Backblaze vs Dropbox

When it comes to cloud storage services, you might be considering the popular options Backblaze or Dropbox. Both services cater to small and medium-sized businesses with their business-specific plans Dropbox Business and Backblaze for Business.

Backblaze is primarily a cloud backup service designed for secure, incremental backups and historical data preservation, while Dropbox is a cloud storage service with collaboration features. While they have certain features in common, they do serve different purposes. One has a strong focus on collaboration, the other on backup functionality and disaster recovery.

Even though that is the case, features do overlap, and it ultimately depends on your business’ requirements whether Dropbox or Backblaze might be the better pick.

This analysis is based on deep research into both services. I tested both business products firsthand, read third-party reviews and what users and business owners have to say, to give you a comprehensive overview of both services, their similarities, how they differ, and recommendations.

Backblaze: What It Is and What It Is Used For?

Backblaze is a cloud-based backup service for individuals and businesses alike that promises unlimited cloud backups with no file size limits and affordable pricing.

Its core business-oriented products are Business Backup and B2 Cloud Storage. The former enables you to back up data from multiple computers and servers, the latter provides access to online storage, similarly to Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage. Backblaze is known for its core backup functionality, focusing primarily on online backup and data backup, rather than file synchronization or collaboration features.

There is also Enterprise Control, which extends the backup functionality of Backblaze Business Backup with Enterprise-specific features such as enhanced backup lockdown.

Among backup services, Backblaze stands out for its simplicity and focus on data protection. The focus of this Backblaze vs. Dropbox comparison is on the Business Backup plan for SMBs.

How Does Backblaze Work?

Backblaze works by installing clients on Windows or macOS systems (Backblaze for Mac) to handle backups in the background. The service automatically backs up user files, including documents, photos, videos, data from external drives and more, to the cloud. You may customize the folders and drives in the Backblaze settings panel, and switch from continuous backup to once a day or manual mode.

However, Backblaze lacks a full backup option. Backblaze’s focus on files means that you can’t use its backups to fully restore an entire drive, e.g., a system drive of a computer.

Backblaze does not have storage, file size or type restrictions, which sets it apart from Dropbox, which supports a maximum file size of 2 TB and limits cloud storage based on the selected plan. It does limit access to one device per license though, which businesses need to keep in mind as costs may increase quickly.

It is a backup service that is entirely focused on backing up data and restoring it. This means that there is no file synchronization baked into the service or collaboration features. In other words, you cannot use it to keep files in sync between multiple devices. You may also need to adjust the defaults to block BackBlaze from pushing files to the cloud that should not go there.

The set-and-forget nature of Backblaze’s backup clients can be inconvenient in some scenarios. If you prefer a manual approach, to only select files and folders that you want backed up to the cloud, then it may not be the right cloud storage solution for you. It lacks finetuning options. While that means that you can rest assured that all important files that you want backed up to the cloud do, you may also find files in the cloud that should not be there in the first place.

You may also want to consider paying the extra $2 per month for extended file history access, which removes the 30-day file history restriction.

Business Backup includes a central administration interface for managing users, monitoring the status of backups, and managing settings.

Backblaze operates several data centers in the United States and the European Union. You select the desired storage region during account creation for data residency compliance.

The service offers a speed test, Backblaze speed test, on its website, but it is only for personal backup and not for the business-specific products. The backup service promises unthrottled backups and includes options to throttle backups or use threading for optimizations.

Backblaze Key Features

• Unlimited backup, storage, and data: Backblaze cloud storage is not limited. The same is true for file sizes or bandwidth. This makes it a great option for large file collections, provided that the local Internet connection is fast enough to push large amounts of data to the cloud.
• Flexible restores: web-based and dedicated application restores, mailed hard drive restores.
• Back up computers and external drives: Supports backup of computers, servers, NAS, and external drive sources.
• Centralized billing: one invoice for all users, flexible licensing.
• Admin controls: centralized management of users, devices, and settings.
• Good security features: 128-bit AES encryption, private encryption key support, two-factor authentication, forever file version retention.
• Compliance: Supports GDRP, Soc 2 and HIPAA.

Backblaze Pros and Cons

Backblaze Pricing

Backblaze backup pricing is relatively simple. Business Backup costs $9 per month for each individual device that you want to back up. The service gives discounts if you pay for a year or two, as the Backblaze price goes down to $99 and $189 respectively in that case.

Is Backblaze free? There is no free version of the backup service, not for individual users or businesses. Backblaze does offer a free trial for its personal backup solution and there is a good chance that you may also get a free trial for the business plan if you contact their sales department, but that is not mentioned explicitly.

