MSP360 Backup impressed me with its free and unfettered file backup

Price When Reviewed

$29.99 per yr

Best Prices Today: MSP360 Desktop Backup

I checked out each the free and paid variations of MSP360 Desktop Backup for this assessment. Shockingly, the free model maintains sufficient of the paid model’s options to warrant a 4-star ranking — even with out assist for consumer-grade on-line storage assist that its Cloudberry Backup ancestor featured.

Consider the free MSP360 Desktop Backup a properly strong improve from Windows eminently useful File History.

Read on to study extra, then see our roundup of the best Windows backup software for comparability.

What are MSP360 Desktop Backup’s options?

The most salient distinction between the free and paid variations of MSP360 Desktop Backup is the previous’s lack of assist for picture backups. It additionally lacks encryption/compression, backup of digital machines, assist for Exchange, and different decidedly professional options. Like I mentioned, suppose File History.

Beyond that, a stunning quantity of performance is current and so far as I might inform, it’s not neutered at each flip as with numerous different freebies. There are full and incremental backups; scheduling that’s granular all the way down to minutes; culling of backups (purging older backups, together with grandfather/father/son choices; in addition to pre- and post- program execution).

Also on the characteristic record: NTFS choices (permissions); file filters; a backup consistency test; electronic mail notifications; and a catastrophe restoration boot disk, albeit minus naked metallic restore — i.e. the flexibility to revive to new, dissimilar {hardware}.

Bare metallic restore is good, however Windows contains generic drivers for all the pieces fundamental nowadays, so the necessity isn’t practically what it was again within the day while you may must inject the Ethernet or Wi-Fi drivers to facilitate downloading all the opposite drivers.

You may even again up from, in addition to to, community areas — in the event that they’re already mounted as drive letters beneath Windows. Online storage might function a supply as effectively. More on supported providers in a bit. Whew! I did point out that that is the freebie, proper?

My largest disappointment with MSP360 Desktop Backup, together with the paid model, is that, in contrast to its Cloudberry Backup predecessor, on-line storage assist is restricted to prosumer/IT-oriented providers corresponding to Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, S3-compatibles, Google cloud, and many others. In different phrases, there’s no assist for the Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and many others., that almost all of us use.

That just about implies that the freebie, in terms of the common person, is nice just for native storage and native community backup.

I do have one or two different minor gripes. Numero uno, I want there was assist for non-proprietary container recordsdata corresponding to VHD in order that this system wasn’t required for restore operations.

Also, it could be good to have the ability to outline a number of locations for every information set slightly than having to create a brand new job for each vacation spot. On the opposite hand, you may chain backup jobs for execution.

Those are customary recommendations on my half for lots of backup software program and don’t actually have an effect on total performance — or the ranking. Not a lot at the least.

How a lot does MSP360 Desktop Backup value?

MSP360 Desktop Backup is on the market for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Obviously, the free model prices nothing, however the Standalone model with imaging will set you again $30 a yr. There isn’t any perpetual possibility — a little bit of a bummer, as not often do backup applications enhance drastically in a yr’s time. Blame that on their current maturity. Are you listening, Acronis?

If you have an interest within the paid-level options and on-line (distant) administration of a number of computer systems, there’s additionally MSP360 Managed Backup for $2.50 per seat, monthly, or $30 per seat yearly. However, storage is further, with $72 yearly for 1TB Wasabi being the default. Alas, no consumer-grade on-line storage providers are supported so you may’t leverage these.

That makes the Managed Backup model probably the higher deal than Desktop, however provided that your storage service aligns.

Note that restore performance stays intact perpetually so you may at all times restore your backups in case you drop your paid subscription. That’s important in case you’re utilizing proprietary information containers as MSP360 does.

How does MSP360 Desktop Backup carry out?

I did my preliminary testing with the free model, and my solely situation was self-inflicted — selecting a drive with out sufficient free house to include the backup. This compelled an error. Hitting the restart button induced one other error as this system tried to create an incremental backup.

Obviously, this system didn’t understand that the primary job had failed. I reformatted the vacation spot to release sufficient house in the intervening time, and selecting the “Force full backup” command solved that situation.

Am I a bit hasty? Yes. I are inclined to rush testing so as to higher spot doable weaknesses which may chew finish customers. You’d be shocked how typically it really works. That mentioned, this system could possibly be only a tad smarter about checking that there’s sufficient house on the vacation spot, or that there’s a legitimate full backup earlier than attempting to create an incremental addition.

Without space-challenged locations, MSP360 Desktop Backup proceeded by quite a few jobs with out situation.

The firm despatched me a license for the paid model so I might check the imaging backup. I’m very completely happy to report that the imaging works fairly effectively. The catastrophe restoration disk booted high quality, and restore operations (picture and file) went off with out a hitch. Good on ya’, MSP360.

Should you purchase MS360 Desktop Backup?

If you want one thing extra highly effective than Windows File History in your file backups, then the free model of MS360 Desktop Backup is a no brainer. However, it’s tough to advocate the paid model, which is subscription software program that’s not going to evolve considerably on a year-to-year foundation.

On the opposite hand, the soon-to-be-reviewed, and like-priced MS360 Managed Backup may simply be definitely worth the expense if you want to monitor and management backup chores for a number of computer systems remotely.