Family photos, bachelor’s thesis, contacts and digital paychecks: if your laptop’s hard drive breaks or your smartphone is stolen, the data stored on it disappears. Anyone who regularly backs up their data has at least one less thing to worry about in such a situation. But which software solution is the best? Are free operating system backups enough?
Nice: There are good backup programs for each of the four major operating systems – Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS – including three free ones.
Why Testing Backup Software Is Worth It for You
Test results
Stiftung Warentest has examined 18 backup programs for your data on desktops and smartphones, including Acronis, EaseUs and Ashampoo, as well as operating system functions from Apple and Microsoft. Free ones are also included. Six are good, ten satisfactory or sufficient, two inadequate.
The best backup software for you
Our backup software test shows which software is best for desktop computers (Windows/MacOS) and smartphones (Android/iOS). Depending on the operating system, the search can be narrowed down using filters. This is how you find the individual test winner.
Tips against data loss
We tell you what you need to consider when backing up your data, how to encrypt data and save storage space – and what’s behind the three-two-one rule.
Journal article in PDF
After activation, you will receive the magazine articles for exam 08/2024 and exam 02/2021 for download.
Test results for 18 backup programs
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Backup software for four operating systems under test
We tested programs for four different operating systems:
For desktop computer
For smartphone
In addition to paid programs, there are also free programs, for example the backup functions Windows Backup and Restore and Apple iCloud Backup, which are integrated into the respective operating system.
Tip: Even before activation, you can see which programs we have tested and which of them are free. To do this, click on “Test results“.
Different pricing models
What to look out for when buying: Software for PCs and Macs in particular usually costs money. There are fewer and fewer options for purchasing individual licenses. Most often, users sign up for subscriptions. In the test, these cost up to 70 euros per year. After all, some programs already include cloud storage for data backups in the price. With other providers, the price of the software is relatively low, but there are also costs. Cloud storage added.
Tip: In the long run, it may be cheaper to back up to external drives. Our SSD Hard Drive Test It’s ours Testing Network Storage offer suitable devices. However, it is important to connect external drives regularly Portable computer and ideally keep another data backup in another location.
This is what Stiftung Warentest tested
In addition to the speed of data backup and restoration, we also check the support of the providers (details below This is how we tested). For example, we asked via phone, chat and email how users can prevent a permanently connected hard drive from being backed up. Some providers gave very brief answers, while others offered real support.