CrashPlan vs Backblaze
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
CrashPlan is a robust data protection and backup solution designed to safeguard organization endpoints against data loss, ransomware, and hardware failure. It operates continuously in the background to ensure critical files are securely archived without disrupting daily user workflows. The platform offers centralized administration, comprehensive reporting, and rapid recovery tools that empower IT teams to restore lost files or entire systems with minimal downtime. With a strong focus on security and compliance, CrashPlan provides businesses with reliable data resiliency across diverse operating environments.
Backblaze is a leading cloud storage and data backup provider known for its simple, reliable, and cost-effective solutions. It caters to both everyday consumers looking to safeguard personal computers and enterprises requiring scalable cloud storage. The platform offers automated continuous computer backup as well as S3-compatible cloud object storage through Backblaze B2, making it a popular alternative to traditional hyperscale cloud providers for developers and organizations alike.
- Continuous automatic backups
- Unlimited file version history
- Robust encryption standards
- Reliable administrative controls
- Extremely cost-effective pricing compared to major competitors
- Simple setup with straightforward, user-friendly configuration
- Unlimited backup storage capacity for individual computer plans
- Robust S3 compatibility for B2 cloud storage developers
- Higher price point for smaller teams
- Resource intensive during initial sync
- Limited built-in disaster recovery for full OS bare-metal images
- Computer backup client lacks advanced granular administrative policies
- No native Linux desktop client for the personal backup service
- Data egress fees apply, though they remain lower than industry averages
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBackblaze is the safer default for individuals and developers due to its lower cost, unlimited personal storage, and S3 compatibility, while CrashPlan targets enterprises needing centralized IT management and indefinite file history. The main trade-off is Backblaze's affordability and developer focus versus CrashPlan's enterprise-grade administrative controls and unlimited version history.
Key differences
- •Backblaze offers both personal computer backup and S3-compatible object storage (B2), whereas CrashPlan focuses on secure, scalable cloud backup for businesses and IT administrators.
- •Backblaze includes a free tier and unlimited backup storage capacity for individual computer plans, while CrashPlan has no free tier and higher price points for smaller teams.
- •CrashPlan provides centralized IT management consoles for deploying and managing organization-wide policies and detailed reporting, whereas Backblaze's computer backup client lacks advanced granular administrative policies.
- •Backblaze features a Physical Restore service to mail hard drives for disaster recovery and integrates with third-party tools via native APIs, which are not listed for CrashPlan.
Pricing & scaling model
Backblaze is extremely cost-effective with a free tier and unlimited individual storage; CrashPlan has a higher price point for smaller teams and no free tier.
Uptime & reliability
Both Backblaze and CrashPlan offer an uptime SLA of 99.9%.
Performance
Backblaze provides high-performance object storage and continuous backups without throttling, whereas CrashPlan is resource intensive during initial sync.
Developer experience
Backblaze offers robust S3-compatible object storage and seamless integration with third-party tools via native APIs; developers are not a listed audience for CrashPlan.
Regions & compliance
Both providers offer datacenter regions in the US and EU.
Support
Neither product's provided facts specify support tiers or channels beyond core service features.
Lock-in
Both use standard backup/subscription models with data recovery options, though Backblaze charges egress fees and CrashPlan is proprietary.
Choose CrashPlan if…
Enterprises and IT administrators requiring centralized management consoles and enterprise-grade endpoint protection.
Choose Backblaze if…
Individuals, developers, and growing businesses seeking cost-effective cloud storage or unlimited personal backups.
Common questions
Does Backblaze support Linux?
Backblaze does not have a native Linux desktop client for its personal backup service.
Does CrashPlan offer a free tier?
No, CrashPlan does not offer a free tier.
How do both services handle file versions?
Backblaze uses snapshots and version history to retrieve previous file iterations, while CrashPlan maintains historical file versions indefinitely.