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This online backup comparison of Backblaze vs. CrashPlan will help you determine the right choice for you and your business. First, ask yourself who will be setting it up. If the answer is you, are you a tech-savvy person who knows about online backups? The answer to this question could influence your decision about which company is best for you. Find out which company is easier to use and which is more customizable below.
CrashPlan and Backblaze have been around for about the same amount of time. CrashPlan, owned by Code42, was founded in 2007. Backblaze was founded a year later, in 2008. Starting at relatively the same time, you’d think these companies would be very similar regarding performance, given the time they’ve had to improve their services. Would you guess the “younger” company is the better pick? Learn more about these online backup services below.
| Backblaze | CrashPlan | |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability |  | |
| Security | | |
| User-Friendliness | | |
| Customer Service | | |
| Overall Winner | | |
| Visit Backblaze’s Website | Visit CrashPlan’s Website |
Reliability
You want your software to work when you use it, right? No fiddling with setting or restarting your computer. Both Backblaze and CrashPlan perform well. That being said, Backblaze’s faster upload speeds and streamlined service make it the winner in this category.
Winner: Backblaze
Security
First, to better understand encryption and the importance of it, watch this short three-minute video from Mashable:
Both CrashPlan and Backblaze offer encryption for data in transit and at rest. For encryption protocols, both use SSL/TSL while files are in transit and AES 256-bit for files on their servers. Both companies also use two-factor authentication. So, who’s the winner?
CrashPlan wins in security because it lets you host your encryption keys (Enterprise plans only). Referred to as end-to-end encryption, this is the ultimate level of security and ensures not even the cloud service provider has access to your data.
Winner: CrashPlan
User-Friendliness
Both Backblaze and CrashPlan offer automatic backups. After you’ve installed them, they will back up your data regularly. Both services perform well.
CrashPlan comes out on top for its simplicity when comparing the restoration process. You can restore your backup to your selected destination with a click of a button. Customers report that Backblaze’s restoration could be much more convenient and straightforward.
The interface of Backblaze is more intuitive. You can figure out what to do and where to click. There are no settings that you need to tweak. You can tweak the settings, but it’s only necessary if you want to change how often it backs up, turn the backups off, etc. Backblaze works well on the default settings.
On the other hand, CrashPlan has many settings and is less intuitive than Backblaze. CrashPlan gives you more control over the whole process, which can be good or bad, depending on your level of comprehension. If you have an IT person, you should go with CrashPlan because they can personalize the software to your specifications. However, if you want something basic to install and “forget,” Backblaze is better.
Winner: Backblaze
Customer Service
Both Backblaze and CrashPlan offer live chat, email, and knowlegebase support. CrashPlan’s support is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. Backblaze’s support is available during two windows. On Monday, support hours are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Tuesday through Friday, support is available from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Both have A+ BBB ratings, though only Backblaze is accredited.
So what’s the verdict? Backblaze provides responsive and helpful customer support via its knowledge base, FAQs, support tickets, and live chat. Many reviewers complain that CrashPlan’s customer service could be more responsive, with reviewers saying it took up to a week to get a response to an open ticket.
Winner: Backblaze
Pricing
We didn’t include pricing as a critical factor when comparing Backblaze vs. CrashPlan because it should be something you look at later in your research process. However, we understand that pricing is an essential factor to consider. Backblaze’s cloud backup starts at $6 per TB monthly, while CrashPlan starts at $8 per month for unlimited storage.
Feature Comparison
The table below shows the features Backblaze and CrashPlan each have.
| Backblaze | CrashPlan | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | 15 days | 7-30 days based on plan |
| Free Storage | Up to 10 GB | |
| Auto Backups | | |
| Full Backups | | |
| Incremental Backups | | |
| Differential Backups | | |
| Synthetic Full Backups | | |
| Syncing Across Devices | With 3rd party integration | |
| File Size Limit | 5 GB (must use third-party integration tool to upload any file larger than 500 MB) | None |
| Encryption For File Transfers | SSL | TLS 1.2 (SSL 3.3) |
| Encryption At Rest | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit |
| Deleted File Retention | 30 days | 30 days to unlimited, based on plan |
| Two-Factor Authentication | | |
| Operating Systems | Windows, Mac | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Number Of Devices Per Account | Unlimited computers | 2-4 devices |
| Base Price | $6/TB/month | $8/month for unlimited storage |
Overall Winner
Who’s the winner in Backblaze vs. CrashPlan? Choose Backblaze if you’re looking for simplicity and don’t want to be overwhelmed with choices. Backblaze is dependable and gets you started with cloud backup services instantly. However, if you want more control over your backups and the ability to customize your settings to your specifications, consider CrashPlan. Overall, Backblaze performs better than CrashPlan but needs the customizations available that CrashPlan has to offer.
Winner: Backblaze
Best Online Backup Comparison
How do Backblaze and CrashPlan compare to the competition? Find out in our expert’s best online backup comparison.
Are you looking for an automated solution or one where you are in complete control? Let us know in the comments!
Tagged With: Cloud Backup, VS
