Top 5 Carbonite Alternatives For Small Businesses in 2026

Carbonite is known for simple, automatic cloud backup. But not every business is satisfied with how well it keeps up as their data and systems grow.

In user communities and recent reviews, customers describe costs that rise with storage and renewals, slow restores of large data sets, and limited visibility into failed backups. Some say these experiences prompted them to evaluate other backup tools. These are individual accounts, but they raise a fair question: does your current backup still fit what you need to protect, how quickly you need to recover and what you want to pay?

If you’re evaluating Carbonite alternatives, this guide compares five options: Backblaze Business Backup, IDrive Business, MSP360 Backup, Zmanda Pro and Veeam Data Platform. For each one, we cover who it fits, what to watch out for, a rough cost estimate and how hard it is to switch.

Carbonite alternatives at a glance: the quick-decision matrix

If you want the answer before the detail, start here.

Why are small businesses looking for Carbonite alternatives?

The reasons below come from review sites and user communities. They’re individual experiences, not a measure of every Carbonite customer, and many reviewers report the opposite. But they show what businesses weigh when they consider a switch.

1. Cost grows with your data

Restoring a few files is quick, but large restores can take time. One Carbonite user titled a Reddit post “COMICALLY SLOW speed of Carbonite Restore (1GB/hour!)”, describing a 236 GB restore running at about 2.4 Mbps on a personal plan. A former customer who later moved to Backblaze reported a restore of about 650 GB taking roughly three weeks. The question applies to any business: how long would a full restore of your data take?

2. Large restores take time

“No notification for failed backups,” wrote an IT reviewer at a small company on TrustRadius in June 2021, adding that some backups ran for hours before failing. Another, an IT analyst at a 51 to 200-person company, said of the backup reports in 2019: “It is not suitable for auditing.” For a regulated business, knowing a backup failed is as important as the backup itself.

3. Outgrowing the small business plans

The small business plans cover up to 25 computers, plus NAS devices and Windows servers. Businesses that need more are directed to OpenText, which acquired Carbonite in 2019 and now sells its larger business products under names such as OpenText Server Backup. Teams adding VMs, Linux servers or Microsoft 365 often need other products too.

4. Knowing when a backup fails

“No notification for failed backups,” wrote an IT reviewer at a small company on TrustRadius in June 2021, adding that some backups ran for hours before failing. Another, an IT analyst at a 51 to 200-person company, said of the backup reports in 2019: “It is not suitable for auditing.” Some also find the admin experience dated: “Admin console is very slow,” wrote an IT engineer at a 201 to 500-person company, while still rating the product 9 out of 10. For a regulated business, knowing a backup failed is as important as the backup itself.

Plenty of businesses stay with Carbonite for its simplicity and support. The right choice depends on which of these factors matter most to you.

Questions worth asking before you start evaluating Carbonite alternatives?

Before comparing Carbonite alternatives, agree on what matters most to your business. Ask every option on your shortlist these seven questions:

1. What are you protecting? Computers only, or servers, VMs, databases and Microsoft 365 as well?
2. How fast do you need a large restore? Is there a local copy or a drive-shipping option for big recoveries?
3. Where should your backups be stored? The vendor’s cloud, your own cloud storage, or on-site as well?
4. How many computers and servers will you have in three years? Check device limits and how pricing scales.
5. Who manages backup, and how will you know when a job fails? Look at alerts, reporting and the console.
6. What retention and compliance rules apply? Check version history, deleted-file retention and immutability.
7. What’s the total cost? Include storage, add-ons, renewals and the time your team spends running it.

The 5 best Carbonite alternatives compared

For IT teams who want the detail behind these Carbonite alternatives, with Carbonite’s small business plans in the last column as the baseline.

Lets take a deeper look at what each compared with Carbonite looks like

1. Backblaze Business Backup vs Carbonite

A cloud backup service for Windows and Mac computers, managed from a central web console.

How it differs from Carbonite: Both are simple, automatic cloud backup for computers. Backblaze charges a flat price per computer with no storage cap, while Carbonite charges per plan with a storage allowance. Carbonite covers Windows servers on its Power and Ultimate plans; Backblaze doesn’t.

