VaultGuard Backup vs Carbonite: an honest comparison
Let me give Carbonite real credit up front: it's been around for twenty years, it pioneered the whole idea of unlimited cloud backup for a flat price, and it does a lot — automatic cloud backup, a full Windows system image on its higher tiers, and bundled antivirus. It's a capable, proven service.
So this isn't a "the big company is bad" page. The honest differences are narrower and more specific than that, and they come down to four things: whose cloud your data lives in, how fast you can restore, what its cheaper plans quietly leave out, and who's actually behind the product.
The short version
Choose Carbonite if you want an established, cross-platform cloud service with unlimited storage and built-in antivirus on its higher tiers, and you're comfortable storing your data in Carbonite's cloud.
Choose VaultGuard Backup if you're on Windows, you'd rather keep your backups in your own cloud (and locally, for fast restores), you don't want to climb tiers to back up your own video files, and you want a person who's actively improving the tool and answers your email.
Side by side
| Carbonite Safe | VaultGuard Backup | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Tiered; the cheapest plan undercuts VaultGuard Backup but leaves out video files and external drives (check current pricing) | $14.99/mo or $149/yr (one PC) |
| Unlimited cloud storage | Yes | Uses your own cloud plan |
| Where your backups live | Carbonite’s (OpenText’s) cloud | A local drive plus the cloud you already own |
| Full Windows system image | Yes — “Mirror Image” on Plus/Prime | Yes |
| Restore speed for a full drive | Cloud download (physical drive courier on Prime) | Fast — straight from your local external drive |
| Antivirus / ransomware | Yes — Webroot on Plus/Prime | Microsoft Defender pre-scan before every backup |
| Backs up external drives | Plus/Prime only — not Basic | Yes |
| Backs up video files | Plus/Prime — Basic excludes them | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android | Windows only |
| Actively developed | Maintenance mode under OpenText | Yes — actively built and updated |
| Support | 24/7 queue | One named, local person — me |
What Carbonite does genuinely well
Credit where it's due:
Twenty years of track record. Carbonite was doing this before most of today's cloud existed, and the core service is reliable.
Unlimited cloud storage on its personal plans — no storage math.
It covers more than Windows — Macs and an Android app too.
Real bare-metal restore. Its "Mirror Image" feature (Plus and up) makes a full image of your Windows machine, not just your files — a genuine capability, not just file-by-file cloud backup.
Bundled antivirus. Plus and Prime include Webroot, so you get active malware and ransomware protection in the same subscription.
24/7 support and automatic, continuous backup.
If unlimited cloud and cross-platform coverage are what you need, Carbonite is a fair, capable choice.
Where VaultGuard Backup is different
Carbonite and VaultGuard Backup actually overlap more than you'd think — so here's where they genuinely part ways:
Your backups stay in the cloud you already own. Carbonite stores everything in its own cloud — stop the subscription and your backups go with it. VaultGuard Backup syncs to the Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox you already have, so your data sits in an account you control, locally too.
Fast restores from a local drive. Carbonite is cloud-first; pulling a full machine back down means a long download (which is why their top tier will mail you a drive). VaultGuard Backup restores from the external drive on your desk, at drive speed.
No tier games. Carbonite's cheapest plan quietly skips your video files and won't touch external drives — you have to climb to pricier tiers to get them, and new-customer promo prices jump sharply at renewal. VaultGuard Backup backs up your machine, full stop.
A person, not a line item. Carbonite is a twenty-year-old product that OpenText keeps running but isn't actively pushing forward. VaultGuard Backup is built, updated, and personally supported by me. When something's wrong, you reach the person who wrote it.
So which one is right for you?
You want unlimited cloud storage, Mac and phone coverage, and you're fine in Carbonite's cloud → Carbonite is a reasonable, established pick.
You're on Windows, you want your backups in your own hands, fast local restores, no tier exclusions, and a real person behind it → that's exactly who I built VaultGuard Backup for.
The honest dividing line: do you want your data in a big company's cloud on their terms — or imaged, verified, and kept in your own?
Try it free — no credit card, no catch
Take VaultGuard Backup for a 14-day free trial. No credit card required. Point it at the cloud you already use, let it image your machine, and see how it feels to have backup that's fast, verified, and yours.
And if you'd rather I just set it up for you, reach out — that's what I'm here for.
David Martin
Information Security Kentucky LLC
Protect. Prevent. Prepare.
Hardin County, Kentucky