The best cloud backup for home users in the UK, 2026
what the experts and security audits agree on
Updated 16 October 2026 · Edited by the Benchmark Buyer team · How we review
We do the homework you'd do before buying, so you don't have to. Like any careful buyer, we read the expert reviews, the security certifications each company publishes and what users say, then sum up where they agree and where they don't. We don't run our own tests. This guide draws on 5 expert reviews published between September 2025 and October 2026, plus the independent security audits and certifications the services publish. No independent lab tests cloud backup services, so the experts carry most of the weight here.
The short answer
IDrive is the clearest consensus pick. All five expert sources list it, four of them in first place, and it publishes two independent security certifications. Backblaze is a solid second, especially if you have one computer and a lot of files. Experts call pCloud the best free option.
Stars show the consensus score out of 10, turned into a 5-star scale and rounded to the nearest half star; the exact score is in each product's section. "Security audits" sums up the independent security certifications (SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001) and published security tests we could confirm for each company. Where we couldn't confirm one, the product isn't marked down for it. Popularity (●●●● very high to ●○○○ lower) is based on how many people have rated each brand's app on Google Play: very high (5m+ ratings), high (1m+), medium (500k+) or lower. It shows how widely used a product is, not how good it is, so it doesn't affect the score. We couldn't read Acronis's Google Play listing, so its popularity is left blank.
1. IDrive: the product everyone agrees on
★★★★★Consensus score: 9.5
IDrive is the only service on all five expert lists. TechRadar, Tom's Guide, PCWorld and Cloudwards all rank it first; Comparitech, whose list is mostly business services, puts it eighth and calls it "One of the best online backup options available for individuals with multiple devices." IDrive says it holds a SOC 2 Type 2 report from an independent auditing firm and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, though it doesn't publish dates or name the auditor.
"iDrive will satisfy most any user. It remains the most comprehensive online backup service I've tested." (PCWorld)
Tom's Guide says "IDrive offers the most bang for your buck" (Tom's Guide).
Who it suits: households that want to back up several computers, phones and external drives under one account.
What users say: people like how easy it is to set up, the low price, reliable backups and restores, and covering several devices at once. The most common complaint is slow uploads, especially for large files. (Capterra)
2. Backblaze: simple, unlimited backup for one computer
★★★★½Consensus score: 8.6
Backblaze is second at Tom's Guide, Cloudwards and Comparitech, and seventh at TechRadar. Reviewers agree on two things: it is simple, and it backs up an unlimited amount of data. Backblaze says it holds a SOC 2 Type 2 report from an independent firm; its compliance page doesn't say whether the home backup product is in scope.
"Backblaze is one of the cheapest cloud-backup solutions, gigabyte for gigabyte, and that's despite a recent price hike." (Tom's Guide)
Comparitech calls it "The simplest, quickest way to backup a single device at a rock-bottom price." (Comparitech)
Where opinions differ: TechRadar ranks it seventh. It notes that each licence covers one computer, there's no full-disk image backup, and restores arrive as a download link by email rather than going straight back to your computer. PCWorld doesn't rank it, preferring Livedrive for unlimited storage.
Who it suits: anyone with one computer and a lot of files who wants to set up backup once and forget it.
3. pCloud: storage with backup, and a lifetime plan
★★★★☆Consensus score: 8.3
pCloud is mainly a cloud storage service with a backup feature. TechRadar ranks it second, Cloudwards third and PCWorld fourth, and all three single out its pricing. Cloudwards calls it "The best free cloud backup with 10GB of storage space." (Cloudwards)
pCloud says it holds ISO 27001 certification, but it cites the 2013 edition and names no certification body, so we couldn't confirm a current certificate. Its score is based on the expert rankings alone. As background: in October 2024, ETH Zurich researchers reported serious flaws in pCloud's optional encryption add-on (ETH Zurich paper). That is older than our 18-month window, so it doesn't count towards the score.
Who it suits: people who want cloud storage and backup in one place, and would rather pay once than every year.
4. Acronis True Image: the most powerful, and the most fiddly
★★★★☆Consensus score: 7.5
Tom's Guide ranks Acronis True Image third and Comparitech fifth. It combines full-disk image backup with malware protection, and reviewers describe it both as the most capable option and as the hardest to get along with.
"may be the most powerful and versatile online-backup solution available" (Tom's Guide)
Tom's Guide also warns that Acronis "can be the most frustrating of the best cloud backup services". Comparitech sums it up as a "Bundle of anti-malware and data backup services." (Comparitech)
We couldn't confirm a current security certification: the most recent ISO 27001 certificate Acronis published expired in October 2024, so its score is based on the expert rankings alone.
