BackupKit vs IDrive

IDrive is one of the better-value hosted backup services. For a yearly fee you get a large block of cloud storage, backup for multiple devices under one account, disk-image support, and even physical courier recovery for big restores. If you want a turnkey service that includes the storage, IDrive is a strong pick.

BackupKit is the opposite arrangement: it doesn't include any storage. It backs up to the storage you already have or choose — your NAS, an FTP/SFTP server, your existing cloud drives — and never holds your data itself. Which model wins depends entirely on whether you'd rather rent storage from your backup vendor or own it.

Where your data lives — and who can read it

With IDrive, your backups sit in IDrive's cloud. They offer private-key encryption, but in that mode a forgotten key means unrecoverable data, and you're trusting their client and infrastructure with the process. The default experience leans on keys they manage.

BackupKit always encrypts client-side with AES-256 before upload, using a key that stays on your device. Whatever destination you pick stores ciphertext it can't read. There's no vendor in the middle of your restore, because BackupKit isn't hosting anything.

Cost math

IDrive bundles storage into the price, which is genuinely economical at the terabyte scale — until renewal pricing changes or you outgrow the tier. BackupKit is $6/mo, $50/yr, or $149 lifetime, plus whatever your storage costs. If you already pay for cloud space or own a NAS, that marginal storage cost can be near zero, and the lifetime option ends the subscription entirely.

Roughly: IDrive is the better deal if you have lots of data and no existing storage. BackupKit wins if you already own storage, want to avoid lock-in, or prefer paying once.

Lock-in and portability

Leaving a hosted service means migrating data out of their cloud and re-uploading it elsewhere. With BackupKit, your backups already live on storage you control in a standard encrypted-archive format, so switching tools or destinations doesn't mean moving terabytes through someone else's platform.

Bottom line

Pick IDrive if you want storage included, an all-in-one hosted service across many devices, and conveniences like courier recovery — and you're comfortable keeping backups in their cloud.

Pick BackupKit if you already own storage (or want to choose it), insist on client-side encryption with your own key, and want to avoid being locked into any one provider's cloud.