A Carbonite Review for 2013

Carbonite Review

Carbonite is a data backup system that allows unlimited cloud storage for the files on your computer.  You pay a yearly fee that ensures that all of your important information is automatically backed up so that you never have to lose information again.  Carbonite uses cloud storage, which means anything that you choose to back up will be available from other computers that you have included whenever needed.

Since I am the forgetful type, I never remember to back up my files.  This has led to some pretty agonizing moments when my computer has crashed and I have lost all of my important information.  I finally admitted that I needed to do something to avoid this horrible scenario in the future, and I chose Carbonite since it could back up my information automatically without me having to remember to do so.

One thing I really liked about Carbonite is that you have a free trial that does not require a credit card to get started.  This allowed me to use the service beforehand to decide whether I really wanted to pay for it.  When you first purchase Carbonite, you have to click on a link that will download software to your computer that carries out the Carbonite functions.  I hate using up all of my memory on this kind of thing, so I was happy to see that it was a very small program.

Another important point when choosing which plan you want to purchase is that the even though the space is unlimited, the basic plan is only for one computer (MAC or PC).  If you want to back up the data on more than one computer, you have to choose a more expensive option, both of which only work on Windows based computers.  I was only concerned with the files on my main computer, so I used the basic plan.

Setting up Carbonite was pretty simple.  When you run the software, it defaults to settings that will save the most common files that most people choose to back up.  You also have the option of using an advanced setup that allows you to choose other options in addition to the preset ones to ensure you back up every bit of information that you need to.  You can only do this setup once, so if you are unsure about whether or not you should add something to the list of files to back up you should be sure to actually read the dialogue that pops up to help you make the best choices for your needs.  The last part of the setup will actually tell you what files and information is not set to be backed up, which I found very helpful in helping me make sure I made the right choices.

Carbonite also allows you to choose how often and when your files are backed up.  There are actually several different options available, including hourly, at designated times throughout the day, or whenever you make changes to certain files.  Given my propensity to forget, I just chose the option for it to save at a certain time each day.

I also noticed that Carbonite clearly marked all of my files on my computer as to whether they were backed up or not, were needing to be backed up, or whether there were some files that were backed up and some that were not in each individual folder.  I thought this was a cool feature that defintely helped me take the guesswork out of backing up my system.

Even though I only purchased the Carbonite home package, it has worked great for my needs.  I especially love the fact that I can access all of my files on my mobile devices as well.  I have to remember to sync any changes I make back to my original computer, but luckily I have been able to do this effectively.

For me, Carbonite has already saved me tons of headaches.  Computers apparently hate me, and during a three-week period, my hard drive went out twice.  I have had this happen before, and lost absolutely everything.  Luckily, since I had decided to use Carbonite, I did not lose any of my important files and information this time around.  I was worried that the recovery process would be difficult, but to my surprise, I had everything back on my new computer with just a few clicks.

One downside I found with Carbonite is that the home edition does not back up any files that are located on an external hard drive, so I had to save any of the files located there that I wanted backed up onto the hard drive in my computer.  You should also be aware that while the back up speed is fairly quick, if you reach certain thresholds the speed will slow down.  Mine was fine until I had backed up 35GB.  At this point, the upload speed dropped down to only 512 Kbps, which meant that my backups took considerably longer.  I did some research on this, and found out that  when I have backed up 200GB I can expect the speed to get even slower, when the speed will change to only 100 Kbps (almost down to dial up speed!).

Overall, I am very happy with my decision to use Carbonite.  It has saved me from losing important information, and it has been very easy to use.

Carbonite versus CrashPlan - A Fair Comparison

Two very complete cloud-based backup solutions, it should come as no surprise to anyone that it is so incredibly difficult to pick Carbonite over CrashPlan (or vice versa). Both of them offer elite level services and have gained a tremendous reputation in the industry, and though they have different price points they are still so close that it is 100% natural to link them together.

It really all boils down as to which kind of computer user you are and what sort of online backup solutions you’re hoping for to make the perfect choice of Carbonite or CrashPlan. Hopefully our detailed breakdown below gives you the kind of peace of mind you need in making the right decision.

Carbonite strikes a chord with many users because of its simplicity, even though the feature list is not as deep as other offerings

While there are a number of cloud-based backup plans out there promising the moon and the stars as well as everything and the kitchen sink when it comes to features, Carbonite offers a more stripped-down and usable service than most.

This doesn’t mean that you’re going to find Carbonite to lack any of the critical essentials that one would be hoping for (you’ll still have an unlimited amount of space to backup almost anything, so long as they are on single source computers and are smaller than 4 GB), just that you’re not going to feel overwhelmed at any point in time with a flood of different options just there to confuse you.

Many people and clients that have decided to move forward with Carbonite have stated that the number one reason they chose to use this service over any other – including CrashPlan – is simply because the interface and backup system was so straightforward and simple to use. With a web access interface as well as a tool that you can download directly to your computer, the entire system is almost as easy as moving files around on your local machine – something that any computer user has more than enough experience with.

Truly designed for folks who are lighter users looking for a relatively seamless and straightforward online backup system for all of their local files (and those looking for online access to the same data) without needing all of the bells and whistles of truly enterprise grade backup systems, Carbonite is one of the older online backup solutions and one of the best. Enjoying a sterling silver reputation, you simply can’t go wrong deciding to invest in Carbonite as your go to choice.

CrashPlan has all of the special features you’re looking for – and then some – allowing for truly enterprise grade backup for multiple computers

Where Carbonite is strictly focused on the backup of just a single computer, CrashPlan allows you to backup all of the computers – and other mobile devices like your cell phone and tablets, to name a few. With a full-blown platform designed to offer all of the bells and whistles you could ever want to have access to as far as online backup scale – as well as a reputation stretching all the way back to 2007 as one of the top services in the industry – there is a reason so many people continue to migrate to CrashPlan on a regular basis.

Also offering 100% unlimited space for all of your backup needs but critically offering 448 bit encryption on those transfers as well as the ability to backup files from an unlimited amount of computers (with the CrashPlan family plan), you’ll also be able to enjoy special features that other options just can’t include. We’re talking about unlimited and forever file archiving, a dedicated iOS and Android app, user-defined file versioning, 100% automated backup scheduling, instant and continuous backup settings, and a whole host of other features CrashPlan is quickly becoming a go to solution for those looking for complete and total control over their cloud-based storage solution.

Absolutely designed for people and small businesses who require complete and total control over their online backup solution in ways that folks who are over the moon with Carbonite never will, CrashPlan is an enterprise grade product that is perfect for anyone who needs the peace of mind offered by these endless features. Considering the fact that the price points are identical as far as the first year goes (with the prices slowly growing as far as CrashPlan is concerned), the decision between the two is difficult unless you absolutely positively need these extra features.

Final verdict

While it’s impossible to say which service you should move forward with simply because it’s unknowable which kind of computer user you are and which features you need from your cloud-based storage solution, the difference between these two high-end options is so small that it’s almost inconsequential. Yes, you’ll find that Carbonite is a little bit more simplified and stripped down – but CrashPlan offers an endless amount of features including some that you may be kicking yourself later when not able to leverage them.

Only you’ll know which option is absolutely perfect for you, but know that regardless of which choice you end up making you’re going to be picking between two of the industry leaders. Millions of people all over the globe are already using these two services – and the trend looks to grow and grow in the future – making either one of these a very smart bet to move forward with.