Backblaze alternative for Windows: Tornova Backup vs Backblaze
Backblaze Computer Backup and Tornova Backup both back up Windows PCs to the cloud, but they are built differently. Backblaze protects the whole computer by default and charges per computer. Tornova protects the files, folders and drives you choose, with plans defined by storage. This page compares them with sources and dates, and says where each fits better.
The short answer
- Choose Backblaze if you want a set-and-forget backup of an entire Windows or Mac computer, including attached external drives, with no storage limit stated and a long track record.
- Choose Tornova Backup if you want to decide exactly which files, folders and drives are protected, prefer plans defined by storage rather than by computer, want Personal accounts with unlimited Windows devices, or need Organization features such as Teams, restore permissions and a Restore Lock.
- Neither makes a bootable system image you can restore a whole Windows installation from. If you need that, look at tools built for disk imaging.
What Backblaze Computer Backup is designed for
Backblaze describes its Computer Backup as unlimited cloud backup for Mac and PC with a native client that backs up continuously in the background after one installation. By default it is designed to back up the entire computer: everything in your user profiles and attached drives is included unless you exclude it, so selection works by exclusion, with some types excluded by default (for example operating system and application files, and network drives). The service is billed per computer. Source: Backblaze's own pages, read on 16 October 2026 (listed below).
Backblaze also sells a Business Backup product with Groups and a central admin console, and offers restores by download or by mailed USB drive for a fee.
What Tornova Backup does today
Tornova Backup protects the files, folders and drives you add to a Backup Set, from Windows PCs, to cloud storage on Microsoft Azure. Backups run when you choose Back Up Now, on an Automatic Backup schedule (daily, weekly or monthly), or through Smart Backup, which checks once per day, week or month and sends only new and changed files. Restore is chosen on the website and completed on the PC by Tornova App. Plans are defined by storage, and a Personal account can protect unlimited Windows devices. See Features and Pricing.
Side by side
Tornova Backup and Backblaze Computer Backup, facts as of 16 October 2026
| Tornova Backup | Backblaze Computer Backup |
|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11, 64-bit | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) and macOS; no Linux client listed |
|---|
| What is protected | The files, folders and drives you select; not a system image | The whole computer by default (selection by exclusion); not a system image |
|---|
| Scheduling | Automatic Backup (daily, weekly, monthly at a set time), Smart Backup (day, week or month), Back Up Now | Continuous (roughly hourly cycles), once per day in a time window, or only when you click Backup Now |
|---|
| Earlier versions and deleted files | Versioning is optional (keep 3, 10 or 50 versions, off by default); deleting a file on the PC does not delete the cloud copy | 30 days of version history by default; one year option at no storage charge; a longer option billed per GB; removed files expire after the retention window |
|---|
| External drives | Add a drive to the Backup Set | Included; a drive disconnected for more than 30 days is treated as deleted |
|---|
| Restore | Select on the website; Tornova App restores to your PC; small selections can be downloaded; Keep both, Skip or Replace for name clashes | Free ZIP download, Restore App, or a USB hard drive by mail for a fee (refundable if returned within 30 days) |
|---|
| Security | Encrypted in transit and at rest; optional MFA; restore permission separate from backup; client-side encryption not available | HTTPS in transit; per-session encryption keys; optional Private Encryption Key (not recommended by Backblaze; unrecoverable if lost); 2FA options |
|---|
| Devices and licensing | Personal: unlimited Windows devices, plan defined by storage | One licence per computer; no maximum stated |
|---|
| Plans | Storage plans from 5 to 100 GB, custom plans above; trial available; see Pricing | Listed at $9 per month, $99 per year or $189 for two years per computer, with a 15-day trial (currency not named on the page) |
|---|
| Where data is stored | United States (Microsoft Azure), accessible worldwide | US East, US West, EU Central (Amsterdam) or Canada East, chosen at account creation |
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| Business features | Organization, Teams, Team Admins, restore permissions, Restore Lock, Emergency Stop | Groups, central admin console, SSO, legal hold |
|---|
Overview and control: where Tornova is built to stand out
Tornova Backup is designed so that you can see at a glance whether your files are protected, and so that an organization stays in control of backup and restore. These parts come with the product itself.
The Tornova Windows app opens on an overview: connection, last and next backup, storage used, files protected, devices and recent activity (screenshot with sample data).
On every PC (Personal and Organization). The Home page of the Tornova Windows app answers "am I protected?" at a glance, with Back Up Now one click away. Activity keeps the history of backups and restores with their results.
The Organization overview on the website: members, teams, registered devices, plan and storage, Emergency Stop and Restore Lock status, and the backups that need attention.
