Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head
Backupify vs Apple Time Machine
Backupify
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Automated cloud-to-cloud backup
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
Apple Time Machine
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Built-in backup for every Mac
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Apple Time Machine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Backupify limited ransomware protection with alerts but no automated remediation capabilities; Apple Time Machine apple states the Time Machine backup disk should be used only for Time Machine backups and not for storing other files, unless you split it into a separate APFS volume
- They diverge on capability: Backupify covers Three daily backups, Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Backupify and Apple Time Machine actually diverge.
| Attribute | Backupify | Apple Time Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Mac |
| Founded | 2008 | 1976 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup & Disaster Recovery).
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 Backupify
- Three daily backups
- Point-in-time restore
- Data export
- Search
- Admin controls
- Audit logs
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
Only in Apple Time Machine
- Automatic backup
- Hourly snapshots
- Visual restore interface
- Network backup
- Encryption
- System restore
- macOS
- AirPort Time Capsule
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Backupify
- Data protectionnot Apple Time Machine
- Disaster recoverynot Apple Time Machine
- Business continuitynot Apple Time Machine
- Ransomware protectionnot Apple Time Machine
- Compliancenot Apple Time Machine
Apple Time Machine
- Automatic versioned local backups of a Mac to an external drivenot Backupify
- Restoring a Mac or migrating to a new one from a local backup historynot Backupify
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Backupify
- Limited ransomware protection with alerts but no automated remediation capabilities
- Data restoration times can be slow compared to some competitors, with extraction of specific backups sometimes exceeding 24 to 48 hours
- Does not back up Microsoft Teams chats or Exchange Archive mailboxes, creating data coverage gaps
- Lacks comprehensive compliance framework support beyond basic SOC 2 and HIPAA
Apple Time Machine
- Apple states the Time Machine backup disk should be used only for Time Machine backups and not for storing other files, unless you split it into a separate APFS volume
- Apple recommends the Time Machine volume be twice the storage capacity of the Mac being backed up
- It requires an attached external storage device or network disk; there is no built-in cloud destination
- It backs up Macs only
Pricing, plan by plan
Backupify
$29/month- SaaS Protection$undefined/mo
- 3x daily automated backups
- Granular restore capabilities
- Point-in-time recovery
- SaaS Protection Plus$undefined/mo
- SaaS Defense with threat scanning
- Dark web credential monitoring
- Integrated malware scanning
Apple Time Machine
Free- Built-inFree
- Automatic backup
- Visual restore
- Network backup
Which should you pick?
Choose Backupify if
- You need three daily backups.
- You also want point-in-time restore.
Choose Apple Time Machine if
- You need automatic backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Mac.
- You also want hourly snapshots.
Questions people ask
- Is Backupify or Apple Time Machine better?
- Neither clearly leads. Backupify starts at $29/month and Apple Time Machine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Backupify or Apple Time Machine?
- Apple Time Machine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Backupify and Free for Apple Time Machine.
- Does Backupify or Apple Time Machine run on more platforms?
- Backupify runs on Web. Apple Time Machine runs on Mac.
- Can I use Apple Time Machine for free?
- Yes. Apple Time Machine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Backupify starts at $29/month.
- What is Backupify best used for?
- Backupify is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Apple Time Machine is typically brought in for.
- What can Backupify do that Apple Time Machine cannot?
- Backupify covers Three daily backups, Point-in-time restore, Data export, Search. Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup, Hourly snapshots, Visual restore interface, Network backup.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Backupify: What cloud applications does Datto SaaS Protection back up?
Datto SaaS Protection (formerly Backupify) backs up Microsoft 365 (Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams), Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, Drive), and Salesforce data with automated 3x daily backups.
SourceBackupify: How often are backups performed?
Datto SaaS Protection performs automated backups up to 3 times per day for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with manual backups available on demand when additional snapshots are needed.
SourceBackupify: How quickly can I restore my data?
Datto SaaS Protection supports granular, item-level restores and point-in-time recovery, allowing administrators to select the specific files or directories to restore at the snapshot, file directory, or individual file level.
SourceBackupify: What happens if data is deleted from my SaaS account?
Backups are immutable - individual items cannot be modified or deleted once backed up - ensuring protection against accidental deletion and ransomware attacks. Data can be recovered from any previous backup snapshot.
SourceBackupify: Is Datto SaaS Protection compliant with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR?
Yes, Datto SaaS Protection is SOC 2 Type II compliant and supports HIPAA and GDPR compliance with Business Associate Agreements available for covered entities.
Source