Looking to protect the data on your Mac? Instead of simply just relying on Time Machine, here are some of the best Mac backup programs out there, both free and paid-for services.
For many Mac users, backing up simply involves setting up a Time Machine and then forgetting about it until they need to restore their data. While Time Machine is undoubtedly a great resource, it isn’t perfect, and it’s unwise to rely on it alone. A better strategy for Mac users is to have two separate backup schedules – a Time Machine to one location, and a separate backup to another. While there are countless pieces of software for Windows backups, finding decent ones for Mac OS is a bit harder, but there are some great Mac backup programs out there. Here are two of the best that are perfect to compliment a Time Machine backup.
Acronis True Image 2018
A well-known name in the world of Windows software, Acronis’ True Image 18 software allows backing up to a local disk, Acronis’ own cloud storage service, or a network-attached storage device. The latter option in particular is attractive for users with a NAS box that isn’t compatible with Apple’s Time Machine. To use the cloud service, you’ll need to set up an account, but to back up locally or to a NAS, you can get going straight away. Acronis True Image is incredibly straightforward to use. The first time the software is opened, your Mac is selected as the source. You can then click the destination button the choose whether to back up your data to a local drive, a NAS box or Acronis Cloud. You don’t have to create an entire image of your Mac either – you can click on the ‘Source’ box to choose which files and folders you want to back up. You can also backup external devices, such as USB flash drives or SD cards. You can schedule regular backups via the settings icon, and from here you can also encrypt your backups and delete any old backups you don’t need anymore. The software costs £34.99, which lets you back up locally, but if you want to use Acronis Cloud, you’ll need to pay a yearly subscription. The good news is that the subscription comes with the software. 250GB is £34.99 (the price of the software on its own) a year, while the upper amount is 1TB at £69.99.
Get Backup Pro
This piece of Mac backup software can back up your entire hard drive, or simply folders that you specify. You can compress backups to save space, and you can choose whether you want to back up to a disk image, or on a per file basis. Scheduled backups take place quietly in the background, and the software closes as soon as the backup is complete. Unfortunately, Get Backup Pro doesn’t come with its own cloud storage service, so this isn’t the tool for you if you require cloud backups. Get Backup Pro can encrypt your backups, with a choice from AES-128. AES-256. Blowfish or Triple DES. The main advantage of Get Backup Pro over Acronis True Image 2018 is the cost; at £18.16, it’s almost half the cost. If you want to back up to a local disk and are on a budget, Get Backup Pro is a great tool.
