it back in case anything happens that leads to its loss.

There are very many backup software options out there. Which is the best Mac backup software? Here we look at both free and paid options. Choose the one that suits your needs best.

Considerations

1. Storage Limits

How much data do you want to store in your backup? This is a very important consideration that everyone should bear in mind because different backup software has different limits. Only choose software that will allow you to backup as much data as you want. It is best to choose software whose limit is a bit higher than what you think you will need.

2. Point in time backup (snapshots)

A point in time backup takes a snapshot of a drive at a given time. All the contents of the drive at that time can be recovered. This kind of backup is ideal for protecting drives against ransomware and disk failure among others. When you need to restore data backed up by such a feature, all you have to do is select the time when you could like to restore data at. You will get back all the data that was stored in the drive at the time and lose everything that was stored later (including malware).

3. Multiple device backup

Backing up data on the same computer as the primary data is good but in some cases it is not helpful. For instance if the Mac is stolen you will lose both the backup and the original data. It is advisable to use software that allows multiple devices backup. With this feature, you can backup your Mac, iPhone, Windows PC and other devices which ensure that the chances of getting the data back are high.

4. Security and privacy

Whether it is an offline or online backup for Macintosh you are using, it should be secure and safe. All data should be maintained as is without any unnecessary changes. Privacy should also be catered for especially when it comes to cloud backup. The least acceptable security is 128-bit AES encryption that allows users to transfer and store files on the cloud using a key or password that is only known by the user and not stored anywhere in the servers.

5. Physical storage shipment

Cloud backup is good but knowing that you can retrieve all the data in a physical form when you need it is reassuring. Choose a cloud backup for Mac that allows quick access and retrieval of backed up data. At most this should take a week and you should be able to get all the data backed up. Why is this important? Downloading lots of data can cost you a lot in bandwidth and time especially if you need to retrieve all the data at the same time.

6. Social data backup

Social media has come to be an embraced part or our lives and we tend to post things that matter to us on these platforms. Backup software that allows you to backup your social media content will ensure that you never have to lose this important data. Although you could rely on the social media’s storage features, these may fail at any time and you need to be prepared when that time comes.

If you need to backup important data, then iDrive is the best Mac backup software you need. The installation process is very straight-forward and easy so getting started will not be a problem. You will be required to create a new account via the developer’s main website. Thereafter you can manage all backups online and access the data from any device at any time. All data stored is secured by 256-bit AES encryption and users can set private keys they can use to restrict access to important documents.

When installed, this app automatically selects important folders for online backup. You can make changes to this list as you wish. To start backing up, simply click on the “backup now” button. You can also schedule when downloads are to be carried out by setting the time and day in the scheduler tab. A unique feature this software has is the option to sync all your devices so your data is available in one place; your idrive cloud account. The sync storage space is separate from the iDrive storage space. When you pay for a package you are given sync storage space that is the same size as the iDrive storage space.

Restoring the backed up data is very simple. Simply go to the restore tab and select the location to store the restored files and choose the ones you would like to restore.

The basic version is free and it provides users with up to 5GB backup storage space. The iDrive Personal package costs $52.12 for the first year for storage limit up to 2 TB while the 5 TB option costs $74.62 per year. This package is meant for personal use in unlimited devices.

This is one of those online backup solutions that aims at being very simple to use and retrieve data. Made specifically for Apple devices, this app offers the very best online backup for Mac users. It built on Apple’s Xcode which means that it looks and feels like other native Mac applications. Therefore, using it will be very easy. If you have used Time Machine then using this software will be a breeze.

BackBlaze carries out online backup automatically (or can be scheduled) and at very fast speeds with no limits to how much you can back up. The data in the Mac as well as all attached external drives. This backup will be done very fast. All the data you upload is kept secure by the 128-bit AES encryption and storage in secure data centers. To view the data, you will require to login to your account by providing the email address used to register and the password. This is just the first layer of security. BackBlaze sends a 6-digit code to your phone to verify all log-ins. Personal keys can be used to secure private and critical data. Backed up files can be accessed, shared and restored.

Restoring data can be done over the cloud or you can request to have the data delivered to you physically in a hard drive or flash drive. These have capacities of 4TB and 128GB respectively. Though these are availed at a cost, returning them to Backblaze within 30 days qualifies you for a refund. Using this software you can locate a missing computer and even get multiple copies of a backed up document.

This backup software is affordable. It costs $5 per month or $50 per year or $95 for every two years for one computer. Be sure to try it for free before you invest your money.

Carbonite is one of the best Mac cloud backup software you should be using in 2018. It is customizable and very easy to use. Just after installation, an initial backup is carried out automatically. After that backup is carried out often when the system automatically senses changes made to files. You can customize the amount of bandwidth to be used in backup and the time when the backups are to be carried out.

With the point in time backup feature, users can get back all the data stored at a certain time period as an image. This provides the much needed protection from malware attacks. All data can be restored in new hardware which comes in very handy in case of losing a Mac. The data that you backup on Carbonite will be stored in remote devices owned and controlled by the company.

To ensure all data is protected, the company offers users two data encryption options namely the 128-bit AES and the 256-bit AES. You can set a private key to restrict access to sensitive data.

There are different price packages available so users can use what they can afford. The cheapest will cost $72 per year but this only backs up data on a single computer. If you have several computers you would like to backup the package that costs $288 is suitable for you. All plans are available in trial periods so you can test before you buy.

There are many reasons why Acronis True Image is the best cloud backup for Mac. First, it not only helps back up data but also protects your mac from ransomware attacks using cutting-edge technology. Backed up files are compressed so they occupy minimal space. You can backup data on a local drive and have a copy stored in the cloud which increases your chances of getting it back. It is very easy to carry out a backup. You can create a full image backup or choose the folders and files you would like to backup. With just one Acronis True Image account, you can backup data in your Mac and other devices.

Data backed up using this software is kept safe by AES-256 encryption. To confirm the backup’s integrity, you can use the blockchain certification that is supported by Acronis Notary. The data centers are fully secured so everything is kept safe.

Backed up data can be accessed at any time from anywhere. Whether you need to access a single file or folder accidentally deleted or the entire backup, you can easily get it back. These can be restored to old and new systems using the bootable media provided and driver injection technology. The standard package costs $4.16 per month while the premium costs $29.99 per month.

When you need to create a fully bootable backup, this is the best backup for Mac you should get. The interface is friendly and very easy to use. The in-built scheduler will help organize when backups are to be carried out.

SuperDuper will create a clone or snapshot of a drive to another drive. This means that the software copies all system and application files so they can be restored as a whole. The first backups is slow but with smart updates subsequent backups are faster since only updates are added to the initial backup. Restoring data stored in a cloned disk is very easy. The best part about the SuperDuper is that it is absolutely free.

Bottom line

It is said that any backup is better than no backup. While this is true, you never know its implications until you find backup software that is unreliable and you cannot get back your important data. Time Machine is a good utility and is perfect for providing primary backup. However, if you value your data and need it kept safe, you need to get the best Mac backup software. Choose from any of the above recommendations and you will be pleased.