Backblaze review: No-hassle online backup with unlimited storage

Best Prices Today: Backblaze

If you’re not sure what you want to back up, where it is on your device, or just want to avoid the pressure of trying to figure it all out, Backblaze is the online “backup” (see below for an explanation of the quotes) service you want. It offers unlimited storage, and copies everything to the cloud automatically. If your data needs exceed the limits of other cloud backup services, Backblaze might prove a very good deal. Be sure to check out our best online backup roundup to compare offerings.

Further reading: For more about data backup, see our best free backup software/services and the best Windows backup software roundups.

What are Backblaze’s features?

Backblaze is an online storage service that provides a local client that copies data from your PC to the cloud. By far its most appealing aspects are its ease of setup and unlimited storage. By default, Backblaze copies new and changed files continuously, i.e, in near real time.

There’s not a whole lot to the Backblaze client interface, at least if you don’t want there to be. There are options of course, but they’re well out of the way so as not to intimidate less tech-savvy users. Note that you can’t manipulate files online, only restore them.

Because Backblaze starts at square one by “backing up” pretty much everything except known temporary and program files, you don’t have to fuss with it unless you want to adopt a more selective or comprehensive approach.

But while you used to be able to pick and choose what you wanted to copy, Backblaze has moved to an exclusionary process: You select what you don’t want to copy. While this ensures that less-savvy users won’t miss anything, it might prove mildly counter-intuitive for many.  

If and when it’s time to restore data, you can of course do so by downloading via the web interface — in bulk or only the individual files you need. If that’s too slow or impractical, Backblaze will also send you your data on up to a 8TB hard drive for $189. You can keep the media (those aren’t bad prices), or return the drive and get your money back. There’s also an option to zip the files to Backblaze’s S3-compatible B2 service.

You may have noticed that I have put “backup” in quotes a couple of times and studiously used the word “copy.” That’s because Backblaze will remove files from the cloud that you have deleted from the source PC, and similarly replace older versions of revised files — unless you intervene by paying 0.006 cents monthly for every gigabyte of those older files being kept.

We know of no simpler, more foolproof online backup service than Backblaze — as long as you opt for the ‘Forever’ version history.

The surcharge could be anywhere from a mere pittance to something heftier depending on how large your data set is and the type of files involved. If you’re storing edited videos, it will be a lot more than say Word documents or text files.

Removal occurs after 30 days by default, but you can upgrade that to a full year without additional cost via the version-history upgrade button on the client or on the website. There’s of course the aforementioned 0.006 cent monthly/GB Forever option, as well.

Finding deletions and revisions proved clever, but a bit clunky. Instead of the right-click menu showing you previous versions, or a trash for the deletions, you use the restore browser to go back in time via the “Files uploaded” calendar (see the above image). That’s fine, if you know when the file you seek still existed, but perhaps not so fine if your memory of the file changes is hazy.

Back to those quotes. Backblaze is only true “backup” if you opt for the 0.006 cent/GB “Forever” version history. Otherwise, it’s actually one-way mirroring with limited retention of deleted and changed files. Having just gone looking for some 2015 data on a local backup (external hard drive), I can attest that there’s sometimes the need for true “Forever” retention — aka, backup.

And remember the rule of three when it comes to backup: The original data, a copy of your data, and a copy of the copy. Preferably with one of the copies off-site. These days, the latter generally means the cloud.

How much does Backblaze cost?

In the spirit of Backblaze’s keep-it-simple-stupid philosophy, pricing is also uncomplicated, albeit considerably pricier than it used to be: $9 a month (formerly $5), $99 (formerly $60 and $50) a year, or $189 (formerly $110 and $95) for two years of unlimited storage per PC.

For users with lots of data (and I mean lots) who need unlimited space, Backblaze’s pricing can save you money. But for more experienced users with normal sized data sets who know exactly what needs backing up, better bargains abound.  

Should you purchase Backblaze?

The easier a backup process is, the better chance it’ll actually get done. We know of no simpler, more foolproof online backup service than Backblaze — as long as you opt for the ‘Forever’ version history. If you don’t, be sure the limited retention won’t be an issue and upgrade the version history to the full-year option right off the bat.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.

Best Prices Today: Backblaze