Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.

Carbonite Review

Wednesday, February 12th

2025 Online Backup Service Reviews

Carbonite Review 2.5 Star Rating

Carbonite

2.5 Star Rating
  • Personal plans starting at $5.58 per month
  • Business plans (up to 25 computers)at $25 per month
  • $50 per month for server backup
  • "A+” rated by the BBB

Carbonite Safe has been in the backup business since 2005, and while it previously had won awards for its quality, it seems that their offerings have simply been outpaced by their competitors over time.

3 personal plans to choose from

Carbonite Safe offers three "personal” computer plans:

  • Carbonite Safe's Basic Plan offers unlimited backup of one hard drive at $5.58 per month.
  • Carbonite Safe's Plus Plan at $7.67 per month billed annually allows you to back up an external hard drive with the addition of Webroot computer antivirus
  • Carbonite Safe's Prime Service at $9.42 per month billed annually includes mail delivery of your backed up data.

And 3 business plans to choose from

Carbonite Safe also offers business pricing, ideal for companies with 25+ computers.

  • The Core Business Plan includes 250 GB encrypted cloud backup for $25 per month
  • Their Power Plan includes 500GB of storage and adds server backup for $50 per month
  • Their Ultimate Plan at $50 per month allows you to back up unlimited servers.

One computer per subscription

While we appreciate Carbonite Safe's low price, they have a major technological sticking point. Their personal plans - even the premium ones - only allow you to backup one computer/harddrive per subscription. This means that, if you happen to have an external hard drive, you'll need to purchase two separate subscriptions just to back it up - which makes their "unlimited” storage more limited than it first seems.

Best Online Backup Services

Misstating their own plan

It is especially disconcerting as Carbonite Safe does not effectively communicate how many computers you can back up with them: one description of their Basic personal plan states you can back up three computers, while another explicitly states that the Basic plan only allows you to back up one computer per subscription. Third-party reviews from experts confirm that you can only back up one computer per subscription, and as such, we recommend that Carbonite Safe update their advertised services to align with their offerings.

Encryption offered

We appreciate that Carbonite Safe offers file encryption across all of their plans. By default, Carbonite Safe manages your encryption key, but you can opt in to manage your key yourself. If you do so, write it down. If you set your files to be encrypted, take control of the encryption key, and lose or forget it, then no one - not even Carbonite - can get your files back for you.

No advanced backup services

Keep in mind that while Carbonite Safe offers convenient file and cloud backup, they do not offer any comprehensive disk imaging services, which creates an entire compact copy of your PC. While this likely won't affect those just looking to secure some files or photos, it is an important caveat to keep in mind. Comprehensive disk-imaging is offered by more highly rated providers on our list.

Best Online Backup Services

Mixed reviews

Customer reviews of Carbonite Safe tend to be mixed. While the company has earned an "A+” from the Better Business Bureau for responsiveness to customer complaints, forums dedicated to sysadmin discussions express dissatisfaction with Carbonite Safe due to slow upload times, and the fact that they will refuse to send your backups in the mail unless you have paid for their premium subscription.

A shady past

In addition, the New York Times found that Carbonite Safe was artificially inflating their own Amazon reviews from 2006 to 2009. They were also fined in the UK in 2012 for artificially throttling their customers' upload speeds to a snail's pace, making it so that their "unlimited” backups were actually quite limited. In short, it seems that Carbonite Safe has earned their mixed reviews.

Low cost, but not recommended

Carbonite Safe offers some low-cost, and convenient online backup services. However - quite frankly - the more highly-rated providers on our list provide more and better services for a lower price. While there is nothing bad about their service itself, there is also little that stands out to distinguish them from their competitors (not to mention their history of misleading and cheating their customers). As such, we recommend that you avoid Carbonite Safe, and check out one of the better rated services we've evaluated.

Which Online Backup Service is the Best?

When it comes to backups and cybersecurity, you can never be too safe, especially when it comes to your files. When we use our computers, everything we save feels permanent, but that permanence is - quite frankly - an illusion. Everything saved is saved somewhere on a physical drive, which means that far from existing in some ethereal cloud, your files can be lost.

Your computer could just break one day from wear, have water spilled on it, be dropped, or even locked-in with a ransomware attack. This isn't even to mention the fact that hard drives decay. In fact, every single hard drive and SSD WILL fail at some point - it's just a matter of when. All of these issues explain why online backup services have exploded in popularity over the last several years.

