Greatest Mac backup software program 2025: Prime backup software program for Mac in contrast

Apple’s Time Machine, constructed into each Mac, presents dependable, incremental native backups with a full restore operate. The appliance is tailor-made to cooperate cleanly with Migration Assistant, helps encryption, and reminds you to again up once in a while. Needless to say it requires a linked exterior drive, so pairing it with a cloud service provides you the perfect of each worlds.

We’re beginning with Apple’s Time Machine software program as a result of it’s included with each Mac. However that doesn’t essentially imply it will likely be the best choice for you.

Time Machine is a dependable software for native backups of Macs, offering a full-sized preliminary backup of each file on the Mac and incremental backups all through the day so long as the Mac is connected to a chosen Time Machine exterior drive. That drive may be disconnected and used as an exterior drive for different computer systems or paired with a number of Macs for backups.

The primary backup takes the longest whereas each file on the Mac is rolled into the Time Machine backup, but it surely will get faster from there. Time Machine’s Restore operate permits customers to open and scroll by previous backups to find and restore information, which is helpful if one thing was by accident deleted otherwise you made modifications to a file and want to return to an earlier model.

When paired with Apple’s Migration Assistant, porting knowledge and consumer profiles from an previous Mac to a brand new one is easy. When importing a Time Machine backup to a brand new Mac, Time Machine inherits earlier backups as properly.

For safety, customers can designate a password to encrypt their Time Machine backups and there are reminders in regards to the variety of days for the reason that final backup that encourage you to maintain it plugged in.

Nonetheless, Time Machine is extra geared in direction of exterior laborious drives, which may be misplaced, broken, or stolen, and it depends on mentioned drive being linked to your Mac (you can use a NAS drive). It’s best to have each an area and safe off-site copy of your knowledge, and the web backup market has grown over the previous few years with providers like iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Field.

Regardless of its limitations, Time Machine is a wonderful answer for native backups of Macs. Whereas it requires an exterior laborious drive linked to the Mac for constant performance, it presents glorious safety constructed into the working system.

ChronoSync for macOS delivers highly effective, customizable backups with out overwhelming the consumer. You’ll be able to select from duties like folder syncs, bootable clones, or cloud backups to Google or Amazon. Rule-based automations and scheduling supply pro-level management, whereas its clear interface, strong help, and a pleasant trial model make it a wise various to Time Machine with extra bells and whistles if you’d like them.

ChronoSync for macOS, from Econ Applied sciences, can provide those that need it tighter management over their backup choices in a format that doesn’t overwhelm. The software program is predicated on a number of core modules together with Residence Folder Backup, Knowledge Quantity, Synchronize Two Folders, A number of Folder Backup, Bootable Backup, Backup to a Disk Picture, and Folder Backup.

Merely choose your required operate from the ChronoSync Organizer/residence display screen. For instance, choose the duty you need to create, specify your settings (e.g. folders you need to copy over, file sorts to repeat, a schedule, and many others.), and hit “Synchronize”.

Synchronizations may also be set as much as simulate capabilities. For the actually die-hard and geeky, rule-based copies and duties may be arrange. 

You’ll be able to readily again as much as NAS and file servers, this system supporting Apple’s HFS+ and APFS file codecs in addition to others. ChronoSync additionally helps backing as much as Google Cloud and Amazon storage.

For customers trying to make bootable clones, that is simply as simple as what SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner have develop into recognized for. Select a supply quantity, select a goal quantity, hit “Synchronize,” let the method run. ChronoSync can create two forms of bootable clones: commonplace and mirrored. The previous creates a bootable system on the vacation spot quantity, leaving different information on the amount intact. Mirror replaces the whole contents of the vacation spot quantity with information from the supply.

A readily-accessible guide presents fast entry to a guidebook that is useful and there’s easy accessibility to the corporate’s ticketing system must you require tech help. 

The place value and choices are involved, ChronoSync presents one thing legitimate in your cash. There’s additionally a entry-level ChronoSync Specific bundle that’s a part of the SetApp bundle (reviewed right here: SetApp assessment). The corporate additionally presents a 15-day trial with out requiring a credit score or debit card.