Strongest signal: Predictable cost for computer backup. Business Backup is $99 per computer per year with unlimited data and no limit on file type or size. Admins get centralized management and billing, Google and Microsoft single sign-on, private key encryption, and free mailed hard drive restores for large recoveries.

Watch out for: It’s built for computers. Windows Server of any kind isn’t supported, so servers need a separate product. Longer version history and advanced controls such as OIDC single sign-on and restricted restore access come with the Enterprise Control upgrade, which is quote-based.

Migration complexity: Low. Install the client on each computer, let the first backup complete, and keep Carbonite active until you’ve confirmed restores.

When to pick it: You only need to protect computers and want a flat, predictable price with no storage to manage.

2. IDrive Business vs Carbonite

Cloud backup for computers, servers and NAS devices under one account, with plans priced by storage.

How it differs from Carbonite: Carbonite prices by plan and device count, capped at 25 computers. IDrive Business prices by storage tier, with no limit on the number of computers backed up to an account, and servers included.

Strongest signal: One plan for a mixed office. IDrive Business covers unlimited users and multiple computers and servers, including Exchange, SQL Server and NAS devices, with Windows, Mac and Linux clients. Data is encrypted with 256-bit AES, with an optional private key that IDrive doesn’t store, and IDrive Express can ship data on a physical drive for faster large backups and restores.

Watch out for: Cost follows capacity. Plans start at $59.99 a month for 1.25 TB, and going over your tier is charged at $0.50 per GB per month, so size the plan with headroom. Annual discounts apply to the first year only. Backups go to IDrive’s cloud, and Microsoft 365 backup is a separate add-on.

Migration complexity: Low. Install IDrive alongside Carbonite, run the first full backup (or seed it with IDrive Express), and test restores before you cancel.

When to pick it: You have computers and servers, want them on a single bill, and know roughly how much data you’ll store.

3. MSP360 Backup vs Carbonite

Backup software that sends data to the cloud storage you choose. MSP360 Backup Pro is licensed per computer; MSP360 Managed Backup adds a central console for larger fleets.

How it differs from Carbonite: Carbonite bundles storage into its plans. MSP360 separates the software from the storage: you buy a license per computer and connect your own storage account.

Strongest signal: Flexibility at a low license cost. Backup Pro starts at $29.99 per year for a Windows computer and $109.99 for Windows Server, and works with Amazon S3, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, Azure and other storage. It covers Windows, macOS and Linux, SQL Server, Hyper-V, VMware and Proxmox VE, with client-side encryption and Object Lock immutability.

Watch out for: Backup Pro is managed on each machine, without a central online console; centralized management means moving to Managed Backup, which is priced separately. Storage and any egress charges are billed by your storage provider, and VM backup licenses cost more ($379.99 per year).

Migration complexity: Moderate. Set up your storage account first, then configure backup plans on each machine and test restores while Carbonite is still running.

When to pick it: You have someone comfortable setting up storage and backup plans, and you want to choose where your data lives.

4. Zmanda Pro vs Carbonite

Zmanda Pro is backup and recovery software that runs as SaaS, self-hosted or fully offline, sending backups straight to the storage you choose.

How it differs from Carbonite: The problems customers raise most are rising storage costs, slow large restores and plans built for computers, come down to packaging. Carbonite charges $99 per extra 100 GB, about $990 per TB; Zmanda Cloud Storage is about $96 per TB a year, or you can use your own storage. Zmanda Pro can also back up to a local NAS for faster restores, and covers servers, VMs and Microsoft 365 in one console.

Strongest signal: Costs that stay predictable as data grows. The license price doesn’t change with data volume, client-side deduplication reduces how much you store, and prices are published for every plan and add-on. Workload coverage and control. One console covers Windows, Linux and macOS, VMware, Hyper-V, agentless Proxmox VE, major databases, NAS shares and Microsoft 365. Data is encrypted with AES-256 on the client, and Zmanda’s servers can’t decrypt it. Backups go to Zmanda Cloud Storage or your own storage, and prices are published per workload.

