Carbonite
The first unlimited cloud service, but the basic package struggles to compete on features
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE From $60/yr per PC, unlimited storage from carbonite.com
Carbonite is the original allyou-can-eat cloud backup service, and the basics work just as you’d expect: once installed it continuously backs up most user files, including documents, spreadsheets, email archives and music. If you prefer a more structured timetable, you can configure a single daily backup at a specified time, or specify quiet hours so Carbonite doesn’t interfere with your working day.
One distinctive feature of Carbonite is its Explorer integration. Adding items to your backup is a simple case of selecting them in Windows Explorer, then rightclicking and selecting “Back this up” from the Carbonite contextual
menu. A coloured blob should then appear overlaid on the file’s icon: green means safely backed up, orange means awaiting upload.
It’s a great way to see at a glance what’s backed up and what isn’t. Unfortunately, if you’re already using another utility that uses icon overlays (such as Dropbox or OneDrive), you might find the dots don’t appear. This isn’t Carbonite’s fault – it’s a limitation in Windows – and it can be fixed with a Registry tweak, but it’s still an unwelcome speedbump.
Carbonite put in a good performance in our backup test, beaming our 5GB of personal files up to the cloud in just 1hr 32mins – faster than any of the competing packages. Restoration was less impressive though; we waited 52 minutes for the same files to come back down the line, while some clients managed the same feat in under 20 minutes.
Carbonite has some other limitations to be aware of, too. The regular edition of the software won’t back up files stored on external drives – that capability comes only with a $100-per-year Carbonite Plus subscription, which also adds the ability to create a recovery image of your entire system.
There’s no option to mirror your backed-up files to local media for quick access either, and weirdly video files aren’t automatically backed up unless you shell out for a $150 Prime subscription. If you live in the US this tier might have its appeal, as it also includes a courier recovery service for speedy restoration of large archives – but that isn’t available in the UK, making the deal a very poor one indeed for us Brits.
What Carbonite does it does well, and we’re big fans of the icon overlays – when they work. At the end of the day, though, it’s hard to recommend when CrashPlan offers greater flexibility at the same price.