Backblaze vs Connectwise
A side-by-side comparison of two security tools for small businesses.
Bottom line
For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Connectwise on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 6/10), 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 | Backblaze | Connectwise |
|---|---|---|
| SMB score | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Starting price | From $8/seat/mo | Contact sales |
| Best for | 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. | ConnectWise is best suited for managed service providers of any size—from a three-person shop scaling to 50 clients up to a mid-market MSP with hundreds of endpoints under management. Internal IT departments at companies with 50–500 employees that need to formalize their help desk, automate patching, and demonstrate security compliance to leadership or clients will also find strong value here. The platform shines when recurring managed services contracts, endpoint volume, and a need for audit-ready reporting all converge in the same operation. Vertical fit is broad: legal firms, healthcare-adjacent businesses, financial services clients, and light manufacturing all appear regularly in ConnectWise's published customer base, typically via an MSP intermediary. |
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.
Connectwise
One platform for MSPs and IT teams to manage endpoints, ticketing, security, backup, and remote access without the tool sprawl.
Picture a small IT service provider managing 40 client companies from a single office. Every morning, the lead technician used to open six different dashboards—one for patching, one for ticketing, one for antivirus alerts, another for backups—before the first coffee was cold. Con…
Key features
- Unified RMM dashboard monitors and patches endpoints across all client environments
- Integrated service desk links tickets directly to affected devices and client records
- Automated remediation scripts run on trigger conditions without technician intervention
- Built-in cybersecurity layer covers endpoint detection, response, and threat alerting
- Backup and disaster recovery management with verification reporting across client sites
- Remote access tools let techs connect to endpoints directly from within the platform
- Quoting, agreements, and time-tracking support MSP billing and contract management
- Role-based access controls let teams segment permissions across technicians and clients
Limitations
ConnectWise's depth is also its barrier. For organizations without dedicated IT staff or an MSP business model, the platform is almost certainly overkill—and the pricing, which varies by module and contract tier, reflects enterprise-grade positioning. Verify current pricing on the vendor site, as costs can escalate as you add cybersecurity, backup, or advanced automation modules. The onboarding investment is real: misconfigured automation policies can create alert noise or missed patches, so initial setup quality matters. Some users on third-party review platforms cite the support experience as inconsistent during high-volume periods. The interface, while improving, has legacy UX in certain modules that newer competitors have left behind.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Backblaze or Connectwise better for small businesses?
- For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Connectwise on overall SMB fit (9/10 vs 6/10), 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 Backblaze and Connectwise?
- Backblaze offers paid plans from about $8/mo. Connectwise offers custom / contact-sales pricing. Always confirm current plans on each vendor's website before you commit.
- When should I choose Backblaze over Connectwise?
- Backblaze is a strong fit for Backblaze is a strong fit for small businesses where most critical data lives on employee laptops and desktops rather than on servers.…. Lean toward Connectwise if you need ConnectWise is best suited for managed service providers of any size—from a three-person shop scaling to 50 clients up to a mid-market MSP….
Read the full profiles: Backblaze · Connectwise · All Security tools