Backblaze vs IDrive: The Answer Changes in Year Two
A first-year price alone does not tell you which of these services costs less over time. IDrive Personal 5 TB currently advertises a discounted first-year annual rate, while Backblaze Personal Backup uses the same published annual price without a separate first-year promotional rate.
For many households, though, the bigger difference is not the renewal price. Backblaze Computer Backup is licensed per computer and provides unlimited backup data for that computer. IDrive Personal provides a fixed storage allowance for one user across multiple computers and supported devices.
Nesswick has purchased neither service. This comparison uses current official U.S. pricing and documentation checked on October 22, 2026 and makes no claim about real-world upload speed, restore speed, reliability or support quality.
Current pricing
For a like-for-like household comparison, this article uses Backblaze Personal Backup and IDrive Personal 5 TB.
| Backblaze Personal | IDrive Personal 5 TB | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing | $9/month | $11.99/month |
| Annual billing, first year | $99/year | $83.88 first year ($6.99/month billed annually) |
| Annual renewal / standing rate | $99/year | $119.88/year ($9.99/month billed annually) |
| Two-year purchase option | $189 for two years | $179.82 for two years |
| Storage | Unlimited backup data | 5 TB backup storage |
| Computer coverage | One paid license per computer | One user, multiple computers |
At annual billing, IDrive’s current first-year total is $83.88, which is $15.12 below Backblaze’s $99. From the second year, IDrive’s stated standard annual price is $119.88, which is $20.88 above Backblaze’s $99.
IDrive explicitly states that its discounted price applies to the first year of the selected plan and that standard pricing applies from the second year onward. Its separate two-year purchase option is currently $179.82. Backblaze’s current two-year price is $189.
Do not treat the two-year IDrive purchase price as proof of what a later renewal will cost. The safe comparison is to use the exact renewal terms shown in the account or checkout when the prepaid period ends.
Computer count can matter more than the price difference
Backblaze lets you manage multiple computers under one account, but its documentation says you must purchase a license for every computer you back up. At the current $99 annual price, two computers cost $198 per year and three cost $297 per year.
IDrive Personal 5 TB is a one-user plan that supports multiple computers. That can make it less expensive for one person who backs up several machines, as long as the combined backup fits within the plan’s storage limit.
| Household shape | Backblaze | IDrive Personal 5 TB |
|---|---|---|
| One computer; very large backup | $99/year; unlimited backup data | $119.88/year at standing annual rate; 5 TB |
| One user; three computers | 3 licenses = $297/year | $119.88/year at standing annual rate; total within 5 TB |
| Two computers; modest total data | 2 licenses = $198/year | $119.88/year at standing annual rate; total within 5 TB |
| Several people needing separate user accounts | Multiple Backblaze licenses may be used | Personal is one user; compare IDrive Team or another multi-user plan |
IDrive’s current Team plan starts with five computers and five users. A household that needs distinct user accounts should compare the appropriate multi-user plan rather than assuming one Personal account is a family plan.
Version history
Backblaze includes 30 days of version history by default. Its current documentation says one-year version history can be enabled at no additional storage cost. Its Forever option charges $0.006 per GB per month for versions or deleted files older than one year.
IDrive uses a version-count model. Its current feature page says it retains up to 30 previous versions of files backed up to the account.
These are different retention models. Which is more useful depends on how often files change and how far back you may need to recover an older or deleted copy.
Getting large amounts of data back
Backblaze supports online restores and a shipped USB restore drive. Its current return/refund program allows a restore drive to be returned within 30 days of receipt for a refund, subject to the program rules. The customer is responsible for return shipping, and Backblaze limits refundable returns to five drives per account in a 12-month period.
IDrive Express uses physical shipment of temporary storage devices for large transfers. IDrive’s current documentation now publishes the Personal allowance: Express Backup is free once per year for Personal users; subsequent Express Backup requests are $59.95. Express Restore is currently $99.50 per request. IDrive says free return shipping is included for U.S. customers; international orders may have additional shipping charges.
Encryption and private-key options
IDrive states that data is protected with 256-bit AES encryption and offers an optional private encryption key. Its current security page says IDrive does not store that private encryption key on its servers; losing the key prevents restoration of data protected with it.
Backblaze also documents an optional private encryption key/passphrase. Its current 2026 documentation says Backblaze stores the backup key in its data center but, when the optional passphrase is enabled, the backup key is encrypted with that passphrase and Backblaze does not store the passphrase. Backblaze says that without the passphrase it cannot decrypt the backup key or restore the protected data.
Those designs should not be reduced to a simple ‘which is more secure’ verdict. Nesswick has not audited either implementation.
NAS and device scope
Backblaze Computer Backup does not support backing up network drives, network shares or NAS devices. Backblaze directs NAS users to its separate B2 Cloud Storage service.
IDrive’s broader product lineup includes NAS and server backup options, particularly in its Business offerings. Do not use this Personal-plan comparison to conclude that IDrive as a whole cannot back up NAS devices.
Where data centers are located
Backblaze currently lists regions in U.S. West (California and Arizona), U.S. East (Virginia), EU Central (Amsterdam) and CA East (Toronto). IDrive states that its application is hosted at data centers in the United States.
Those public location statements do not by themselves tell an individual customer exactly where every copy of that customer’s data will reside. If data residency is a contractual requirement, confirm the applicable region and account terms directly with the provider.
Which fits which household?
Backblaze Personal Backup is straightforward for one computer with a large amount of data: one license, unlimited backup data, and a standing annual price currently listed at $99.
IDrive Personal 5 TB can be a better fit for one user with several computers or supported devices whose combined backup fits within 5 TB. Its first-year annual discount is lower than Backblaze’s annual price, but its stated standard annual rate is higher from year two onward.
For several people who need separate user accounts, compare multi-user offerings rather than treating IDrive Personal as a household account or assuming one Backblaze license covers several computers.
There is no universal winner here. Storage volume, number of computers, number of users, restore preferences and renewal pricing determine the better fit.
What this comparison cannot tell you
Nesswick did not install or run either service. This article therefore does not rank upload speed, restore speed, application quality, battery or CPU impact, support quality, reliability or false-success rates.
A backup is only useful if it can be restored. Whichever service you choose, periodically restore a sample of important files and verify that they open correctly.
Related Resources
official pricing page
IDrive – Online Backup Features
official features page
official Express shipment page
Affiliate Disclosure
Current relationship: Nesswick does not currently use affiliate links in this article. Product and service references are included for editorial purposes.
Sources and Methodology
This Research-Based Assessment was prepared without purchasing or running either service. Current prices and plan structures were checked against the providers’ official U.S. pages on October 22, 2026. Backblaze computer licensing, version history, USB restore rules, encryption documentation, NAS limitations and published regions were checked against current Backblaze documentation. IDrive renewal pricing, one-user/multiple-computer wording, Team structure, versioning, Express terms, private-key wording and data-center statement were checked against current IDrive pages. Calculations are arithmetic based on those published prices. Temporary or future pricing can change, so readers should confirm the checkout and renewal terms before subscribing.
Last reviewed and verified: October 22, 2026.
Sources Referenced
- Backblaze – Computer Backup Pricing
- Backblaze – Personal Backup
- Backblaze – Multiple Computers documentation
- Backblaze – Version History documentation
- Backblaze – USB Restore Drive / Restore Return Refund documentation
- Backblaze – Data Encryption and Passphrases
- Backblaze – Network-Attached Storage documentation
- Backblaze – Security & Data Protection
- IDrive – Plans and Pricing
- IDrive – Online Backup Features
- IDrive – IDrive Express documentation and FAQ
- IDrive – Online Backup Security