Softwr

Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head

Arcserve UDP vs Carbonite

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Carbonite logo

Carbonite

File Storage & Backup

Simple and reliable cloud backup for businesses

From
$6/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; Carbonite upload speeds are significantly slower than competitors due to lack of block-level algorithms and multithreading
  • They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Carbonite covers Automatic backup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and Carbonite actually diverge.

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Carbonite differ
AttributeArcserve UDPCarbonite
Starting price$25/month$6/month
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWindows, Mac, Web
CategoryBackup & Disaster RecoveryFile Storage & Backup
Founded19832005

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • SQL Server

Only in Carbonite

  • Automatic backup
  • Continuous protection
  • Remote file access
  • Bare metal restore
  • Encryption
  • Compliance support
  • Microsoft 365
  • Windows Server

Both cover

  • VMware
  • Hyper-V
  • Windows support
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Carbonite

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Both are used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection, compliance, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

Carbonite

  • Upload speeds are significantly slower than competitors due to lack of block-level algorithms and multithreading
  • Bandwidth throttling control is limited, preventing users from managing full bandwidth allocation
  • Mobile apps and web access are more limited than sync-first services like Dropbox or Google Drive
  • Uses AES-128 encryption instead of industry-standard AES-256
  • Hybrid backup support is restricted to professional plans, unavailable for personal users

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Carbonite

$6/month
  • Basic$6/month
    • Automatic backup
    • Unlimited cloud storage
    • Easy restore

Which should you pick?

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Choose Carbonite if

  • You need automatic backup.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Web.
  • You also want continuous protection.
Carbonite review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Carbonite better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Carbonite at $6/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Carbonite?
Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Carbonite at $6/month.
Does Arcserve UDP or Carbonite run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Carbonite runs on Windows, Mac, Web.
What is Arcserve UDP best used for?
Arcserve UDP is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Carbonite cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Carbonite covers Automatic backup, Continuous protection, Remote file access, Bare metal restore. Both handle VMware, Hyper-V, Windows support, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
Carbonite: Does Carbonite offer unlimited storage?

Yes, Carbonite's personal plans (Safe Basic through Safe Server Ultimate) offer unlimited cloud storage, though business plans have tiered storage starting at 250 GB.

Source
Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
Carbonite: What is Carbonite's pricing?

Personal plans range from $4.91 to $83.33 per month with annual billing. Business plans start around $50-$75 per endpoint annually, with volume discounts available for multi-year contracts.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
Carbonite: How fast are Carbonite's upload speeds?

Carbonite's upload speeds are notably slow and are consistently identified as the platform's main weakness. The lack of block-level algorithms and multithreading contributes to these speed limitations.

Source
Carbonite: What encryption does Carbonite use?

Carbonite uses AES-128 encryption at rest, which is an unusual choice in 2026 when AES-256 is the industry standard.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Arcserve UDP

More on Carbonite

Keep looking

Other head to heads