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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsStart with availability, not storage claims. CrashPlan for Small Business and CrashPlan Essential are legacy subscriptions that CrashPlan says are no longer sold to new customers. The currently listed CrashPlan Endpoint and Enterprise offers are different, per-user products. Backblaze Computer Backup has a published consumer offer of $9 per month on its US-facing page checked October 13, 2026. That makes Backblaze the clearer buy-now option for an individual who wants a simple computer-backup subscription, while CrashPlan may fit organizations that can purchase and administer its current Endpoint or Enterprise plans.
The right choice still depends on what you need to protect: Windows, macOS or Linux computers; attached external disks; NAS or other network storage; how long deleted files must remain recoverable; and whether a large restore must arrive on a shipped drive. “Unlimited” describes storage capacity, not identical retention, device licensing, source-drive behavior or restore methods.
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What you can actually buy in 2026
CrashPlan’s current catalog is not the old Small Business comparison
CrashPlan Support’s July 27, 2026 subscription article separates active products from legacy subscriptions. It identifies CrashPlan Endpoint and Enterprise among the current endpoint paths, while labeling CrashPlan for Small Business and CrashPlan Essential as legacy and unavailable to new purchasers. Existing Small Business and Essential customers can continue to manage those subscriptions, but an old page showing their prices is not a valid new-customer quote.
The classic endpoint table remains useful for understanding how CrashPlan has differentiated plans, but its rows must be read as plan-specific context. Small Business is shown as per-device with unlimited storage; Essential as metered storage; Endpoint as per-user with one device per user and unlimited storage; Enterprise as per-user with up to two devices per user and unlimited storage; and MSP as per-device with unlimited storage. The table lists deleted-file retention of up to 90 days for Small Business and Endpoint, one month for Essential, and unlimited retention for Enterprise and MSP. Those figures should not be transferred to a current quote unless CrashPlan confirms that the selected offer uses the same terms.
#1 Best Overall
- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Backblaze Computer Backup has a straightforward consumer offer
Backblaze’s Computer Backup page displayed $9 per month when checked October 13, 2026, with annual and two-year licenses and a 15-day complimentary trial. The same page lists a two-year total of $189. It says customers with more than 50 computers should contact sales for a quote. The displayed price is a US-facing USD offer; tax, currency, regional eligibility and return-shipping conditions can differ elsewhere.
| Decision point | CrashPlan | Backblaze Computer Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Availability for a new buyer | Small Business and Essential are legacy; Endpoint and Enterprise are listed as active products. | Consumer Computer Backup subscription is published. |
| License basis | Current Endpoint is per user with one device per user in the support table; Enterprise allows up to two devices per user. | Subscription term pricing; accounts covering more than 50 computers are directed to sales. |
| Storage promise | Unlimited storage appears for Endpoint and Enterprise in the classic endpoint table; Essential is metered. | Unlimited data and file-size support for the Computer Backup product. |
| Default version or deletion period | Varies by plan; the classic table lists up to 90 days for Small Business and Endpoint, one month for Essential, and unlimited for Enterprise and MSP. | 30 days of version history by default; one year can be enabled at no added charge; Forever is a paid option for files older than one year. |
| Operating systems | The classic endpoint family lists Windows, Mac and Linux. Verify support for the exact current plan you are offered. | Native client materials cover Mac and Windows. |
| NAS or network-mounted source | Check the exact current plan and workflow; the legacy table does not establish universal NAS coverage. | Computer Backup excludes NAS, network-mounted, remotely mounted and shared volumes. |
| Large restore | Reviewed documentation describes file recovery and device migration; an equivalent current mailed-drive option was not established. | Web, iOS and Android downloads plus a shipped hard-drive recovery option. |
Match the service to your workload first
Write down every source you expect to protect before comparing prices. Count each computer, identify its operating system, list attached external drives, and mark any data that lives on a NAS or a shared network volume. Then set a retention requirement: recovering yesterday’s mistake is different from recovering a file deleted six months ago. Finally, decide whether your restore can be downloaded over your connection or whether physical delivery is important.
- One or two Windows or Mac computers: Backblaze’s consumer plan is easy to evaluate because its price, trial and default retention are published.
- Linux endpoints: The classic CrashPlan table lists Linux, but current Endpoint or Enterprise support must be confirmed for the offer and region you can purchase. Backblaze Computer Backup’s cited client materials are for Mac and Windows, so do not assume Linux coverage.
- Many employees or managed devices: CrashPlan Endpoint and Enterprise use per-user licensing in the support table. A historical per-device Small Business price is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
- NAS-first households or offices: Backblaze Computer Backup is not the relevant product because it excludes network sources. You need a separately documented network-storage workflow and should verify the current CrashPlan plan rather than infer coverage.
- Long-lived archives: Neither “unlimited” label by itself proves indefinite retention. Read the deleted-file and version-history rule for the plan, and keep an independent copy when data must survive source-drive changes.
