Apple : Buying Guide: Best Mac backup software: 6 apps tested |
| Buying Guide: Best Mac backup software: 6 apps tested Posted:  Best Mac backup softwareAll Mac users should have a backup routine. It's as plain and simple as that. However, many people don't; they are complacent and trust their hardware. Those people also run the risk of losing everything - music, movies, photos, and documents. Everything. The mantra for any Mac user should be: back up, back up, back up! Without an adequate backup, each day there is a chance that all your precious data could be lost. Traditional hard drives are made up of tiny moving parts. All it takes for disaster to strike is for one of those parts to go awry and it's curtains for your documents. Even SSD drives aren't immune. Stories of failures and reliability issues for the super-fast drives are out there. The problem for backup regimes is that they are incredibly boring and there's no immediately obvious benefit to the task. You backup your disk and leave it; it's not like creating a photo gallery or movie and having a pleasing end result. However, the benefit of a backup pulls into sharp focus when a hard drive does fail. Given that backup has been a fact of life since the advent of disks, you'd think we'd have the process locked down by now. Alas, it's just not that simple. Even with Apple's Time Machine built in to OS X there are some features it doesn't contain. We've gathered together a selection of backup utilities for the Mac and will be testing them for ease of use, interface design and value for money, and assessing any extra options. Which should you opt for? A good backup utility is one that does its job quickly, quietly and reliably. The more the process gets in the way of you doing the fun stuff on your Mac, the more of a pain it can be. So, let's get started and discover the best Mac backup software... The apps we testedCarbon Copy Cloner - FREE Why not use Time Machine?Time Machine is built into the Mac and in typical Apple fashion, it looks great and just works. It is, it seems, the perfect backup tool for your Mac. However, our advice is to use Time Machine in addition to another backup tool. A belt-and-braces approach will reduce your risks of data loss to an absolute minimum. There's nothing wrong with Time Machine, of course, and its incremental backups can be invaluable, but it's not the final word. The advantage of dipping into your hard drive and recovering a file that you've accidentally deleted is fantastic, but it's just one aspect of the backup process. Undeniably, Time Machine runs silently and in the background, which is what you want from a backup tool, but having two separate processes is essential if you really want to protect your data. It's also worth noting that Time Machine isn't infallible and we've heard horror stories where Time Machine has failed to keep itself up to date. This is why you should also run another local backup if you value your data. Test one: Interface design
Backing up is a dull process and can be somewhat baffling to the novice user. The interfaces of these apps are all a bit technical, but in general none of them are terrible. Naturally, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we liked ChronoSync, Twin and Intego Backup Express more than the others here. SuperDuper! may well appeal to those who like a very simple, minimalist interface - incredibly minimalist in fact. Of the six tools on test it was Twin that most appealed. The design just makes sense to us and along with ChronoSync seems the most 'Lion-like'. Carbon Copy Cloner, Get Backup Pro and SuperDuper! don't quite have the polish of the other three. The more an application looks the part, the easier it is to trust that software to do the job properly. Obviously, it's only a small part, but nonetheless a reassuringly well-designed interface is much more likely to put your mind at rest.
Test two: Value for money
There's a clear winner here as it's incredibly difficult to argue with free. Carbon Copy Cloner is the old man of backup utilities for Mac nowadays, but it remains free. The entire feature set is there - you don't have to pay to unlock any extras. The developer does ask for donations, but that's entirely at your discretion and the software won't suddenly stop working just because you don't pay. Intego Backup Express comes in as the next cheapest, but being a Mac App Store app it lacks the clone feature. A clone operation requires admin access and Mac App Store apps can't have that. SuperDuper! and Get Backup Pro come in at about £20, which is still great value for money. Twin costs €39 (£34) and ChronoSync $40 (£25). These aren't wallet-busting when you consider what they do. However, Carbon Copy Cloner gets the plaudits here, though we urge you to make a donation to the developer if you do use it regularly.
Ease of use and backup optionsTest three: Ease of use
None of these applications will cause you too much trouble if you've been using OS X for a while, but if you're a new switcher or novice then there are some subtleties that can make all the difference. We really liked the Get Backup approach - not the prettiest perhaps, but making a backup, a clone or synchronising disks is very clear. Twin has an easy-to-follow backup assistant for setting up new backups that is perfect for the novice user. Intego Backup Express is also worthy of a mention in the easy-to-use stakes. That's not to say the others are difficult, as such, but the likes of SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner aren't as user-friendly. ChronoSync is a bit of a troublesome one to form an opinion on. It appears user-friendly because of the great interface. However, when you get into the bones of the app some will find it too technical. That said, if you're a confident Mac user, it's fine.
Test four: Backup options
The big loser here is Intego Backup Express. By dint of it being a Mac App Store download it lacks the clone feature that will allow you to make a bootable copy of your Mac's hard drive. This is because of restrictions placed on Intego by Apple's App Store policies. However, we do feel that this is reflected in its lower price. ChronoSync and Get Backup Pro offer synchronisation, backup and bootable clone options and as such are incredibly flexible. Offering all three processes does mean that no matter what your backup regimen, either of these apps will suit. Twin has the option to back up to online destinations, such as to Amazon S3 servers. SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner don't have the same syncing options, but do offer full, reliable bootable clones, which is arguably more important in times of crisis. Still, do you really need more functionality, or will an app that automates the process suffice?
The best Mac backup program is...
We were split over the apps on test here. Some, like Get Backup and ChronoSync, offer everything plus the kitchen sink. Others like SuperDuper! provide a single backup route. So here's the conundrum: is it better to have one app that can do it all or a single app that you can trust to just do the one thing it does? We think it's telling that all the apps scored similarly. There's barely any wriggle room between them. They all do whatever they're asked to do with aplomb. But there has to be a single winner and in this test it's ChronoSync. The interface looks the part and though it might be a bit harder for the novice user, the range of options and quality of the software is commendable.
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