Atera vs Backblaze
A side-by-side comparison of two security tools for small businesses.
Bottom line
For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Atera on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 8/10), especially for Backblaze is a strong fit for small businesses where most critical data lives on employee…. That said, weigh pricing and the feature breakdown below against your needs.
At a glance
| Attribute | Atera | Backblaze |
|---|---|---|
| SMB score | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Starting price | From $119/user/mo | From $8/seat/mo |
| Best for | Atera is an excellent fit for managed service providers (MSPs) with small teams—one to ten technicians—who need to support multiple client environments without per-device cost surprises. It also suits in-house IT generalists at small businesses (roughly 10–150 employees) who are the sole technical resource and need monitoring, patching, and a helpdesk in one place. Industries that rely on always-on endpoints—dental practices, law firms, small accounting offices, light manufacturing with networked equipment—get the most from its proactive alerting. Freelance IT consultants scaling their client base find the pricing model particularly compelling because onboarding a new client doesn't trigger a license cost increase. | Backblaze is a strong fit for small businesses where most critical data lives on employee laptops and desktops rather than on servers. Professional services firms—accountants, consultants, photographers, video editors, and small law offices—benefit most because their work product is tied directly to individual machines. Retail shops and small agencies with two to twenty-five computers get immediate value from the per-seat flat pricing, which scales predictably. It works especially well for businesses that have zero dedicated IT staff and need a solution that an owner or office manager can deploy and forget. Remote and hybrid teams also benefit since the backup happens wherever the laptop is connected to the internet. |
Atera
Flat per-technician pricing lets small IT teams monitor and manage unlimited devices without watching costs balloon.
Picture a two-person IT shop supporting a 60-seat accounting firm: laptops running slow, a server patch overdue, and a queue of helpdesk tickets piling up across three different inboxes. That's exactly the situation Atera was built to untangle. Rather than juggling separate tools…
Key features
- Per-technician flat pricing covers unlimited monitored devices on any plan
- Real-time RMM alerts for disk health, CPU spikes, offline devices, and service failures
- Built-in remote access lets technicians connect to endpoints directly from an alert
- Automated patch management for Windows, macOS, and Linux with scheduling controls
- Integrated helpdesk ticketing with email-to-ticket, SLA tracking, and client portal
- Script library and AI-assisted script generation for routine IT automation tasks
- Third-party integrations with antivirus, backup, and billing tools via the marketplace
- Mobile app allows technicians to respond to alerts and manage tickets on the go
Limitations
The per-technician model is a double-edged sword: excellent for device-heavy environments, but if your team grows faster than your device count, costs scale quickly. The PSA module covers the basics—ticketing, time tracking, invoicing—but lacks the depth of dedicated PSA platforms if you need complex project management or advanced contract billing. Some users report that the reporting and dashboard customization options are more limited than competing RMM tools at similar price points. Integrations are expanding via the marketplace, but verify that your specific backup, security, or documentation tool is supported before switching. Customer support response times have drawn mixed reviews; verify current SLA tiers on the vendor site.
Backblaze
Flat-rate, unlimited cloud backup for every business Mac and PC at $99 per computer per year—no file-size caps, no surprises.
Picture this: a two-person accounting firm wraps up tax season, and the next morning one employee's laptop hard drive fails completely. No recent backup means weeks of client files, spreadsheets, and correspondence are simply gone. That single incident can cost more in recovery a…
Key features
- Continuous automatic backup runs silently without manual intervention or scheduling
- Unlimited data per computer—no file size or file type restrictions apply
- Flat annual pricing per computer simplifies IT budget forecasting for small teams
- Web-based restore lets any authorized user retrieve files from a browser
- External drive backup covers USB and Thunderbolt drives connected at backup time
- Business Groups dashboard gives owners centralized visibility across multiple computers
- Optional physical restore via mailed USB drive speeds large file recoveries
- Version history retains deleted or changed files for up to one year by default
Limitations
Backblaze backs up computers, not servers—Windows Server editions and NAS devices are not supported under the standard personal or business computer plans (Backblaze B2 cloud storage is a separate product for those use cases). The initial backup of a large hard drive can take several days to several weeks depending on upload speed and data volume, which is a real gap in protection during onboarding. Files on external drives must be connected at the time of backup or they'll be flagged as missing and eventually removed from the backup set. It is not a sync tool, so it cannot replace Dropbox or Google Drive for real-time file sharing. Verify current retention limits and add-on costs on the vendor site before assuming defaults meet your needs.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Atera or Backblaze better for small businesses?
- For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Atera on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 8/10), especially for Backblaze is a strong fit for small businesses where most critical data lives on employee…. That said, weigh pricing and the feature breakdown below against your needs.
- How does pricing compare between Atera and Backblaze?
- Atera offers paid plans from about $119/mo. Backblaze offers paid plans from about $8/mo. Always confirm current plans on each vendor's website before you commit.
- Which is cheaper, Atera or Backblaze?
- Backblaze has the lower advertised entry price ($8/mo), but the best value depends on the plan tier and seats your business actually needs.
- When should I choose Atera over Backblaze?
- Atera is a strong fit for Atera is an excellent fit for managed service providers (MSPs) with small teams—one to ten technicians—who need to support multiple client…. Lean toward Backblaze if you need Backblaze is a strong fit for small businesses where most critical data lives on employee laptops and desktops rather than on servers.….
Read the full profiles: Atera · Backblaze · All Security tools