Carbonite vs Zoolz (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Carbonite grades higher than Zoolz: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Carbonite grades higher on ease of use and platforms. Zoolz grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
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
Zoolz
Cloud backup for businesses, sold by storage tier
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 Zoolz if
- Fits if you have several terabytes of archives, such as photos or video, that you almost never open
- Makes sense if a small team wants one backup bill for up to 5 users
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need quick access to everything, because most of each plan is cold storage
- Tight if you are on the 2.5 TB plan: 5 users, 1 server and files up to 20 GB
- Skip it if you use phones or Linux, since apps are Windows and Mac only
- Watch out: the 30% yearly discount is shown with no end date, and only monthly and yearly billing are offered
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACarboniteFair | 2.0GPAZoolzFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$7.99 a month for 2.5 TB, or $79.99 a year, against a $6.95 middle in file storage. Per terabyte it is low, but the starting price for one person is a little above the middle. |
| 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. | CA 14-day trial with no credit card, and no free plan. After two weeks you pay. |
| 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. | CBackup with versions, incremental uploads, a local copy for faster restores and time-limited share links. The listing's own gap: only the small hot tier is for quick access, so it is a backup service and not a daily-use drive. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. You install it and it backs up in the background. | CNo store rating on record. You install the backup program and pick what to protect, which is ordinary setup for a backup tool. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, web, iPhone and Android, though the phone apps are only companions. No integrations or API are listed. | CWindows and Mac programs plus a browser view. One family of devices: no phone apps and no Linux. |
| Best for | automatic cloud backup for home computers | backing up big archives that you rarely open |
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 Zoolz. 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. Zoolz starts at $7.99 a month and scores 2.0.
Carbonite scores higher and starts $1.99 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 11 score higher than Carbonite for less, and 36 score higher than Zoolz 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.
- Zoolz also covers file sharing and file management.
At a glance
| Carbonite | Zoolz | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually | $7.99 per month, billed monthly ($79.99 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on business plans; 30-day money-back guarantee on personal plans | 14-day free trial, no credit card |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Open Text Corporation | Zoolz |
| Price read from | carbonite.com | zoolz.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Zoolz
- Most storage is cold, so only the smaller hot tier is for quick access.
- The 2.5 TB plan is limited to 5 users, 1 server and files up to 20 GB.
- Apps are listed for Windows and Mac only, plus browser access.
- Only monthly and yearly billing are shown; no multi-year terms or other currencies appear.
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.
Zoolz
- Cold and hot storage
- Each plan pairs a large cold tier with a smaller hot tier, such as 2 TB cold plus 500 GB hot on the 2.5 TB plan.
- Incremental backup
- Only new or changed data is backed up after the first run, which cuts upload time and storage use.
- Hybrid+ backup
- Keeps one copy locally and one in the cloud, and restores from the local copy first for faster recovery.
- User and policy management
- Admins set storage limits, retention policies and user access. Version control for files is listed on every plan.
- Secure sharing
- Files can be shared through time-limited links, and encrypted files are accessible from the web or other devices.
- AWS-based storage
- The vendor says data sits on AWS encryption, and lists GDPR compliance on every plan.
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.
Zoolz
Cloud Backup 2.5 TB (monthly)$7.99
per month, billed monthly
2 TB cold plus 500 GB hot storage, 5 users and 1 server, files up to 20 GB.
Cloud Backup 2.5 TB (yearly)$79.99
per year, billed yearly
The same 2.5 TB plan on yearly billing; the page shows a 30% yearly discount.
Cloud Backup 7 TB$23.99
per month, billed monthly ($239.99 billed yearly)
6 TB cold plus 1 TB hot storage, unlimited users and servers, unlimited file size.
Cloud Backup 12 TB$39.99
per month, billed monthly ($399.99 billed yearly)
10 TB cold plus 2 TB hot storage, unlimited users and servers.
Cloud Backup 24 TB$75.99
per month, billed monthly ($759.99 billed yearly)
20 TB cold plus 4 TB hot storage, unlimited users and servers.
Cloud Backup 60 TB$159.99
per month, billed monthly ($1,599.99 billed yearly)
50 TB cold plus 10 TB hot storage, unlimited users and servers.
Ways to pay less
Carbonite
No public discounts listed.
Zoolz
- Annual discount
30% off yearly plans
A banner on the pricing page offers 30% off all yearly plans, applied automatically at checkout, with no end date stated.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Carbonite or Zoolz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Carbonite is cheaper to start with: $6 a month when paid by the year, against $7.99 a month for Zoolz. Carbonite starts at $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually, and Zoolz starts at $7.99 per month, billed monthly ($79.99 billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, Carbonite or Zoolz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Carbonite nor Zoolz has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Carbonite and Zoolz run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Carbonite lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and macOS and Windows 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.