Best backup software 2014: 13 best file- and

system backup utilities of 2014

The 13 best backup software you can buy in the UK today
By Matt Egan | PC Advisor | 01 July 14
Best backup software reviews. The best free and low-cost backup utilities you can buy in
the UK right now.
We all know that we should backup our files. It is all too easy to put off securing precious digital
files and data, only to repent at leisure after a PC has crashed or a hard drive failed. The good
news is that you are in the right place. Install one of these backup utilities and save copies of
important photos and music files either to a separate hard drive or to the cloud. You will never
regret the outlay: it is a small price to pay for piece of mind.
If you are unsure of what backup entails, read our tutorials How to back up files to USB or NAS
drives with SyncBack Free and How to back up your digital photos online for free. But rest
assured that any of the products we review here will do the job for you, and most will explain
how.

13 best backup utilities of 2014

13. Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Home

Reviewed on: 3 April 13

RRP: 30 inc VAT
Best Price: Find The Best Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Home Deals
Rating:

Despite its professional look, Paragon Backup & Recovery 12 Home lacks much of the
sophistication of Acronis True Image, its main competitor. It handles both sector and file-based
copies and can back up to a variety of media, though it has no dedicated online storage. It
handles like a cut-down version of Paragon Hard Disk Manager, although the interface isnt
ideally suited to back up and restore. As a single-PC application, 30 isnt that cheap.
12. O&O DiskImage Professional 8

Reviewed on: 30 June 14

RRP: 20 inc. VAT
Best Price: Find The Best O&O DiskImage Professional 8 Deals
Rating:

O&O DiskImage Professional 8 handles the basics of system and file backup well, though it's not
the easiest program to use, thanks to its unconventional design. We were surprised how long it
took to save a compressed backup and a little disappointed at the size reduction offered by its
default compression.
11. Rebit 5

Reviewed on: 9 April 12

RRP: 50 inc VAT (3-PC licence, 25 for 1-PC licence)
Best Price: Find The Best Rebit 5 Deals
Rating:

50 for a 3-PC licence, under 17 per machine, is a good price, though an inability to use online
storage and an over-simplification of options make Rebit 5 a mixed bag. Its slow initial backup
and high local storage requirements (1-3x the total capacity of the drives being backed up) may
rankle against rival products, like Acronis True Image.
10. O&O DiskRecovery 9 Professional

Reviewed on: 11 February 14

RRP: 65 for single PC
Best Price: Find The Best O&O DiskRecovery 9 Professional Deals
Rating:

O&O DiskRecovery 9 Professional does what it says it will. For the three main types of data
recovery: from file deletion, partition removal and disk reformatting, it will resurrect the
majority of files, via it's very easy-to-use, wizard-driven interface. The only query is whether the
occasional use most people will give a program of this type is worth the 65 asking price.
9. O&O AutoBackup

Reviewed on: 27 January 12

RRP: 29 inc VAT
Best Price: Find The Best O&O AutoBackup Deals
Rating:

For anyone who wants to simply insert a drive, back up and remove it, it works well but it's a
one-trick pony that won't cover everyone's needs. O&O AutoBackup is free during January 2012,
but 29 after a 30-day free trial beginning in February.
8. CrashPlan

Reviewed on: 13 January 10

RRP: Free
Best Price: Find The Best CrashPlan Deals

Rating:

If you can put up with the adverts, the free version of CrashPlan has all you need for regular
backups to a variety of media, including the unique hosting of your personal backup on a friends
computer. Or pay around 43 for a cleaner and more secure CrashPlan+ version. And the paidfor subscription, at around 33+VAT/year, is actually one of the cheapest online services
currently available, with its promise of unlimited offsite data storage.
7. R-Drive Image 5.1

Reviewed on: 26 April 13

RRP: $45 (around 29)
Best Price: Find The Best R-Drive Image 5.1 Deals
Rating:

R-Drive Image is a lightweight, but feature-rich, drive imaging program with very reliable
performance and an improved boot disc.
6. Securstore

Reviewed on: 27 June 13

RRP: 200 per month plus VAT (100 GB stored compressed data)
Best Price: Find The Best Securstore Deals
Rating:

When you are looking at a business backup solution you need many things, not least of which is
security, reliability, speed and ease of use. The security issue is answered in part by ISO 27001
certification to ensure the company is safeguarding your data. The speed of transfer was at least
as fast as our fibre-optic connection. And after the initial setup, we found creating and
scheduling backups to be a breeze.
5. Acronis True Image 2014

Reviewed on: 30 August 13

RRP: 39 inc. VAT
Best Price: Find The Best Acronis True Image 2014 Deals
Rating:

If you're more than a version or two back on True Image, the 2014 version is well worth a look.
If you're new to backup products, simply know that it really doesn't get any better than Acronis
True Image for the average user, though I recommend R-Drive Image for pros.
4. EaseUS Todo Backup Home

Reviewed on: 5 September 13

RRP: 19 inc. VAT

Best Price: Find The Best EaseUS Todo Backup Home Deals
Rating:

EaseUS Todo Backup Home is a pretty comprehensive backup tool which covers all the
essentials for file and system backup, with good scheduling and support for all the typical copy
destinations. It's inexpensive, too, at under 20 per PC. It doesn't include sync or mobile file
access like Acronis True Image 2013, but for mainstream PC data security, it does the job.
3. Acronis True Image 2014 Premium

Reviewed on: 1 July 14

RRP: 40 (1-PC), 60 (3-PC)
Best Price: Find The Best Acronis True Image 2014 Premium Deals
Rating:

Acronis True Image is still the back-up utility to beat and the 2014 Premium product adds online
storage to its arsenal of data security utilities. While we were a bit disappointed with the default
level of compression, backups are created quickly and there's plenty of flexibility in how you set
them up and schedule them. The single PC product feels a bit dear; the 3-PC version is better
value.
2. Easeus ToDo Backup Free 3.5

Reviewed on: 3 November 11

RRP: FREE
Best Price: Find The Best Easeus ToDo Backup Free 3.5 Deals
Rating:

I called Easeus ToDo Backup Free 1.0 the best free backup program in existence. Despite some
exceedingly minor usability issues, that's still true. It will be a rare user who needs more than it
provides.
1. Pipemetrics Bvckup 2

Reviewed on: 5 May 14

RRP: $40 inc VAT for business use, $20 for home use
Best Price: Find The Best Pipemetrics Bvckup 2 Deals
Rating:

Bvckup 2 is one of those applications that you don't need to think about after it's set up: it just
works. It's fast and reliable with well-thought out features to help along the way. Delta copying
speeds up the backups when compared to full file copies, and greater reliability comes from
intelligent error handling and detailed logging. Bvckup represents great value at $20 for home
users.