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Backblaze is a cloud backup service used by photographers, videographers, researchers, and everyday users around the world. It is designed to back up an unlimited volume of data from one PC or Mac automatically in the background, including connected external hard drives, with no file size caps or storage limits. This review takes a neutral and practical look at what the service does well, where it performs consistently, and who is most likely to find it useful.

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What Is Backblaze

Backblaze is a dedicated cloud backup service that continuously backs up all files on a PC or Mac, including data on connected USB external drives, to a remote cloud infrastructure without requiring users to select specific folders or manage what gets backed up. The backup runs automatically in the background and adjusts its upload speed based on current internet activity to avoid interfering with other network use. File version history retains deleted files and previous file versions for 30 days by default, with optional extensions to one year or indefinitely. Restoration is available through web browser download, a dedicated desktop app, or a physical USB drive or hard drive shipped to the user’s location for large-scale recovery scenarios. A Locate My Computer feature tracks the device’s geographic location as a theft deterrent. The personal backup plan covers one computer per license at an unlimited storage allocation.

Key Features

Backblaze provides a focused set of automatic unlimited backup tools covering continuous background protection, external drive support, flexible restoration, and extended version history.

Unlimited Cloud Storage Capacity: Backs up any volume of data from the covered computer and connected external drives with no cap on total storage or individual file size. This unlimited approach removes the storage management decisions that complicate backup planning for users with large media libraries, making it straightforward to confirm that everything is protected without tracking usage against a storage limit or paying overage fees as data grows.

Continuous and Automatic Backup: Monitors files for changes and backs them up automatically as they are created or modified, without requiring scheduled backup windows or manual initiation. This continuous approach keeps the most recent file versions protected with minimal delay after changes are made, reducing the potential data loss window compared to daily or weekly scheduled backups. The automatic throttle adjusts upload bandwidth based on concurrent internet activity, keeping the backup process from competing with other network use during active working hours.

External Hard Drive Support: Includes data stored on USB-connected external hard drives in the automatic backup scope alongside internal drive content. This coverage is practically important for photographers, videographers, and other users who store primary working libraries on external drives rather than internal storage, ensuring that the largest and most valuable data sets are included in the backup without additional configuration.

Multiple Restore Options: Provides file restoration through web browser download for individual files and folders, a dedicated restore application for larger sets, and a physical media restoration service that ships a USB drive or hard drive containing the backed-up data to the user’s address globally. The physical restoration option addresses the practical limitation of large-scale internet download for users who need to recover terabytes of data quickly after a catastrophic hardware failure.

Extended Version History: Retains deleted files and previous file versions for 30 days in the standard plan, with paid add-ons extending this window to one year or permanently. The extended version history provides protection against ransomware encryption events and accidental deletions that are not immediately noticed, allowing recovery to a pre-event file state when the issue is identified after the standard 30-day window has passed.

Locate My Computer: Tracks the geographic location of the backed-up device, providing a basic theft deterrent and recovery aid. This feature operates passively alongside the backup service without requiring a separate security application.

Performance Review

Background Operation and Upload Efficiency

The automatic throttle system adjusts upload bandwidth in real time based on concurrent internet activity in tested environments, keeping background backup from noticeably impacting streaming, browsing, or other network-intensive tasks during normal working hours. System resource usage during background backup operation is low in tested scenarios, with no perceptible impact on application performance during active use. Backup status is confirmed clearly in the simple dashboard interface, providing reassurance that protection is current without requiring active monitoring.

Initial Backup and Ongoing Performance

The initial full backup of a large data set takes time proportional to the total data volume and available upload bandwidth, which is a characteristic of all cloud backup services and is particularly relevant for users with multi-terabyte external drive libraries. Block-level incremental uploads for subsequent backups transmit only changed file portions, keeping ongoing backup bandwidth consumption manageable after the initial full backup completes. The continuous monitoring approach ensures that new and modified files are queued for backup promptly without waiting for a scheduled window.

Restoration Reliability and Physical Delivery

Web and application-based file restoration works accurately in tested scenarios, with individual files and folder sets retrievable cleanly from the version history. The physical drive restoration service ships internationally and delivers pre-loaded drives reliably, providing a practical large-scale recovery path for users who cannot feasibly download their full backup set over their available internet connection within an acceptable timeframe. The restore by mail option can also be returned after use for a refund of the drive cost, making it a cost-effective emergency recovery option.

Security and Data Integrity

AES-256 encryption covers data in transit and at rest. An optional private encryption key mode allows users to set their own key that Backblaze does not hold, preventing Backblaze from accessing backed-up content. The private key option requires the user to manage the key independently, as Backblaze cannot assist with recovery if the key is lost. The storage infrastructure uses redundant storage pods across data centers for hardware-level data redundancy.

Pricing & Plans

Backblaze uses a simplified pricing model with one personal backup tier and optional add-ons.

Personal Backup (Unlimited): A single flat-rate plan covering unlimited backup for one PC or Mac including connected external drives, available as a monthly or annual subscription. One license covers one computer.

Extended Version History Add-on: Optional upgrade extending file version retention from the default 30 days to one year or permanently, suited to users who want longer protection against ransomware and delayed-discovery deletion events.

Business Backup: An organizational tier for businesses and server environments requiring centralized user management and integration with Backblaze B2 cloud storage infrastructure.

Pricing details are available on the official Backblaze website.

Use Cases

Backblaze is applicable to a range of total computer backup and data protection scenarios.

Total PC and Mac Protection: Backing up every file on a computer including system documents, personal photos, and application data automatically without selecting specific folders, ensuring complete coverage without backup management decisions.

Media Professional Archiving: Protecting large RAW photo libraries and 4K video collections stored on multiple external hard drives within the same unlimited backup plan as the primary computer.

Academic and Research Preservation: Ensuring that years of research data, thesis drafts, and reference libraries are continuously backed up to a remote cloud location protected against local hardware failure.

Digital Memory Preservation: Maintaining an automatic and continuously updated cloud backup of family photos, home videos, and personal media as protection against device loss, theft, or hardware failure.

Emergency Large-Scale Recovery: Using the physical drive restoration service to recover terabytes of data after a total hardware loss without waiting for a full internet download at available home broadband speeds.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Unlimited backup storage for one flat rate with no file size caps or storage management required
  • Continuous automatic background backup with intelligent throttling keeps protection current without manual intervention
  • External hard drive backup is included in the standard plan covering libraries stored outside internal computer storage
  • Physical drive restoration service provides a fast large-scale recovery path for users with large backup sets
  • Simple and clear interface keeps backup status understandable without technical knowledge

Cons:

  • One personal license covers one computer only, requiring additional licenses for households or setups with multiple computers
  • Initial upload of very large data sets takes significant time depending on available internet upload bandwidth

Who Should Consider This Service

Backblaze is a practical consideration for photographers, videographers, researchers, and individual users who want complete automatic backup of their computer and external drives without storage limits, folder selection complexity, or storage management overhead. It is particularly relevant for users with large external drive libraries who need those drives included in the backup alongside the primary computer, and for those who want a simple and genuinely unlimited backup service where the main decision is the subscription rather than ongoing storage management.

Final Verdict

Backblaze is a solid and capable option within the unlimited cloud backup category. It covers continuous automatic backup of the full computer and connected external drives, unlimited storage with no file size caps, flexible restoration through web, application, and physical drive delivery, 30-day version history with optional extension, and a simple status-focused interface in one flat-rate personal subscription. For anyone who wants a dependable and truly unlimited set-and-forget cloud backup service for their PC or Mac without storage limits or backup management complexity, Backblaze is worth considering.

 

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