Carbonite review (2026): is it worth $71.99 a year?
Automatic cloud backup for home computers and small businesses
Black Friday: is there a Carbonite sale?
Carbonite report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for automatic cloud backup for home computers
Carbonite backs up a computer in the background to the cloud, with unlimited space on personal plans from $71.99 a year. It has no free plan, business storage is capped at 250 or 500 GB, and the sale prices come with no end date.
Who Carbonite is for
- 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
Who Carbonite is not for
- 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
Why Carbonite gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$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.
- DFree plan and trialPersonal plans only have a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial. Business plans have a 30-day free trial.
- CFeaturesAutomatic encrypted backup, unlimited personal space, malware recovery and a phone companion. The phone app does not back up, and business storage is capped.
- BEase of useNo rating on record. You install it and it backs up in the background.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWindows, Mac, web, iPhone and Android, though the phone apps are only companions. No integrations or API are listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Carbonite's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/carbonite#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/carbonite.svg" alt="Carbonite: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Carbonite stands among file storage and sync services
Carbonite's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 34 of the 91 other file storage and sync services we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 60 of 91) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 9).
Its paid plans start at $6 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $6.64 for the category: 25 of the 60 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 11 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 92 file storage and sync services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Carbonite’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 91, level with 48
- DFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 91, level with 8
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 91, level with 67
- BEase of useAbove 60 of 91, level with 26
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 91, level with 38
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 66 file storage and sync services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Carbonite, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Carbonite you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $71.99 a year.
What you could not
- An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: HIPAA.
What this rests on. Carbonite’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Carbonite?
Carbonite, now part of OpenText, backs up computers to encrypted cloud storage so files can be restored after loss, damage or a malware infection. Personal plans cover one computer with unlimited storage. Professional plans add servers, group backup policies and fixed storage allowances for small businesses.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Carbonite pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Carbonite is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually.
- Starts at
- $71.99 per year for 1 computer, billed annually
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial on business plans; 30-day money-back guarantee on personal plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Basic | $71.99per 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 | $78.99per 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 | $121.49per year, billed annually | Everything in Plus, with Webroot antivirus and courier delivery of recovered files for an extra fee. |
| Business Core | $230.39per 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 | $639.99per 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 | $1039.99per year, billed annually | 500 GB for unlimited servers plus 25 computers; shown as 20% off $1299.99. |
Read from carbonite.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Carbonite before you buy.
How people rate the Carbonite app
4.4
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars77%
- 4 stars8%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars3%
- 1 star9%
1,111 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Nov 13, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Carbonite alternatives
- Carbonite vs IDrive
Free plan · from $0.25/mo
- Carbonite vs CrashPlan
Free trial · from $2.50/mo
- Carbonite vs Arq Backup
Free trial · from $59.99 one-time
- Carbonite vs Zoolz
Free trial · from $7.99/mo
Common questions
Does Carbonite have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Carbonite is listed for Windows, macOS, Web, iOS and Android.
Is Carbonite open source?
Carbonite is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.