IDrive vs Restic
IDrive and Restic are both backup & SaaS data protection tools. IDrive is aimed at small businesses and freelancers, while Restic is aimed at developers. Both have a free plan.
Cloud backup for multiple PCs, Macs, phones and servers in one account
Fast, secure command-line backup
| Pricing | Freemium · $0 | Open source |
| Starting price | $0.25/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Freelancers, Enterprise | Developers |
| Platforms | web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android | macos, windows, linux |
| Country | US | DE · 2014 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose IDrive if
Households and small businesses that want to back up many computers and phones into one affordable, encrypted account.
- One account covers many devices instead of per-computer pricing
- Large storage tiers at low cost per terabyte
- Versioning and snapshots help recover from ransomware
Look elsewhere if: Users who want unlimited backup for one computer or mainly need file sync and sharing (Backblaze, Sync.com, pCloud).
Choose Restic if
Sysadmins and developers comfortable with CLI.
- Fast and reliable
- Strong security design
- Free
Look elsewhere if: Non-technical users.
IDrive vs Restic pricing
IDrive
- Basic$010 GB, no credit card required
- Mini$0.25/mo100 GB, one user, billed yearly; 500 GB is $0.83/mo
- Personal$11.99/mo5 TB; $9.99/mo billed yearly, $6.99 first-year promo
- Team$11.99/mo5 users, 5 computers, 5 TB; $6.99/mo first-year promo
- Business$59.99/mo1.25 TB, servers and NAS; yearly from $19.99 for 500 GB
Restic
- Open source$0BSD 2-Clause license
IDrive · Key features
- Back up unlimited PCs, Macs, phones and tablets to one account
- Up to 30 file versions plus snapshots for point-in-time recovery
- Optional private-key 256-bit AES encryption
- Entire-machine backup for full system restores
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace cloud-to-cloud backup
- IDrive Express physical drive shipping for large backups and restores
Cons
- Desktop app is busy and less intuitive than Backblaze
- First-year promo prices rise noticeably on renewal
- Storage is capped per plan, unlike Backblaze's unlimited personal backup
Restic · Key features
- Encrypted, deduplicated snapshots
- Many backends via rclone
- Fast incremental backups
- Snapshot browsing and restore
- Verification checks
- Cross-platform CLI
Cons
- CLI only
- Requires scripting for scheduling
- No GUI
IDrive vs Restic: FAQ
Do IDrive and Restic have a free plan?
Yes, both IDrive and Restic have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, IDrive or Restic?
IDrive lists small businesses as a core audience, while Restic is aimed more at developers.