Carbonite review & overview

Set-and-forget unlimited automatic backup for a single computer, a long-standing consumer/SMB backup brand (OpenText).

Carbonite sits in the cloud backup space and is most often picked for personal-backup, set-and-forget. Below is a quick, no-fluff overview to help you decide if it fits.

Key facts

Who it's for

Carbonite makes most sense for personal-backup.

• personal-backup
• set-and-forget

Key features

What you actually get with Carbonite, drawn from independent reviews and the vendor's own documentation:

• Automatic continuous backup with unlimited storage for one computer (personal)
• Set-and-forget scheduling with encryption in transit and at rest
• Courier recovery (physical disk) on the Prime tier
• External drive backup on Plus and Prime tiers
• Optional private encryption key for advanced privacy
• Business tiers cover multiple computers/servers

Integrations

Carbonite connects with Windows / macOS clients, Mobile access app and Business server backup.

What makes it stand out

Veteran set-and-forget unlimited backup for a single computer, now under OpenText.

Who it's best for

Non-technical users wanting fully automatic, hands-off backup for one computer.

Strengths & trade-offs

The honest balance for Carbonite, from independent reviews rather than its sales page. We go deeper in the full Carbonite review.

Strengths

• + Genuinely unlimited storage for one computer at a flat rate
• + Simple, fully automatic set-and-forget operation
• + Long-established brand (now OpenText) with courier recovery option

Trade-offs

• - Basic plan excludes external drives and some video file types by default
• - More expensive and slower than rivals like Backblaze for similar value
• - Feature investment has stalled under OpenText ownership

Notable facts

Concrete, checkable details rather than marketing claims:

• Personal plans offer unlimited storage for a single computer
• Basic plan excludes external drives and certain video files unless manually added
• Prime tier includes physical courier recovery of your backup
• Owned by OpenText
• Optional private encryption key for zero-knowledge backups

See Carbonite alternatives →