Take Control of Backing Up Your Mac: The Online Appendixes Info about dozens of Mac backup products and services!

All the backup apps on this tab can store data on local media (such as an external hard drive or SSD). These apps offer either or both of the two crucial backup varieties—a bootable duplicate (an exact copy of your entire startup disk that you can use to start your Mac if your main disk fails) or versioned backups (copies of your files as they appeared at many points in time). Some of these products also appear on the Online Services tab.

Last updated: February 2, 2024

Software for Local Versioned Backups or Bootable Duplicates

Product Name	Version	Price	Bootable Duplicates	Versioning	Available for Other Platforms	Hard Disk/SSD	Network Servers	Automount	Online Storage	Client-Server	Syncing	Pruning	Rolling Backups	Snapshots	File List	Selectors	Exclusions	Delta Encoding	Deduplication	Compression	Encryption	Restore Feature	Scheduling	Can Wake Up/ Turn On Mac	Change Detection	Notes
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office	28.2	$49.99/year for Essentials; subscriptions including cloud storage start at $54.99 per year (for 50 GB)	Yes	Yes	Windows	Yes			Yes (Advanced or Premium only)		Windows only	Yes		Proprietary						Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/hour, but continuous for cloud backups		Real-time tracking	Can store full images in the cloud, bandwidth and data caps permitting.
Arq	7.26.6	$49.99; cloud storage extra	No	Yes	Windows	Yes	Yes		Amazon Drive, S3 (or compatible), and Glacier; Backblaze B2; Dropbox; Filebase; Google Drive and Google Cloud Storage; OneDrive; Polycloud, SharePoint; Wasabi; SFTP; local, network, and NAS folders		No	Yes		APFS (limited)			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/hour			Uses an APFS snapshot only as the source for the backup.
Carbon Copy Cloner	6.1.9	$39.99	Yes	Yes (APFS)		Yes	Yes			See note.		Yes		APFS			Yes	Yes (APFS)		[b]	[b]	Yes (APFS)	Min. once/hour	Yes		Features marked as (APFS) apply only with APFS source and destination volumes. Client-server backups possible if Public Key Authentication (PKA) key pair has been installed on the remote Mac.
ChronoSync	11.0.1	$49.99	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Proton Drive, SFTP, Wasabi, others		Yes	Yes		APFS (limited)	Limited	Yes	Yes					Limited	Min. once/min	wake only	SmartScan algorithm	Some features require ChronoAgent, an additional $14.99 purchase. Creates snapshots on APFS volumes before sync or backup tasks.
ChronoSync Express	1.3.10	$24.99	No	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes	Yes			Limited	Yes	Yes					Limited	Min. once/min	No		A somewhat limited version of ChronoSync that operates only on items in your home folder.
CloudBacko	5.7.2.20	Pricing varies depending on amount of data backed up and whether you use local or cloud storage	No	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	Yes		Amazon S3, Dropbox, FTP/SFTP, Google Cloud Storage, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, OneDrive, OpenStack, Rackspace Cloud Files, Wasabi, many others	No	No	See note.		Proprietary	Yes	No	No	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/day. See note.			Can spread backup data across multiple cloud destinations. Home and Lite versions have limited control over pruning; Pro version offers complete control. Home version has no scheduling (manual backups only). Uses (and includes) Java, and has a pretty ugly, un-Mac-like user interface.
Duplicacy Web Edition	1.7.2	Personal license, $20 for first computer and $10 for each additional (price drops after first year); Commercial license, $50 per computer	No	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	Yes		Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage, OneDrive, Wasabi, SFTP, others			Yes							Yes		Yes	Yes
Get Backup Pro	3.7.3	$19.99	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes				Yes			Proprietary, limited	Limited		Yes			Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/15 minutes
GoodSync Personal for Mac	12.5.4	Free version backs up only 100 files; paid version, $25.95 per year	No	Yes	Windows	Yes	Yes		Amazon Drive, FTP, Google Drive, SFTP, OneDrive, S3, WebDAV, proprietary, others		Yes	Yes				Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes	Yes	Automatic on file change or min. once/minute
Personal Backup (part of Mac Premium Bundle X9)	10.9.22	$69.99; 3-user Family Pack, $94.99	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	FTP, SFTP		Yes	Yes		See note	Yes	Yes	Yes			[b]	[b]	Yes	Min. once/min	Yes		Uses hard links for snapshots; incremental updates function as their own snapshots.
QRecall	3.0.7	$40.00	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes					Yes		Yes	Yes		Limited	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Automatic on file change or min. once/min	Yes	Dynamic
Retrospect Desktop	19.2	$169, or $9.00 per month	Yes	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	Yes	Yes	Amazon S3, Amazon Glacier, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Wasabi, WebDAV, others	Yes		Yes		Proprietary	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (see note)	File level only	Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/hour; schedule-free operation requires use of ProactiveAI feature	Yes	Dynamic	Includes a block-level incremental backup option, which, when enabled, copies only file deltas after the initial backup.
Retrospect Solo	19.1.0.219	$49 one-time purchase, or $3.00 per month	Yes	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	NAS volumes	Yes	Amazon S3, Amazon Glacier, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Wasabi, WebDAV, others	No		Yes		Proprietary	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (see note)	File level only	Yes	Yes	Yes	Min. once/hour; schedule-free operation requires use of ProactiveAI feature	Yes	Dynamic	Includes a block-level incremental backup option, which, when enabled, copies only file deltas after the initial backup.
Sync Folders Pro+	4.6.9		Yes	No		Yes	Yes	Yes		No	Yes	No	No	No		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Limited	Min. once/sec		Dynamic	You must first install the (paid) App Store version of Sync Folders Pro, and then download and install Sync Folders Pro+ to get the bootable duplicate feature.
Syncovery Standard Edition	10.11.3	$34.90	No	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	Yes					Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes			No	No	Yes	Min. once/sec		Dynamic	Formerly called Super Flexible File Synchronizer.
Syncovery Professional Edition	10.1.15	$59.90	No	Yes	Windows, Linux	Yes	Yes		FTP, Google Drive, HTTP, SFTP, S3, WebDAV, others			Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Automatic on file change or min. once/sec			Formerly called Super Flexible File Synchronizer.
SuperDuper!	3.7.4	$27.95; free “clone-only” version available	Yes	No		Yes	Yes [a]	Yes											No	[b]	[b]		Min. once/min	Yes	Scans and copies in a single pass
TechTool Pro	17	$159.99	Yes	Yes (APFS)		Yes								APFS				Yes (APFS)		[b]			None			Features marked as (APFS) apply only with APFS source and destination volumes.
Time Machine	1.3	Included with macOS	No	Yes		Yes	Limited	Yes				Yes		APFS (see note)	No		Limited	Yes (APFS)		No	Yes	Yes	Automatic; min. once/hour	Uses Power Nap	Dynamic	Features marked as (APFS) apply only with APFS source and destination volumes. Time Machine uses APFS snapshots on APFS volumes; otherwise, it uses hard links for snapshots.

