Softwr

Backup · head to head

CloudAlly vs Milestone XProtect

CloudAlly logo

CloudAlly

Backup

Enterprise SaaS backup made simple

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CloudAllyFull review
Milestone XProtect logo

Milestone XProtect

Cybersecurity

Open platform video management software with perpetual per-device licences

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Milestone XProtectFull review

The short version

  • Free plans on both; paid from $3/mo and $109 one-off.
  • Only CloudAlly lists automated daily backup; only Milestone XProtect lists perpetual device licences.
  • Where CloudAlly falls short: pricing not transparently displayed; requires customer inquiry.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CloudAlly and Milestone XProtect actually diverge.

Attributes where CloudAlly and Milestone XProtect differ
AttributeCloudAllyMilestone XProtect
Pricing modelSubscriptionOne-time purchase per device licence, plus annual Care Plus
PlatformsWebWindows, Web, iOS, Android
CategoryBackupCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Milestone XProtect.

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 CloudAlly

  • Automated daily backup
  • Point-in-time recovery
  • Cross-account restore
  • Archive export
  • Activity logs
  • Multi-admin support
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Only in Milestone XProtect

  • Open device support
  • Perpetual device licences
  • Federated architecture
  • Failover recording
  • Evidence export
  • Smart Map
  • Integration platform
  • Video summarisation

What people use each for

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

CloudAlly

  • Data protectionnot Milestone XProtect
  • Disaster recoverynot Milestone XProtect
  • Business continuitynot Milestone XProtect
  • Ransomware protectionnot Milestone XProtect
  • Compliancenot Milestone XProtect

Milestone XProtect

  • A city or transport operator running tens of thousands of cameras across federated sitesnot CloudAlly
  • An enterprise with mixed legacy camera brands that refuses to standardise on one manufacturernot CloudAlly
  • A critical infrastructure site needing failover recording servers and tamper-evident evidence exportnot CloudAlly
  • An integrator building a bespoke security application on top of an open VMS platformnot CloudAlly

Where each one falls short

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

CloudAlly

  • Pricing not transparently displayed; requires customer inquiry
  • Limited visibility into data center locations for compliance-sensitive organizations
  • Transition to OpenText Cybersecurity branding may cause confusion

Milestone XProtect

  • Care Plus is presented as optional but is not in practice: without it, perpetual licences stop receiving version upgrades and eventually you cannot add a current camera because your frozen version does not support it
  • Per-device licensing means multi-sensor and multi-imager cameras consume several licences each, so a headline camera count badly understates the true licence cost of a modern design
  • It is Windows only for servers and needs a properly designed server and storage architecture, so the software price is a fraction of a project that also needs recording servers, storage and an integrator
  • Complexity requires trained staff or a certified integrator; organisations that install it without either end up running a large deployment on default settings and never using the features they paid for
  • Milestone retired Kite from its portfolio in favour of Arcules from January 2025, which stranded buyers who had standardised on Kite and is a reminder that the cloud side of the portfolio has changed direction more than once

Pricing, plan by plan

CloudAlly

Free
  • CloudAlly Backup$3/mo
    • Daily backup
    • Point-in-time restore
    • Unlimited storage

Milestone XProtect

Free
  • XProtect Essential+Free
    • Free for up to 8 cameras
    • No recording time limit
    • No vendor support included
  • XProtect Express+$109 one-off
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Single site, single server
    • Care Plus purchased separately per device per year
  • XProtect Professional+$177 one-off
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Multiple recording servers
    • Edge storage retrieval
  • XProtect Expert$282 one-off
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Failover recording servers
    • Advanced video wall and evidence handling

Which should you pick?

Choose CloudAlly if

  • You need automated daily backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want point-in-time recovery.
CloudAlly review

Choose Milestone XProtect if

  • You need open device support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want perpetual device licences.
Milestone XProtect review

Questions people ask

Is CloudAlly or Milestone XProtect better?
Neither clearly leads. CloudAlly starts at Free and Milestone XProtect at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CloudAlly or Milestone XProtect?
CloudAlly starts at Free and Milestone XProtect at Free.
Does CloudAlly or Milestone XProtect run on more platforms?
CloudAlly runs on Web. Milestone XProtect runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use CloudAlly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CloudAlly best used for?
CloudAlly is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Milestone XProtect is typically brought in for.
What can CloudAlly do that Milestone XProtect cannot?
CloudAlly covers Automated daily backup, Point-in-time recovery, Cross-account restore, Archive export. Milestone XProtect covers Open device support, Perpetual device licences, Federated architecture, Failover recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CloudAlly: What cloud applications can CloudAlly backup?

CloudAlly backs up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, SharePoint/OneDrive, Salesforce, Box, and Dropbox with daily automated backups and unlimited retention.

Source
Milestone XProtect: Is XProtect really free for small sites?

Essential+ is free for up to eight cameras with no recording time limit, but it comes with no vendor support and no multi-server capability.

CloudAlly: How is CloudAlly data encrypted and stored?

CloudAlly stores backups on AWS servers with 128-bit SSL encryption and AES 256-bit encryption, maintaining compliance certifications including ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR.

Source
Milestone XProtect: Are licences perpetual or annual?

Device licences are perpetual. The annual cost is Care Plus, the support and software update contract, which you need to stay on current versions.

CloudAlly: What recovery options does CloudAlly provide?

CloudAlly offers granular point-in-time recovery with unlimited retention, allowing three-click recovery of deleted files, and point-in-time restore capabilities for ransomware protection.

Source
Milestone XProtect: What happens if I do not renew Care Plus?

The system keeps recording, but you stop getting version upgrades, and over a few years that blocks you from adding newer cameras.

Milestone XProtect: Who owns Milestone?

Canon. The portfolio also includes BriefCam analytics and Arcules cloud video, with Arcules replacing Milestone Kite from January 2025.

Share

Related pages

More on CloudAlly

More on Milestone XProtect

Keep looking

Other head to heads