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File Storage · head to head

IDrive e2 vs Veeam Backup & Replication

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
Veeam Backup & Replication logo

Veeam Backup & Replication

File Storage

Modern data protection for enterprise workloads

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Veeam Backup & Replication replication propagates corrupted data without detection, as it focuses on speed without extensive integrity checks
  • They diverge on capability: IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Veeam Backup & Replication covers Instant VM recovery.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IDrive e2 and Veeam Backup & Replication actually diverge.

Attributes where IDrive e2 and Veeam Backup & Replication differ
AttributeIDrive e2Veeam Backup & Replication
Pricing modelPer terabyte per monthUnknown
PlatformsWeb, APIWindows
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 IDrive e2

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

Only in Veeam Backup & Replication

  • Instant VM recovery
  • Ransomware protection
  • Immutable backups
  • Application-aware processing
  • Global deduplication
  • Continuous data protection
  • VMware vSphere
  • Microsoft Hyper-V

What people use each for

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

IDrive e2

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

Veeam Backup & Replication

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Veeam Backup & Replication

  • Replication propagates corrupted data without detection, as it focuses on speed without extensive integrity checks
  • Cannot use guest file indexing for snapshot-only jobs, limiting recovery options
  • Multi-factor authentication is not supported for object storage repositories
  • Scale-out backup repositories do not support rotated drives and have limited functionality

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Veeam Backup & Replication

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Veeam Backup & Replication review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Veeam Backup & Replication if

  • You need instant vm recovery.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want ransomware protection.
Veeam Backup & Replication review

Questions people ask

Is IDrive e2 or Veeam Backup & Replication better?
Neither clearly leads. IDrive e2 starts at Free and Veeam Backup & Replication at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IDrive e2 or Veeam Backup & Replication?
IDrive e2 starts at Free and Veeam Backup & Replication at Free.
Does IDrive e2 or Veeam Backup & Replication run on more platforms?
IDrive e2 runs on Web, API. Veeam Backup & Replication runs on Windows.
Can I use IDrive e2 for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is IDrive e2 best used for?
IDrive e2 is most often used for the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client, replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests, small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line items, archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delay. Of those, the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client and replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests are not what Veeam Backup & Replication is typically brought in for.
What can IDrive e2 do that Veeam Backup & Replication cannot?
IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Included egress allowance, Object lock, Versioning. Veeam Backup & Replication covers Instant VM recovery, Ransomware protection, Immutable backups, Application-aware processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Veeam Backup & Replication: What is included in Veeam's free tier?

Veeam's free Community Edition supports unlimited backups and replication for up to 10 workloads with the same features as the Standard tier, with no time limit.

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.

Veeam Backup & Replication: How long can Veeam retain backups?

Veeam retention depends on your storage configuration but typically supports retention of multiple backup versions for weeks to years depending on storage capacity and retention policies configured.

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.

Veeam Backup & Replication: Can Veeam replicate data to cloud storage?

Yes, Veeam Backup & Replication supports replication and backup to cloud storage including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, with support for object storage repositories and immutable backups.

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.

Veeam Backup & Replication: What hypervisors does Veeam support?

Veeam natively supports VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V for VM backup and replication, with additional support for physical servers and cloud instances through complementary tools.

Source
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