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File Storage · head to head

Carbonite vs IDrive e2

Carbonite logo

Carbonite

File Storage

Simple and reliable cloud backup for businesses

From
$6/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IDrive e2 logo

IDrive e2

File Storage

Low cost S3-compatible object storage with egress included up to a multiple of what you store

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only IDrive e2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Carbonite upload speeds are significantly slower than competitors due to lack of block-level algorithms and multithreading; IDrive e2 the included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.
  • They diverge on capability: Carbonite covers Automatic backup, IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Carbonite and IDrive e2 actually diverge.

Attributes where Carbonite and IDrive e2 differ
AttributeCarboniteIDrive e2
Starting price$6/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer terabyte per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Mac, WebWeb, API
Founded2005Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Carbonite

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

Only in IDrive e2

  • S3-compatible endpoints
  • Included egress allowance
  • Object lock
  • Versioning
  • Regional endpoints
  • Cross region replication

What people use each for

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

Carbonite

  • Data protectionnot IDrive e2
  • Disaster recoverynot IDrive e2
  • Business continuitynot IDrive e2
  • Ransomware protectionnot IDrive e2
  • Compliancenot IDrive e2

IDrive e2

  • The offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by Veeam, restic or a NAS backup clientnot Carbonite
  • Replacing an S3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requestsnot Carbonite
  • Small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line itemsnot Carbonite
  • Archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delaynot Carbonite

Where each one falls short

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

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

IDrive e2

  • The included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.
  • The region list is short compared with the hyperscalers, so data residency requirements outside the main markets are hard to satisfy and multi region designs have fewer options.
  • S3 compatibility covers the common calls but not the long tail, so software that relies on less common features can fail in ways that are hard to diagnose against a provider with thin public documentation.
  • Support is organised around a consumer and small business backup product rather than a platform engineering organisation, so escalating a storage layer problem takes longer than it would with a specialist provider.
  • IDrive publishes far less about the underlying architecture, durability engineering and incident history than its competitors, so due diligence on the storage layer is largely taking the vendor at its word.

Pricing, plan by plan

Carbonite

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

IDrive e2

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 GB stored
    • S3 API access
    • Egress within the included allowance
  • Pay as you go$4/month
    • Roughly 4 USD per terabyte stored per month
    • Egress included up to a multiple of stored data
    • No per operation charge on standard usage

Which should you pick?

Choose Carbonite if

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

Choose IDrive e2 if

  • You need s3-compatible endpoints.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want included egress allowance.
IDrive e2 review

Questions people ask

Is Carbonite or IDrive e2 better?
Neither clearly leads. Carbonite starts at $6/month and IDrive e2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Carbonite or IDrive e2?
IDrive e2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $6/month for Carbonite and Free for IDrive e2.
Does Carbonite or IDrive e2 run on more platforms?
Carbonite runs on Windows, Mac, Web. IDrive e2 runs on Web, API.
Can I use IDrive e2 for free?
Yes. IDrive e2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Carbonite starts at $6/month.
What is Carbonite best used for?
Carbonite is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what IDrive e2 is typically brought in for.
What can Carbonite do that IDrive e2 cannot?
Carbonite covers Automatic backup, Continuous protection, Remote file access, Bare metal restore. IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Included egress allowance, Object lock, Versioning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
IDrive e2: Is the egress genuinely free?

It is included up to an allowance tied to how much you store, not unlimited. Read heavy workloads on a small bucket will exceed it.

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
IDrive e2: Does it work with Veeam and restic?

Yes, both treat it as a standard S3 endpoint, and object lock is supported for immutable backup chains.

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
IDrive e2: Is there a minimum retention period?

No fixed minimum retention charge on standard storage, which is a real difference from providers that bill ninety days on early deletion.

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
IDrive e2: How does it compare with Backblaze B2?

The rates are close. B2 is the better documented and more widely integrated service; e2 is cheaper at list and has a different egress allowance model.

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