Backblaze Review 2026: The Simplest Cloud Backup You Can Buy?
Backblaze is the simplest, most affordable unlimited cloud backup available. At around £6.50/month with no storage limits, it's hard to beat for home users and small businesses backing up individual machines. It's not the most feature-rich, but it does the one important thing — keeping your data safe — reliably and cheaply.
If you asked most IT professionals to recommend a simple, affordable cloud backup for a home user or small business, Backblaze would be near the top of the list. It’s not the most sophisticated backup solution available, but it does the fundamentals extremely well at a price that’s difficult to argue with.
Here’s an honest look at what you get — and what you don’t.
What Backblaze Does Well
Unlimited Storage at a Flat Rate
Backblaze Personal Backup backs up your entire computer — documents, photos, videos, desktop, downloads — with no storage limit, for around £6.50/month. This is the headline feature and it’s genuinely compelling.
Most cloud storage services (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) charge by the gigabyte. If you have 2TB of photos, that gets expensive quickly. Backblaze doesn’t care how much data you have.
For peace of mind on a single machine, that’s excellent value.
Set It and Forget It
Backblaze runs silently in the background and backs up continuously whenever your computer is on. There’s no manual scheduling required, no choosing which folders to include — it backs up everything by default, and you can exclude folders if needed.
For non-technical users, this simplicity is the point. It works without requiring ongoing attention.
Restore by Mail
If your computer dies and you need everything back quickly, downloading hundreds of gigabytes over broadband is slow. Backblaze offers a Restore by Mail service: they send you a USB drive (up to 256GB) or hard drive (up to 8TB) with your data. The USB option costs around £78 but is fully refunded if you return the drive within 30 days — making it effectively free.
This is a genuinely useful disaster recovery option that not every competitor offers.
Business Backup
The Business Backup plan is around £6.50 per computer per month — same price as Personal, but designed for teams. It includes a management console to see backup status across all machines, which is useful for IT administrators checking that staff machines are being backed up.
Where Backblaze Falls Short
30-Day Version History (on lower plans)
By default, Backblaze keeps deleted files and previous versions for 30 days. If you delete a file and don’t notice for five weeks, it’s gone. You can extend this to 1 year (+£1.60/month) or forever (+£3.15/month), but it’s worth knowing the default.
For ransomware protection specifically, the version history is important — ransomware encrypts your files, and if you don’t notice within 30 days you could lose everything. The extended version history add-on is worth adding.
No NAS Backup on Personal Plan
The Personal Backup plan only covers your computer’s internal drive and connected external drives. NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices are not included. If you use a Synology or QNAP, you’ll need a different solution (Backblaze B2 with a compatible client, or a dedicated NAS backup service).
Interface is Functional, Not Modern
Backblaze’s desktop app and web interface are straightforward but dated-looking. Everything works, but it doesn’t have the polished feel of a premium product. For most users this doesn’t matter — you set it up and never look at it again.
US Dollar Pricing
Backblaze prices in USD, so the cost fluctuates with the exchange rate. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Storage | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Backup | ~£6.50/mo | Unlimited | 1 computer |
| Business Backup | ~£6.50/computer/mo | Unlimited | Per machine |
| Extended History (1yr) | +~£1.60/mo | — | — |
| Extended History (Forever) | +~£3.15/mo | — | — |
| Restore by Mail (USB) | ~£78 (refundable) | Up to 256GB | One-time |
15-day free trial available. No credit card required to start.
Backblaze vs Acronis
For individuals: Backblaze is simpler and cheaper. Acronis does more (image backup, ransomware protection built in, mobile backup) but costs more and has more to configure.
For small businesses: Acronis Cyber Protect is the stronger choice if you need image-level backup, centralised management, or ransomware protection in a single product. Backblaze is the better choice if you just need reliable, affordable file backup across multiple machines.
The honest answer is they solve slightly different problems — Backblaze for cloud file backup, Acronis for full system protection. The ideal setup for a small business often includes both.
Who Is Backblaze Best For?
- Home users with large photo and video libraries who want unlimited cloud backup without paying per-GB
- Remote workers who need their laptop backed up without thinking about it
- Small businesses wanting affordable per-machine cloud backup with basic centralised reporting
- Anyone currently not backed up at all — Backblaze’s simplicity removes every excuse
Verdict
✅ Pros
- Unlimited storage at a flat monthly rate
- Completely automatic — no manual intervention needed
- Restore by Mail option for fast disaster recovery
- Business plan includes management console
- 15-day free trial, no credit card required
❌ Cons
- 30-day version history by default — extend for ransomware protection
- No NAS backup on personal plan
- Interface is functional but dated
Backblaze is the backup recommendation for anyone who values simplicity above all else. Unlimited storage, automatic backups, flat pricing — it removes every reason not to be backed up. Add the extended version history for an extra ~£1.60/month and it becomes a genuinely complete solution for most home users and small businesses.
If your computers aren’t currently backed up to the cloud, Backblaze is the fastest way to fix that.