Online Backup Final Round, Mozy vs. Carbonite
Our recent poll on online backup shows that most Lifehacker readers prefer Mozy to back up their data in the cloud. However, there were lots of shout-outs for flat-priced, unlimited storage Carbonite in the comments. Mozy offers 2GB of storage indefinitely for free and works for Mac and PC; Carbonite offers a 15 day trial and charges an affordable $50 a year for unlimited storage.Most of my critical stuff is stored on a Mac, so my main beef with Mozy is its Mac client’s inability to schedule regular backups. Carbonite’s Mac client remains to be seen (but is in the works). On PC’s, both can do automatic scheduled backups. Mozy offers that sweet free 2GB indefinitely and Carbonite’s trial is limited to 15 days, but Carbonite’s yearly fee is very reasonable for unlimited storage space. (A Carbonite rep tells me that they don’t offer a free couple of gigs like Mozy because they don’t want their paying users to have to fund the freeloaders. Makes sense.) Mozy’s unlimited storage option will set you back $4.95 a month, just 10 bucks more than Carbonite.
So which one are you using or most likely to use?
If radio buttons don’t quite get across your thoughts on the subject, the comments await.
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
“Most of my critical stuff is stored on a Mac, so my main beef with Mozy is its Mac client’s inability to schedule regular backups”
ummm the version I have has options for either a routine timed backup or a backup every time you’re computers idle. To get to it you choose Configure Mozy -> then Mozy -> Preferences -> scheduling
The key is keeping the service simple, so taht anyone can be back-up (not only those with technoical know-how). Both services do this well and cheaply.
If you are interested in a free 90 day trial of Carbonite, please let me know.