Bombich Software program’s Carbon Copy Cloner stays a go-to Mac backup utility, providing deep customization, NAS help, scripting, and a wise SafetyNet characteristic. Whereas Apple’s present restrictions complicate bootable backups (which can change with the introduction of macOS 26 Tahoe), CCC excels at scheduled duties and pairs properly with Time Machine. Add nice help and a 30-day trial, and it’s completely price a take a look at run.

Bombich Software program’s Carbon Copy Cloner has been a well-liked utility for cloning knowledge on Macs because it launched in 2002. It helps HFS+ and APFS drive codecs, native volumes, and NAS-enabled networks. Nonetheless, it can not again up Home windows file codecs, optical media, web-based platforms, or Apple’s Time Machine platforms.

Carbon Copy Cloner has a complete consumer interface, and customizable filters and grants entry to configuration choices like disk encryption, activity notes, and bandwidth configuration for NAS backups. Different instruments, similar to scheduling, may be carried out with out challenge. The duty supervisor permits customers to save lots of and configure a number of backup duties. A scripting characteristic permits customized scripts to be loaded and activated as wanted.

The SafetyNet characteristic permits for drive formatting or stopping processes earlier than overwriting knowledge on a quantity. Nonetheless, there are some weak factors, together with Apple’s lack of openness and the necessity for bootable exterior volumes. Making a bootable exterior quantity in Carbon Copy Cloner is at present a hit-or-miss proposition, with makes an attempt at making a bootable exterior quantity failing because of Apple’s protocols. Different utilities face the identical points.

Carbon Copy Cloner pairs properly with utilities like Time Machine, Apple’s Migration Assistant, and SuperDuper!. The corporate’s buyer help is pleasant and speedy, and the software program presents fast entry to assist guides. A supportive neighborhood and frequent developer updates are one other bonus. If Carbon Copy Cloner isn’t in your arsenal of useful utilities, you must obtain it and provides it a strive. There’s a full-featured 30-day trial. 

SuperDuper! is a dependable, scriptable Mac cloning software that’s simple to make use of and nice for native backups. It helps APFS and HFS+, presents Good Backup and scheduling, and runs properly with customized scripts. It doesn’t help community backup (but), but it surely’s a strong, reasonably priced various with a free model and stellar help behind it, making it a wonderful worth.

SuperDuper! (model 3.8 on the time of this assessment) is a well-liked Mac cloning and restoration app that’s simple to put in. It helps APFS and HFS+ file codecs and may be custom-made to suit particular person wants. Along with cloning, the app helps scheduling and permits customers to specify information to be copied over, together with Unix-specific parts like consumer folders, shared customers, shared customers and functions, and backup information.

SuperDuper! simply restores knowledge from one quantity to a different, which is less complicated than utilizing Apple’s restoration choices in macOS’s Disk Utility. The consumer interface shows the variety of information copied, copy pace, knowledge evaluated, time elapsed, and quantity of knowledge moved from the supply quantity to the goal quantity. Customers can edit supplied scripts or write their very own, select between strategies similar to Whole Backup and Good Backup, and arrange occasions like permission repairs earlier than a duplicate begins, scripts to execute after a duplicate has accomplished, and for the Mac to eject the goal quantity, shut down, fall asleep, or stop SuperDuper! as soon as the copy is finished.

Nonetheless, SuperDuper! has room for enchancment. For instance, it will probably’t again as much as community volumes and it doesn’t help FAT, exFAT, or NTFS for Home windows and Linux volumes. We hope that the community backup comes with an additional replace.

We like the truth that SuperDuper! retails for a one-time cost quite than on a subscription plan You should use it without cost, however you must pay to unlock scheduling, sensible updates, and another options.

Through the years, Shirt Pocket has persistently supplied strong updates, pinned down bugs, supported new protocols launched by Apple, and communicated properly by its tech help and advertising. Total, SuperDuper! is a dependable native cloning and restoration app for the Mac that may be readily custom-made and scripted, and is great worth.

