26 Online Backup Services Reviewed

McAfee Online Backup is McAfee's solution in the online backup space. They're the makers of the popular McAfee antivirus and Internet security programs.

McAfee Online Backup is available with one option only: $59.99 /year for unlimited online backup. That's actually a really good deal for an unlimited plan, coming out to a bit less than $5 /month.

I like that McAfee is a big name in the computer world but still prices this plan right. I also like that Online Backup is "powered by Mozy" which has as relatively long history as a reliable online backup provider.

Interestingly, Mozy dropped their unlimited plan in early 2011 but apparently you can still get that level of backup via McAfee Online Backup.

IBackup is actually the sister-service of IDrive but is focused on small to medium sized businesses instead of consumers.

Several tiers of service are offered by IBackup:

• 10 GB for $9.95 /month
• 20 GB for $19.95 /month
• 50 GB for $49.95 /month
• 100 GB for $99.95 /month
• 200 GB for $199.95 /month
• 300 GB for $299.95 /month

All of the above online backup plans offer savings if you pay by the year. However, even with the discounts, IBackup doesn't compete well on the price front.

IBackup does have some advantages over IDrive. For example, IBackup comes with the ability to install a plugin that creates an "IBackup Drive" which is a virtual folder that you can drag files to in Windows.

AVG, the makers of the popular free antivirus program, also offer an online backup service called "LiveKive."

AVG LiveKive is $79.99 /year and allows an unlimited number of devices and an unlimited amount of data. That is, of course, unless by unlimited you mean less than 500 GB. Unfortunately, their fair use policy states that they may impose charges if you actually go over that amount. Too bad.

If you don't need an "unlimited" amount of storage, AVG LiveKive also offers two limited plans to choose from - 25 GB of storage for $49.99 /year or 50 GB for $59.99 /year. These plans also allow online backup from an unlimited number of computers and other devices.

All LiveKive plans automatically renew on your year anniversary unless you cancel. Unlike most other online backup services, there are no discounts for multi-year prepayments.

AVG LiveKive's backup software works with all recent versions of Windows and Mac OS, as well as Apple iOS and Google Android via apps.

Nomadesk is an online backup provider with multiple computer access per account, lots of mobile apps, an online file manager, and more.

There's essentially one online backup plan available from Nomadesk: unlimited storage for $10.00 /month. You can shave about 10% off that price if you prepay for one year.

If mobile access is an important factor in your hunt for the right online backup service, know that Nomadesk has apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.

Norton Online Backup is just what you'd think: an online backup offering from Norton, the makers of popular antivirus and computer security software.

Norton Online Backup has only one plan which offers 25 GB of storage at a cost of $49.99 /year (about $4.17 /month). You can backup from 5 different computers with your one account.

If 25 GB is all you need and you love Norton software, then go for this. However, I found nothing particularly interesting about Norton Online Backup vs other more feature rich offerings in my list.

Trend Micro, the company behind some of the most popular antivirus and security programs, also has its foot in the online backup space with their SafeSync service.

SafeSync has three online backup plans to choose from: 20 GB for $39.95 /year, 50 GB for $89.95 /year, and 100 GB for $149.95 /year.

You'll find most of the more popular features among online backup services in the SafeSync product like drag-and-drop folders, syncing, sharing, bank-level encryption, and more.

I think Trend Micro is overpricing their online backup plans but I do really like the feature set and the easy to use software and mobile apps.

KineticD is an online backup provider that advertises "true month-to-month" and "true pay-as-you-go."

For each computer you need to backup, you pay $3.95 /month, which KineticD calls a "license fee." It it's a server, the price goes up to $6.95 /month. After that, you pay just $0.50 /GB /month that you use.

So, for example, if you have 2 computers, that together are storing 100 GB on KineticD's servers, your bill that month would be $57.90.

KineticD sports all the excellent features of any online backup service that's in it for the long run, including an excellent history of data recovery, top-of-the-line security, and more.

The ElephantDrive online backup service offers several plans to choose from, all of which cover up to three computers, but I found the pricing to be less than competitive.

Below are the several "Home" plans offered by ElephantDrive, all of which can be had for less if you prepay for one year:

• 2 GB for FREE
• 100 GB for $9.95 /month
• 250 GB for $19.95 /month
• 500 GB for $39.95 /month
• 750 GB for $59.95 /month
• 1 TB (1,024 GB) for $85.95 /month
• 2 TB (2,048 GB) for $169.95 /month

ElephantDrive also offers several enterprise-level online backup plans.

One really cool feature with ElephantDrive's service is their "Web Explorer" which you can use to upload files via the browser from wherever you may be. Many online backup services only allow backup from your approved devices and only via their proprietary software.

Jungle Disk is an online backup service provider that works a bit differently than most. Jungle Disk structures their pricing so you only pay for exactly what you use.

Two Jungle Disk Personal plans exist, "Simply Backup" and "Desktop Edition." Simply Backup is just that - a simple online backup plan. Very much a set-it-and-forget type of service that has a base price of $2 /month + storage fees. The Desktop Edition runs $3 /month + storage fees and also has a virtual network drive, real-time file sync, and more.

Storage fees kick in after 5 GB of storage. Depending on the online storage provider you choose to use with Jungle Disk, either Amazon S3 or Rackspace Cloud Files, you pay $0.125 /GB-Month or $0.15 /GB-month, respectively, to store your files. Amazon S3 also charges $0.12 /GB downloaded (e.g. when you restore data from your backup) and a very small fee per upload and download request.

Two Jungle Disk Business plans are also available, a "Workgroup" and a "Server" edition, each with additional features and only a slightly higher base price than either Personal plan. The storage fees are the same but the first 10 GB are free.

If the static plans of other online backup services don't appeal to you, Jungle Disk's pay-for-what-you-use plans might be an excellent fit for you.

Comodo Backup is an online backup service by Comodo, maker of some very popular free computer utilities. Comodo Backup's superb interface is a great reason to choose this service.

As far as pricing goes, you can get 250 GB of backup storage space for $9.99 /month or 1 TB (1024 GB) for $19.99 /month. Both plans can be had for a bit less if you prepay for one year.

Comodo also offers 5 GB of online backup storage for FREE. That's not a trial, that's forever. Granted, 5 GB isn't a lot, but if that's all you need to backup then you're in luck.

I've always been a big fan of Comodo products, especially for novice computer users. If you're concerned about the complexity of another online backup service's software then Comodo Backup might be for you.