Software · head to head
Paragon Backup & Recovery vs CloudAlly
Paragon Backup & Recovery
Software
Professional-grade backup for Windows
- From
- $50/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CloudAlly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Paragon Backup & Recovery the free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only; CloudAlly pricing not transparently displayed; requires customer inquiry
- They diverge on capability: Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, CloudAlly covers Automated daily backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paragon Backup & Recovery and CloudAlly actually diverge.
| Attribute | Paragon Backup & Recovery | CloudAlly |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $50/year | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows | Web, Cloud |
| Founded | 1994 | 2011 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Full disk backup
- File-level backup
- Incremental/differential
- Recovery media
- Virtual disk mount
- UEFI support
- Windows
- Network shares
Only in CloudAlly
- Automated daily backup
- Point-in-time recovery
- Cross-account restore
- Archive export
- Activity logs
- Multi-admin support
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Full disk and partition backup on Windowsnot CloudAlly
- Bare metal recovery from an imagenot CloudAlly
- Scheduled incremental backups for a home machinenot CloudAlly
- Migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editionsnot CloudAlly
CloudAlly
- Data protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Disaster recoverynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Business continuitynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Ransomware protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Compliancenot Paragon Backup & Recovery
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Paragon Backup & Recovery
- The free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
- Windows only, and specifically Windows 10 x64 from 1809, Windows 11 x64 and Windows 11 Arm64
- Volume and OS copying, partition management and email notifications need the Advanced edition
- Windows Server support requires the Business edition
- Paid edition prices are not shown on the product page
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Paragon Backup & Recovery
$50/year- Community Edition$50/year
- Full disk backup
- File-level backup
- Recovery media
CloudAlly
Free- CloudAlly Backup$3/month
- Daily backup
- Point-in-time restore
- Unlimited storage
Which should you pick?
Choose Paragon Backup & Recovery if
- You need full disk backup.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want file-level backup.
Choose CloudAlly if
- You need automated daily backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want point-in-time recovery.
Questions people ask
- Is Paragon Backup & Recovery or CloudAlly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year and CloudAlly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paragon Backup & Recovery or CloudAlly?
- CloudAlly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/year for Paragon Backup & Recovery and Free for CloudAlly.
- Does Paragon Backup & Recovery or CloudAlly run on more platforms?
- Paragon Backup & Recovery runs on Windows. CloudAlly runs on Web, Cloud.
- Can I use CloudAlly for free?
- Yes. CloudAlly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year.
- What is Paragon Backup & Recovery best used for?
- Paragon Backup & Recovery is most often used for full disk and partition backup on windows, bare metal recovery from an image, scheduled incremental backups for a home machine, migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editions. Of those, full disk and partition backup on windows and bare metal recovery from an image are not what CloudAlly is typically brought in for.
- What can Paragon Backup & Recovery do that CloudAlly cannot?
- Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, File-level backup, Incremental/differential, Recovery media. CloudAlly covers Automated daily backup, Point-in-time recovery, Cross-account restore, Archive export.
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.
SourceCloudAlly: 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.
SourceCloudAlly: 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