Backblaze B2 vs IDrive (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, IDrive grades higher than Backblaze B2: 3.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
IDrive grades higher on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Backblaze B2
S3-compatible object storage billed per terabyte
IDrive
Cloud backup for many devices in one account, with a sync folder
Which one is for you
Pick Backblaze B2 if
- Fits if you have developers or an IT person to point backup tools at an S3 bucket
- Works for teams storing terabytes of backups that rarely get read back
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a folder that syncs to your laptop, as there is no consumer sync app
- Tight if you read a lot back: egress beyond 3 times your stored data costs $0.01 per GB
- Watch out: API calls past the first 2,500 a day cost $0.004 per 10,000 on Class D transactions
- Watch out: B2 Overdrive is $15 per TB and up, with a multi-petabyte commitment bought by quote
Pick IDrive if
- Fits if your household has several computers and phones to back up in one account
- Works for small businesses backing up servers, NAS boxes and laptops together
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you mainly want Dropbox-style sync, as Cloud Drive is a separate service you have to switch on
- Pricey if you budget on the advertised price, since the 30% off covers the first year only and not app sign-ups
- Tight if you're staying free, as 10 GB won't hold a whole computer
- Watch out: going over your storage costs $0.25 per GB a month on Personal and $0.50 on Team and Business
- Watch out: Mini is yearly only, for new sign-ups and marked limited time, and server backup is $5 a server a month below Business
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABackblaze B2Fair | 3.2GPAIDriveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$6.95 per TB a month matches the category's middle price. This is a different kind of product from consumer storage, billed by the terabyte. | AGraded as backup. Mini is $0.25 a month for 100 GB billed yearly, far under the cheapest quarter of this category, and 500 GB is $0.83. Personal is $9.99 a month for 5 TB once the first-year discount ends. Go over your storage, though, and it's $0.25 per GB a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe first 10 GB is always free, with free egress up to 3 times what you store, and you'll pass 10 GB quickly. | CIDrive Basic is free with 10 GB and no credit card. That holds your documents, but a computer's worth of photos will go straight past it, so it's a cap most people will hit. |
| Features | CStorage through an S3-compatible API with lifecycle and partner integrations, but the page shows no consumer sync app. It does its narrow job fully. | BGraded as backup, it does the whole job: many devices in one account, continuous backup, 30 versions of each file, snapshots, a private encryption key and drives sent by post for big restores. Cloud Drive adds sync, sharing and editing in the browser. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs an API, keys and tooling, so it's a developer service. No store rating on record. | BNo store rating on record. Install the app, pick what to back up, and it carries on by itself as files change. The one catch is that Cloud Drive sync is a separate service you have to switch on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BThe vendor lists 8 integrations and an S3 API, but it is web only, with no apps. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Synology and QNAP NAS apps, and add-ons that back up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box. That covers every device type. |
| Best for | cheap object storage for developers and IT teams | backing up lots of devices in one account |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Backblaze B2 and IDrive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Backblaze B2 starts at $6.95 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. IDrive starts at $0.25 a month and scores 3.3.
IDrive scores higher and starts $6.70 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 20 score higher than Backblaze B2 for less, and none scores higher than IDrive for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Backblaze B2 also covers file management.
- IDrive also covers file sync and file sharing.
At a glance
| Backblaze B2 | IDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6.95 per TB / month | $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini) |
| Free plan | The first 10 GB of storage is always free, with free egress up to 3x the data stored. | IDrive Basic: 10 GB of backup storage, no credit card required. Add-ons such as cloud app backup can be bought on top of it. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Backblaze | IDrive Inc. |
| Price read from | backblaze.com | idrive.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Backblaze B2
- Egress beyond 3x the average monthly data stored costs $0.01 per GB, except to partner CDNs and compute services.
- Class D API transactions cost $0.004 per 10,000 calls after the first 2,500 each day.
- B2 Overdrive needs a multi-petabyte commitment and is sold by quote.
- It is a storage service for developers and IT teams; the page shows no consumer sync app.
IDrive
- Advertised prices are 30% off the first year only, and the discount is not available when signing up from the mobile apps.
