Carbonite vs IDrive (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, IDrive grades higher than Carbonite: 3.2 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
IDrive grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Carbonite
Automatic cloud backup for home computers and small businesses
IDrive
Cloud backup for many devices in one account, with a sync folder
Which one is for you
Pick Carbonite if
- Fits if you want one home computer backed up to the cloud with unlimited space
- Makes sense if you want a business trial for a small office
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan or a personal trial, as there is only a money-back guarantee
- Watch out: personal plans are per computer, with Plus and Prime adding one external drive
- Watch out: business storage is 250 GB or 500 GB, with extra at $99 per 100 GB
- Tight if you want to back up from a phone: the apps are only for reaching files
- Pricey if you are a business on the Ultimate plan at $1,039.99 a year
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
| 2.2GPACarboniteFair | 3.2GPAIDriveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$71.99 a year for one computer, about $6 a month, in the middle of the category. The price is shown with a discount and no end date. | 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 | DPersonal plans only have a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial. Business plans have a 30-day free trial. | 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 | CAutomatic encrypted backup, unlimited personal space, malware recovery and a phone companion. The phone app does not back up, and business storage is capped. | 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 | BNo rating on record. You install it and it backs up in the background. | 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 | BWindows, Mac, web, iPhone and Android, though the phone apps are only companions. No integrations or API are listed. | 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 | automatic cloud backup for home computers | 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: Carbonite and IDrive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Carbonite starts at $6 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 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 $5.75 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 11 score higher than Carbonite 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
- Carbonite also covers malware protection and dashboards.
- IDrive also covers file sync and file sharing.
At a glance
| Carbonite | IDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually | $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini) |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 30-day free trial on business plans; 30-day money-back guarantee on personal plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Open Text Corporation | IDrive Inc. |
| Price read from | carbonite.com | idrive.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Carbonite
- Personal plans are priced per computer; Plus and Prime add one external hard drive.
- Business storage is capped at 250 GB or 500 GB, with extra storage at $99 per 100 GB.
- The displayed prices are discounted from crossed-out ones and the pages give no end date.
- Listed system support is Windows 7+ or macOS 10.10+; the mobile apps are companions, not backup clients.
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
Carbonite
- Automatic encrypted backup
- Files are backed up in the background and encrypted with 256-bit encryption at rest and in transit.
- Unlimited personal storage
- Personal plans list unlimited cloud backup space; the business plans have fixed allowances of 250 GB or 500 GB.
- Recovery after malware
- The vendor says uninfected files can be recovered within 2 weeks of a virus or malware event, for backed-up data.
- Phone and browser access
- Backed-up files can be reached from a web browser or from the companion app for Android and iOS.
- Server and policy management
- Business plans add Windows server backup, bare metal image backup and policies set by group, role or device.
- Compliance support
- The business page says the service supports HIPAA, FERPA and GLBA compliance needs.
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
Carbonite
Personal Basic$71.99
per year for 1 computer, billed annually
Unlimited cloud backup for 1 computer; shown as 25% off a crossed-out $95.99, with no end date given.
Personal Plus$78.99
per year, billed annually
Adds an external hard drive to Basic; shown as 40% off a crossed-out $131.99, with no end date given.
Personal Prime$121.49
per year, billed annually
Everything in Plus, with Webroot antivirus and courier delivery of recovered files for an extra fee.
Business Core$230.39
per year, billed annually
250 GB for up to 25 computers, external drives and NAS; shown as 20% off $287.99. Extra storage is $99 per 100 GB.
Business Power$639.99
per year, billed annually
500 GB for 1 server plus up to 25 computers, with bare metal backup; shown as 20% off $799.99.
Business Ultimate$1039.99
per year, billed annually
500 GB for unlimited servers plus 25 computers; shown as 20% off $1299.99.
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
Carbonite
No public discounts listed.
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, Carbonite or IDrive?
As of Nov 13, 2026, IDrive is cheaper to start with: $0.25 a month, against $6 a month when paid by the year for Carbonite. Carbonite starts at $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually, and IDrive starts at $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini).
Which has a free plan, Carbonite or IDrive?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only IDrive has a free plan. Carbonite does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Carbonite and IDrive run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only IDrive lists a Linux app. Both list a web app and macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. 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.