# Alternatives to Carbonite

Set-and-forget consumer cloud backup.

Carbonite ranks #11 of 12 in Backup software, with an Alt Score of 42. It is proprietary, sold by subscription from $6.33/month and available on Windows and macOS. 6 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/carbonite/
Category: Backup software

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Individuals, home users, and small businesses who want their computer's files backed up automatically without managing manual backups.
- **What you get**: Continuous, automatic backup of documents, photos, music, and (on higher tiers) video to encrypted cloud storage. Plans range from basic file backup to options with external drive backup and video support. Data is protected with 256-bit encryption and can be restored after accidental deletion, hardware failure, or ransomware. Now operates as part of OpenText, with business plans supporting compliance needs like HIPAA and FERPA.
- **How it works**: You install the Carbonite software on a Windows or Mac computer, and it runs in the background continuously uploading new and changed files to the cloud. If files are lost or a device fails, you restore them via a web browser or the mobile app.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Subscription (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $6.33/month (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Duplicati](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/duplicati.md) | 100 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Kopia](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kopia.md) | 100 | Apache-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 3 | [Duplicacy](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/duplicacy.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Restic](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/restic.md) | 96 | BSD-2-Clause | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 5 | [Arq](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/arq.md) | 91 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 6 | [Vorta](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vorta.md) | 86 | GPL-3.0 | macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [IDrive](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/idrive.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 8 | [SpiderOak](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spideroak.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 9 | [UrBackup](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/urbackup.md) | 82 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 10 | [Backblaze](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/backblaze.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 11 | [Acronis](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/acronis.md) | 37 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Backup software checklist | Carbonite | Duplicati | Kopia | Duplicacy | Restic | Arq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription | OSS + paid hosting | Free | Subscription | Free | One-time |
| Starts at | $6.33/month | $2/machine/month | ? | $20/year | ? | $49.99 one-time (per computer) |
| License | Proprietary | MIT | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | BSD-2-Clause | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Incremental backups | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E2E encryption | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deduplication | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud targets supported | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local / NAS targets | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Versioning & retention policies | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Restore granularity | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No |
| Compression | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Carbonite. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Copyright © 2025 Open Text Corporation. All rights reserved.”
- **Starts at**: $6.33/month — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/backup/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “$6.33/mo”
- **Pricing model**: Subscription — <https://www.carbonite.com/faqs/carbonite-safe-pricing-adjustment/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “This pricing is applicable to new and all renewing subscriptions”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/backup/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Windows 7+ or OS X 10.10+”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.carbonite.com/faqs/carbonite-safe-pricing-adjustment/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Basic $95.99/yr* Plus $131.99/yr* Prime $161.99/yr*”
- **Incremental backups**: Yes — <https://support.carbonite.com/articles/Personal-Windows-How-Carbonite-Backs-Up-Your-Files> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “By default, Carbonite backs up the first changes made to a file within 10 minutes of the file changing in each 24-hour period.”
- **E2E encryption**: Partial — <https://support.carbonite.com/articles/Personal-Pro-Windows-Encryption-Key-Password> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The encryption key and password are not stored by Carbonite when managed locally.”
- **Cloud targets supported**: Yes — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/backup/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “256-bit encryption to a secure cloud (in rest or transit)”
- **Local / NAS targets**: No — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/backup/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Automatic, encrypted cloud backup storage.”
- **Scheduling**: Yes — <https://support.carbonite.com/articles/Personal-Windows-Scheduling-Your-Backup> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Carbonite will run continually in the background. Changes to your files are backed up within 10 minutes of the first change.”
- **Open source**: No — <https://www.carbonite.com/personal/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Copyright © 2025 Open Text Corporation. All rights reserved.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/