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If you‘re a Mac user, you know the importance of backing up your data. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right backup solution. As a software expert who has tested numerous backup services on Mac, I‘m confident saying that Backblaze is the best cloud backup for most Mac users. Here‘s why.
What Is Backblaze?
Backblaze is an online backup service that automatically backs up all the files on your Mac (or PC) to the cloud. After a quick installation and setup, Backblaze runs silently in the background, continuously uploading new and changed files to its secure data centers. All your data is encrypted before ever leaving your computer and you can access your backed up files from anywhere through the web or mobile app.
Founded in 2007, Backblaze has become a popular choice for Mac users looking for a simple, reliable, and affordable cloud backup solution. The company has raised over $100 million in funding and now stores over 1 exabyte of customer data.
How Backblaze Works
Backblaze takes a "set it and forget it" approach to backup. Unlike some other cloud backup services that require you to manually select folders to back up, Backblaze automatically selects all your files for backup by default. This includes files on your Mac‘s internal drive as well as any connected external hard drives, with a few exceptions like system files and applications.
The Backblaze app then begins uploading your files over the Internet to Backblaze‘s data centers, which are protected by 24/7 security, biometric locks, and backup generators to protect against data loss. Depending on how much data you have and the speed of your Internet connection, the initial upload can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
After the initial backup is complete, Backblaze will check your system for new and changed files at regular intervals and automatically back them up too. By default, it aims to back up once per hour. But if you have a laptop, it is smart enough to detect when you‘re on battery power or using a cellular connection and will pause backup until you‘re plugged in or on WiFi to avoid draining your battery or data plan.
Backblaze also keeps versions of your files going back 30 days. So if you accidentally delete or overwrite an important file, you can go back and restore the version from a month ago. However, it only keeps deleted files for 30 days, so it‘s not an archival solution.
Backblaze‘s Key Features for Mac Users
So what makes Backblaze so great for Mac users? Here are some of the key features that I think set it apart from competitors:
1. Unlimited backup
One of Backblaze‘s biggest advantages is that it provides truly unlimited cloud backup for just $7/month or $70/year per computer. And by unlimited, I mean there are no caps on the amount of data you can back up, no throttling of upload speeds, and no restrictions on individual file size or type.
To put this in perspective, I‘m currently backing up over 2TB of data from my MacBook Pro‘s internal SSD and two 5TB external drives. That would cost nearly $240/year with iDrive‘s 5TB plan or up to $600/year for 2TB of storage with SpiderOak One. But with Backblaze, it‘s still just $70/year no matter how much data I have.
Having a single flat rate for unlimited backup makes Backblaze a great value and gives you peace of mind that you‘ll never outgrow your backup plan.
2. Automatic, continuous backup
What I love about Backblaze is that once you install it, you can basically forget about it. The app runs quietly in the background, automatically uploading new and changed files without any prompts or input needed from you. This ensures all your data is continually protected without you having to remember to start manual backups.
The initial upload did take about 2 weeks for me, since I had over 2TB of data. But since then, incremental backups have been fast and I rarely notice any slowdown of my Mac. By default, Backblaze throttles network bandwidth usage to 80% to avoid clogging up your connection. But you can adjust this in the Performance settings if you want faster or slower uploads.
According to Backblaze, the average upload speed for Mac users is around 11 Mbps. That translates to roughly 10-20GB of data backed up per day for typical users. Of course, speeds vary widely based on your Internet plan, network conditions, and how often your Mac is awake and idle.
3. Easy file restores
Backing up your data is only half the equation. The other half is being able to easily retrieve your files if your Mac dies or you accidentally delete something. Fortunately, Backblaze makes it simple to restore individual files and folders or your entire backup.
To do a restore, you simply log in to your Backblaze account on the web, browse your backed up files (which mirror your Mac‘s file system), and either download a ZIP file of individual items or create a restore "snapshot" of your entire backup as of a certain point in time.
For larger restores, Backblaze can also FedEx you a USB flash drive (up to 256GB for $99) or USB hard drive (up to 8TB for $189) with your data, which helps avoid long download times and the risk of an interrupted restore. The fee is refundable if you return the drive within 30 days.
In my tests, restores were fast and reliable. Individual files downloaded almost instantly. And an entire 2TB restore snapshot was ready to download in about 6 hours after I requested it. That‘s pretty impressive considering it was a mix of hundreds of thousands of files of all types and sizes.
4. Strong security and privacy
When you‘re uploading all your sensitive files and personal data to the cloud, you want to make sure it‘s safe from prying eyes. With Backblaze, your data is protected by several layers of security:
- Client-side encryption: Before any files leave your Mac, they are encrypted using AES 128-bit encryption and an encryption key unique to your account. This means no one can access your data without your account password.
- Secure data transfer: Encrypted files are transferred to Backblaze‘s data centers using secure HTTPS connections to protect against eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Hardened data centers: Backblaze stores your data in its own hardened, access-controlled data centers protected by 24/7/365 security, biometric locks, fences, and backup generators.
- Optional private key encryption: For even more security and privacy, you can enable an optional private encryption key, which means you control the only key that can decrypt your data. Even Backblaze‘s employees will have no way to access your files. Just be aware that if you lose this key, Backblaze cannot help you recover your data.
