Free and low-cost online backup services for your business

3-minute read

Based on the software as a service (SaaS) delivery model, these services are an easy and affordable way to back up and store data on a remote server. You can rapidly retrieve data in case of a disaster.

How do online backup services help?

The consequences of losing important data files can be disastrous from both a financial and a legal standpoint. Online backup services offer the following key benefits:

protection from theft, natural disasters and human errors
no upfront investment in backup hardware or software
access from anywhere in the world with Internet service
scalability
cost predictability and
peace of mind.

Depending on the service provider, these services may also offer:

file versioning, allowing you to restore previous versions of documents
access from your mobile phone and
automatic backup.

How do online backup services work?

Generally, you either upload files directly from your computer or install software that will automatically collect, compress, encrypt and upload your files. Service providers typically offer different service plans, depending on the amount of storage space and level of security required. Also, keep in mind that even if your data are stored on Canadian soil, if the service provider is not a Canadian company, your data may still be subject to foreign privacy laws.

There is often some confusion between cloud backup and cloud storage, although there are some noticeable differences. Cloud storage, as its name indicates, is a way of storing data in the cloud. As a result, you need to manually select the files you want to keep in the cloud. Cloud backups, on the other hand, allow you to back up all your data, except your operating system, and therefore require significant storage space. So, should the unforeseeable happen, cloud backups would fully protect you against data loss. Whereas with cloud storage, you would only be able to recover part of your data—specifically the files you had selected to store in the cloud.

With the arrival on the market of storage solutions that provide huge amounts of storage space at an affordable price, this distinction has become even more difficult. But, regardless of the storage space you need, your data is only protected if it is saved in a folder that is synced and backed up in the cloud.

Free and low-cost online backup services

There are many options, but few are available in both English and French. If you are looking for a low-cost or free solution, you may want to consider the following selected vendors. All of them back up your data directly to the cloud, but some also offer hybrid options that allow you to perform additional backups.

Revised May 2024

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Acronis

Free English French English support French support: Partly Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Acronis offers a full range of cyber protection solutions to protect your business from cyberattacks to hardware failure to user error. Acronis ensures business continuity by delivering integrated components for backup/recovery and malware detection and prevention. Plans vary depending on the type of system you want to protect (workstation, server, Microsoft Office 365 or Google Workspace data) and backup features.

CrashPlan

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

CrashPlan allows you to automatically back up your computer and recover files in the event of file corruption, device failure, site disaster, or simple human error. It gives you a lot of flexibility to control how, where and how often your backups are done. It works on any kind of operating systems.

Dropbox

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Dropbox offers more than just online storage. It can also be a reliable backup solution with security features like file recovery, permission management and viewer history. You can access and work on files while offline across various devices, with automatic syncing in the cloud upon reconnection. Depending on the plan you choose, you may have up to 180 days to restore deleted files or previous versions of work.

Google Workspace

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Google Workspace keeps all your work in one secure place with cloud storage. You can store, access and share files with teammates whenever you need them, from your computer, phone or tablet. With version history, you can easily retrieve older versions of documents, spreadsheets and presentations in case of accidental edits or deletions. While Google Workspace isn't a dedicated backup solution, these features offer an extra layer of protection for your business data.

OneDrive

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

OneDrive is Microsoft’s file storage system, which can be used as a backup solution for any files you save to OneDrive. Depending on the plan you choose, you can get more storage, advanced security options, Office apps, Microsoft Teams for remote working and much more.

Rewind

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Rewind is an online automated backup service for SaaS applications, such as e-commerce and accounting software, including Shopify, BigCommerce, and QuickBooks Online. The service allows entrepreneurs who are victims of an innocent mistake, a buggy app, or an attack to rewind individual items, multiple items, an entire file or even a store to a time when everything worked well. Rewind is a Canadian company based in Ontario.

Sync

Free English French English support French support Data stored in Canada iOS app. Android

Sync provides secure cloud backup, file sharing and collaboration that meet all Canadian federal and provincial data privacy laws and regulations. With Sync your files are stored in Canada at all times, and built-in, end-to-end-encryption ensures that your files are safe, secure and private. Sync is easy to use and cost effective. 5GB of cloud storage is available for free.

This table lists applications alphabetically and isn’t exhaustive. Hyperlinks to external sites do not constitute endorsement by BDC of those websites or any information, opinions, products or services expressed or described on them.

Furthermore, the list is only a starting point and excludes applications that are not available either in English or in French, or that are neither low cost nor free. When assessing service providers, you will probably consider many other factors.

BDC will review and edit this list regularly. If you provide online backup solutions and would like us to consider adding yours, please contact us.