The Fastest Cloud Backup Services in 2021

Sync.com is an online backup and cross-platform syncing service that is known to be super-fast. This reliable cloud backup service can be purchased either for teams or by individuals, and it has mobile apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. The Android app will easily let you backup your important data, including photos, videos, and text files.

It even allows you to access your files directly on third-party apps using the ‘Open With’ function. This helps to speed up getting your data to where you want it. And the service easily lets you sync your data across your various devices, which ensures fast access to your data on any device you own.

To ensure privacy, the service provides end-to-end encryption for your data. And, for added security, the service provides Two Factor Authentication. Plus, with Sync you can easily preview your files and download them onto your device, and you can opt to securely share files via email using a secure link or by setting up a shared folder.

Sync gives you huge amounts of control over your data, and it is the ideal choice for anybody who wants to back up, restore, and sync files without waiting around. Considering how effective this service is, it is actually very cheap. You can use the service on a limited basis for free (5 GB of storage) – and it starts at just $8 per month for 2 TB of storage, which is extremely good value.

IDrive is a popular cloud storage solution that has important features such as full system disk image backup, true archiving, and the option of end-to-end encryption. Apps are available for all popular platforms, which means that you can easily backup from your mobile devices or computers. And, because it has a web portal, your data will always be quickly available – no matter where you are. 

You can use IDrive to back up all of your important Android or iOS data, including your photos, videos, and calendar events. And it syncs across devices quickly, so that you aren’t left waiting around. Plus, we found it to provide superb speeds when previewing and restoring files. Considering how fully featured and cross-compatible this service is, we find it to be exceptionally good value for money. For $52.12 per year, you get 2 Terabytes of storage. Plus, you can use the service for free on a limited basis, thanks to its 5 GB of free backup space.

In addition to providing secure end-to-end-encryption for your data, this service is great for sharing files securely with family and friends. Plus, IDrive has snapshot recovery, and file versioning to let you access older files or to restore a disk to how it was prior to a malware attack. A great all-rounder that is both fast and packed with features.

Livedrive is a reliable cloud backup provider with excellent cross-compatibility and superb speeds. The provider has lightning fast apps for all platforms, and a web-based portal to let you access your data via Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser. The service is extremely easy to use, making it good for beginners. And you can use it to back up and sync all of your important files; including your personal photos, videos, and messages.

Livedrive is great for users who need large amounts of storage space, and we enjoy using the service thanks to its fully featured apps. This ensures that you get all the advanced backup functionality you would expect from a market-leading cloud backup provider. That said, this service provides server-side security as opposed to E2EE, so if you want complete control over your keys (rather than the opportunity to regain access to your data should you forget your password) you will need to shop elsewhere. 

With Livedrive, you get 30-day backups of deleted files to ensure you can always access your data if you accidentally delete something. And file versioning lets you preview and restore previous versions of files for up to 30-days. This service also has a useful ‘Scan’ feature built into the Android app that lets you use a mobile device to scan physical documents to upload them as a PDF (ideal if you need to back up documents quickly and don’t want to type).

Overall, Livedrive is a complete solution that will let you access your files from anywhere. It even lets you stream your music and video files directly from your cloud space to avoid needing to download, great for those who want to save space locally but want instant access to their tunes. And, as with our other recommendations, you share files with friends and family securely if you want to. The cost of a subscription starts at $7, but you will need to pay $10 to get the Briefcase (or ProSuite) subscription if you want to take advantage of all of its features for mobile devices.

MEGA is a secure cloud storage service based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a highly popular service that is known for providing lightning-fast backups and downloads. And, for those who want to stream directly from their storage space, this service has a designated music player that allows you to play music without downloading the files. And, MEGA also works with VLC player, which means you can also stream your videos without waiting for them to download.

We love that this service allows users to use a free plan with 50 GB of storage space. This makes the service ideal for those who want to back up their devices without paying. And if you need more space, you can easily upgrade thanks to scalable storage at a reasonable price. We’re always impressed with the features available with MEGA; secure file sharing is available, and file versioning will let you backtrack if you need to. Plus, this service has easy-to-use apps for all platforms.

An impressive cloud backup that is great for backing up data either on the fly or pre-scheduled. It easily lets you access your data on any device thanks to its lightning-fast web portal. A great all-rounder with strong end-to-end-encryption for your data that you can trust,

NordLocker is the encrypted backup service developed by the popular VPN company NordVPN. It is a simple but effective service that you can use to perform a full disk backup on any desktop machine. Admittedly, this service is much simpler than our other recommendations, and it doesn’t have apps for mobile devices. However, if quickly backing up a copy of your hard disk while retaining full control over the encryption keys to your data is what you need – this super-fast service is well worth considering.

NordLocker can be tested for free thanks to its limited 3 GB plan. And, if you need more space for your data, you can get 500 GB of storage for just $3.99 per month. This makes NordLocker great value for money when compared to some of its most popular competitors. Best of all, this service has drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it super easy to use. And, if you have been looking for a way to securely encrypt files locally, NordLocker allows for unlimited encryption of files and folders on your local drive, to give you added security locally – in addition to online backups.