Backblaze Cost Overview

Backblaze Business Backup costs $9 per month and device. You get a discount if you pay a year or two years in advance.

Dropbox: Business Backup Made Easy

Dropbox offers four different plans for professionals and organizations that cater to different needs and requirements. Plans range from Dropbox Professional for freelancers and individual users to the team-oriented Standard and business-focused Advanced plans. Dropbox's business plans provide advanced features for managing and organizing files, supporting collaboration, and ensuring data security.

There is also an Enterprise plan with Enterprise-specific features, but this review focuses on the Standard and Advanced plans for businesses.

What is Dropbox used for? Dropbox offers online storage, file synchronization between devices, online viewing and editing tools, and collaboration features with all of its plans. Dropbox allows users to store files securely in the cloud, manage their digital information, and track changes with file versioning.

Dropbox Backup is available as an add on, providing a comprehensive backup solution that complements Dropbox's sync functionality. Dropbox Backup offers quick file recovery, improved security, and seamless integration with Dropbox's other features.

You can install the Dropbox App on mobile devices, making it easy to access and restore files stored in the Dropbox cloud. The files get synchronized between a user’s devices, for instance a desktop PC, a Macbook, and a mobile device, to make them available on all devices. Access is also provided via the Dropbox website for accessing files without installation of a client.

Dropbox also supports several AI features that power search and other online functionality. You may also connect with external platforms and automation tools to add functionality to Dropbox. Dropbox AI features universal search, which allows you to search across Dropbox and connected platforms, file summarization, question and answers, and more.

Dropbox's extensive integration capabilities include compatibility with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and other apps, making it easy to collaborate and streamline workflows. Creating a Dropbox account is straightforward and provides benefits such as multi-device support, easy file sharing, and integration with other services.

Dropbox shines in two areas: keeping files in sync between devices and teams with its robust sync functionality, and collaboration using built-in tools and integrations. File sharing is simple and secure, allowing you to collaborate with other users while managing permissions and access. Compared to other cloud drives like Google Drive, Dropbox offers enhanced collaboration and backup features, but it's important to consider the security and data protection limitations of cloud drives in general.

Dropbox Pros and Cons

Here is a quick overview of the pros and cons of Dropbox compared to Backblaze.

Dropbox Business Plans Pricing

Both Dropbox Business tiers offer the same set of features. They require three or more users and allow file transfers of up to 100 GB. Dropbox Standard teams get 5 TB of storage for the team while Advanced users get at least 15 GB of storage that is shared across all team members. Higher-tier plans, like Advanced, allow you to store all your data without worrying about running out of space.

Both support admin controls, team sharing, branding, and groups and roles.

Dropbox also provides the ability to recover deleted files and previous versions of them. These can be restored within a default retention period—30 days for Standard and up to 180 days for Advanced.

The Dropbox Advanced plan adds tiered-admin management, support for end-to-end encryption, advanced key management, SSO, and compliance tracking to the feature set.

Backblaze vs Dropbox: Feature Overview Comparison

The table below compares the two services, Backblaze and Dropbox, across key features.

Dropbox or Backblaze: Which Service is Best for You?

When considering backup vs synchronization, both Dropbox and Backblaze offer services to upload files to the cloud and restore them, but their features diverge significantly in all other aspects.

Dropbox offers strong file synchronization and collaboration features. You can sync a set of files between all user devices and between team members, and collaborate online from any location. However, Dropbox has storage and file limitations, and it can’t be used as a full backup solution for all your data. Additionally, Dropbox Backup cannot run simultaneously with other services like iCloud or Google Drive, which may limit compatibility if you rely on multiple backup solutions.

Backblaze gives your business unlimited cloud data storage space, file sizes, and transfers. While limited to a single computer per license, it is ideal for pushing large amounts of data to the cloud for safekeeping. Backblaze is designed to back up all your data from a device, ensuring comprehensive protection. It also integrates well with other services, allowing you to use it alongside existing backup solutions.

While it is not a full system backup (it can’t back up an entire system with all its partitions and operating systems), it is the better choice if you are looking for a backup solution focused on secure and reliable data storage. Backblaze also addresses cyber threats by offering features like immutable, air-gapped backups to protect your files from ransomware and other risks.

Backblaze’s downsides are that it does not support syncing of files between devices and that you do not get any collaboration options.

Final Thoughts: The Best Cloud Storage Solution for SMBs

As far as recommendations are concerned, pick Dropbox, if you want to synchronize files between devices and team members, and, optionally, require strong collaboration features.

Backblaze is the better choice if you want to back up files in the cloud. The unlimited nature of the service makes it an affordable option for that, even though it is limited to files only.