Backblaze vs MEGA

Backblaze is a publicly traded storage company from San Mateo, California, founded in 2007, that runs its own data centers and sells two products. Computer Backup continuously backs up an entire Mac or Windows PC, including attached external drives, for a flat monthly price with no data cap. B2 Cloud Storage is S3-compatible object storage priced per terabyte, positioned as a much cheaper alternative to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage and Azure Blob Storage.

Computer Backup offers version history, restores through the web and the app, and the option to have data shipped on a USB drive. B2 includes free egress up to three times the data stored each month, free transfer through partners such as Cloudflare, object lock for immutable, ransomware-resistant backups, and integrations with tools like Veeam, Synology, QNAP, rclone and media asset managers. The first 10 GB of B2 storage is free, and billing beyond that is simple and predictable.

Backblaze suits individuals and creatives who want set-and-forget workstation backup, and developers or IT teams storing backups, media archives and app uploads cheaply. It is not a sync or collaboration tool like Dropbox, it offers far fewer regions and services than AWS, and very large Computer Backup restores can be slow. Against Wasabi it competes on egress terms and ecosystem, and against IDrive on simplicity. The company is also known for publishing quarterly hard drive reliability statistics from its own fleet.

MEGA is a cloud storage service run by Mega Limited in Auckland, New Zealand, launched in January 2013. Kim Dotcom started it but cut ties with the company in 2015. Its main selling point is zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption: files are encrypted on your device before upload, so MEGA cannot read them, and the same model covers share links, chat and meetings.

Desktop sync apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, mobile apps with camera upload, file versioning, upload request folders and expiring, password-protected links cover everyday storage and sharing. Paid plans also bundle MEGA VPN and the MEGA Pass password manager. The free plan gives 20 GB with limited transfer. Paid plans are charged in euros: Pro Lite is €4.99 per month for 750 GB, Pro I €9.99 for 3 TB, Pro II €19.99 for 10 TB and Pro III €29.99 for 20 TB. Pro Flexi and Business start at €15 per month for 3 TB with pay-per-TB beyond.

MEGA fits privacy-minded individuals, freelancers and creators who move large files and want far more free space than Dropbox. pCloud offers lifetime plans, Sync.com and Tresorit focus on business compliance, and Dropbox wins on integrations and Office or Google file collaboration. Weak spots are transfer quotas, limited in-browser editing and a past file-sharing reputation some IT teams still flag.

MEGA has grown into a privacy suite with VPN, password manager, S3-compatible object storage and the transfer.it file-sending service. Tip: annual billing on Pro I and above saves about two months, while Pro Lite yearly saves almost nothing.