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Backblaze vs DigitalOcean

Backblaze logo

Backblaze

Software

Unlimited cloud backup at an affordable price

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Software

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DigitalOcean has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Backblaze personal Backup is $99 a year billed annually, with no monthly option; DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • They diverge on capability: Backblaze covers Unlimited backup, DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS).

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backblaze and DigitalOcean actually diverge.

Attributes where Backblaze and DigitalOcean differ
AttributeBackblazeDigitalOcean
Starting price$9/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, WebLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)
Founded20072011

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Backblaze

  • Unlimited backup
  • Continuous backup
  • Version history
  • Private encryption key
  • Restore by mail
  • Mobile apps
  • macOS
  • Windows

Only in DigitalOcean

  • Droplets (VPS)
  • Managed Kubernetes
  • App Platform
  • Managed Databases
  • Spaces (Object Storage)
  • Floating IPs
  • Load Balancers
  • Firewalls

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Backblaze

  • Unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drivesnot DigitalOcean
  • Restoring files from anywhere through the webnot DigitalOcean
  • Mailed hard drive restore for large recoveriesnot DigitalOcean
  • Private encryption key control for sensitive datanot DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean

  • Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot Backblaze
  • Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot Backblaze
  • Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not Backblaze

Where each one falls short

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

Backblaze

  • Personal Backup is $99 a year billed annually, with no monthly option
  • Web restores are capped at 500GB per request
  • Forever version history is a Business tier add-on rather than included
  • Administrative controls and SSO are Business features
  • Backs up user data from a computer and attached drives, so NAS and server backup are not covered by the personal plan

DigitalOcean

  • Data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • Free tier includes only 3 static sites; additional static sites require paid upgrade
  • Container registry free tier capped at 500 MiB storage; exceeding requires paid tier
  • Functions free tier allows 90,000 GiB-seconds monthly; overages billed on usage basis
  • GPU Droplets require minimum monthly commitment for lower hourly rates; on-demand significantly more expensive

Pricing, plan by plan

Backblaze

$9/month
  • Personal Backup$9/month
    • Unlimited storage for single computer
    • Unlimited version history
    • 30-day trial
  • B2 Cloud Storage$6/TB/month
    • S3-compatible storage
    • Pay-as-you-go model

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Backblaze if

  • You need unlimited backup.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Web.
  • You also want continuous backup.
Backblaze review

Choose DigitalOcean if

  • You need droplets (vps).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
  • You also want managed kubernetes.
DigitalOcean review

Questions people ask

Is Backblaze or DigitalOcean better?
Neither clearly leads. Backblaze starts at $9/month and DigitalOcean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backblaze or DigitalOcean?
DigitalOcean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Backblaze and Free for DigitalOcean.
Does Backblaze or DigitalOcean run on more platforms?
Backblaze runs on Windows, macOS, Web. DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
Yes. DigitalOcean has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Backblaze starts at $9/month.
What is Backblaze best used for?
Backblaze is most often used for unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drives, restoring files from anywhere through the web, mailed hard drive restore for large recoveries, private encryption key control for sensitive data. Of those, unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drives and restoring files from anywhere through the web are not what DigitalOcean is typically brought in for.
What can Backblaze do that DigitalOcean cannot?
Backblaze covers Unlimited backup, Continuous backup, Version history, Private encryption key. DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Backblaze: What is the pricing for Backblaze Personal Backup?

Backblaze Personal Backup costs $9/month on monthly billing or $8.25/month when billed annually, providing unlimited storage for a single computer.

Source
Backblaze: What storage options does Backblaze B2 offer?

Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage is priced at $6/TB per month with a pay-as-you-go model, and is S3 compatible for flexible cloud storage.

Source
Backblaze: Does Backblaze support Linux systems?

No. Backblaze does not support Linux operating systems, limiting it to Windows, macOS, and web access only.

Source
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Related pages

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