The Best Cloud Backup Services of 2026

The bottom line: For those who demand perfect privacy, this is the best choice.

SpiderOak ONE details: If you need to backup data of a... sensitive nature, or if you simply don’t trust faceless corporations not to rifle through your stuff, SpiderOak ONE is a fine alternative to iDrive and Backblaze. It's more expensive, and the app is on the techy side, but no other platform offers the same end-to-end privacy protection.

SpiderOak maintains what it calls a “No Knowledge” policy, meaning it doesn't have access to your password and doesn't know anything about the data you store on its servers. All files are protected with 256-bit AES encryption, and SSL is used while files are in transit. Every user is given a personal encryption key—an option with some competing services, but a requirement here. SpiderOak's data centers themselves are earthquake-, flood-, and fire-proofed and SAS 70 Type II compliant, staffed 24/7, and regularly audited for customers' peace of mind.

Beyond security concerns, SpiderOak ONE is an all-around decent service with a few problems. The Windows app didn't scale properly on my 4K monitor (an issue the company says it's working to address), and less tech-savvy users may find the array of options on offer a little overwhelming. Transfer speeds were solid for me, which is good since SpiderOak doesn't allow for hard drive seeding or restoration. All told, though, we don't think it's worth springing for SpiderOak's higher yearly cost—$129 a year for 1TB of storage—unless you're truly fanatical about security.

I loved using Acronis TrueImage 2018, but there's no getting around the fact that it's extremely expensive compared to the competition. In large part, this is because TrueImage isn't really cloud backup software—Acronis's main focus is on local backups, disk cloning, and ransomware protection. Its Acronis Cloud service is essentially an add-on that comes with the software if you pay for a higher tier of service. Acronis offers several subscription tiers, starting at $50 per year for 250GB of cloud storage and going up to 5TB for $260.

The TrueImage 2018 software is slick and polished, with a deep feature list and rich customization options that nevertheless shouldn't feel too overwhelming for newbies. Uploads are extremely fast, in part because Acronis does something none of its competitors do: it allows you to choose your storage facility. It also simply has more storage facilities than most rivals, so the chances that you’re close to one of them is likely higher—particularly if you don't live in the US. Speed aside, TrueImage comes with all of the features we look for in a cloud backup solution. If you're willing to pay the asking price, it's a solid pick. We just don't see why you would when iDrive does all the same stuff for less.

If you’re an NPR listener, Carbonite is probably the first name that jumps to mind when you think of cloud backup, and subconscious images of Harrison Ford encased in unbreakable stone lend a certain ineffable sense of security. But the brand’s news radio prominence and Star Wars associations unfortunately don't translate into a world-beating cloud backup experience. There’s nothing really wrong with Carbonite, but there's nothing to recommend it over rivals like iDrive and Backblaze, either.

Though it allows for unlimited backups, Carbonite costs more than Backblaze and offers fewer features. Its app is also less intuitive (and less attractive), and there are more restrictions on what you can upload. (Files over 4GB are a no-no, for instance.) Perhaps the biggest flaw in Carbonite is that its Mac app is missing two important features Windows users enjoy: versioning and personal key encryption.

Retrieving files is simpler with Carbonite, since you can do it through the app, but I don't think that's enough reason to choose it over the generally more polished Backblaze. Compared to iDrive, Carbonite is slower to upload and offers far fewer features, though it's a little cheaper most of the time.

Sometimes an unknown brand can surprise you. That was largely the case with Zoolz, which I had never heard of before researching this guide. Based out of the UK, this small company provides a smooth cloud backup experience with a polished-looking (if occasionally slow) app. It offers a lot of great features, including personal encryption keys and the ability to backup external and NAS drives, and it also allows for backup from multiple devices by default.

But all is not rosy with Zoolz. For one thing, it doesn’t allow for continuous backups. Instead, it only runs on a schedule, so there’s a chance that if your system goes down at the wrong time, crucial files might not be backed up. For another, restores take far longer to prepare than with other services; in one instance when I wanted to restore a single photo, it took nearly a full day before the Zoolz app started to download it. Rival services took mere seconds to retrieve the same file. Finally, Zoolz's pricing isn't great; when it's not on sale, you can expect to pay $70 per year for just 1TB of storage, or you can upgrade to 4TB for $100 per year.