Watch out for: Plans start at 10 workloads, so it suits businesses with a few servers or more rather than a single machine. Storage is billed separately: Zmanda Cloud Storage is the simplest route, and connecting your own cloud storage is a $79-a-month add-on on the Business plan. Database, application-aware and disk-image backups are add-ons, so you pay only for the backup types you use, and 24×7 support comes with Business Plus.

Migration complexity: Low to moderate. There’s no hardware to install, so you can run it alongside Carbonite, take fresh backups, test restores and keep Carbonite until your retention needs are covered.

When to pick it:  Your data or your environment is growing, and you want costs that stay predictable and one console for computers, servers and Microsoft 365. If you only back up a few laptops, a per-computer service is simpler.

5. Veeam Data Platform vs Carbonite

Self-hosted backup software for physical servers, VMs, applications and workstations. Our guide to Veeam alternatives covers it in more detail.

How it differs from Carbonite: The two sit at opposite ends. Carbonite is a service that handles storage for you; Veeam is software you deploy, configure and run on your own infrastructure. Veeam is the natural step up for businesses whose servers and VMs have outgrown Carbonite’s small business plans.

Strongest signal: The broadest coverage in this list. Veeam supports VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV and Proxmox VE, Windows, Linux and macOS agents, and application-aware backup for SQL Server, Exchange and Oracle, with storage on disk, NAS, object storage or tape. Veeam Data Platform Essentials is aimed at smaller businesses with up to 50 workloads, and a free Community Edition covers up to 10.

Watch out for: You design and maintain the backup server, repositories and storage, which takes more IT skill and time than a cloud service. Essentials is sold in packs of five workloads, storage isn’t included, and Microsoft 365 backup is a separate product.

Migration complexity: Higher. Plan the backup server and storage first, then protect workloads in parallel with Carbonite and test restores before you switch over.

When to pick it: Servers and VMs are the core of your environment and you have IT staff, or a partner, to run the platform.

Pricing at a glance: what do Carbonite and its alternatives cost?

Most of these Carbonite alternatives publish prices, but they price different things: per computer, per workload, per plan or per terabyte. Treat the figures below as starting points, not quotes, and compare them against your own devices and data.

Note: Pricing is based on publicly available vendor and reseller information, prices are in USD and may vary by billing period, region, taxes, contract length and selected features.

How do you move off Carbonite without losing your backup history?

Whichever of these Carbonite alternatives you choose, plan the switch so you’re never without a working backup. Backup history doesn’t transfer between vendors, so most moves run both tools side by side for a while.

1. Check your renewal date: Cancelling stops auto-renewal, and you can usually keep using Carbonite until the subscription ends.
2. Know what happens to your old backups: Carbonite says backed-up data is permanently removed after a grace period once a subscription expires. [verify grace period for Core, Power and Ultimate] Restore anything you’re required to keep before then and allow time for large restores.
3. Run both in parallel: Install the new tool, complete the first full backup, and test file and full-system restores.
4. Cut over: Once restores are proven and your retention needs are covered, let Carbonite expire and uninstall it.

A quick decision framework

Choosing between Carbonite alternatives comes down to what you protect, where you want your data stored and how much your team wants to manage.

• Choose Backblaze Business Backup if you only need to protect computers and want unlimited data at a flat price.

• Choose IDrive Business if you want computers and servers on one storage-based plan.

• Choose MSP360 Backup if you want low license costs and to pick your own storage, and someone can manage the setup.

• Choose Zmanda Pro if you protect servers, VMs or databases and want one console with control over where backups are stored.

• Choose Veeam Data Platform if servers and VMs are central and you have the skills to run backup infrastructure.

• Stay with Carbonite if you have up to 25 computers, modest data, and value its simplicity and in-house support.

What to do next

Start with an inventory: list the computers, servers and other systems you protect, how much data you have, your retention rules and your Carbonite renewal date. Then decide which of the seven questions above are non-negotiable. That will narrow these Carbonite alternatives to the two or three worth trialing.

If you need help deciding, book a meeting with our team. We’ll walk through your environment with you and help you choose the best option.