Feature Explanations for This Tab

Bootable Duplicates: If the software can create an exact copy of your entire startup disk such that you can use the copy to boot your Mac, it gets a “Yes” in the Bootable Duplicates column.

Versioning: A versioned backup starts with a complete copy of all the files in one or more folders. The next time the backup runs, your backup software performs an incremental update, which means it copies only those files that are new (or newly modified) since the last backup. If the software supports versioning, it means the backup app adds the new or changed data to the backup without overwriting the files already there. That way, you can retrieve many different versions of a given file, and if you delete it on your hard disk, you can still find it in your backup.

macOS Compatibility: This column lists the versions of macOS the app supports (starting with macOS 11 Big Sur), as reported by the developer. (Many of these apps also support older operating systems.) A “?” in this column simply means the developer hasn’t specifically stated compatibility (beyond the version listed, if any).

Available for Other Platforms: A number of these Mac backup apps also come in versions for Windows and/or Linux. If you need to back up several computers running different operating systems, you may appreciate the convenience and familiarity of a single tool that works on all of them. Usually, though not always, if you create versioned backups with a multi-platform app, you can open and restore your files from another platform than the one you used to back them up. On the other hand, note that a few of the cross-platform apps have truly hideous user interfaces that were either written in Java without any consideration for the Mac aesthetic, or very badly ported from another operating system.

Hard Disk/SSD: All backup apps listed here can store backups on an internal or external hard disk or SSD.

