I had intended to post this on March 31st to coincide with World Backup Day but other work was a little more important. If you have visited lately you might have noticed that the home page and several other pages actually had the new list but I wanted to highlight some of the changes from 2012 to 2013.
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Backblaze still takes the number one spot for cloud backup in 2013. They offer an easy to use service that makes it easy to protect all the files you have. No need to worry about a lot of extra settings. It just works and stays out of the way, the way cloud backup should work.
CrashPlan is a great service and they certainly are serious about backing up your data. It uses Java and can be a bit of a memory hog depending on the system and those are about the only problems with the service. The control you have over your backup is great and when they release a native application for Windows and Mac could easily give Backblaze a run for number one for best cloud backup service.
Carbonite has moved back up to number three. They have been doing some excellent enhancements to their service through 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The addition of new plans that offer local backup, external hard drive backup and the latest addition of Currents for sync has Carbonite doing some exciting things in cloud backup and storage here in 2013. Definitely worth a look here in 2013.
SpiderOak is still the rock solid cloud backup and storage service that it has always been. They have not released many new features lately but they do have a new release coming soon here in 2013 that will add some new features like a SpiderOak folder, like Dropbox, that will make it easier for new users to use. The best part of SpiderOak is still their security and privacy. If you want to make sure your files are secure from anyone else SpiderOak does it best.
IDrive has gone through several changes in 2012 and 2013 already. They are still an excellent service to use. Their desktop app has gotten better, they offer a sync service and their mobile apps are one of only a few that can backup more than just photos and videos. If you want a service that can do it all IDrive pretty much has you covered.
Mozy comes up from 10th spot last year to number six. If it wasn’t for the storage plan sizes with Mozy they would rank much higher. The service is still excellent and the addition of Stash for sync and a decent mobile app for access and backup of photos and video has improved Mozy.
SOS Online Backup dropped down this year from number three last year. They still offer an excellent service, but they have been pretty quiet on new features and plan updates. They could easily move up again through the year if I start to hear more news and information about them.
Bitcasa is the newest service in the top ten for 2013. They have been in beta for a few years now and have just recently come out of beta in February. They offer a compelling service, but they are new and being new can be difficult to trust them with your data. As a cloud based hard drive they offer a new take on cloud storage but still offer a backup option. Pay close attention to them in 2013 they could easily move up fast to challenge both cloud storage and cloud backup services.
AltDrive is in the same spot as last year and they offer users an excellent cloud backup for an excellent price. They have a lot of room for growth and could easily move up with the addition of some new features and perhaps a mobile presence.
SugarSync dropped from number seven last year to number ten on the best cloud backup list but they are certainly a top contender in the best cloud storage and sync category. The recent changes to their applications and service make it pretty clear they are not in the cloud backup service but sync and storage service and backup is just something else you can use them for. Look for them high on the cloud sync and storage list.
Look for my best cloud storage options for 2013 soon. It has been a busy 2013 already for cloud storage and the list could have some new players that you will want to check into.
What is your favorite cloud backup service for 2013 and why?
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