Carbonite vs Datto: Complete Comparison 2026

An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.

Carbonite

7.2(1,800 reviews)

Cloud backup solution for small businesses and individuals with automatic file protection, endpoint backup, and server recovery options.

8.8(3,400 reviews)

MSP-focused business continuity and disaster recovery platform with integrated backup appliances and instant cloud virtualization.

Aspect	Carbonite	Datto
Best For	Non-technical small businesses that need simple cloud backup without managing complex infrastructure	MSPs providing managed BDR services who need reliable instant recovery for small business clients
Pricing Model	Subscription	Subscription
Starting Price	$6/mo	$100/mo
Deployment	cloud	hybrid
Platforms	WEB, WINDOWS, MAC	WEB, WINDOWS, LINUX
Rating	7.2/10	8.8/10

Dead simple set-and-forget backup that non-technical users can install and manage without IT help
Unlimited cloud storage on personal plans eliminates capacity planning headaches
Continuous background protection catches new and changed files automatically without scheduled windows
Self-service web portal for file restores reduces IT support tickets significantly
Affordable entry price at $6/month makes cloud backup accessible for individuals and tiny businesses

Initial backup is painfully slow—500GB can take a week or more with throttled upload speeds
No seed drive shipping option to accelerate the first full backup like Backblaze offers
Business products feel disjointed post-acquisition: three separate product lines with different consoles
Disaster recovery capabilities are basic compared to Datto or Veeam—no instant virtualization
Support quality has declined since the OpenText acquisition according to multiple customer reports

Instant virtualization on local appliance or Datto cloud gets servers back online in minutes, not hours
Inverse Chain Technology keeps the latest backup as a complete image—fastest possible restore of the most recent state
Screenshot verification automatically proves every backup is bootable with daily OS-level confirmation
Purpose-built for the MSP channel with multi-tenant management, automated billing, and partner support
Cloud replication to Datto-owned infrastructure provides a true offsite safety net without third-party dependencies

Hardware appliance costs ($2,500+) plus monthly cloud fees make it significantly more expensive than software-only solutions
Kaseya ownership creates long-term pricing uncertainty—MSPs worry about future price increases after the acquisition
Vendor lock-in is real: proprietary appliances and cloud infrastructure make migration to alternatives painful
Not designed for direct enterprise use—the entire model assumes an MSP intermediary managing the deployment
Cloud virtualization bandwidth depends on client internet speed, which can limit RTO for large environments

Product	Pricing Model	Starting Price
Carbonite	subscription	$6/mo
Datto	subscription	$100/mo

Choose Carbonite if...

Non-technical small businesses that need simple cloud backup without managing complex infrastructure

Choose Datto if...

MSPs providing managed BDR services who need reliable instant recovery for small business clients

Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.