CrashPlan alternative for small business: Tornova Backup vs CrashPlan
CrashPlan today is a business backup service sold per user, with admin controls, long version histories and enterprise options. Tornova Backup is a Windows cloud backup with a Personal account and an Organization model for small teams. This page compares them with sources and dates, and is plain about where CrashPlan offers more.
The short answer
- Choose CrashPlan if you are a business that needs a mature per-user backup across Windows, Mac and Linux, long default version histories, SSO, compliance attestations (it lists SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001) and an admin console built for IT teams.
- Choose Tornova Backup if you run a Windows-based team and want Organization, Team and device visibility, separate backup and restore permissions, a Restore Lock and Emergency Stop at a smaller scale, with storage-based plans.
- CrashPlan no longer offers a consumer or home plan on the pages we read, so for an individual with a home PC the comparison does not apply.
What CrashPlan is designed for
CrashPlan describes its audience as small and medium-sized businesses, enterprises and managed service providers. Its pricing page offers backup for endpoints (laptops and desktops), servers, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with an online plan for fewer than 250 users. Older plan names such as CrashPlan for Small Business and CrashPlan Essential are marked legacy and no longer available for new purchase. The app backs up your home directory by default, watches the file system in real time and supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Source: CrashPlan's own pages and support articles, read on 16 October 2026 (listed below).
What Tornova Backup does today
Tornova Backup protects the files, folders and drives you select on Windows PCs. Organizations get an Organization Admin, optional Teams and Team Admins, user and device management, shared or per-user storage, backup health visibility, separate restore permission, a Restore Lock and Emergency Stop. See Organization backup and the small-business guide.
Side by side
Tornova Backup and CrashPlan, facts as of 16 October 2026
| Tornova Backup | CrashPlan (business) |
|---|
| Audience | Individuals and small organizations | Businesses, enterprises and managed service providers; no consumer plan on its pages |
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| Platforms | Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11, 64-bit | Windows 11 and Windows Server, macOS, Linux (Windows 10 is no longer supported) |
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| Licensing | Storage-based plans; Organization per-user storage and user count | Per user (Endpoints), per server, or per user for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace |
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| What is protected | Files, folders and drives you add; not a system image | Home directory by default, with paths added or excluded by admins; network drives and NAS not supported |
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| Scheduling | Automatic Backup, Smart Backup, Back Up Now | Real-time file watching with a backup frequency setting and run windows |
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| Earlier versions and deleted files | Optional versioning (3, 10 or 50 versions, off by default) | Default version schedule from every 15 minutes in the last week to monthly after a year; deleted files kept up to 90 days on Endpoint |
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| Restore | Website selection, completed by Tornova App; Keep both, Skip or Replace | App restore; web ZIP restore within a size limit; admin-pushed restores; no drive shipment |
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| Security | Encrypted in transit and at rest; optional MFA; restore permissions; Restore Lock; Emergency Stop | AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2 in transit; keys escrowed by default; 2FA; SSO; SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001 |
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| Data location | United States (Microsoft Azure) | US-based by default; other locations on request |
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| Pricing and terms | Plans defined by storage; trial; monthly payment always available | Endpoints listed at $88 per user per year or $158 for two years (USD); 14-day trial with a card; subscriptions non-refundable |
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CrashPlan's pages disagree on storage: the small-business page says unlimited cloud storage for endpoints, while its main pricing FAQ mentions 50 GB pooled per user, so confirm which applies before you buy. Tornova's plans are on the Pricing page.
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 CrashPlan, as of 16 October 2026
| Tornova Backup | CrashPlan |
|---|
| 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 | An admin console for the whole organization (business product). |
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| Organization and team administration | Organization Admin, optional Teams and Team Admins with a scoped view, a Users & Teams page, shared or per-user storage | Per-user licensing with administrator roles; SSO on Endpoint, Enterprise and MSP plans. |
|---|
| 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 | Admins can disable web (ZIP) restores and push a restore to a device. A separate restore permission with several gates is not described in the pages we read. |
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| 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. |
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| Stopping backups quickly | Backup can be turned off for a user; Emergency Stop stops backup activity for the whole organization and is resumed manually | Admins set when backup runs (always, or between chosen times). An emergency stop is not described in the pages we read. |
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Where CrashPlan may fit better
- You have Macs or Linux machines to protect as well as Windows.
- You need SSO, compliance attestations, a long default version history or SaaS backup.
- You manage a larger team and want an IT-oriented admin console with per-user licensing.
Where Tornova Backup may fit better
- You run a small, Windows-based team and want a simple Organization, Team and device structure.
- You want backup and restore to be separate permissions, with a Restore Lock and Emergency Stop.
- You want to pay for storage and users in a model you can read, with monthly payment and a trial.
Tornova's limits: Windows only, an early release, self-serve plans up to 100 GB per plan (more by arrangement), US hosting, no SSO, no Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup, no compliance attestations to cite and no system image.
Frequently asked questions
Does CrashPlan still offer a home plan?
Not on the pages we read on 16 October 2026: its plans are for businesses. Individuals looking for a home backup should compare consumer services.
Can Tornova Backup replace CrashPlan for a small business?
If your computers are Windows PCs and your needs are Organization and Team backup with restore permissions, it may. If you need Mac, Linux, SSO or SaaS backup, it does not cover them today.
Does Tornova offer unlimited storage?
No. Tornova plans are defined by storage, with custom plans above 100 GB.
Is this page affiliated with CrashPlan?
No. It is published by the maker of Tornova Backup and based on CrashPlan's published pages. Tornova is not affiliated with CrashPlan.
Sources and as-of dates
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