File Storage · head to head
IDrive e2 vs Zerto
IDrive e2
File Storage
Low cost S3-compatible object storage with egress included up to a multiple of what you store
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only IDrive e2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; Zerto zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
- They diverge on capability: IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Zerto covers Continuous data protection.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IDrive e2 and Zerto actually diverge.
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 IDrive e2
- S3-compatible endpoints
- Included egress allowance
- Object lock
- Versioning
- Regional endpoints
- Cross region replication
Only in Zerto
- Continuous data protection
- Journal-based recovery
- Automated failover
- Non-disruptive testing
- Multi-cloud mobility
- Long-term retention
- VMware
- 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 Zerto
- Replacing an S3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requestsnot Zerto
- Small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line itemsnot Zerto
- Archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delaynot Zerto
Zerto
- 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.
Zerto
- Zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
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
Zerto
$5/month- Zerto Enterprise Cloud$5/month
- Continuous protection
- Journal-based recovery
- Multi-cloud mobility
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.
Choose Zerto if
- You need continuous data protection.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
- You also want journal-based recovery.
Questions people ask
- Is IDrive e2 or Zerto better?
- Neither clearly leads. IDrive e2 starts at Free and Zerto at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IDrive e2 or Zerto?
- IDrive e2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IDrive e2 and $5/month for Zerto.
- Does IDrive e2 or Zerto run on more platforms?
- IDrive e2 runs on Web, API. Zerto runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
- Can I use IDrive e2 for free?
- Yes. IDrive e2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zerto starts at $5/month.
- 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 Zerto is typically brought in for.
- What can IDrive e2 do that Zerto cannot?
- IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Included egress allowance, Object lock, Versioning. Zerto covers Continuous data protection, Journal-based recovery, Automated failover, Non-disruptive testing.
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.
Zerto: Can I try Zerto before buying?
Yes, Zerto offers a 14-day free trial or on-demand lab access to test the platform.
SourceIDrive 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.
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.
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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