Unlimited storage is not unlimited history
CrashPlan retention depends on the subscription
CrashPlan’s plan table distinguishes capacity from retention. Unlimited storage on Endpoint or Enterprise does not mean every deleted file is retained forever under every plan. The classic table’s deleted-file periods range from one month on Essential to up to 90 days on Small Business and Endpoint, with unlimited retention on Enterprise and MSP. Because Small Business and Essential are legacy, use those values to understand the historical product family, not to price a new account.
CrashPlan’s policy guidance also describes continuous protection, unlimited file versions and unlimited retention of deleted files in the relevant documented policy context. That statement must be reconciled with the plan table: the plan you purchase controls the practical retention rule. Ask for the retention term in writing if your recovery requirement is regulatory, contractual or longer than ordinary operational recovery.
Backblaze offers three version-history horizons
Backblaze Computer Backup includes 30 days of version history by default. The one-year option can be enabled for free, and the Forever option costs $0.006 per gigabyte per month for files older than one year. This is a version-history policy, not extra local disk space. A file that remains on the source computer can continue to be represented in the backup, while a file removed from the source is subject to the service’s deletion behavior.
For example, a 10 GB collection older than one year would incur $0.06 per month under the stated Forever rate, provided those files qualify as older-than-one-year versions. The charge is a product term, not an independent storage benchmark, and rates can change.
Rank #2
- Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
External drives, NAS and source-drive behavior
Backblaze mirrors connected external drives
Backblaze supports external hard drives connected by USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt. The drive must remain connected and the Backblaze application must continue running so the service can maintain its mirror. This is useful for an active working disk, but it is not cold-storage archiving.
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Backblaze explicitly says that if you back up an external drive and then remove files from that source drive, those files are also deleted from Backblaze’s servers under the service’s normal operation. Do not upload a drive, unplug it for a year and assume the cloud copy will remain as an archive. Keep the drive connected as directed and maintain another copy if the data must survive removal, replacement or offline storage.
NAS and shared volumes require a different plan or product
Computer Backup excludes NAS devices, network-mounted drives, remotely mounted volumes and shared volumes. Backblaze identifies its separate B2 Cloud Storage service as an option for network-drive backup, but that is a different product and workflow from the consumer Computer Backup plan. A NAS owner should map the data flow, authentication, scheduling and retention policy before signing up.
CrashPlan documentation describes external drives as possible local destinations and allows users to configure selected folders, but the reviewed material does not establish a universal current NAS promise. Confirm whether your exact Endpoint or Enterprise arrangement can read the NAS, where the agent runs, and how licensing counts the protected source.
What each service should back up
CrashPlan is designed around user files
CrashPlan Support states: “The CrashPlan app is designed to back up and restore your user files.” Its guidance cautions against selecting operating-system and application files because they can crowd the work queue and delay or prevent completion. Select documents, photos, project folders and other user data deliberately instead of treating the service as a bootable whole-machine image.
Open databases, virtual machines and business applications need special handling. CrashPlan recommends application dumps for some open-file and database cases rather than assuming a live application file will be captured consistently. Schedule an export or dump to a folder that the backup job includes, and test restoring that export.
Rank #3
- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
The policy guidance recommends more than one destination: commonly one local destination for convenient restores and another off-site destination for disaster recovery. A local external disk can reduce download time, while the cloud copy protects against theft, fire or a site-wide failure.
Backblaze also excludes system and application data by default
Backblaze Computer Backup excludes operating-system and application files by default, along with network drives. Its documentation describes adjustable exclusions for some file types, but changing an exclusion does not turn the product into a system-image tool. Protect application data through the application’s own export or backup mechanism, then include the resulting user-data folder.
Restoring after loss
Backblaze recovery choices
Backblaze describes downloads through its web interface and iOS and Android applications. For a large restore, it also lists a shipped hard-drive option. The product page describes a fee that is refunded when the device is returned within 30 days under the stated terms. That is not an unconditional free drive: shipping availability, return rules and geography should be verified for your location before relying on it.
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CrashPlan recovery and migration
CrashPlan’s product documentation describes file restore and device migration. The reviewed material does not establish a current mailed-drive recovery option equivalent to Backblaze’s listed service, nor does it provide a comparative restore-speed test. Plan on downloading files unless your account team documents another method.
Before an incident, restore a representative folder, check that filenames and metadata meet your needs, and record the destination and permissions procedure. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a recovery plan.
Rank #4
- Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Cost and licensing decisions
| Cost question | What is documented | How to evaluate it |
|---|---|---|
| Backblaze monthly price | $9 per month on the US-facing Computer Backup page checked October 13, 2026. | Confirm current USD pricing, tax and regional availability at checkout. |
| Backblaze longer terms | Annual and two-year licenses are offered; the two-year total shown is $189. | Compare the total term cost with your expected retention period, not just the monthly equivalent. |
| Backblaze trial | 15-day complimentary trial. | Use it to verify file selection and a test restore before committing. |
| Backblaze Forever history | $0.006 per GB per month for files older than one year. | Estimate only the older-than-one-year versions you truly need; the rate may change. |
| CrashPlan Endpoint or Enterprise | Current support table describes per-user licensing, with one device per Endpoint user and up to two devices per Enterprise user. | Request a current quote that states users, devices, storage, retention and platform support. |
| Legacy CrashPlan plans | Small Business and Essential are unavailable to new buyers. | Do not use archived prices as a current alternative. |
For a single supported Mac or Windows computer, Backblaze’s published price makes budgeting simple. For an organization, the number of users and devices can outweigh an apparently unlimited-storage headline. A two-device-per-user Enterprise allowance may be more efficient than buying separate accounts, but only a current quote can establish the total cost.
