7 best Mac backup software to try this year

Trust me, you should never underestimate the need for a solid backup plan for your Mac. I’ve experienced data loss (nothing major) many times in my life. Honestly, I was lazy about it until one day, my MacBook refused to boost, and I almost lost my years of work and photos. Oh no!

From my hours of research, I learned about some of the best Mac backup software. Saving you time and hassle, I’m reviewing the top Mac backup software you need to backup your data safely — before it’s too late.

So, let’s begin.

Key features to look for in Mac backup software

Choosing macOS backup software can be a bit tricky. Just check out these key features to make your decision easier:

• Scheduling: Choose a backup solution that ensures customized and automatic backup schedules without manual intervention.
• Encryption: Protects your backup data from malicious access.
• Incremental backups: Takes backups of only changed files since the initial backup, thus saving time and storage space.
• Cloud integration: The software should provide storage to remote cloud servers, protecting data against local hardware failures, system crashes, or cyberattacks.
• Versioning: Does the solution store multiple versions of the data so you can restore from various points in time?
• Compatibility: Does it work with your macOS version? It should also integrate well with Time Machine and Finder.

Also, look for other things like ease of use, storage options offered, and customer support to back up your Mac easily.

Best backup software for Mac

To help you choose, I’ve narrowed down to 7 best Mac backup solutions. Check out my quick reviews for each tool that I've tried out, and pick the one that works best for you.

Get Backup Pro: Back up essential files quickly

Get Backup Pro is advanced backup software for Mac that creates bootable and encrypted backups, syncs folders, and facilitates disk cloning. You can choose which files or folders to back up and compress your files to save up to 60% space. It can also be mounted on network disks.

With Get Backup Pro, you can enable Stealth mode. Once all scheduled processes are completed, the app automatically closes without causing any distractions.

Why the tool rocks:

• Clones your disk volume to get a backup disk you can use anytime. In case of a crash, you can quickly restore from an APFS/HFS+ clone.
• Bidirectional synchronization syncs files or folders in both directions simultaneously.
• Creates full and incremental backups and compressed backups, saving huge space
• Encrypts your backup with AES-128, AES-256, Blowfish, or Triple DES.
• Schedules backups, syncs, clones, and archives projects to run automatically on a given date and time.

Pros: 

• Suitable for both beginners and advanced users
• Impressive customization options
• Easy and quick restoration
• Backup support to network volumes
• Multiple backup encryption levels: AES-256, Triple DES, or Blowfish

Cons

• No online backup option
• Difficult restoration process
• Can’t specify files and folders to network disks

Pricing: Available on Setapp from $9.99/month

ChronoSync Express: Back up & sync remotely with other devices

ChronoSync Express is a complete feature-rich macOS backup and sync app that can back up your data, perform a bootable backup, clone your hard drive, and sync files between multiple devices. You can perform these tasks manually or schedule them to run automatically, even when you’re away from your computer. 

You can schedule backup and sync with any device mounted as a volume on your Mac, including other Macs, iPads, and even iPhones. Using this app, you can schedule, monitor, and validate backups. You can even log, filter, and archive your data. 

Why the tool rocks:

• Syncs many folders and dozens of files and access them anytime on your Mac.
• Keeps all your important files and documents backed up and synced on all your Macs.
• Schedules any sync or backup to run automatically daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Moves files and folders to virtually any file server effortlessly.
• Offers multiple backup options: data volume, bootable, and cloud backup.
• Backup to hard drives on remote systems using ChronoAgent.

Pros:

• Powerful schedule capabilities
• Customizable options
• Flexible backups
• Supports multiple storage destinations

Cons:

• Not so user-friendly because of the advanced options
• Limited cloud integration

Pricing: Available on Setapp from $9.99/month

Time Machine: Back up local storage and network-attached disks 

Time Machine is free Mac backup software. Apple’s built-in backup utility creates a full-sized initial backup of every file on your MacBook. After that, it creates incremental backups of those files as long as your Mac is connected to an external backup drive.

It’s so simple to use. Just boot up your Mac and connect an external storage drive to your Mac. Your Mac will ask if you want to use the external drive for the Time Machine backup drive. Pair it with your Mac to start with the backup.

Also, check out how to delete Time Machine backups on your Mac.

Why the tool rocks:

• The Restore function allows you to restore backup files to any desired location of your device.
• Retains hourly backups for the previous 24 hours, daily backups for the previous 30 days, and weekly backups for all previous months.

Pros:

• A built-in Apple tool
• Preview backups before restoring
• Backs up all files, including system files

Cons:

• No cloud backup
• No customizable backup schedule

Pricing: Free Apple tool

Carbon Copy Cloner: Create tailored backups

Carbon Copy Cloner, or CCC for short, is an advanced backup and copying software solution to create automated, incremental backups of all your Mac data. Originally launched to make bootable clones of your Mac’s startup disk, CCC has evolved into a fully-fledged backup tool. It offers an outstanding array of customizable filters and configuration options like task notes, disk encryption, and bandwidth configuration for NAS backups.

