IDrive Personal cloud backup review

Our Verdict

IDrive Personal combines ease of use, affordability, generous storage limits and useful actress features to once once again meridian our listing of the best cloud backup services.

For

• Generous storage tiers
• Affordably priced
• Backs upward networked drives
• Modern, intuitive user interface
• Solid mobile apps

Against

• Dull download speeds
• No unlimited-storage option
• Only email-based 2-factor authentication

Tom's Guide Verdict

IDrive Personal combines ease of use, affordability, generous storage limits and useful extra features to again top our list of the best deject backup services.

Pros

• +

  Generous storage tiers

• +

  Affordably priced

• +

  Backs up networked drives

• +

  Mod, intuitive user interface

• +

  Solid mobile apps

Cons

• -

  Slow download speeds

• -

  No unlimited-storage option

• -

  Simply email-based ii-cistron authentication

IDrive Personal: Specs

Number of devices backed up per subscription: Unlimited
Storage limit: 10TB
Backups of tethered external drives: Yeah
Backups of network storage drives: Yes
Backups of mobile devices: Yes
Operating system/application backups: Yep, but not by default
Backups to local drives: Aye
Ii-factor hallmark: Yes
Drive shipping: Seed and restore

IDrive Personal's deject backup service continues to offer the all-time blend of features and value, particularly for users who tin stay within the service's 10TB storage plan. Information technology remains our top pick for the best cloud backup service.

The lack of unlimited storage is my simply meaningful complaint regarding IDrive. It otherwise manages to offering every feature most users volition need and executes those features meliorate than the competition.

IDrive Personal offers the best mobile experience among deject backup services, including bankroll up phones, a built-in cloud-syncing service, a fantastic initial backup solution with IDrive Express and support for unlimited devices on a single plan. If you can live with the 5TB or 10TB storage limits, IDrive Personal is the all-time choice.

Read on for the balance of our IDrive Personal review.

IDrive: Cloud backup services defined

Online-backup services, aka cloud backup services, make online copies of all the personal files on your estimator. Some of them can too back up system files, applications, smartphones, tablets and external hard drives. About offer unlimited (or lots of) storage for a reasonable apartment subscription fee, and most can also make local backups to an external difficult drive.

These are different from online-syncing services such as Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive, which create copies of a specific set up of files on all your devices then continue those files in sync for piece of cake, immediate access. It would cost too much and take too long to have these services sync all your files to all your devices as a form of backup. IDrive offers a syncing service at no accuse to its backup customers.

If you have thousands of photos, videos, or music files y'all want backed up to a safe location, a cloud-backup service is what you need.

IDrive: Costs and what'south covered

IDrive is one of the merely cloud-fill-in services that offers a free tier, called IDrive Basic. It's limited to merely 5GB, and then you probably won't exist bankroll upwardly your whole computer to information technology.

You could use IDrive Bones as an online-syncing service, just information technology's less optimized for that purpose than the likes of Google Drive or Dropbox. Treat it as your free trial of IDrive.

(Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

The IDrive Personal subscription plan comes with 5TB or 10TB of storage, depending on price, and tin can be used across equally many computers, smartphones and tablets as yous like. I like to accept unlimited storage, but even 5TB will exist enough for most users' storage needs.

IDrive likewise backs up external difficult drives and network-attached-storage (NAS) devices. Acronis True Image is the only other service I tested that offers total NAS-backup support, while CrashPlan for Small Business does for Mac and Linux only.

The 5TB program is typically $59.12 for the offset twelvemonth ($79.50 per year thereafter), or $119.25 for the offset 2 years ($159 thereafter). Tom'south Guide readers will get an even steeper discount on the first year.

For at to the lowest degree the first yr, this makes IDrive a very affordable online-backup option. Backblaze offers unlimited storage for $seventy per yr, just that's for only 1 calculator.

For those with more extensive storage needs, y'all can crash-land your IDrive Personal storage up to 10TB. Pricing jumps up to $74.62 for the starting time year ($99.50 per year thereafter) or $149.25 for the first two years ($199 thereafter). Other than the storage cap, it'due south the same as the 5TB plan.

For those that are taking advantage of NAS back up, the 10TB limit may be necessary. Even this tier remains more affordable than Acronis Truthful Image for comparable storage or CrashPlan for Pocket-sized Concern with its unlimited storage just loftier per-figurer costs.