The Best Online Backup Services Compare Online Backup Services Compare Online Backup Service Reviews What are the best Online Backup Services Best Online Backup Service Reviews

Online Backup Service FAQ

Online backup services give customers the ability to back up, secure and restore their files. In the event of data theft, hard drive failure or other loss, clients can easily get their information back from the service's cloud storage facilities.
Definitely not. Anyone can benefit from having their computers backed up to a secure cloud, whether the data contains sensitive financial data or treasured digital photos.
For the average personal user, the monthly fee starts at around $5. Business pricing begins around $30/month. Fees vary by the number of users and the amount of desired offsite storage space.
Free services are handy, but they're not designed to give you automated backup and seamless restoration of your files. If you're not on top of saving absolutely everything on your computer, your free storage is going to be incomplete. Using an online backup service with regularly scheduled backups is the best way to ensure that none of your files are lost.
At least once a week. Your online backup service may allow you to have continuous backups; your system is monitored constantly for any files that have been deleted, modified, created or moved and it updates accordingly in the background with no effort on your part.
If you use a reputable, reliable provider, your files are extremely secure. Be sure to choose a service that encrypts the data not only as it's being transferred but also as it's stored in their cloud. You should also check to see how your encryption key is stored; if you've got serious concerns, pick a service that allows you to create your own private key (and don't lose it, because the service won't be able to recover your data if you don't have the key). Finally, it's worth asking where your provider's data centers are located; ones in the EU and US are preferred.
That will depend on how much you're backing up and your internet speed. It could take as little as an hour or as long as a week.
That's a frequent complaint among users of online backup services: difficulty in accessing support at all stages of the relationship (questions prior to signing up, during the initial backup process, several months into the service). Some providers have a better track record than others in this regard, so if you expect it to be less than smooth sailing because you're not tech-savvy, you should carefully choose an online backup service with a reputation for helpful, reliable customer support.
Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

Online backup services are super convenient. Gone are the days when users had to manually transfer data to external hard drives or rely on physical backups that could be lost or damaged. Online backup services automate the process, running in the background and ensuring that data is continuously backed up. This automation makes it easy on users and eliminates the need for manual backups, saving both time and effort.

Another reason why online backup services are so popular is they are an efficient and cost-effective solution for data management. Traditional backup methods often required substantial investments in physical hardware, such as extra hard drives, discs, and cables. These would have to be upgraded as technology (and storage limits) increased. Then, to prevent against environmental damage (such as fire or rain), the backup data needed to be physically moved and stored at another location. Online backup services, on the other hand, offer scalable, pay-as-you-go pricing models, require no additional equipment, and enjoy built-in offsite storage.

Furthermore, online backup services offer continuing technology improvements at no additional cost. Many providers offer advanced features like versioning, which allows users to retrieve previous versions of files, and continuous backup, which ensures that even the smallest changes are saved throughout the day. This not only enhances data integrity but also offers peace of mind, knowing that the data is always up-to-date and recoverable.

There are a host of services out there to help you save critical data and protect your computer from damage or malicious actors. However it can be a bit confusing when it comes to finding the right online backup service that meets your particular needs.

Here are some features to look for when comparing the various online backup services:

  • Disk imaging. A full disk imaging compresses your entire computer into an easily-transported file. Disk imaging is a great choice for a full backup (including your OS and any virtual machines), but may be overkill for the casual user. Decide if you need something at this level before you start looking for an online backup service, so that you only pay for what you'll actually use.
  • Cloud. A cloud service allows you to edit files hosted on an external server. This can be an excellent way to secure files and programs you are actively editing or sharing with others.
  • Deletion policies. Keep in mind that most backup services have a 30-day deletion policy unless they explicitly say otherwise. This means that if your computer doesn't communicate with their servers for 30 days, or it detects that you've deleted a file on your hard drive, it will be deleted in their backup. That being said, the best services on our list do not auto delete your backups or files.
  • Customer service. If you are going to be trusting a company to backup your data, responsive and robust customer service is a must. Be sure to check customer reviews before signing up for a backup service.

While some things involving computers can feel overwhelming, and saved files are in no way as permanent as they seem, some simple and prudent steps taken today can save you a host of headaches (or the pain of lost photographs, memories, or critical work) down the line. To that end, we've collected the best services we could find and rated them based on their reliability, price, and technical merits. We here at Top Consumer Reviews hope that our curated list can help you make an informed choice as you take steps to secure your critical files.

See the Best Online Backup Service
The Best Reviews of Online Backup Services