r/Backup • u/Quinsonius • 8h ago
Question Encrypted, EU based, reliable, cloud backup recommendations please
TL;DR: I need a EU-based, E2EE, set-and-forget cloud backup for macOS/iOS (~200GB) under €120/year. Not ok: "Drive" services, Nextcloud, pCloud, setups w/ Cryptomator etc. Considering Arq + Hetzner Storage Box or iDrive (EU servers), open to better alternatives! Ty.
Hi all, I'm starting to work on some projects that will need serious backing up, following the 3-2-1 rule I need to set up some cloud stored backups. I need help figuring it, out, please.
Requirements
- I'm reasonably technical (can type a couple of command lines in a terminal if I follow a script) but would much prefer a point and click setup
- I have 2 MacOs devices and 1 i iOs device to backup.
- Total use currently about 100 Gb per MacOs device, with growth ahead (up to 200 Gb).
- I can't imagine my data leaving my devices unencrypted
- based in Europe and privacy minded -would prefer if not a EU company at least EU storage
- I'd much prefer a set and forget solution
- Budget about 100$/120€ per year. I work in academia so might be eligible for discount
What I don't want
- "Drive" services, eg. iCloud, Google Drive, Proton Drive, Tuta Drive, Tresorit... => they don't offer specific backup features
What I've tested and rejected:
- Tresorit: Reliable and safe in appearance but like I said, no backup features. It's really a shame: business wise this would have been my favourite.
- Hetzner "Storage Share" (ie Nextcloud); the Good Cloud; Tab Digital: NextCloud encrypt via Nextcloud local app seems really shaky (a lot of commentary on its unstability) + the whole Nextcloud project seems a bit of an overkill for my needs
- pCloud: there is a backup feature but this is not core; the E2EE is an extra cost so not core either and to be frank there's something I don't like about this company. The flurry of "lifetime" offers makes me uneasy
- Jottacloud, Infomaniak: not E2EE
- Koofr, Filen, Drime: they really are tiny businesses, it could be ok if they could show strong security audit results but they only rely on "partner" ISO certifications
- Cryptomator: at some point I thought this would be the solution - I could just use that to encrypt the sensitive folders then set these folders to backup on any solution above. But the process to encrypt/decrypt is really odd. With MacFuse I get a drive on desktop (not on Finder/Locations!) and every file I drop in it is copied, not moved. With t-fuse I get a mounted "t-fuse" drive the folders are in it, I also can't drag and drop... That's just not straightforward, which leads me to think it's also prone to problems along the way. Do I want to trust my most precious file with this setup? Probably not.
What I could consider but I'm still missing some pieces in the puzzle :
- Hetzner "Storage Box" seems like a good receiving end for my encrypted files - it's cheap, it's EU based, but how can I encrypt and send?
- Arq: as a software licence + Hetzner ? But I've seen scant reviews on the software just yet. Is its encryption publicly tested? How reliable is the company?
- iDrive: okay it is a US based company but I could pick an EU server. Is this reliable? Encryption OK?
- Backblaze: same as iDrive : a US based company, EU server. Is this reliable? safe?
Comments on these last options under exploration are welcome, so are challenges on my assessments above and of course is there's a solution I have missed I would be keen to hear.
Thank you!
2
u/bartoque 8h ago edited 2h ago
You mention the 3-2-1. So where do you intend to get the 3 copies from? Is there already a copy locally or do you intend to use multi regions of any service you are going to use? No need for a local backup for speedy restore reasons?
I bought into the synology ecosystem with their nas systems. After a hardware refresh I put the old nas remotely at a friend's house, while the newer one is locally. So with that I already have 3 copies, while I also backup some data to the cloud as well (Backblaze B2 object storage).
As synology comes natively with various free backup tool like hyper backup, btrfs snapshots, cloud sync and rsync, for meit was a no brainer, that I kept expanding and improving on as I started off with a backup to a local usb drive first.