Who it suits: confident users who want a full copy of their PC they can restore in one go, with cloud backup on top.
What users say: people like how easy it is to use, its disk cloning and imaging, recovery that worked when they needed it, and its scheduled backups. The most common complaints are the price, slow backups and clones, and errors or crashes. (Capterra)
5. Dropbox Backup: handy if you already use Dropbox
★★★★☆Consensus score: 7.5
TechRadar ranks Dropbox Backup third ("Best for simplicity") and Cloudwards eighth ("Best Online Backup Service for Freelancers"). It's a feature of a Dropbox account: TechRadar notes it's only available to people who use the Dropbox desktop app, and it doesn't make full device backups. Dropbox publishes ISO 27001 certification from EY CertifyPoint and a SOC 2 report from Ernst & Young, though the stated scope names its business plans.
"Dropbox is already one of the biggest names in cloud storage." (TechRadar)
Who it suits: people already paying for Dropbox who want their computer's folders backed up too.
6. Internxt: privacy-first, and independently security-tested
★★★★☆Consensus score: 7.5
TechRadar ranks Internxt fifth ("Best for security") and Cloudwards fifth ("Most Affordable Online Backup Service"). It is the only service here with a published independent security test: Securitum checked its apps and servers in 2025 and reported no severe vulnerabilities. Internxt also announced ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification in October 2025.
"we feel as though it's hard to go wrong with it." (TechRadar)
Where opinions differ: experts list it lower than the dedicated backup services, and Cloudwards describes its backup features as limited.
Who it suits: people who care most about end-to-end encryption and are happy with a storage-style service.
PCWorld ranks Livedrive second ("Best for unlimited storage") and Comparitech fourth ("Solid backup service with lots of extra features."). We couldn't find a published security certification or audit for Livedrive, so its score is based on the expert rankings alone.
"Livedrive should be of particular interest to anyone who wants the benefit of unlimited storage" (PCWorld)
Where opinions differ: TechRadar, Tom's Guide and Cloudwards don't list it.
Who it suits: people with a lot of data who want unlimited backup plus file access and sharing.
8. Carbonite: easy, but fewer experts rate it highly
★★★½☆Consensus score: 7.3
Tom's Guide ranks Carbonite sixth ("Best for one PC") and Cloudwards sixth ("Best Easy-to-Use Online Backup"). Carbonite says the teams behind its service are audited every year by a third-party firm (SOC 2 Type 2).
"Carbonite offers unlimited storage, which is always nice to have in one of the best cloud backup services." (Tom's Guide)
Cloudwards calls it "an easy-to-use service with basic cloud backup options." (Cloudwards)
Who it suits: people who want simple, automatic backup of one computer.
What users say: people like its easy, automatic backup, its reliability, restores that worked and helpful support. The most common complaints are the cost and backups that failed or sent false alerts. (Capterra)
Norton 360 Deluxe includes 50 GB of cloud backup for Windows PCs (Norton UK). If you already have it, that may be enough for your documents and photos. We haven't ranked it because none of our five expert backup lists includes it. See our antivirus guide for how Norton 360 does as a security suite.
Not ranked, and why
CrashPlan appears in four of our five expert lists, but it's aimed at businesses. Cloudwards notes it "doesn't offer a personal plan" (Cloudwards).
Sync.com, Proton Drive, SpiderOak, OpenDrive, Arq, Icedrive and Microsoft OneDrive each appear in only one expert list. We need at least two to rank a product.
NinjaOne, iBackup and Vembu appear in Comparitech's list but are business services.
How we score
We don't run our own tests. No independent lab tests cloud backup services, so each product's consensus score combines three things:
Expert rankings (50%): each product's position in 5 expert "best cloud backup" lists, from TechRadar, Tom's Guide, PCWorld, Cloudwards and Comparitech. Places 1 to 3 score 100, 4 to 6 score 85, 7 to 10 score 70.
Breadth of agreement (25%): how many of those 5 lists include the product.
Security audits (25%): independent security certifications and tests the company publishes. One of SOC 2 Type 2 or ISO 27001 scores 80, both score 90, and a published independent security test in the last 18 months adds 10. A confirmed breach of customer data in the last 18 months would cost 20 points; we found none. These show a company's security is checked, not how well its backups work, which is why they count for a quarter. Where we couldn't confirm any, the product is scored on the other two parts instead of being marked down.
To be ranked, a service needs a home plan and a place in at least two expert lists. We leave out evidence older than 18 months; for example, Reviewed's cloud backup guide was last updated in 2022, so it isn't counted. Products with equal scores are listed alphabetically. Affiliate commission plays no part in the score.
Evidence last checked: 16 October 2026. Full details on how we review.