Backblaze vs Proton
A side-by-side comparison of two security tools for small businesses.
Bottom line
For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Proton 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 | Backblaze | Proton |
|---|---|---|
| SMB score | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Starting price | From $8/seat/mo | — |
| 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. | Proton fits small businesses that handle sensitive client information, such as legal, financial, medical, or consulting firms, and want one affordable subscription to replace Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 with a privacy-first alternative. It also works well for solo operators and small teams who want professional custom-domain email without paying enterprise prices. |
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.
Proton
Proton gives your business end-to-end encrypted email, file storage, VPN, and password management under one account starting at $0.
Proton started in 2014 when scientists at CERN built a privacy-first alternative to Google and Microsoft. Today, over 100 million users and 100,000 businesses trust it. The free plan includes encrypted email, calendar, cloud storage, and VPN access with no ads and no data selling…
Key features
- End-to-end encrypted email with support for custom domains
- 500 GB encrypted cloud storage with document and spreadsheet editing
- VPN with 15,000 servers in 120 countries and 10 simultaneous connections
- Encrypted password manager with 2FA authenticator built in
- Dark web monitoring that alerts you when your email appears in a data breach
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Backblaze or Proton better for small businesses?
- For most small businesses, Backblaze edges out Proton 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 Backblaze and Proton?
- Backblaze offers paid plans from about $8/mo. Proton offers a free tier or trial. Always confirm current plans on each vendor's website before you commit.
- When should I choose Backblaze over Proton?
- 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 Proton if you need Proton fits small businesses that handle sensitive client information, such as legal, financial, medical, or consulting firms, and want one….
Read the full profiles: Backblaze · Proton · All Security tools