Network Servers: Most backup apps can save your files to any volume that’s mounted in the Finder—including other Macs using Personal File Sharing (AFP or SMB), PCs sharing disks with Samba (SMB), and WebDAV servers. However, beware: the fact that your backup app lets you store your files on one of these servers doesn’t guarantee that your data will be stored intact. In particular, some non-Mac network volumes are likely to munge Mac metadata unless the backup app takes special pains to enclose your data in a disk image or other archive file to preserve all those bits and pieces.

Automount: Most network servers require you to enter a user name and password to mount them. Some backup apps can store your login credentials for the backup server and automatically mount it for you when your backups run, saving you the hassle of doing this manually beforehand.

Online Storage: If you have an account on a network server that uses protocols such as FTP, SFTP, SSH, or WebDAV, you can to back up your files directly to them by using an app that supports the protocol you need. (Note that FTP is an inherently insecure protocol. Don’t use it for backups unless the files you’re sending across the network have already been encrypted, or your session is protected with a VPN connection.) Other services, such as Amazon.com’s S3 (Simple Storage Service), also provide inexpensive, secure file storage in the cloud. In addition, numerous online storage and backup services have proprietary systems that can be accessed only with their own software.

Client-Server: In this table, when I say “Client-Server,” I mean the following: You install an app (the backup server) on a computer on your local network, and then you install another app (the backup client—which in some cases is identical to the server software) on your other computers. The clients connect to the server without requiring that any volumes be mounted in the Finder on either end, and all files are backed up onto a drive attached to the server. Only a few of the apps listed here function in this type of client-server mode, though many of them can back up files over a network in other ways.

Syncing: Some backup apps can also sync files among various devices, either directly over your local network or via the cloud. Many of the apps in the second table also sync files, but without performing other backup functions.

Pruning: Let’s say you put 10 files in your backup. Over time, because you change file #3 quite often, you accumulate a lot of copies of that file in your backup. If it’s a big file, that can result in your backup occupying a significant amount of space. Some backup apps can automatically delete only older files in your backup to make space for new ones. For example, you might be able to specify that your backup contains a maximum of 10 versions of any particular file, or that any additional copies more than 90 days old are deleted. Any scheme whereby a backup app automatically and selectively deletes older files from an backup gets a “Yes” in this column.

Rolling Backups: Some apps update backups additively but not incrementally. In other words, if you’re backing up your Documents folder, the app copies the entire folder every time it runs, regardless of how few files in it have changed. When backup apps do this, they sometimes give you the option of deleting the oldest complete backup after a certain number of runs (as opposed to deleting individual files) to make space on your backup media. I refer to this type of procedure as a rolling backup.

Snapshots: Snapshots apply only to apps that create versioned backups. By “snapshot,” I mean a picture of what your entire disk (or, at least, the entire set of files you’re backing up) looked like at the moment each backup session ran. With snapshots, you can easily see how many files appeared at a given time, and in one fell swoop, restore your disk to the way it appeared then. In most cases, apps that store snapshots give you a list or menu of all the times at which backups occurred, and when you select one of those, you can generally see all the versions of files in your backup as they appeared at that time—even those files that hadn’t changed recently and therefore weren’t copied on that particular run. APFS snapshots, which are extremely fast and space-efficient, are available only on APFS-formatted volumes, and you can view/restore these in any supported app (even in Disk Utility), regarldess of which app initiated the snapshot. Proprietary snapshot mechanisms vary greatly in speed, efficiency, and reliability.

File List: For the purpose of these tables, when I refer to a “file list,” I simply want to know whether there’s some way I can see, from within the backup app, what files it has backed up (rather than having to dig around in the Finder). Not all file lists are created equal. Some are spiffy—color-coded, searchable, and intelligently hierarchical. Others are confusing and tedious to use. But I don’t distinguish niceness here, only whether or not there’s something in the app that could reasonably be construed as a file list.

Selectors: It goes without saying that virtually every backup app lets you select what folders or files you back up. But in this table, when I say “selectors,” I mean pattern-based rules for selecting files. For example: “Back up all the files with an extension of ‘.doc’ that are less than 500 MB in size.” Of the apps that offer selectors, some are much more sophisticated than others, but the point is that you have a way of specifying, usually with a few clicks, what kinds of files will be included in your backups. A close relative of the selector is the preset, which is basically a prebuilt selectors that chooses all files of a particular sort—for example, all the files that make up your Contacts database, or all your Mail files, or every MP3 file anywhere on your computer.

