Your data is very important, and if you’re not backing it up frequently, you’re flirting with disasters. Here is our selection of the best Windows backup softwares.
MozyHome (Freeware and Shareware)
MozyHome does unlimited online backup for just $5 a month. Mozy is a set-it-and-forget-it solution, and the setting up part is incredibly simple. If you’re looking just to give it a test or you do not need unlimited backup, sign up to MozyHome Free, which gives you 2GB of backup space for free.
Cobian Backup (Donationware)
Cobian Backup is free backup software that provides scheduled local and remote backups. Users love its rich feature set, as Cobian supports nearly all the features of its shareware alternatives. All current versions of this application are freeware, but the latest (v9) is no more open source.
SyncBack (Freeware and Shareware)
SyncBack is full-featured backup software available as freeware and shareware versions. The freeware SyncBack has some limitations that the shareware version does not, as the impossibility of saving files opened, but both versions offer great features, including profiles and backup options for local and remote backups. The shareware version of SyncBack will cost you $30.
Acronis True Image (Shareware)
Acronis True Image creates full live disk images of your PC so that when the time comes that you need to restore a backup, you’re not just restoring files but you’re restoring an exact copy of your PC exactly at the same state as it was. The latest version of Acronis supports excluding individual files and folders from your backup or you can set criterias for the data that you want to back up (in case you don’t want to include all files in your disk image). Acronis True Image costs $50 and a the shareware version is a 15 days trial.
Carbonite (Shareware)
Carbonite is an online backup solution similar to MozyHome. For $50 per year, Carbonite offers unlimited online backup and is another set-it-and-forget-it solution which provides off-site backup to remote servers. The biggest difference to consider between Carbonite and Mozy is the price: Carbonite is $50 a year upfront compared to MozyHome’s $5 per month, which adds up to $60 per year but does not lock you into a year. Carbonite does’nt offer a free version like MozyHome Free’s 2GBs, but a 15-day trial version is available.
