Pricing
subscription
Best For
Remote-first companies protecting employee laptops and desktops without on-premise backup infrastructure
Rating
7.8/10
Last Updated
Mar 2026
TL;DR
CrashPlan is endpoint backup done right. It runs in the background on every laptop and desktop, continuously backing up files to the cloud. Unlimited storage. No file size limits. No throttling. When a laptop dies, gets stolen, or an employee accidentally deletes a folder, recovery takes minutes. It won't back up your servers or databases — that's not what it does. But for protecting the files on employee computers, especially in remote-first companies, CrashPlan is one of the simplest and most reliable options at $10/device/month.
What is CrashPlan?
The Endpoint Backup Specialist
CrashPlan started in 2007 as a consumer backup product. In 2017, they discontinued the consumer version to focus entirely on business endpoint backup. That focus shows. While Veeam and Commvault tackle servers and VMs, CrashPlan owns the laptop and desktop protection space.
The agent runs silently in the background. It watches your file system for changes and backs up new or modified files continuously. There's no "run a backup at 2am" schedule. Save a document, and it's backed up within minutes. Unlimited cloud storage means you don't need to choose which folders to protect — back up everything.
Why Endpoint Backup Still Matters
In the age of cloud-first everything, you'd think local file backup is obsolete. It's not. Engineers keep code locally. Sales reps have contracts on their desktop. Designers store project files on their Mac. When that laptop gets coffee-spilled, stolen at a conference, or the SSD fails, those files are gone without endpoint backup.
CrashPlan handles the recovery gracefully. Download the agent on a new device, sign in, and restore. You can restore individual files, entire folders, or a complete device image. Cross-platform works: back up from a Mac, restore to a Windows machine. File versioning keeps 90 days of versions by default.
Centralized Administration for IT
The admin console shows every device in your fleet. See backup status, storage usage, last backup time, and alert on devices that haven't backed up in 72 hours. Push policies centrally — retention periods, backup frequency, file exclusions. For companies with 50-5,000 endpoints, the centralized visibility is essential.
The Boundaries
CrashPlan doesn't back up servers, VMs, databases, or SaaS data. It's endpoint-only. No disaster recovery orchestration, no bare-metal restore, no VM replication. If you need those, look at Veeam, Druva, or Commvault. CrashPlan also doesn't offer local backup — everything goes to their cloud. If your internet connection is unreliable, initial backups of large datasets can take days.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Unlimited cloud storage per device means you never choose between which files to protect
- Continuous background backup catches every file change within minutes — no scheduled windows needed
- Cross-platform restore works between Mac, Windows, and Linux machines seamlessly
- Centralized admin console gives IT visibility into backup status across the entire device fleet
- Simple per-device pricing at $10/month is straightforward with no hidden storage or bandwidth fees
Cons
- Endpoint backup only — does not protect servers, VMs, databases, or SaaS application data
- No local backup option — everything must go to CrashPlan cloud, requiring reliable internet
- Initial backup of large datasets (500GB+) can take several days over standard broadband connections
- No disaster recovery orchestration, bare-metal restore, or VM replication capabilities
- Legal hold and unlimited versioning require the $15/device Professional plan
CrashPlan Pricing
CrashPlan Essential
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Continuous backup
- File versioning (90 days)
- Cross-platform restore
- Web admin console
- Encryption at rest and in transit
CrashPlan Professional
- Everything in Essential
- Unlimited file versioning
- Legal hold
- Advanced admin controls
- API access
- Priority support
CrashPlan Enterprise
- Everything in Professional
- Custom retention
- SSO/SAML
- Dedicated success manager
- Custom deployment
- SLA guarantee
Pricing last verified: March 25, 2026
Who is CrashPlan Best For?
- Remote-first companies protecting employee laptops and desktops without on-premise backup infrastructure
- IT teams managing 50-5,000 endpoints that need centralized visibility into backup compliance
- Companies in regulated industries needing endpoint data protection with legal hold capabilities
- Organizations where critical work happens on local machines and cloud-only workflows are not realistic
Technical Details
The Bottom Line
CrashPlan scores 7.8/10. It stands out for unlimited cloud storage per device means you never choose between which files to protect. Best suited for remote-first companies protecting employee laptops and desktops without on-premise backup infrastructure. Keep in mind that endpoint backup only — does not protect servers, vms, databases, or saas application data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on editorial analysis