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Dropbox Backup vs Carbonite: The choice is simple

Our lives are digital, and while that was supposed to make things easier, they somehow got busier. But when it comes to protecting your digital life, there’s only one way to keep your files and folders safe. Let’s look at how Dropbox Backup compares to another backup service, Carbonite.

Dropbox outperforms Carbonite

Dropbox Backup users ranked Dropbox Backup as more intuitive and easier to use than Carbonite.*

Easier to use

Any Dropbox plan you choose comes with Dropbox Backup, which lets you automatically back up your computer and connected external drive. With Carbonite, you have to sort through plans to figure out what you can back up.

Better security

Dropbox Backup doesn’t mean manual backup. It’s always running – automatically protecting and encrypting your files in the cloud so they’re always safe, no matter what happens to your computer. Not all Carbonite plans automatically back up all file types – like videos. So if there’s malware or a meltdown and you haven’t done a manual backup, you’re out of luck.

Fast file recovery

If you misplace your computer or accidentally delete your files, you don’t lose any time with Dropbox. Built on best-in-class sync technology, Backup reduces the waiting game so you can download files quickly and move on to more important things. Carbonite simply can’t say the same.

Dropbox vs Carbonite

Keep your digital self safe with a better backup, so you can quickly and easily recover from whatever life throws your way.

Get peace of mind with our “always on” backup solution. Any file type up to 2 TB in size is automatically backed up from your PC or Mac to the cloud, and can be easily accessed anytime, anywhere – including in the Dropbox mobile app.

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Every bit of content that’s important to your life is easily accessible from one location with Dropbox. You only need one subscription, and you can access your backed-up files from wherever you access Dropbox. With Carbonite, you can only access your backups through the website.

An illustration of a person looking at a tablet. Blue documents are floating around them.

Dropbox Backup provides a seamless file recovery process by quickly restoring files and folders back to where they were originally stored on your device in just a few clicks. No manual reorganisation required.

An illustration of purple documents floating down into three boxes.

Dropbox gives you up to 180 days depending on your plan to restore deleted files (one year on Business Plus). Document version control allows you to roll back to an earlier copy of a file so you can seamlessly recover your work. Depending on your plan, Carbonite only saves deleted files for a maximum of 30 days.

An illustration of a blue house with a large keyhole on the front.

Carbonite only allows you to back up a single computer on one of its Safe plans. Dropbox Backup, on the other hand, only needs to be set up once, and then your files stored across different devices – including your computer and external drive – can be easily accessible from wherever you access Dropbox.

An illustration of three devices highlighted in orange in a room.

Backup continuously and automatically backs up your files to the cloud, so you don’t need to manually select and drag them from your desktop into your Dropbox account. And instead of syncing an entire file, it will only sync the data that has changed – making it much easier and quicker to keep up with revisions to collaborative files.

An illustration of two people passing a baton.

Easier to use

As of 2024, Carbonite has six different plans and a mixed bag of features, so it’s difficult to know what you’re getting.

  • Users on ‌one of the three Carbonite Safe plans can only back up one computer. 
  • The ability to back up to more than one external drive is only available with certain plans. 
  • Files larger than 4 GB have to be manually updated one by one, even though the plan says it includes automatic backups.

By contrast, Dropbox Backup is ready to go with every feature available – with automatic backup for files as big as 2 TB, depending on your plan. The only difference is how much backup storage you want. That’s it. That’s all. That’s as easy as it gets.

A screenshot of deleted files in Dropbox.
Backup
A screenshot of the encryption options in the Dropbox admin console.
Security