Backblaze vs IDrive for Business: Which Backup Service Fits in 2026?
Backblaze charges per computer with unlimited storage and nothing to configure. IDrive sells bundles of computers and storage, backs up servers, NAS and Microsoft 365, and has a free 10 GB plan.
By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 19, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Business Backup $99/computer/year or $9/computer/mo; unlimited data
Backblaze
VS
Team $9.99/mo for 5 computers & 5 users, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthly
Which backup service is better for a small team, Backblaze or IDrive?
Choose Backblaze at $99 a computer a year when your computers hold a lot of data: storage is unlimited and a year of version history is included. Choose IDrive, from $9.99 a month for 5 computers and 5 TB on annual billing, if you also back up servers, NAS, Linux or Microsoft 365.
Quick verdict: Backblaze Business Backup is the simple pick for laptops and desktops: $99 a computer a year ($9 a month on monthly billing), unlimited data, one year of version history included, Mac and Windows only, and no server or NAS backup. IDrive is the broader tool: Team is $9.99 a month on annual billing for 5 computers, 5 users and 5 TB, Business is priced by storage with unlimited computers and includes server backup, and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup is an add-on. Pick Backblaze if you back up a handful of computers with lots of data; pick IDrive if you also need servers, NAS or SaaS backup.
Business Backup $99/computer/year or $9/computer/mo; unlimited data
Team $9.99/mo for 5 computers & 5 users, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthly
Free plan
No — 15-day free trial, no card
Yes — IDrive Basic, 10 GB
Is Backblaze cheaper than IDrive?
It depends on storage. For 5 computers on annual billing, IDrive Team is $9.99 a month (5 TB shared) and Backblaze $41.25 (5 × $8.25, unlimited). For 10 computers, IDrive Team is $19.99 and Backblaze $82.50. IDrive charges $0.50 per GB per month over the bundle’s storage; Backblaze has no storage cap. IDrive shows 30% off the first year for new annual customers ($6.99 instead of $9.99 for Team) and Carbonite shows first-term discounts on Power and Ultimate; we list the standard prices you pay at renewal.
Team: bundles of computers, users and storage; Business: by storage
Entry price
$99/computer/year; $9/computer/mo monthly
Team $9.99/mo for 5 computers, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthly
Free plan
None — 15-day trial
IDrive Basic, 10 GB
Storage
Unlimited per computer
5 TB on the entry Team bundle; $0.50/GB/mo over
Servers and NAS
Not in Computer Backup (B2 Cloud Storage instead)
Business includes server backup; Team add-on $5/server/mo; NAS supported
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace backup
Not listed
Add-on, $20/seat/year each
Version history
1 year included; Forever at $0.006/GB/mo
Up to 30 versions per file; deleted files kept until removed
Private encryption key
Optional
Optional, chosen at setup
Restore by courier
USB drive up to 8 TB, $279 (refunded if returned)
IDrive Express, $99.50 per restore
Support
Chat and email; no phone
24/7 chat, email and phone
Verified September 19, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources
Standard prices in USD from backblaze.com/cloud-backup/pricing and idrive.com/pricing; features from each vendor’s product and help pages. All checked September 19, 2026.
Both back up computers to the cloud automatically, encrypt data with an optional private key, and let admins manage users from a web console. They differ in how they charge and in what else they back up.
Per computer or per bundle
Backblaze charges the same $99 a year for every computer, however much data it holds, including attached external drives. IDrive Team sells bundles (5, 10, 25 computers and up) with storage that grows with the bundle, and IDrive Business charges by storage with no limit on computers. Storage matters as much as computer count: Backblaze has no storage cap per computer, IDrive Team scales storage with the bundle (5 TB for 5 computers), IDrive Business is priced by storage, and Carbonite Core includes 250 GB for the whole account.
Beyond laptops
Backblaze Computer Backup covers Mac and Windows computers only; for servers and NAS it points to its separate B2 Cloud Storage product. IDrive Business includes server backup (SQL, Exchange, Hyper-V, VMware), IDrive supports Linux and NAS devices, and it sells Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box backup as an add-on.
Moving between them
Backup history does not move between services: none of the three imports another’s backups, so a switch means a fresh first backup on the new service while the old one keeps your version history until you cancel.
Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?
Backblaze
$0/mo
IDrive
$0/mo
Standard list prices checked September 19, 2026, annual billing unless marked. IDrive Team bundles include 5 TB per 5 computers and charge $0.50/GB/mo above that; IDrive Business is priced by storage. Promotional first-year discounts, add-ons and taxes are not included.
Choose Backblaze if…
You back up Mac and Windows computers that hold a lot of data and want one flat price per computer with no storage limit.