IDrive blends native and cloud backups with drag-and-drop ease, computerized folder choice, and strong restore choices like Snapshots and Rewind. The appliance encrypts your knowledge, presents a beneficiant free tier, and helps a number of gadgets, though the UI’s clunky in spots and the pricing feels steep should you’re solely backing up one Mac versus a number of.

lDrive is a backup utility that handles each native and net/cloud-based backups (much like Backblaze and Carbonite). It means that you can regularly backup your total drive to the cloud, whereas additionally letting you drag and drop information to the cloud to entry remotely. lDrive additionally means that you can again up exterior laborious drives.

lDrive’s consumer interface could be very simple. Your Desktop, Paperwork, Music and Photos folders are mechanically chosen for backup, together with the contents of ~/Library/Mail.

Options like Rewind and Snapshots help you restore from earlier variations of information or snapshots of the whole knowledge set.

So as to add different folders, click on ‘Change’ on the backside of the window – that’s not precisely intuitive. You’ll be able to add movies to the backup, however finding them in lDrive’s interface may be difficult.

Each scheduling and restoring are simple, nevertheless. As is selecting an area drive because the vacation spot for a backup instead of lDrive’s servers.

All knowledge is encrypted, with the choice to set your individual personal encryption key.

You might have the selection of restoring by having knowledge bodily shipped to you. That is free for the primary restore annually, however in case you are primarily based outdoors the US you’ll need to pay for delivery.

The subscription-based tier system presents a free Primary account with 10GB of on-line disk area without cost with no credit score or debit card required. That 10GB free tier permits for native backups and is fairly beneficiant, however the true steal is the IDrive Mini plan, which, for lower than 3 bucks a 12 months, provides you entry to 100GB of storage.

lDrive’s free tier and the power to unfold your knowledge allocation within the paid tiers throughout a number of computer systems makes it enticing. Total, although, it’s costly for a single machine.

Get Backup Professional retains issues clear and succesful, full with simple setup, sturdy customization, and seamless backup, cloning, and restore choices. It runs easily underneath macOS Sequoia, presents versatile licensing, and even comes bundled with SetApp. It is a strong, reasonably priced Time Machine various for informal customers who need extra management with out the litter.

Get Backup Professional by BeLight Software program is simple to obtain, set up into the Functions folder, and run (though we did encounter just a few issues assigning full disk entry).

The consumer interface retains issues easy, scheduling full backups, cloning, and incremental backups labored like a appeal, and a slate of customization choices permits for particular information and folders to be chosen and app knowledge to be added to the backup/clone course of.

The spectacular stage of customization makes it simple to set duties up, whereas a wonderful restoration system put in knowledge the place it wanted to be with out fail. Get Backup Professional to be very succesful, operating flawlessly underneath macOS Sequoia.

The software program is priced properly and can be obtainable by MacPaw’s SetApp subscription service. The choice of a 30-day demo provides you time to mess around with it, and the licensing is versatile.

Get Backup Professional presents a pleasant array of choices past what Apple’s free Time Machine utility supply and is great for the informal consumer and the house market.

Mac Backup Guru delivers synchronized cloning, sensible incremental backups, and user-controlled snapshots, which supply extra precision than Time Machine. Its minimal interface hides sturdy customization and iCloud integration, and whereas it lacks space-use alerts, its $9 price ticket makes it a sleeper hit for customers who need management with out overcomplication. It is a strong and streamlined contender, and what it lacks in flash and advertising, it makes up for with dependable performance price wanting into.

Mac Backup Guru presents what’s anticipated from a backup utility when it comes to core backup and archival functionalities and works to take it a step additional.

It presents each a synchronized clone backup, which may create commonplace copies of folders and drives in addition to incremental backups that observe modifications and again up the modifications (like Time Machine does).

The appliance’s simply customizable settings supply tight management over points similar to setting the supply and vacation spot volumes, and you may choose and select particular volumes and folders to incorporate and exclude. The scheduler characteristic works like a appeal.

Apple’s Time Machine will create snapshots of your laborious drive at totally different instances all through the day, however there’s method to management when these are created or after they’re deleted. Mac Backup Guru presents this characteristic. Moreover, the variety of latest snapshots may be designated as properly earlier than older snapshots are deleted.

There’s additionally backup/cloning characteristic that faucets into iCloud-related instruments and makes a duplicate of all of your iCloud-based information to assist full the cloned quantity.

