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User profile for user: proabhinav
proabhinav Author
User level: Level 1
13 points

Help - Time Machine Vs Online backup apps like Carbon Copy Cleaner ?

Dear All


Am new to this and have been using time machine since the start of my Mac days. Luckily everything has been fine and it never ditched me and hope it continues to be :)


But still, I would like to have a backup plan and was hoping if the community can advice me on:


1). Does online backup solutions like CCC or SuperDuper/BB etc are good alternatives to TM. Do they actually work in similar ways like TM. Whenever I needed TM to restore or move to my new laptops, it copied every file and settings as I was using with previous mac. This was amazing and very useful. Will CCC or SuperDupe work like this?


2). Which application CCC or SuperDuper etc. would you advice me to take subscription off.


3). Is my data secure with these third party apps/solutions. Would have been great if TM was a cloud solution, I wouldn't have minded paying same amount to Apple, having more confidence that my data is secure with them.


4). Lastly, is ICloud/ Icloud Drive sufficient for what am trying to achieve here. if Icloud auto backup also includes backing up settings, apps and data both, then I shouldnt worry about any of the subscriptions apps right ? I have 128 GB Mac Air.


Possibly, these are basic questions but will help if someone can advice me. Any suggestions.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Nov 18, 2020 2:08 PM

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
472,257 points

Posted on Nov 18, 2020 2:16 PM

Carbon Copy Cloner is not an online backup service. It backups to an external drive like Time Machine does (or to another Mac). See information in https://bombich.com/


I use both Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner and also use Carbonite for offsite backup in case fire or theft destroys my Mac and my external drives. (and iCloud Photos for similar reasons and for syncing photos to other devices).


Apple offers iCloud Backup for iPhones and iPads but not for Mac computers.


It is possible to sync data from a Mac to iCloud if you turn on those options (e.g., iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive including the Desktop & Documents option). Syncing has some of the benefits of a backup (and the benefit of being offsite) but is not the same as a backup. Major differences include the fact that not everything on your Mac can be synced and the fact that if you delete something, accidentally or otherwise, there is only a limited time period (30 days in most cases) during which it can be recovered.


Also see: How to back up your Mac - Official Apple Support


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

iCloud Drive FAQ - Apple Support

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User profile for user: FoxFifth
FoxFifth
User level: Level 10
472,257 points

Nov 18, 2020 2:16 PM in response to proabhinav

Carbon Copy Cloner is not an online backup service. It backups to an external drive like Time Machine does (or to another Mac). See information in https://bombich.com/


I use both Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner and also use Carbonite for offsite backup in case fire or theft destroys my Mac and my external drives. (and iCloud Photos for similar reasons and for syncing photos to other devices).


Apple offers iCloud Backup for iPhones and iPads but not for Mac computers.


It is possible to sync data from a Mac to iCloud if you turn on those options (e.g., iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive including the Desktop & Documents option). Syncing has some of the benefits of a backup (and the benefit of being offsite) but is not the same as a backup. Major differences include the fact that not everything on your Mac can be synced and the fact that if you delete something, accidentally or otherwise, there is only a limited time period (30 days in most cases) during which it can be recovered.


Also see: How to back up your Mac - Official Apple Support


And more information on syncing in:

Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

and

iCloud Drive FAQ - Apple Support

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User profile for user: babowa
babowa
User level: Level 9
78,429 points

Nov 18, 2020 2:32 PM in response to proabhinav

I use CarbonCopyCloner to make bootable backups frequently. If there is a major problem, I simply boot into CCC on the external drive, wipe my internal and clone everything back. Easy solution.


Personally, I do not trust any online server to keep my private information safe, so I choose not to use online backups.

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User profile for user: proabhinav
proabhinav Author
User level: Level 1
13 points

Nov 18, 2020 2:46 PM in response to FoxFifth

Thank You FoxFifth.


Your response was helpful and believe it helped me see a few things I overlooked.


So, if I understand correctly, for CCC or SuperDuper etc. , I will still need an external HDD or SSD.


Q1). Also, CCC will ultimately backs all the data to these external HDD or SSD only ? Will CCC also keep an online copy in their server ? - I guess not, still your advice will help.


Q2). Also, learnt Carbonite from your post and checked, if your response to Q1 is Yes, am I right to assume there isn't much of a difference between CCC and Carbonite because both keep online copy and both also can back up data to external drives ?


Thanks in advance :)

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Help - Time Machine Vs Online backup apps like Carbon Copy Cleaner ?

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