Online Backups

Mozy:

PROS

• 2 GB free
• small, fast client
• easy setup
• easy web restore option (a neat way to securely move files around)
• full restore has an option to get a DVD with all your files on it
• Macintosh version

CONS

• 2 GB?  doesn't that seem kind of small?
• monthly pricing means it costs more per year for unlimited backup than Carbonite
• If you pay for a full year upfront, you get a month free making Mozy unlimited a touch cheaper than Carbonite
• will not backup certain types of files (at least on the free version)

Carbonite:

PROS

• easy setup
• intelligent client, excellent right-click integration on Windows
• versioning available
• backs up anything and everything if that's what you want
• Macintosh version
• seems expensive, until you have to do one full restore, then it doesn't seem so costly after all (and it is actually cheaper than MozyHome Unlimited)

CONS

• does not recognize it's impact on MMOs (disable it before that important raid, but it does share bandwidth well with VOIP and downloading)
• full restore takes days, no DVD option (ok, that might just have been the size of my backup, but still)
• on a yearly basis, Mozy may be cheaper

OVERALL

They're both very good, for different reasons.  My Mac has MozyHome, and so does my work computer (for my personal files, of course).  My Vista desktop has Carbonite, and I call down blessings up them for being the one thing that Vista hasn't screwed up.  In fact, Carbonite's full restore was a complete success when I had to reinstall Vista from scratch.  I only lost one file, and that was actually my fault for clicking like a crazy person.  It wasn't a vital file anyway, but if it had been, I apparently could have called Carbonite's customer service to get it restored.

Mozy works flawlessly on the Mac and on the PC, but the free version doesn't give me as much control-freak control as I would like.  Nevertheless, it is significantly better than having no backup at all.  It is free, but you get a lot more than you pay for.  There's no excuse not to have some kind of backup with these kind of options.  Go back up your files.

Keep in mind that ANY BACKUP is better than no backup at all.  You just have to decide what works best for you.  Trust me, after one hard drive failure, it will be worth it.  My recommendation is to start with MozyHome (totally free) and at least make sure your email and contacts and important documents are backed up regularly.  Then give the paid services a try for a few months.  You should be able to convert to a yearly subscription on whichever one you choose.  Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a good backup!

P.S. In case you were wondering, both Mozy and Carbonite uninstall very easily, in case you ever have to take it off for some reason.

(revised 5/11/09)