Carbonite vs Mozy Home: Which Service Holds the Edge for Online Backup?
Carbonite vs Mozy Home is the ultimate match-up between two of the leading online backup services available today. In this day in age where data loss, virus attacks, computer crashes, and theft are too common, it’s imperative computer files are backed up regularly and that’s where these two providers come into play.
Of the many backup services available why are we only comparing Mozy and Carbonite? Well, these are the two most popular backup systems today. They are both easy to use and inexpensive. What we really want to know is which one is really the best one. We will look at some of the most important features and make a comparison.
Cost & Storage Capacity
When having to decide which provider to choose, home users take into account the amount of data they can backup and the costs incurred when doing so. These are two main areas of concern that every home user must consider before choosing the backup provider. Having this in mind, both Carbonite and Mozy Home are offering unlimited backup services. No matter the amount of data you must backup, a few files or thousand of documents, the provider will be able to efficiently backup the information. Regarding this matter, Carbonite offers subscriptions for one, two or three years; and the one-year subscription costs $54.95. By contrast, Mozy Home offers to those interested a monthly plan and subscriptions for one or two years. The monthly plan costs $4.95 and the one-year subscription $54.45 – a little less than at Carbonite.
Ease of Use
Both providers promise their services are easy to use and that the backup process when using their services is literally “set and forget.” According to most users of both services, Carbonite and Mozy Home deliver on those promises. There is one common complaint, however, for both providers and that is the time it takes for the initial backup. It’s important to point out that this isn’t the fault of either service provider. The time it takes for the initial backup is totally dependent on amount of the data that needs to be backed up and the speed of your Internet connection. If you have 30GB of data that needs to be backed up initially it will take roughly the same amount of time using either one of these providers because of the constraints of upload speeds of most Internet connections.
We found that although these two companies are comparable in this area, Carbonite has the slight lead over Mozy Home due to the ease of the interface. Mozy Home’s advanced settings tend to confuse the less professional computer user. They tend to be more oriented to the computer professional.
Backup Process and Security
Both Carbonite and Mozy Home secure your files via encryption. The files are encrypted before they leave the computer, thus are safe as they travel across the internet. They are stored in encrypted format on their servers, ensuring that they will not be subject to unauthorized access. Also, both of these services have a user friendly backup that can be automated or scheduled based on the needs of the customer.
File Restore
Carbonite uses a standard process for restoring files which is activated simply by using the restore function in the software’s desktop interface. With Mozy Home, you can restore your files using one of three methods: desktop interface restore, web restore, and DVD restore. It is also important to note that with both Carbonite and Mozy Home, restoring a large set of data and files can take a while so if you have 30GB of data to restore, don’t expect to have it back on your computer within a few hours. Instead, it can take a few days.
Customer Support
When considering this area, home users think that both providers should make some improvements. There have been many comments and complaints for Carbonite and Mozy Home stating that the customer support is not as efficient as it should be. There are delays when handling queries and the information supplied is sometimes not enough. Still, Carbonite is more appreciated because it offers many ways to get in contact with the customer support service: phone, e-mail support and live chat. But, Mozy Home also offers live chat and e-mail support.
Summary of Carbonite vs. Mozy Home
Taking into account the features, advantages and criteria presented above, Carbonite and Mozy Home are considered virtually identical regarding the prices and features. Therefore, it is difficult to declare which one is better. Each provider has its disadvantages, but you should look to maximize your satisfaction when choosing your own provider. There are equal customers for both providers, so the match up is even.
The best thing to do is to try both services to see which one works best for you and to decide which one you like the best. Both services are incredibly cheap and easy to test. Carbonite backup offers a free 15-day trial and Mozy Home has a month-to-month option that only costs $4.95/month. Take them both for a test drive and see for yourself which one is the winner!