Choose IDrive if…
You also need to back up servers, NAS or Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, or you want the lowest price for a small team with modest data.
Total cost over time
Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.
Ready to pick your backup service?
Backblaze offers a 15-day trial and IDrive a free 10 GB plan. Back up one computer on each and time a test restore before you commit.
Backblaze vs IDrive: security, offline & remote work
How Backblaze and IDrive compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.
YesEnterprise ControlSilent deployment via MSI, Jamf, Munki and MDM tools; Enterprise Control adds enhanced backup lockdown (prevents users changing/removing backups), restricted restore access and Legal Hold.source
YesBusinessCentral dashboard: push and lock backup settings/policies per group, remotely change backup sets and schedules, remote client upgrades, block or delete users, legal hold on a user account.source
Office & room hardware
Backs up Mac/Windows computers and attached external drives; NAS and network drives are excluded, and large restores can be shipped on a USB drive.source
Backs up NAS devices (Synology, Netgear, Asustor, QNAP), external/mapped drives and Windows servers; IDrive Express ships a temporary storage device for bulk backup or restore.source
Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and IDrive also holds ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
Single sign-on: Backblaze includes it on Enterprise Control (add-on; OIDC, SAML not mentioned); IDrive includes it on Team (pricing table; SSO page says Enterprise). If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
Health data: Backblaze and IDrive will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (IDrive: Team (with private key encryption; another paragraph says Business and Enterprise only)).
Working offline: Backblaze and IDrive don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
Where your data lives: Backblaze lets you choose US, EU. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.
In the office: Backblaze: Backs up Mac/Windows computers and attached external drives; NAS and network drives are excluded, and large restores can be shipped on a USB drive. IDrive: Backs up NAS devices (Synology, Netgear, Asustor, QNAP), external/mapped drives and Windows servers; IDrive Express ships a temporary storage device for bulk backup or restore.
Backblaze: worth knowing
RemoteBackblaze positions Business Backup for remote and distributed teams, deployed through MDM tools such as Jamf, Iru (Kandji), Addigy and Intune. source
OfficeOffice file servers and NAS cannot be protected with Computer Backup; Backblaze directs server/NAS backup to B2 Cloud Storage integrations. source
RemoteLarge restores can be shipped worldwide on an encrypted USB drive, prepared and shipped from the U.S. source
SecurityWith a private encryption key, Backblaze itself cannot access backed-up data, and a lost key cannot be recovered. source
IDrive: worth knowing
RemoteAdmins can manage backups on remote employees' computers from the web dashboard, including backup sets, schedules and client upgrades. source
OfficeIDrive Express ships a temporary drive to seed or retrieve bulk data without using office bandwidth; free up to three times a year on Team and Business. source
SecurityAdmins can put a legal hold on a departing user's account: the user is blocked while the admin can still access and download the data. source
RemoteSupport is available around the clock by live chat, email and phone. source
Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site — it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IDrive cheaper than Backblaze?
For small teams with modest data, usually: IDrive Team is $9.99 a month for 5 computers and 5 TB on annual billing, against $41.25 for 5 computers on Backblaze ($99 a year each). Backblaze has no storage limit, so data-heavy computers can favour it. Prices checked September 19, 2026.
Does Backblaze back up servers?
Not in Computer Backup: network drives, NAS and servers are excluded. Backblaze points those customers to its B2 Cloud Storage product.
Can IDrive back up Microsoft 365?
Yes, with the Cloud Applications Backup add-on at $20 a seat a year, which also covers Google Workspace.
Can I move my backups from one to the other?
No. Neither imports the other’s backups; you start a fresh backup on the new service.
How long do they keep old versions?
Backblaze includes one year of version history (Forever history costs extra). IDrive keeps up to 30 versions per file and keeps deleted files until you remove them.
Migration Guides
Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.
Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.
Every “best backup service” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Backblaze or IDrive is the wrong purchase for your team.
Backblaze
✓
Buy Backblaze if:
Your computers hold a lot of data
You want one price per computer
You only back up Mac and Windows machines
✕
Do NOT buy Backblaze if:
You need server or NAS backup in the same product
You need phone support
You need Microsoft 365 backup
IDrive
✓
Buy IDrive if:
You have 5 or 10 computers with modest data
You back up servers or NAS
You want SaaS backup from the same vendor
✕
Do NOT buy IDrive if:
Your data grows past the bundle’s storage
You want one simple per-computer price
You want a trial of the team plans
Canonical data for the tools on this page
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page — with the date each figure was last verified.
Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.
Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.
Bill has worked in software and digital marketing for more than 20 years. He spent nine years as an engineer at HP, served as COO scaling a platform past 200,000 users, and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.
“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”
Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 19, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.
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