Arq Backup vs Backblaze B2
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Arq Backup and Backblaze B2.
Quick Verdict
4.0/5
Arq Backup
0 reviews
4.2/5
Backblaze B2
0 reviews
Backblaze B2 is rated higher (4.2 vs 4.0). Arq Backup sends encrypted backups to your own S3, B2, Wasabi, or Google Drive. No subscription to Arq cloud — you own the destination. One-time purchase for macOS and Windows. Backblaze B2 offers S3-compatible object storage at $6.95/TB/month (raised from $6/TB in May). Free egress up to 3x stored data for all customers, unlimited free egress to partner CDNs/compute.
Arq Backup Mac and Windows backup to your own cloud | Backblaze B2 S3-compatible object storage at $6.95/TB/month with 3x free egress | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.0 (0 reviews) | 4.2 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | one-time purchase + optional subscription (Arq Premium is subscription) | usage-based |
| Starting price | From $59.99/mo | From $6.95/mo✓ |
| Best for | Mac and Windows users who want a one-time-purchase backup app sending encrypted, versioned backups to their own cloud or NAS storage | Backup targets, snapshot archives, and asset storage where low, predictable cost beats global distribution |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | — | ["US West (Sacramento, Stockton, Phoenix)", "US East (Reston, VA)", "EU Central (Amsterdam, NL)", "CA East (Toronto, ON)"] |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | encryptedself hosted | free tiers3 compatibleus datacenterapi access |
| Visit Arq Backup → | Visit Backblaze B2 → | |
Arq Backup
Pros
- + One-time $59.99 per-computer license with an optional, genuinely optional updates subscription
- + Backs up to storage you own — S3, B2, Wasabi, Google Drive, SFTP, NAS and other S3-compatible targets
- + End-to-end encryption with keys that never leave your machine
- + Open, documented backup format — restores do not depend on the vendor existing
Cons
- - macOS and Windows desktops only — no Linux or server agent
- - Destination storage, request and egress costs are separate and ongoing
- - File backup only: no disk imaging or bare-metal recovery
- - Small-company support with no published SLA
Backblaze B2
Pros
- + $6.95/TB/month storage with no minimum file size or storage duration fees
- + Free egress up to 3x average monthly storage for all customers; unlimited free egress to partner CDNs/compute
- + Genuine S3-compatible API plus native API, with free Class A/B/C transactions
- + 11 nines claimed durability with published Vault math (20 shards across 20 pods)
- + EU data residency via the Amsterdam region; permanent 10 GB free tier
Cons
- - One region per account (fixed at creation); no cross-region buckets or read replicas
- - S3 compatibility is partial: no IAM roles, object tagging, or website hosting; bucket-level ACLs only
- - SLA is thin: 99.9% objective with 5–10% service credits
- - Storage price rose from $6 to $6.95/TB in May — value still strong, but the direction is upward
- - No compute, functions, or database services
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