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Business Backup

IDrive vs Carbonite for Business: Which Backup Service Fits in 2026?

IDrive sells computer bundles with terabytes of storage, server backup on Business and a free plan. Carbonite covers up to 25 computers for one annual price with a smaller storage allowance and weekday phone support.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 19, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
IDrive logoTeam $9.99/mo for 5 computers & 5 users, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthly

IDrive

VS
Carbonite logoSafe Backup Pro Core $287.99/year ($24/mo), up to 25 computers, 250 GB

Carbonite

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
IDrive vs Carbonite for BusinessVerified Sep 19, 2026
Bottom line Editorial assessment

IDrive or Carbonite for business backup?

Choose IDrive for up to 10 computers: $9.99 or $19.99 a month on annual billing with terabytes of storage, monthly billing, Linux and NAS support and 24/7 phone support. Choose Carbonite Core ($287.99 a year) for 11 to 25 computers with little data, or its Power and Ultimate bundles for Windows servers.

Quick verdict: IDrive gives more storage for less: Team is $9.99 a month on annual billing for 5 computers and 5 TB, and $19.99 for 10 computers and 10 TB, against Carbonite Core at $287.99 a year ($24 a month) for up to 25 computers and 250 GB in total. IDrive also offers monthly billing, Linux and NAS support, a free 10 GB plan, 24/7 phone support and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup as an add-on. Carbonite suits teams of 11 to 25 computers with little data, or those who want Windows server backup in the Power ($799.99 a year) and Ultimate ($1,299.99) bundles.
Verified data

IDrive vs Carbonite: quick facts

At a glanceIDriveCarbonite
CategoryBusiness Backup
Entry priceTeam $9.99/mo for 5 computers & 5 users, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthlySafe Backup Pro Core $287.99/year ($24/mo), up to 25 computers, 250 GB
Free planYes — IDrive Basic, 10 GBNo — 30-day free trial

Is IDrive cheaper than Carbonite?

IDrive for up to 10 computers: $9.99 a month (5 computers) or $19.99 (10 computers) on annual billing, against $24 a month for Carbonite Core. From 11 to 25 computers Carbonite Core’s flat price is lower, but it includes only 250 GB for the whole account. 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.

Verified data

IDrive vs Carbonite at a glance

CategoryIDriveCarbonite
Pricing basisTeam: bundles of computers, users and storage; Business: by storageFlat annual bundle for up to 25 computers
Entry priceTeam $9.99/mo for 5 computers, 5 TB (annual); $11.99 monthlyCore $287.99/year ($24/mo)
Free planIDrive Basic, 10 GBNone — 30-day trial
Storage5 TB per 5-computer bundle; $0.50/GB/mo over250 GB (Core) or 500 GB; $99 per extra 100 GB/year
ServersBusiness includes; Team add-on $5/server/moPower: 1 server; Ultimate: unlimited (Windows)
LinuxSupportedNot listed
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace backupAdd-on, $20/seat/yearExchange Online and SharePoint on Power and Ultimate; Google Workspace not listed
Version historyUp to 30 versions; deleted files kept until removedUp to 12 versions; deleted files removed after 60 days
BillingMonthly or annualAnnual only
Support24/7 chat, email and phonePhone and email, weekdays

Verified September 19, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Standard prices in USD from idrive.com/pricing and carbonite.com/professional/backup; features from each vendor’s product and support pages. All checked September 19, 2026.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Both back up computers, external drives and NAS devices, offer an optional private encryption key and ship drives for large restores. IDrive is the broader platform; Carbonite is the simpler bundle.

Storage per dollar

IDrive’s entry Team bundle includes 5 TB; Carbonite Core includes 250 GB for all 25 computers. If each computer holds more than about 10 GB, Carbonite’s allowance runs out before its computer limit does.

Retention and recovery

IDrive keeps up to 30 versions per file and keeps deleted files until you remove them, with point-in-time Snapshots. Carbonite keeps up to 12 versions and removes deleted files after 60 days, and its support team helps restore pre-infection versions within two weeks of a ransomware event.

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.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

IDrive

Pros

  • Terabytes of storage on entry bundles
  • Monthly or annual billing
  • Linux, NAS and server backup
  • Free plan and 24/7 phone support

Cons

  • Overage charges above the bundle
  • Its own pages disagree on which plan has SSO
  • No trial of team plans found
  • Promo prices rise at renewal

Carbonite

Pros

  • One price for up to 25 computers
  • Windows server backup bundles
  • NAS backup on every plan
  • Support-assisted ransomware recovery

Cons

  • Only 250 GB on Core
  • Annual billing only
  • Short retention for deleted files
  • No mobile app for Safe Backup Pro
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

IDrive

 
$0/mo

Carbonite

 
$0/mo
 

Standard list prices checked September 19, 2026, annual billing. IDrive Team bundles include 5 TB per 5 computers; IDrive Business is priced by storage. Carbonite plans cover up to 25 computers and include 250 GB (Core) or 500 GB. Promotions, extra storage and taxes are not included.