For organizations. The Organization overview answers "Are my backups healthy? What needs my attention?" for the whole organization, and the controls behind it are simple:
- Simple administration. On Users & Teams you add a user, choose a role, a team and permissions. Team Admins see and manage only their own team.
- Control over backup. An Organization Admin can turn backup off for a user, and that person's Windows app says so.
- Control over restore, in three gates. The Organization Restore Lock, the Team Restore Lock and each user's own restore permission must all allow a restore. Backup permission and restore permission are separate, and business accounts start with Restore Lock on.
- Restore progress and logs. A restore shows as Ready, Restoring and Completed (or Failed, with the reason) in the Windows app and in Activity.
- Emergency Stop. One Organization-level control stops backup activity across the organization if something serious happens; resuming is a deliberate manual step.
The table compares these areas as each vendor describes them on its own pages (read on 16 October 2026). Where a feature is not mentioned we say so: that means we did not find it in the pages we read, not that it does not exist.
Overview and control: Tornova Backup and Backblaze, as of 16 October 2026
| Tornova Backup | Backblaze |
|---|
| Overview of backup status and devices | Windows app Home and website Overview: connection status, last and next backup, storage used, files protected, devices and recent activity; the Organization overview adds members, teams, plan, Restore Lock and Emergency Stop status | Business Backup: a central admin console for backups, restores, retention and compliance. Personal: not described in the pages we read. |
|---|
| Organization and team administration | Organization Admin, optional Teams and Team Admins with a scoped view, a Users & Teams page, shared or per-user storage | Business Backup: Groups (users organized by team, department or location, with delegated access and policies). |
|---|
| Control over who can restore | Three gates: Organization Restore Lock, Team Restore Lock and each user's restore permission; backup permission and restore permission are separate | Enterprise Control (granted by Backblaze Sales or Support): admins can restore on behalf of members and block members from buying hard-drive restores. A three-level restore gate is not described in the pages we read. |
|---|
| Restore progress and history | Restore status (Ready, Restoring, Completed or Failed) in the app and in Activity; Activity keeps the history of backups and restores | Not described in the pages we read. |
|---|
| Stopping backups quickly | Backup can be turned off for a user; Emergency Stop stops backup activity for the whole organization and is resumed manually | Backup can be paused and resumed on the computer. An organization-wide emergency stop is not described in the pages we read. |
|---|
Where Backblaze may fit better
- You want everything on the computer protected without choosing folders.
- You use a Mac as well as Windows, or need EU or Canadian data regions.
- You have a lot of data and want the "no limit" model Backblaze describes (read its conditions: drives must be reconnected, and deleted files expire after the retention window).
- You want the option of a physical drive delivered for a large restore.
- You prefer an established provider that is publicly listed and has a long track record.
Where Tornova Backup may fit better
- You want to choose exactly what is protected, and to keep storage use predictable.
- You want a storage-based plan that covers every Windows PC in a household instead of a licence per computer.
- You want a restore flow that is selected on the website and checked by account permissions, optional two-step verification and, for Organizations, a Restore Lock.
- You manage a small team and want Organization, Team and device visibility in one place.
- You want to start with a small paid trial that does not renew by itself.
Be aware of Tornova's limits as well: it is Windows only today, an early release, self-serve plans go up to 100 GB (more by arrangement), data is hosted in the United States, and there is no system-image backup, mailed-drive restore or client-side encryption.
How to decide
- Write down what you cannot lose and how large it is. Compare with the plan limits and model of each service.
- Decide whether you want everything protected by default or only what you choose.
- Check the restore path you will actually use, and test it during the trial.
- Compare the total cost for the number of computers you have over the period you will use it.
- Read the current terms on each vendor's site; prices and rules change.
The buyer's checklist turns this into questions to ask any provider.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tornova Backup a good Backblaze alternative?
It is a different design: files, folders and drives you choose, storage-based plans and Organization controls. Whether it is better depends on what you want to protect and how you want to pay.
Does Tornova Backup have unlimited storage like Backblaze?
No. Tornova plans are defined by storage, with self-serve plans up to 100 GB and custom plans above. Backblaze describes its Computer Backup as having no limit on data volume, with the conditions shown above.
Can I try Tornova before paying for a plan?
Yes. A low-cost paid trial is available that does not renew automatically. See Trials.
Does either service back up my whole Windows installation?
Neither is a system-image tool. Both restore files. For whole-system restore, use a tool designed for disk images.
Do Tornova and Backblaze appear because of a partnership?
No. Tornova is not affiliated with Backblaze. This page is a vendor's comparison built from Backblaze's published documentation.
Sources and as-of dates
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