IDrive offers support for Windows 7, macOS 10.10 Yosemite, Android five.0 Lollipop or iOS 11.0 and later versions. It besides supports Windows Server 2003 through 2019, and there are command-line scripts available to back up Linux systems, simply you may take to contact IDrive support to get the script package for your particular Linux distribution.

IDrive: Operation

We tested each cloud-backup service using a Lenovo Yoga C940 14-inch laptop with a tenth-generation Intel Cadre i7 CPU running Windows 10 Habitation 64. Mobile apps were tested on a Google Pixel three with Android 10. Each service'due south software was uninstalled from both devices before another service'due south software was installed.

Our exam set of files to support consisted of 15.6GB of documents, photos, videos and music. We uploaded this data to each deject fill-in service and then restored a 1.4GB subset of these files to the Lenovo Yoga C940. We used the GlassWire network-monitoring application to monitor upload and download speeds and the congenital-in Windows Resource Monitor to rails CPU usage.

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

We conducted our tests in Middleton, Wisconsin, using TDS Telecom Extreme300 Fiber home internet service, which theoretically provided up to 300 megabits per second (Mbps) downward and 300 Mbps upwards. Real-globe speeds were typically closer to 50 Mbps downwardly and 60 Mbps up during testing, co-ordinate to Speedtest.net.

	Acronis Truthful Paradigm	Backblaze	Carbonite Safe	CrashPlan for Pocket-size Business	IDrive Personal
Initial upload speed	26.4 Mbps	36.4 Mbps	17 Mbps	27 Mbps	25.ane Mbps
File-restore speed	thirteen.i Mbps	27.v Mbps	21.1 Mbps	34.4 Mbps	12.4 Mbps
CPU usage during backup	>1%	2.five%	3.iii%	vii.3%	1.2%
CPU usage otherwise	>1%	>one%	>one%	>i%	>1%

Our initial upload of 15.6GB of files using IDrive's standard settings took approximately one 60 minutes and 36 minutes, an boilerplate data-transfer speed of 25.ane megabits per second (Mbps). This was nigh identical to the speeds we saw the last fourth dimension nosotros tested IDrive, so it was encouraging from a consistency standpoint.

The other services nosotros tested besides improved on their upload performance from previous tests, however, and then IDrive finished backside all merely Carbonite Safe. It was close, though CrashPlan, Acronis and IDrive were all had upload-completion times within vii minutes of one some other. Merely Backblaze set itself apart, coming out in front with a 36.4Mbps upload.

Restoring ane.4GB of video files took approximately 16 minutes and 13 seconds. Our connection provided 47 Mbps download at this fourth dimension, while IDrive transferred the files at 12.four Mbps.

This put IDrive in concluding place for download speed among the services tested. Acronis wasn't far alee at 15 minutes and 20 seconds, only Backblaze was more than twice every bit fast and CrashPlan nearly iii times faster.

IDrive used an boilerplate of approximately ane.23 percentage of CPU cycles during the initial full backup, and the system load varied from less than one percent to iii percent throughout testing. This represents a solid comeback from our previous tests and was the 2nd-all-time result in this circular of testing, behind only Acronis.

During regular computer usage, IDrive'due south groundwork CPU load dropped to below one percentage.

IDrive: User interface

The IDrive desktop app was already i of the best among cloud backup services the last time I tested it. While it hasn't undergone whatsoever major characteristic changes since, the overall look has been streamlined and is behind only Acronis as the most mod UI among the services I tested.

It's a simple two-column interface for the about part, with six main sections along the left and the information for the current section presented on the right. 1 of my few nitpicks is that I find the persistent button to upgrade to a pricier plan irritating. It breaks from the color scheme, and unless I'chiliad close to my storage limit, I don't desire to be prompted to upgrade.

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

Backup and Restore are both essentially file pickers. They are easy enough to navigate and utilise, but these are 2 pieces of the interface that remains pretty blowsy. I'd love to see IDrive modernize its desktop software, every bit Acronis True Epitome has. If IDrive simply borrowed the look from its mobile app, that would practice it.

(Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Scheduler lets you prepare the timing of your backups. Yous tin can select a daily time y'all would like the backups to occur or exclude certain days, and yous tin likewise gear up a cutting-off fourth dimension for backups to stop.

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

Sync lets yous ready upwards a folder that will sync beyond your devices. I will comprehend it more than in Actress Features.

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

Server Backup seems a bit odd equally a primary category for IDrive Personal, as it seems entirely designed for corporate IT staffers. Just it'southward piece of cake enough to ignore and some home users may utilise the Office 365 backup feature.

(Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

Settings contains the crucial Continuous Information Protection feature. This will recognize any changes on your bulldoze to files smaller than 500 MB and immediately back up those files.

The reason this isn't included in Scheduler may be because IDrive doesn't want yous to misfile it for a full backup, which you must run to capture everything. Here you lot can also set upwardly notifications in the consequence of a backup failure or select files or folders for exclusion from backups.

IDrive: Mobile apps

IDrive offers the well-nigh robust and useful mobile feel of any backup service that I tested. It'southward non fifty-fifty shut.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While I would still beloved to see IDrive utilise some more mod design principles to the mobile apps, information technology's not actually behind the competition in this regard. The performance of the apps has also vastly improved, going from peradventure the slowest to the fastest app to navigate.

(Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

While for the most part the mobile app is just a file picker to view and download your backed-upwards files, it's the details that make it better.

One feature that impressed me is previews of images and videos. The fact that I can actually meet what I'k downloading is tremendously helpful in locating the correct file.

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

If y'all know the proper name of the file y'all want, you lot can use the search function. It's somewhat oddly hidden in the overflow bill of fare in the top-right of the app, merely it works great.

(Paradigm credit: Tom'south Guide)

The Timeline feature lets you easily scroll back through previews of the photos and videos from your backed-up mobile device. I don't see myself using this instead of the native photo apps on either iOS or Android, just I had no issues using it.

Finally, IDrive joins Acronis Truthful Image as the merely backup services I tested that volition also dorsum up your mobile devices. IDrive offers the nigh extensive options here, with call logs, music, and the ability to select other files from your device in addition to the contacts, photos, videos, calendar, and SMS backup.

Cloud syncing is ane interesting actress that you get with IDrive. We've covered the differences between syncing and fill-in services already, but IDrive is the only selection I know of that offers both in the same package, and for no extra price.

You lot can create a binder on your PC and other devices running IDrive that volition automatically stay synced up. The sync folder is limited to 5GB of storage, but it is attainable from whatsoever device with IDrive installed. Yous can likewise access synced files direct through IDrive'south spider web interface. There's also a robust sharing functionality with the power to control and discontinue access.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

IDrive Limited is a fantastic service offered on all plans which can dramatically speed up the backup or restoration process by shipping physical hard drives instead of pushing several terabytes over the internet.

An initial "seed" backup using a blank drive that IDrive sends y'all, and that y'all fill up with your data, is gratis once per year with IDrive Personal, or iii times per yr with IDrive Concern. Additional backups are $59.95, and a full restoration ever carries a $99.50 charge.

Whether yous're seeding or restoring, you must return the backup hard drive to IDrive within 4 weeks of receipt or you will be charged $99.95 for a hard drive up to 3TB, or more than for a larger drive. This volition salve you lot from slowing down your PC or local network with data traffic for weeks on end.

Disk-epitome backup is another fairly unique feature to IDrive. Amidst the services reviewed, merely Acronis Truthful Image, aka Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office, as well offers a consummate disk-image backup to the cloud. This will create a complete bootable fill-in of your arrangement rather than just the standard capture of user files that most of these services offering. (Some other services' software can back up deejay images locally.)

(Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

IDrive supports two-factor authentication, but it just sends a one-time passcode to your email accost each time you login, which isn't our preferred method of 2FA. Backblaze and CrashPlan for Pocket-size Business do it better past supporting authenticator apps like Authy or Google Authenticator.

IDrive Personal review: Lesser line

IDrive's Personal cloud-backup service remains the articulate frontrunner for users who don't take massive storage needs. The features relative to the cost are unmatched and were information technology not for IDrive's admittedly generous storage limits, it would be the easy recommendation for all users.

Unlimited device support helps to balance out the costs for anyone looking to back up multiple computers and devices, but keep in listen that you'll be facing the shared 5TB or 10TB storage limits.

Back up for NAS devices is another huge advantage for those that apply them as local storage solutions Only Acronis and CrashPlan lucifer this characteristic, and the latter only for macOS and Linux.

Given the continued solid performance, unlimited storage, ease of use and still reasonable $70 per year cost betoken of Backblaze, IDrive may not be the clear recommendation for all users, but it's shut.

A self-professed "wearer of wearables," Sean Riley is a Senior Writer for Laptop Mag who has been covering tech for more than a decade. He specializes in covering phones and, of form, article of clothing tech, but has as well written about tablets, VR, laptops, and smart home devices, to name but a few. His manufactures take too appeared in Tom's Guide, TechTarget, Phandroid, and more.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/idrive-personal

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