File Storage & Backup · head to head
Box vs CrashPlan
Box
File Storage & Backup
Cloud content management for the enterprise
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
CrashPlan
File Storage & Backup
Endpoint backup designed for work-from-anywhere
- From
- $8/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Box all Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users; CrashPlan initial data uploads can be noticeably slow, often taking several full days for complete system backups
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Box and CrashPlan actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage & Backup).
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 Box
Nothing recorded that CrashPlan does not also cover.
Only in CrashPlan
- Automatic backup
- Continuous protection
- Legal hold
- Centralized administration
- Unlimited storage
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Active Directory
- LDAP
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Box
No use cases recorded yet. See the Box review.
CrashPlan
- Data protectionnot Box
- Disaster recoverynot Box
- Business continuitynot Box
- Ransomware protectionnot Box
- Compliancenot Box
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Box
- All Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users
- Business Starter ($5/user/month) caps at 100 GB of shared storage across the whole account and a 2 GB per file upload limit
- Enterprise Plus requires annual billing, and Enterprise Advanced's exact price is not published on the pricing page
CrashPlan
- Initial data uploads can be noticeably slow, often taking several full days for complete system backups
- Occasional slow restore speeds for very large files impact recovery time objectives
- Full system recovery requires requesting hard drive delivery instead of bare-metal restore capability
- Difficulties reported with backing up or restoring data from external hard drives
- Pricing is higher than some competitors like Backblaze when compared per user/month
- Limited SIEM integration and governance reporting for enterprise environments
Pricing, plan by plan
Box
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Box review.
CrashPlan
$8/month- Professional (Monthly)$8/month
- Unlimited backup capacity
- Unlimited file versions
- 90-day deleted file retention
- Professional (Annual)$88/year
- All Monthly features
- $0.88 savings per month vs monthly billing
- Professional (2-Year)$158/2 years
- All features
- Lower per-month cost vs annual
Which should you pick?
Choose Box if
Nothing in the data separates Box from CrashPlan on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose CrashPlan if
- You need automatic backup.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Cloud (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace).
- You also want continuous protection.
Questions people ask
- Is Box or CrashPlan better?
- Neither clearly leads. Box starts at On request and CrashPlan at $8/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Box or CrashPlan?
- Box starts at On request and CrashPlan at $8/month.
- Does Box or CrashPlan run on more platforms?
- Box runs on Web. CrashPlan runs on Windows, macOS, Cloud (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace).
- What can Box do that CrashPlan cannot?
- CrashPlan covers Automatic backup, Continuous protection, Legal hold, Centralized administration.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
CrashPlan: What is CrashPlan's pricing for business backup?
CrashPlan Professional Edition costs $8 per user/month (billed monthly), $7.33 per user/month when billed annually ($88/year), or $158 per user for a 2-year commitment. This includes unlimited backup capacity, unlimited file versions, and 90-day deleted file retention.
SourceCrashPlan: Does CrashPlan offer a free trial?
Yes, CrashPlan offers a 14-day free trial. Credit card information is required for signup, but there will be no charge if you cancel during the trial period. Your credit card will be automatically charged when the trial ends unless you cancel.
SourceCrashPlan: What platforms and services does CrashPlan protect?
CrashPlan protects Windows and Mac endpoints, Microsoft 365 services (Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams), and Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Drive). The platform provides backup for endpoints, servers, and cloud applications.
SourceCrashPlan: Does CrashPlan have a free version for consumers?
No, CrashPlan discontinued its consumer personal backup tier and now focuses exclusively on commercial businesses. The platform is strictly for business and organizational use.
SourceCrashPlan: What is CrashPlan's partnership status with Microsoft?
CrashPlan is a trusted Microsoft Partner and is co-sell eligible. The platform is available in the Microsoft Marketplace and counts toward customers' Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC). CrashPlan is built on Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
Source