Exclusions: Once again, I’m not merely talking about the fact that you can manually deselect or exclude a particular file or folder. By “exclusion” here I mean a pattern-based rule for selecting files that will not be backed up. For example: “Omit all files over 2 GB” or “Omit files with a Red label in the Finder.”

Delta Encoding: Historically, most backup software has performed versioned backups on a file-by-file basis. In other words, if just 10 bytes of a 10 GB file change, that marks the file as modified, and the whole file must be copied on the next backup run. Some software, however, can copy only the individual bytes that have changed since the last backup, while other software copies slightly larger units called blocks. Copying just the delta—that is, the differences between the file at time A and the file at time B—is known as delta encoding, though you may see other terms, such as “sub-file,” “byte-level,” and “block-level” incremental updates. The advantage of such an approach is that backups go much faster after the initial run and take up far less storage space; this is particularly important when backing up over the Internet. The disadvantage is that restoring a file requires the backup software to reconstruct it by putting together the pieces from all its incremental backups. If even a single one of those incremental bits were to become damaged or lost, you might be unable to restore the file.

Deduplication: Simply put, deduplication is the process of ensuring that data stored on your backup destination volume isn’t duplicated—which reduces the amount of storage space required (sometimes dramatically), and can also speed up backups considerably. For example, if you have two copies of a file on your disk, an app that features deduplication will store only one copy on your backup media, along with a pointer to the other one (so that the file can be restored to either location with equal ease). In most cases, deduplication is done on a block-by-block or even byte-by-byte basis, so that when files are quite similar, only one complete copy of the file is stored, along with the differences found in the other version(s) so that any of them can be reconstructed. In other cases, it’s done at the file level—two identical files won’t be duplicated, but if the files are only 99 percent the same, they will be. Some implementations of deduplication can compare data from multiple computers, while others can deduplicate data only from a single source.

Compression: When a backup app compresses your files, they take up less room on your storage media—usually a good thing, as that reduces your costs and lets you store backups for longer periods of time before having to reuse your media. Compression is even more important when data is traveling over the Internet, because compressed data takes less time to send, and online storage costs are often much higher than the cost of local media. On the other hand, compressing files taxes your computer’s CPU, RAM, and disk, and having compressed files may add an extra complication when it comes time to restore data.

Encryption: As long as your backup media is under your physical control, encryption isn’t especially important. But if you store backup media offsite in any fashion, or if anyone else (a thief, say, or a nosy coworker) can get access to your backups, you might prefer that they not be able to see all your data. Some backup software can encrypt all the data on your backup media so that you won’t risk your private information falling into the wrong hands.

Restore Feature: A restore feature simply means that, with a button click or menu command, you can instruct your backup app to return files that you previously backed up to their original location (or, if you prefer, another location). Quite a few apps expect you to simply switch the “source” and “destination” and, essentially, redo your backup. A restore feature is most important with backup apps that store multiple versions of your files, because otherwise, sifting through a lot of different file versions by hand is going to be a real pain.

Scheduling: Traditionally, most backup apps have used a fixed schedule: you set a time (once a day, twice a week, or whatever—maybe in the middle of the night) and the software does its thing only at that time. For software that uses a fixed schedule, this column lists the most frequent option available (such as once per hour or once per day). Increasingly, though, backup apps offer some form of automatic operation (either by default or as an option), such as backing up files as soon as they change or running in the background every hour. In general, if an app can run once an hour or more frequently and it dynamically detects changed files (see just ahead) so that it needn’t do a full scan with each run, it is effectively schedule-free. On the other hand, some backup apps don’t support any kind of scheduling—they run only when you activate them manually.

Can Wake Up/Turn On Computer: For backup software that runs on a fixed schedule (once a day, say), it’s handy for it to be able to wake up your computer if it happens to be asleep then, or even turn it on if it’s off. These capabilities, though rare, save you from worrying that a schedule won’t run properly because your computer didn’t happen to be on or awake at the right time.

Change Detection: Some apps can detect file changes in real time, either by using macOS’s FSEvents (file system events) framework or by running in the background and employing proprietary methods to watch for changes. In whatever form, dynamic change detection reduces or eliminates the need for a time-consuming scan each time your backups run and, in some cases, enables continuous, real-time backups as your files change. (Even so, occasional full scans may be necessary.) Alternatively, some backup software scans and copies in a single pass, arguably a more efficient approach (depending on your needs) than scanning all your files and then making another full pass to copy them.