Nonetheless, there’s room for enchancment. For instance, the app doesn’t verify how a lot area it’ll want for a duplicate, leaving you rolling the cube as as to if you will have sufficient area on the vacation spot drive for the total copy.

Mac Backup Guru is an easy-to-use backup software that retains choices and settings to a minimal whereas providing a number of helpful options. It’s additionally good worth – on the time of writing it was on supply for lower than $9/£7.51, a big low cost on its ordinary $29/£24.15 value.

Backblaze presents seamless, set-it-and-forget-it on-line backups for Mac, storing your information offsite with non-obligatory encryption and two-factor authentication. It’s quick, Mac-like, and helps exterior drives. With a number of restore choices (net, USB, or laborious drive) and a “Find Your Laptop” characteristic, it’s a high choose for one-Mac customers who worth simplicity with performance and is price your consideration.

Backblaze is a web-based, offsite backup service that means that you can again up your Mac to its servers mechanically or in accordance with a schedule you set.

Backblaze backs up the contents of your Paperwork, Photos, Motion pictures and Music folders, however excludes your Functions folder. Backblaze additionally excludes some file sorts from being backed up, similar to .dmg disk photos – that restriction may be switched off, nevertheless.

Backups are saved for 30 days, so you’ll be able to restore from any that ran throughout that point. As you’ll count on, backups are incremental so solely information which have modified because it final ran are copied. Knowledge is encrypted and you may optionally add a six-digit passcode to supply an extra layer of safety.

In the case of restoring your knowledge, you will have three choices: you’ll be able to restore through Backblaze’s net interface or you’ll be able to have information despatched to you on a USB stick or laborious drive for an extra charge. And there’s a 100% refund should you return the USB stick or laborious drive inside 30 days, although you’ll need to pay delivery and taxes.

You’ll be able to view particular person information and select which of them to obtain. And you may view and share backed up information on an iPhone or iPad with the Backblaze cellular app.

The Find your Laptop service tracks your Mac’s location that can assist you discover it if it’s stolen – much like Discover My. If a misplaced Mac continues to be operating backups your Mac can inform you its present IP tackle and present you lately backed-up knowledge.

Backblaze’s consumer interface includes a menu bar merchandise and a System Preferences pane. Nonetheless, that pane is extra like a completely fledged utility, with choices to exclude information, add folders and disks to the backup, and throttle bandwidth. It’s easy and really Mac-like.

Should you solely must again up one Mac, and notably if you wish to again up exterior disks, Backblaze’s simplicity and value give it the sting over Carbonite and IDrive.

With Backblaze your knowledge is saved in safe knowledge centres and two-factor authentication provides an additional stage of safety.

Acronis True Picture for Mac combines backup and antivirus options in a single modern bundle. Its modules deal with cloning, archiving, and bootable backups with ease. Cloud storage, ransomware safety, and robust malware detection sweeten the deal, and whereas Some bugs and clunky UI parts persist, it’s highly effective, versatile, and begins at an affordable value.

Acronis True Picture for Mac works as a customizable backup utility in addition to an antiviral/anti-malware app. It begins at $49.99/£42.99 per 12 months for the Necessities model that features one laptop with native backup and anti-ransomware. You’ll be able to pay extra for cloud primarily based backups, which is why we additionally embrace it in our spherical up of cloud-based Mac backup apps.

You’ll discover Backup, Safety, Disk Cloning, and Archive modules. The Backup module means that you can designate supply and vacation spot volumes in addition to select which information are backed up and to the place. It’s simple to create exclusion lists as to which information can by bypassed relating to backing up, and the scheduling characteristic labored properly.

The Backup module additionally results in True Picture’s Acronis Survival Equipment, which permits for a bootable backup drive to be created that your Mac can boot and set up a brand new working system from.

The Disk Cloning module works properly, and makes fast copies of volumes as wanted. The Archive module means that you can offload native knowledge to Acronis’ cloud construction, which is useful for liberating up native area.

The Safety module provided a very good diploma of antiviral safety, catching a minimum of 23 potential threats from a pattern archive off the bat.

Sadly, throughout our testing there have been bugs that couldn’t be prevented and consumer interface parts that had been both inconvenient or wanted a whole total.