What is the difference between online backup and backing up my files to an external hard drive?

External hard drives allow users to save files from their computer on another separate hard drive. Online backup is a better solution for most consumers for several reasons.

First, external hard drives have the same hardware failure issues that the internal hard drive in your computer has. They will eventually fail or crash and put the stored information at risk, whereas online backup services are not dependent on a single hard drive to store your information, which makes them infinitely more reliable.

Second, external hard drives are only as secure as you make them. If your external hard drive is misplaced or stolen you immediately lose all the backup information that you have stored there. Online backup services, on the other hand, allow you to store your information remotely and securely on computer servers that are maintained by professionals. In fact, many major corporations use the same online file backup services that are available to consumers to store important business information because these services are so secure and professionally managed.

Third, external hard drives have storage limitations. For example, if you purchase a 100 GB external hard drive it will be able to store 100 gigabytes of information before you need to either purchase an additional drive or delete some information of your existing one. The top-rated online backup services offer unlimited storage capacity for all your important files. You will never need to buy additional storage capacity or hardware and you will never need to choose which files you will keep and which you will delete based off of how much storage space is available.

Finally, external hard drives are more expensive per gigabyte of storage than most online backup services. We recently analyzed the costs of both options and found that online backup services are about 50% cheaper per gigabyte than using external hard drives.

Return to the online backup services FAQs

Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about online backup services

Recently answered questions about Online Backup Service Reviews:

Does the Carbonite remote access feature allow me to view any file or email i...
The following is an actual user submitted question: Q: I am considering buying Carbonite and would like to know if I still need GoToMyPC remote access program if Carbonite allows for remote access? Does the Carbonite remote access feature allow me to view any file or email individually from any computer, similar to the GoToMyPC program? A: [...]

Are the backup services vulnerable to hackers?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. Q: Are the backup services vulnerable to hackers? A: With the usual warning that anything is possible, online backup services are pretty secure. Of the many, many stories we see about web services getting hacked, it's not the online back up services that [...]

Why is Carbonite paused and how do I activate it?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. Q: I have a message that my Carbonite is paused. It gives me two choices.Dismiss or unpause. I click on unpause with no results. Why is it paused & how do I activate it? A: We're not entirely sure why this is happening. [...]

I am a Carbonite subscriber. My computer recently crashed. I changed from Win...
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I am a carbonite subscriber. My computer recently crashed. I changed from window to A Mac. How do I get my serviced [...]

Can I backup my operating system?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: Can I backup my operating system? A: By default, most online backup services are set to backup documents and other irreplaceable items on [...]

I have a Windows XP machine and want to back-up data, then download to new Wi...
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I have a Windows XP machine and want to back-up data, then download to new Windows 7 machine. Will this work? [...]

Can I transfer Carbonite to my new computer?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I purchased your product about a month ago then I bought a new computer because my old one was so stinking slow. [...]

Are online backup providers responsible for keeping customers' data unencrypted?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. This question comes as a follow-up to a question asked earlier this week: If an online backup service provider is subpoenaed, would [...]

If an online backup provider was subpoenaed, would it have to hand your data ...
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I have a question about online backup services. In both civil and criminal lawsuits, we have all heard or read about [...]

Does Carbonite offer remote file access?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: Your comparison chart and program details table for carbonite says "No file access except for full system recovery", while your review says [...]