Is Arq Backup or Box better?

Neither clearly leads. Arq Backup starts at $50/year and Box at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Arq Backup or Box?

Box has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/year for Arq Backup and Free for Box.

Does Arq Backup or Box run on more platforms?

Arq Backup runs on Windows, Mac. Box runs on Web.

Can I use Box for free?

Yes. Box has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arq Backup starts at $50/year.

What is Arq Backup best used for?

Arq Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Box is typically brought in for.

What can Arq Backup do that Box cannot?

Arq Backup covers Client-side encryption, Hourly backups, Network backup, Deduplication.

File Storage · head to head

Arq Backup vs Box

Arq Backup

File Storage

Mac and Windows backup to your own cloud storage

From: $50/year
Rated: -

Full review Website

Box

File Storage

Cloud content management for the enterprise

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Box has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Arq Backup runs on Mac and Windows only; Box pricing not disclosed for Personal Pro, Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus tiers
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arq Backup and Box actually diverge.

Attributes where Arq Backup and Box differ
Attribute	Arq Backup	Box
Starting price	$50/year	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Windows, Mac	Web
Founded	2009	Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).

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 Arq Backup

Client-side encryption
Hourly backups
Network backup
Deduplication
Immutable backups
Budget controls
AWS S3
Google Cloud

Only in Box

Nothing recorded that Arq Backup does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Arq Backup

Data protectionnot Box
Disaster recoverynot Box
Business continuitynot Box
Ransomware protectionnot Box
Compliancenot Box

Box

Enterprise cloud file storage and collaborationnot Arq Backup
Document management with AI capabilitiesnot Arq Backup
API integration for business automationnot Arq Backup

Where each one falls short

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

Arq Backup

Runs on Mac and Windows only
Arq 7 is licensed per computer, and continuing to receive updates after the first year costs $25 per year per computer
Arq Premium covers up to 5 computers, so larger households or teams need more than one subscription
Arq Premium includes 1TB of storage and charges $0.0059 per GB per month beyond it

Box

Pricing not disclosed for Personal Pro, Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus tiers
Enterprise Advanced requires quote and minimum purchase commitments
File upload limits vary from 250 MB to 500 GB across tiers
Business plan requires minimum 3 users

Pricing, plan by plan

Arq Backup

$50/year

Arq Premium$50/year
- 5 computers
- Arq Cloud storage option
- Email support

Box

Free

IndividualFree
- 10 GB storage
- 250 MB file upload limit
- 1 file version
Business$5/month
- Unlimited storage
- 5 GB file upload
- 25 file versions
Enterprise$null/month
- Unlimited storage
- 50 GB file upload
- 1,000 AI Units per month
Enterprise Plus$null/month
- Unlimited storage
- 150 GB file upload
- 2,000 AI Units per month

Which should you pick?

Choose Arq Backup if

You need client-side encryption.
You work on Windows, Mac.
You also want hourly backups.

Arq Backup review

Choose Box if

You want to start without paying.

Box review

Questions people ask

Is Arq Backup or Box better?: Neither clearly leads. Arq Backup starts at $50/year and Box at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arq Backup or Box?: Box has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/year for Arq Backup and Free for Box.
Does Arq Backup or Box run on more platforms?: Arq Backup runs on Windows, Mac. Box runs on Web.
Can I use Box for free?: Yes. Box has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arq Backup starts at $50/year.
What is Arq Backup best used for?: Arq Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Box is typically brought in for.
What can Arq Backup do that Box cannot?: Arq Backup covers Client-side encryption, Hourly backups, Network backup, Deduplication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arq Backup: What are the different licensing models for Arq?

Arq 7 is a perpetual license with a one-time purchase and 1 year of free updates, then $25/year for continued updates. Arq Premium is a subscription model covering up to 5 computers with 1TB of included cloud storage.

Source

Box: What is the starting price for Box Business plan?

Business plan starts at $5 per user per month with unlimited storage, 5 GB file uploads, and Box AI included.

Source

Arq Backup: Is there a trial period before purchasing Arq?

Yes, Arq 7 includes a 30-day free trial.

Source

Box: Does the free plan support file sharing?

Yes, Individual free plan includes 10 GB storage, 250 MB file uploads, and 5 Box Sign signature requests per month.

Source

Arq Backup: What are the storage costs beyond the included 1TB with Arq Premium?

Additional storage is billed at $0.0059/GB per month beyond the 1TB included with Arq Premium.