Choose IDrive if…

You want plenty of storage for a small team, monthly billing, Linux or SaaS backup, or 24/7 phone support.

Choose Carbonite if…

You have 11 to 25 computers with little data, or want Windows server backup and support-assisted ransomware recovery in one bundle.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your backup service?

IDrive has a free 10 GB plan and Carbonite a 30-day trial. Add up your team’s data before comparing bundles.

See IDrive pricing See Carbonite pricing
Verified data

IDrive vs Carbonite: security, offline & remote work

How IDrive and Carbonite 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.

What we checkedIDriveCarbonite
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceNot published
Other certificationsEU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (incl. UK Extension, Swiss-U.S. DPF)sourceNot published
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availableTeam (with private key encryption; another paragraph says Business and Enterprise only)sourceBAA availableCoresource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceNot published
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesTeam (pricing table; SSO page says Enterprise)sourceNot published
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedNot published
Two-factor authenticationYessourceYessource
Admin audit logNot publishedNot published
Data residency choicesUS onlysourceUS onlysource
EncryptionAES 256-bit in transfer and at rest; optional private key (not stored by IDrive)sourceAES-256 at rest; TLS 1.2 in transit; optional private key (Windows only)source
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsWindows, macOS, LinuxsourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceNonesource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedNot published
Device & session controlsYesBusinessCentral 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.sourceYesCoreAdmin-defined backup policies by group, role or device; admins add and remove computers and assign them to users.source
Office & room hardwareBacks 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.sourceBacks up office NAS devices and external drives on all plans; Power/Ultimate add Windows servers (2008+) with cloud and onsite server backup targets.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • 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: IDrive includes it on Team (pricing table; SSO page says Enterprise). Carbonite doesn’t document single sign-on with your own identity provider. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: IDrive and Carbonite will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (IDrive: Team (with private key encryption; another paragraph says Business and Enterprise only); Carbonite: Core).
  • Working offline: IDrive and Carbonite don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • In the office: 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. Carbonite: Backs up office NAS devices and external drives on all plans; Power/Ultimate add Windows servers (2008+) with cloud and onsite server backup targets.

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

Carbonite: worth knowing

  • OfficeNAS drives are included only on Safe Backup Pro plans, and a NAS whose path changes or whose selecting Windows admin stops signing in is dropped from the backup within 60 days. source
  • RemoteCourier Recovery (a shipped restore drive) is available only to Safe Backup Pro subscribers living in the United States. source
  • SecurityPrivate encryption key management is not available for Mac users. source
  • RemotePhone and email support is weekday business hours only (Eastern time), not 24/7. 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 Carbonite?

For up to 10 computers, yes: IDrive Team is $9.99 a month for 5 computers and $19.99 for 10 on annual billing, against $24 a month for Carbonite Core. Prices checked September 19, 2026.

How much storage do I get?

IDrive Team includes 5 TB with 5 computers. Carbonite Core includes 250 GB for the whole account, and Power and Ultimate 500 GB.

Do they back up Microsoft 365?

IDrive sells Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup as an add-on at $20 a seat a year. Carbonite Power and Ultimate back up Exchange, including Exchange Online, and SharePoint.

Can I move my backups between them?

No. Neither imports the other’s backups; you start a fresh backup on the new service.

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.

Switching from IDrive to Carbonite Switching from Carbonite to IDrive
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best backup service” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which IDrive or Carbonite is the wrong purchase for your team.

IDrive

Buy IDrive if:

  • You need terabytes, not gigabytes
  • You want monthly billing
  • You back up Linux, NAS or Microsoft 365

Do NOT buy IDrive if:

  • You want one flat price for 25 computers
  • You dislike storage overage charges
  • You want a trial of the team plan

Carbonite

Buy Carbonite if:

  • 11 to 25 computers with little data
  • Windows server backup in a bundle
  • You want help recovering from ransomware

Do NOT buy Carbonite if:

  • Your data exceeds the allowance
  • You need monthly billing
  • You need long retention of deleted files

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.

IDrivePricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›CarbonitePricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Backblaze vs CarboniteHead-to-head comparisonBackblaze vs IDriveHead-to-head comparison

Sources

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.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.75 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.150 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

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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