One thing to note is that like most cloud services, Backblaze does comply with lawful data requests from government agencies. However, Backblaze publishes a transparency report detailing these requests and says it has never handed over any data without being legally compelled to do so.
For most users, Backblaze‘s default security measures are more than sufficient to protect your data. And if you do opt for private key encryption, your data will be very secure but just know that you‘re on your own if you lose that key.
5. External drive support
Many Mac power users store large media libraries, photo collections, or work files on external drives to free up space on their Mac‘s internal drive. Fortunately, Backblaze can back up external USB and Thunderbolt hard drives and SSDs as well.
When you first plug in an external drive, Backblaze will automatically add it to your backup list. But don‘t worry, if you unplug the drive, Backblaze won‘t delete those files from your backup right away. It will wait 30 days before removing that drive‘s files in case you plug it back in, which is handy for drives you only connect occasionally.
One caveat is that Backblaze only supports direct-attached storage, not network drives. So if you use a NAS (network-attached storage) device, you‘ll have to use a different method to back that up, like the NAS device‘s own cloud sync feature.
How Backblaze Compares to Other Mac Backup Solutions
Of course, Backblaze isn‘t the only backup option for Mac users. So how does it stack up to alternatives like Time Machine, iCloud, and other cloud backup services? Let‘s take a look.
Backblaze vs. Apple Time Machine
Time Machine is the built-in backup feature of macOS. It automatically backs up your entire system to an external drive connected to your Mac. If you ever need to restore, you can boot from the Time Machine backup drive. The main advantages of Time Machine are:
- It‘s completely free with any Mac
- Backups are stored locally for fast restores
- It can create a bootable clone of your Mac
- It keeps multiple versions of files (as space allows)
However, the big downside of Time Machine is that it requires you to physically connect an external drive to your Mac. If that drive is damaged, lost, or stolen, you lose your only backup. There‘s also no easy way to access individual files from a Time Machine backup. You have to restore the entire backup image.
Backblaze is not a replacement for Time Machine, but rather a complement to it. I recommend using both:
- Use Time Machine to create a local backup on an external drive connected to your Mac for fast, easy restores.
- Use Backblaze to create an offsite cloud backup that protects against theft, loss, or damage of your Time Machine drive.
Think of Time Machine as your first line of defense and Backblaze as your safety net.
Backblaze vs. iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is Apple‘s cloud storage and sync service. It can automatically back up and sync specific folders between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices. You get 5GB for free and can pay for more, up to 2TB for $10/month.
The main advantage of iCloud Drive is that it keeps the same files synced and accessible across all your Apple devices. And it integrates seamlessly with Apple‘s own apps like Pages, Numbers, and Photos.
However, there are several reasons iCloud Drive is not a direct substitute for Backblaze:
- iCloud Drive only backs up certain folders, not your entire Mac
- All iCloud data counts against your storage quota (2TB max)
- Accidental deletions remove files on all synced devices
- Syncing problems can lead to data loss
- No encryption for files at rest on Apple‘s servers
If you just use Apple apps and need to access files on the go from multiple devices, iCloud Drive may be enough. But for most people, it‘s not a robust enough backup solution on its own. It‘s best used in tandem with a dedicated cloud backup service like Backblaze.
Backblaze vs. Other Cloud Backup Services
There are dozens of other cloud backup services for Mac, including:
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iDrive: Starts at 5TB for $59.62/year. Backs up unlimited computers plus phones/tablets.
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Carbonite: Starts at $72/year for unlimited backup (but not external drives). Mac version is missing key features.
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SpiderOak One: Starts at 150GB for $69/year. Emphasizes "zero knowledge" privacy but limited storage.
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Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: Starts at 1TB for $49.99/year. Includes anti-malware, disk cloning, and cloud backup.
Compared to these, here are the main reasons I still think Backblaze is the best choice for most Mac users:
- Unlimited storage for one flat rate, no matter how much data you have
- Automatically backs up all files (including external drives) without user configuration
- Continuous background uploads with no laptop battery/data restrictions
- Intuitive desktop and web apps for backup monitoring and restore
- More affordable than iDrive or SpiderOak for 1-2TB of data
The only users I wouldn‘t recommend Backblaze for are those who need to back up multiple Macs, PCs, and mobile devices. In that case, iDrive is a better value since it supports unlimited devices. Or if you want anti-malware and disk imaging features too, Acronis is worth a look.
But for the majority of Mac users who just want a simple, reliable, and economical way to back up all their data to the cloud, Backblaze is hard to beat.
Backblaze for Mac: The Bottom Line
As a long-time Mac user and software expert, I‘ve tried many different backup solutions over the years. And after extensive testing and real-world experience, I can confidently say Backblaze is the best cloud backup service for most Mac users.
While it‘s not the cheapest option, the peace of mind that comes with unlimited and unthrottled backups, automatic background uploads, simple restores, and strong security is worth the price for me. It‘s the only backup service I trust to protect my photos, videos, and work files.
No backup system is perfect, but Backblaze‘s "set it and forget it" approach comes pretty darn close for Mac users. I recommend it to all my friends and family, because I know using it is far better than not backing up at all.
Of course, you don‘t have to take my word for it. I encourage you to take advantage of Backblaze‘s 15-day free trial for Mac. See for yourself how easy and effective it is. Once it‘s running, you can rest easy knowing your Mac‘s data is finally fully backed up. That‘s a wonderful feeling.