CNET Editors' review
Instead of mucking around with removable media, Crashplan offers up a distinct alternative. Banking on ubiquitous high-speed Internet access and more than one computer per household, this service allows you to back up your entire computer to as many discreet locations as you can manage. This includes Crashplan's servers, a second PC of yours, or even your friend's computer.
Designed for PCs and Macs, Crashplan's backups are encrypted before they're sent out. The backup process runs effortlessly in the background over a high-speed network, but we wouldn't recommend it to anyone still on a dial-up modem. The simple and intuitive interface makes preference changes easy, whether you're adding or dropping files from the backup process or choosing a new backup location.
The benefit of off-site safety and security could potentially save you thousands of dollars, as anyone who has had to salvage a fire-damaged hard drive knows. Crashplan charges 10 cents per gigabyte per month to use their servers, but the company discourages this option. Given the ever-dropping cost of memory and storage drives, Crashplan may not be the wave of the future, but it's nice to have a choice for backing up essential files other than shelling out for yet another hard drive.
Publisher's Description
From Code 42 Software:
Only CrashPlan offers local and online backup that's automatic, secure and cross-platform. Whether you need to back up one laptop at home or up to 10 for the family, CrashPlan delivers multi-destination protection that maximizes convenience, flexibility and rapid restores. It's free to back up locally and to friends and family, and it's just a few dollars a month for unlimited online backup with a CrashPlan Central subscription. Unlimited online backup. Individual Unlimited Plan as low as $3.50/month. Family Unlimited Plan as low as $5/month.
What's new in this version: Version 3.03 includes flexible backup sets and more performance enhancements.
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All versions:
3.4 starsout of 31 votes
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Current version:
1.9 starsout of 8 votes
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My rating:
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Results 1-8 of 8
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"Puzzling to me"
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
Fairly easy to set up; restoring files is easy; works well on Macs
Cons
You need to be VERY careful using this system.
For some reason, when you tell Crashplan to stop backing up a particular folder, it ERASES THAT FOLDER from their records. I can't understand this. If I am done with a particular project, their system doesn't have to back up that folder any more. But I definitely don't want the existing backup erased!! Their reasoning just doesn't make sense to me.
Plus, the warning they give you after you uncheck a folder is in small, gray type and very easy to miss. So you can inadvertently erase something you really need, just because you asked their system to no longer scan a folder for newly modified files.Summary
Not a bad system, so long as you never change the list of folders that you want backed up.
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"Buggy, terrible support, doesn't work."
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
Unlimited space
Cons
Doesn't work 90% of the time. Support never contacts you. Awful customer service. Try another product.
Summary
I would advise seeking another product before using crash plan. It crashes so much you need an alternate plan...
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"Slow, unintuitive, drive letters cause problems"
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
If CP did what it said on the tin, simply, quickly, with good interface, that would be great.
Cons
Copes poorly with external disk drives. You must reassign letters to the backups to/from before you start - if that's in the instructions then I missed it. It should be flagged up as a key task, or solved another way, because unless you reassign letters, CP will start new back up to anything that you plug in - pens, SD cards, etc.
Slow - initial backup took days. Following backups confusing - never seemed to complete - always some GB 'to do'. Couldn't tell if that mattered.
Scheduling didn't seem to work.
Overall - interface not intuitive for non-techie. I need something that's easy to use, and works.Summary
Good idea - poorly executed.
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"great deal - until you need it!"
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
cheap
unlimited dataCons
can't restore
Summary
I used crashplan for almost a year, until one day I needed to restore from my "backup". Incredibly, I found I could not. And the "help" was pathetic. Do not use unless you test the backup regularly.
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"Slow upload, buggy code, bad support."
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
Good idea.
Cons
- you don't know how slow the upload is until you pay for it
- the support is very slow to respond, and not competent nor helpful
- the code is buggy, it has filled up my drive with crap upon reinstall (around 100GB of crap!) I'd not like to try restoring a backup to realise that does not work well either.
- you're put on an auto-resubscribe plan right away!!!Summary
not recommended.
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"Great so far"
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
The install was simple. At first, I did have a slow upload but changing a few settings boosted my upload speed. They have it set very low so it works well with other applications. By simply changing this setting, I was able to go from 4.7 days on 11.5 GB to 1.7 days and this is while I am on the PC. It should go faster when I am "away." For those who are worried about PC settings, there are help files out there that explain this better than a review. I am impressed with the cost. I just wanted a photo backup solution and I may have found it.
Cons
I wish I could back up my Iphone. I wish I could have the available access to backup another PC if I purchased another one without an additional charge.
Summary
They do offer a hard drive backup they send to you and then you send back to them. It is a strange deal but I suppose if you have a slow internet connection, at least you have your files backed up. The price tag is pretty high on it as well. For everything so far, I am going to rate it a 5.
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"Product Great When Working - Support Awful"
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
The product is great ... when it is working.
Cons
Service is awful. After hard drive replaced, CP did not recognize me as paid subscriber. First responder to my problem closed it as solved with no reply to me. Second sent helpful info but came up short. One response in 60 hours - problem persists.
Summary
Looks great until you need support
I really want to change this to 4 stars. Though it took so long to get the support, once CrashPlan support fully stepped up to the problem, it was resolved in 10 minutes by a very capable and polite support person.
Updated on Sep 23, 2011 -
"Product does not work, customer service is poor."
Version: CrashPlan 3.03
Pros
Great--if only it worked.
Cons
S u p e r s l o w . . . 38 GB in 11 days!
Summary
I started my free trial 11 days ago with 150 GB to upload. I have set all settings according to the company's recommendations & left my computer running 24/7. Yet in these 11 days it has only uploaded 38 GB & tells me it has 21.4 days to go.
This is the reply I got from tech support:
Unfortunately there is no way for us to be able to predict what your speeds to our servers will be. There are too many variables for us to be able to give any sort of "normal" amount of time to back up data. But from looking at your account it does appear that you have modified the settings to optimize the upload speed and you have been constantly uploading at this time. Since you have modified those settings, there is nothing else that we can do from our end to increase your speeds.
Have a great day,
~Michael
I have a strong feeling that only the people that work there are writing the highly rated reviews seen here and putting "thumbs down" on the low rated ones. After all, how would it not be helpful to hear about other people's issues when you are considering a purchase?
Results 1-8 of 8
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