With over 3 billion internet users around the world and the number increasing each second, the internet is becoming a very crowded space. The use of the internet involves saving up your data. And, as users grow in number, so too does the requirement to store or create backups for important data on the cloud. In fact, most of the bigger organizations have their entire workforce working on the cloud and need a reliable backup service which also boasts of extra strong security.
So, with this growing demand for backups, more service providers are lining up to provide such services. If you are planning on using these services, it is important for you to review them individually before making a decision. To assist you with this, we will review the services of Carbonite and CrashPlan Pro in this article.
Carbonite Overview
Carbonite debuted in the backup and online storage scene in 2005 as a partnership between CEO David Friend and CTO Jeff Flowers. As the company grew, it introduced support for Mac devices in addition to Windows devices. However, Linux devices are not yet supported.
While it has received positive reviews from Lifehacker and PC Pro, the ratings by PC World has been really low. In fact, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA ) in the UK ruled against Carbonite in 2012, stating that they had misled their customers into believing that they were providing unlimited space in exchange for a fixed fee.
CrashPlan Pro Overview
Code 42 is the parent company that develops CrashPlan Pro, a software which helps users store and back up their data. The company was founded in 2001 as an IT consultancy and, after a successful stint, shaped itself up to be an online storage provider and thus released CrashPlan Pro in 2007. And, following their success, the owners were able to raise millions of dollars in funding from a 100 million dollar pool created for big data companies. 
CrashPlan Pro can be used on Mac, Windows and Linux. It also received stellar reviews from The Wall Street Journal, PC Magazine, and MacWorld. However, it has been noted that the initial transfer rate for data is sluggish and can take up to several days, depending on the amount of data.
Pricing
Winner: Tie
It’s a tie here, since both have a balance of services and prices which can prove to be beneficial for different types of users based on their requirements.
Carbonite
The prices are all inclusive for Carbonite and users get a wide range of services for a pre-fixed amount of money.
| Personal Plans | Basic
$59.99 per year |
Plus
$99.99 per year |
Prime
$149.99 per year |
| Business Plans | Unlimited Computers $199.99 per year |
One Server and Unlimited Computer $599.99 per year |
Unlimited servers and computers $999.99 per year |
CrashPlan Pro
The pricing for this software is moderate and very pocket friendly for both small and big businesses. This is a very attractive factor for most users.
| Home Plan | Free | Individual
$5 per month |
Family
$12.50 per month |
| Small Business | 30 days free trial | Contact for price | |
| Enterprise | Code42 CrashPlan Standard
$6 per user per month |
Code42 CrashPlan Premium
$9 per user per month |
Code42 CrashPlan Enterprise
Contact for price |
User Experience
Winner: CrashPlan Pro
CrashPlan Pro emerges as the winner in this category, since it supports a wider range of platform, such as Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
Carbonite
Carbonite offers a simple experience and can be used by multiple users working in one organization. The service is provided for computer or local backups as well as server backups. You can choose either service as per your requirements. And, as a beginner, you can get the first 30 days for free when you sign up to check out how to save your files and backups.
Moreover, Carbonite installs a client software system on your local machine and starts backing up everything on your machine. This software works in the background continuously and updates all changes that may have been made to the existing files.
CrashPlan Pro
Like Carbonite, it offers its users a simple and easy backup method. It backs up data to remote servers, computers and hard drives. While the local backup can be done for free, using their cloud services require payment. It also provides support for all platforms, including Mac OS, Windows and Linux, unlike Carbonite. Yet, although it is easy to use and supports all platforms, users have complained about it being too slow when backing up the initial data and it requires a steady internet connection to complete all backups.
File Sharing, Syncing and Versioning
Winner: CrashPlan Pro
CrashPlan Pro is the winner here since it allows file syncing and sharing, which are very important features for people working together in a team or organization.
Carbonite
Since March 2016, Carbonite has not allowed file sharing and syncing. The decision to stop this was made while keeping in mind security measures, which they believe may be jeopardized when critical files are shared across multiple devices.
Carbonite users can have their older file versions saved for up to three months. However, this is applicable to the Windows platform only and there is currently no versioning support for Mac OS.
CrashPlan Pro
Unlike Carbonite, CrashPlan Pro supports file syncing and sharing across all devices through their SharePlan service. The SharePlan also keeps all files current and updated. And, when two different users work on the same file, both are saved with different user names and no work is lost.
CrashPlan deletes older versions of files automatically. However, you can choose from the older files any specific versions that you may want to retain.
You can even choose for how long you want to keep your deleted files in the recovery section of the backups.
Security
Winner: CrashPlan Pro
CrashPlan Pro wins here as well since it offers a dedicated private and hybrid cloud option for its users.
Carbonite
Carbonite offers Transport Layer Security (TSL) for working while travelling and a 128-bit Blowfish encryption for files at rest. It is also compliant with GLBA, HIPAA, and FERPA. Carbonite manages the encryption key for its users, but allows them to manage it on their own if requested.
CrashPlan Pro
CrashPlan Pro offers all the features that are provided by Carbonite in addition to tamper proof backup archives and proxy support. It also boasts of a 448-bit Blowfish encryption, instead of Carbonite’s 128-bit encryption.
Moreover, the encryption key is private and they provide private and hybrid cloud options.
Software Compatibility
Winner: CrashPlan Pro
CrashPlan Pro emerges as the winner in this category since it provides service for the Linux platform.
Carbonite provides support for various platforms, such as:
- Windows,
- iOS,
- Mac OS,
- Android, and
- Blackberry.
CrashPlan Pro also provides support for various platforms, including:
- Windows,
- iOS,
- Mac OS,
- Android, and
- Linux.
The Verdict – Carbonite vs CrashPlan Pro
The review of these two service providers can be summarised as follows:
- Pricing: Tie since both services offer competitive pricing.
- User experience: CrashPlan Pro wins, but Carbonite is fine if you do not use Linux.
- Features: CrashPlan Pro wins, but Carbonite claims to offer better security.
- Security: CrashPlan Pro wins, even though Carbonite also has reliable security.
- Compatibility: CrashPlan Pro wins, but Carbonite supports Blackberry.
The above comparisons show that CrashPlan Pro is the clear winner on several grounds. However, Carbonite is not far behind it when it comes to user satisfaction.
We hope that this comparison helps you make a decision about choosing the appropriate service provider for your business.