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Choose Backblaze Computer Backup when
- You are protecting one or more actively used Mac or Windows computers.
- You want a published consumer price and a 15-day trial.
- Your sources are local computers and connected external drives, not NAS or shared network volumes.
- You value a documented web, mobile and shipped-drive recovery path.
- Thirty days of history, or the free one-year option, matches your recovery window; you are willing to pay for Forever history when older versions matter.
Investigate current CrashPlan Endpoint or Enterprise when
- You need per-user administration for a team and can obtain a current organizational quote.
- Linux support is essential and the offered plan confirms it.
- You need a longer deleted-file policy than a basic consumer plan and the contract states that retention.
- You want CrashPlan’s documented device-migration workflow and user-file focus.
- You can design a separate local destination and disaster-recovery copy.
Neither product is a complete answer when
- Your primary source is a NAS that the selected endpoint product cannot read.
- You need a bootable image for rapid bare-metal recovery rather than file-level restoration.
- You intend to disconnect an external disk and preserve its cloud copy indefinitely without a separate archival policy.
- Your application requires transactionally consistent database backups but you have not configured application-native dumps.
Setup checklists that prevent common failures
Backblaze checklist
- Install the Computer Backup client on each supported Mac or Windows computer and complete the account or trial setup.
- Review the initial selection and exclusions. Confirm that documents, photos, project folders and other user data are included, while system and application files are handled by an appropriate separate process.
- Connect every external drive you expect to protect using USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt, and keep it connected while the backup is maintained.
- Do not select NAS or network-mounted shares as though they were local disks; use a separately documented network-storage workflow.
- Choose 30-day history, enable the free one-year option, or purchase Forever history according to your retention requirement.
- After the first backup completes, restore a small folder from the web interface and record the procedure.
- For a large restore, check the shipped-drive terms, refund condition and return deadline before depending on that option.
CrashPlan checklist
- Confirm that the offer is CrashPlan Endpoint or Enterprise, or document that you are an existing legacy customer; do not rely on an archived Small Business or Essential signup page.
- Obtain the current license basis, device allowance, operating-system support and deleted-file retention in writing.
- Select user files rather than operating-system and application directories that can overwhelm the queue.
- Create application-native dumps for databases or other open-file workloads, then include those dump folders.
- Configure a local destination where practical and an off-site destination for disaster recovery.
- Test file recovery and device migration with representative data, including permissions and filenames.
- Review the plan’s deletion and version rules after any subscription or policy change.
Pitfalls and fixes
“Unlimited” led to an unexpected retention loss
Capacity and retention are separate. Check the plan’s deleted-file period and version-history option before deleting source data. If the period is shorter than your requirement, preserve a second copy or select a plan with a documented longer policy.
An external disk disappeared from the backup
For Backblaze, reconnect the drive and keep the client running. Remember that removing files from the source can remove them from the cloud mirror. For either service, maintain a separate archival copy if the disk will be stored offline.
The backup queue never finishes
CrashPlan warns that selecting operating-system and application files can crowd the work queue. Narrow the selection to user data and use application dumps. On any service, check that the computer stays powered, the source disk remains available and exclusions are not hiding required folders.
The NAS is not protected
Backblaze Computer Backup excludes NAS and network-mounted sources. Move the workflow to a product designed for network-drive backup or run a supported local agent that copies NAS data to an included source, then verify the resulting restore. For CrashPlan, obtain explicit confirmation for the exact current plan instead of inferring NAS support from an old platform table.
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A large restore is slower or more expensive than expected
No comparative recovery-speed benchmark is established. Estimate your internet transfer time, data-cap impact and acceptable downtime. Compare that with Backblaze’s shipped-drive terms, including the return deadline and refundable-fee condition, or with the download-only process documented for your CrashPlan plan.
Bottom-line decision
For a new individual buyer with a supported Mac or Windows computer, attached local drives and no NAS requirement, Backblaze Computer Backup is the easier 2026 decision: its $9-per-month US offer, trial, unlimited-capacity statement, explicit retention choices and published restore methods are easy to verify. Choose the history tier deliberately and remember that it mirrors live source data.
CrashPlan remains a serious option when a current Endpoint or Enterprise quote matches your organization’s users, devices, operating systems and retention needs. Do not select it on the basis of legacy Small Business or Essential pricing, and do not assume that a classic table applies unchanged to every active product. In both cases, file-level cloud backup works best alongside an independent local copy and a restore test.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