- Cloud Drive sync is a separate service that has to be activated; it is distinct from cloud backup.
- Going over the storage limit costs $0.25 per GB a month on Personal and $0.50 per GB on Team and Business.
- Server backup is a $5 per server a month add-on on Mini, Personal and Team, and is part of Business.
Key features
Backblaze B2
- S3-compatible object storage
- The page describes S3-compatible storage for active archiving, backup and recovery, media and application workloads.
- No minimums on files or duration
- There are no minimum file size or storage duration fees, and class A, B and C API calls are free on pay as you go.
- Free egress allowances
- Egress is free up to 3x the average data stored, and free to partner CDNs and compute services such as Cloudflare, Fastly and bunny.net.
- Capacity commitments
- Customers can commit to a set amount of storage for 1 to 5 years, billed for the full term at contract start with a locked rate.
IDrive
- Many devices in one account
- Back up PCs, Macs, Linux machines, iPhones, iPads, Android devices and external or NAS drives into one account, with continuous backup of changed files.
- Cloud Drive sync and sharing
- Sync folders across linked devices in real time, share files with view or edit permissions, and edit Office files and PDFs in the browser.
- Snapshots and versioning
- Keeps up to 30 previous versions of every backed-up file, with snapshots for point-in-time recovery and a 30-day trash for deleted files.
- Private-key encryption
- Files are encrypted with 256-bit AES, optionally with a key you define that IDrive says is not stored on its servers.
- IDrive Express shipping
- Back up or restore bulk data by mail on a physical drive: free once a year on Personal, three times a year on Team and Business, then $59.95 a request.
- Cloud app backup add-ons
- Back up Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box accounts for $20 per seat a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Plans
Backblaze B2
Backblaze B2$6.95
per TB / month, billed monthly on byte-hours stored
Pay as you go, or commit to capacity for 1 to 5 years with discounts. Free egress up to 3x stored data, then $0.01/GB.
B2 Overdrive$15
per TB / month and up
For AI, HPC and research workloads: dedicated vaults, unlimited free egress and a multi-petabyte commitment. Sold by quote.
IDrive
Basic$0
10 GB of storage with no credit card required.
IDrive Mini$0.25
per month for 100 GB, billed annually
One user. 500 GB is $0.83 a month. Sold on yearly billing only, to new sign-ups, and the pricing page marks it "Limited time only".
IDrive Personal$9.99
per month for 5 TB, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly)
One user, multiple computers. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year. 10 TB is $14.99 a month and 100 TB $99.99, billed annually.
IDrive Team$9.99
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($11.99 monthly)
5 computers, 5 users and 5 TB, managed from a web console. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year; 10 users and 10 TB is $19.99 a month.
IDrive Business$19.99
per month for 500 GB, billed annually
Unlimited users, computers, servers and NAS devices. Advertised at $13.99 a month the first year; 1.25 TB is $49.99 a month, or $59.99 billed monthly.
Ways to pay less
Backblaze B2
- Other savings
Discounts for volume and term commitments
The pricing page says discounts are available when you commit to volume and a 1 to 5 year term; the amounts are not published.
IDrive
- Other savings
30% off the first year
New sign-ups on yearly Personal, Team and Business plans pay 30% less for the first year, such as $6.99 instead of $9.99 a month for Personal 5 TB. Standard pricing applies from the second year.
- Other savings
50% off the first year of a 2-year plan
Two-year plans take 50% off the first year: Personal 5 TB is $179.82 for 2 years instead of $239.76.
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Personal and Team 5 TB cost $9.99 a month billed yearly against $11.99 billed monthly, a saving of about 17%.
- Education
50% off for students and schools
Students, educational institutions and anyone with a valid education email address can get Personal or Business at half price, as a limited-period offer.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Backblaze B2 or IDrive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, IDrive is cheaper to start with: $0.25 a month, against $6.95 a month for Backblaze B2. Backblaze B2 starts at $6.95 per TB / month, and IDrive starts at $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini).
Which has a free plan, Backblaze B2 or IDrive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Backblaze B2 and IDrive have a free plan.
Which platforms do Backblaze B2 and IDrive run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only IDrive lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.