This best Mac backup solution supports HFS+ and APFS drive formats, NAS-enabled networks, and local volumes, but it still lacks support for cloning to Windows file formats or over to Web and cloud-based platforms.

Why the tool rocks:

• SafetyNet feature for drive formatting or stopping process before overwriting.
• Pairs well with Time Machine and Apple’s Migration Assistant.
• Create custom scripts.
• Quick view of each mounted volume, including drive format, dive technology, ownership settings, and encryption status.

Image source: bombich.com

Pros:

• Fully supports macOS Sequoia
• Keeps snapshots of your files’ older versions
• Friendly and speedy customer support
• Easy-to-start, full-featured 30-day trial

Cons:

• Creating a bootable drive is hit or miss
• Inconsistent bootable backups on Apple Silicon
• CCC 7.0.1 requires macOS 13 Ventura or later

Pricing: From $49.99

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: Integrate backups with cybersecurity

Formerly Acronis True Image, Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office combines backup with next-generation security features, including AI-based anti-malware, Bitdefender antivirus, and endpoint protection management. It supports multiple devices, including full-disk image backups and local backups. You can customize backup schedules while ensuring your data is safely backed up.

This backup software for Mac comes in different levels. The basic protection level — Cyber Protect Home Office Essentials — offers ransomware protection for a single device and supports local storage of backups only. In contrast, the advanced level adds storage and security level.

Why the tool rocks:

• Ability to back up to an external disk, NAS box, or Acronis servers in the cloud.
• Multiple scheduling options — daily, weekly, and monthly options.
• An activity log shows previous backups and other actions.

Image source: acronis.com

Pros:

• Zero-knowledge encryption
• Complete control of backup processes

Cons:

• Slower speeds
• Backups saved in proprietary file format

Pricing: From $39.99

Backblaze: Create backups on remote servers

Backblaze is an unlimited cloud backup service suitable for hosting content, managing media, and storing backed-up data on remote servers. With automatic secure backups, excellent transfer speed, and easy setup, Backblaze macOS backup software solution is suitable for personal use and small businesses requiring continuous backup.

But the only problem (in my opinion) is that it only supports backup. There is no file syncing, no collaboration tools, and it only supports basic file-sharing options.

Why the tool rocks:

• Supports two-factor authentication, 128-bit AES encryption, and other private key options for data safety.
• Use the Locate My Computer feature to find a lost Mac.
• Copies all data except ISOs, DMGs, virtual drives, system files, or executables.
• Use the inherit backup feature to create a backup between an old computer and a new one.

Image source: backblaze.com

Pros:

• Backup support to network volumes
• Enterprise-level security

Cons:

• Lack of customization
• No full disk backup support
• No file backups created by Time Machine

Pricing: From $9.00/month

SuperDuper: Create quick and easy backups

I choose SuperDuper because it’s so easy to use that even a beginner can quickly learn to use it for fully bootable backup. Thanks to the no-frill interface, which clearly displays the number of file copies, time elapsed, copy speed, and amount of data transferred between volumes.

Another major plus is SuperDuper restores data from one volume to another, much easier and simpler than using Apple’s macOS’s Disk Utility for restoration. 

Why the tool rocks:

• Schedules automatic backup with a built-in scheduler.
• Uses Smart Update to automatically update the backup, Smart Wake to update the backup file at a certain date and time, and Smart Delete to remove duplicates.
• Uses the sandbox backup function to create a hard drive partition to save a bootable version of your Mac’s drives, apps, and system updates
• Runs backup alongside Time Machine, cloning Time Machine backups to other disks.
• Supports HFS+ and APFS file systems.

Images source: shirt-pocket.com

Pros:

• Fully bootable backups
• Scripting and customization capabilities
• macOS Sequoia (15) support

Cons:

• No backup support for network volumes
• No FAT, exFAT, or NTFS support

Pricing: From $27.95

What is your choice for the best Mac backup software?

Now, compare the features, pros, and cons of each tool and find the right Mac backup solution for you. If you ask me, I would prefer to get Backup Pro, ChronoSync Express, and Super Duper in combination with Time Machine. Get Backup Pro is flexible, easy to use, and offers many storage options. ChronoSync Express is the most suitable data sync app for Mac. I recommend SuperDuper for absolute beginners. 

Big bonus: With a single subscription, you can find Get Backup Pro, ChronoSync Express, and CleanMyMac on one platform offering 250+ tools for macOS and iOS — Setapp. Subscribe to Setapp and take the 7-day trial period to explore the features of these apps under a single subscription.