Best Backup for Nonprofits in 2025
Nonprofits handle a lot of sensitive data that requires reliable storage and protection. If you’re looking for the best backup for nonprofits, here are five options that offer free or discounted plans, strong security, and large, business-scale storage limits.
Written by Rebecca White (Writer)
Reviewed by Kate Hawkins (Editor, Writer)
Facts checked by Simona Ivanovski (Fact-Checker, Formatter)
Last Updated:
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: These Are the Best Backup for Nonprofits
- IDrive — Creates backups of an unlimited number of devices. Get 50% off its 5TB and 10TB personal plans, and the 250GB, 5TB and 50TB business plans.
- Box — Nonprofits start with 100GB free, or 50% off Business, Business Plus, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus plans, all with unlimited storage.
- Internxt — Privacy-focused backups with post-quantum client-side encryption. Eligible nonprofits get off.
- Carbonite — Uses a simple interface for creating and managing backups. Nonprofits can get a discount.
- pCloud — Has a lifetime plan that nonprofits can use for long-term storage. Get its 2TB family plan at 33% off.
Facts & Expert Analysis About Nonprofit Backup Services:
- Backups for businesses: Many nonprofits work with confidential information that needs secure storage. Local storage introduces a risk of physical damage or theft and offers limited storage scalability. Business-appropriate cloud backups have stronger security, better data stability and customizable storage capacities.
- Strong data security: To keep confidential information safe and avoid data loss, look for software providers that offer client-side encryption and compliance with strong privacy laws, such as the GDPR. Role-based sharing tools ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive files.
- Automatic syncing and file versioning: Nonprofits rely on remote teams and volunteers to perform a variety of tasks. Automatic backup scheduling, real-time syncing and granular file versioning help prevent data loss and ensure everyone is working with up-to-date information.
Secure data management is a critical aspect for nonprofits, as they regularly handle sensitive information. Without a reliable backup system, you risk data loss through hardware failures or cyberattacks. The best backup for nonprofits automatically stores copies of your files in secure, off-site locations.
We’ve researched which services offer the best nonprofit discounts, file storage, security and productivity tools. The best option is IDrive, which also ranks as our favorite in our selection of the best cloud backup services. It offers a 50% discount for nonprofits, can be installed on any number of devices, and provides client-side encryption.
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04/14/2022 Facts checked
Updated to reflect changes in the backup services and deals for nonprofits.
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07/25/2022 Facts checked
Updated to reflect an increase in IDrive’s free plan to 10GB of storage.
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07/02/2025 Facts checked
We updated the article to account for changes in what service providers offer.
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08/24/2025 Facts checked
We’ve rewritten our article to focus on services offering discounts for nonprofits and retested providers to see how easy it is to create backups.
Cloudwards’ Choice: IDrive
Cloudwards’ Choice: IDrive
My top recommendation for a backup service for nonprofits is IDrive. With the special offer of 50% off, it’s just $39.75 per year ($3.31 per month) for 5TB of storage, and it can efficiently store backups from multiple devices at once. I installed IDrive on a handful of my own devices, and I like that it clearly indicates where my data has been backed up from.
The 5 Best Data Backup for Non-Profit Organizations
| Service: | Free Storage | Nonprofit Discount | Server Locations | EE2E* | Online Collaboration | Advanced Sharing | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 10GB | 50% off select personal & business plans | Worldwide | None | AES-256, TLS/SSL | ||
 | 100GB (nonprofits only) | 100GB free, or off Unlimited GB plans | Worldwide | Microsoft Office, Google Workspace | AES-256, TLS/SSL | ||
 | 1GB | off plans | U.S., EU | None | Post-quantum Kyber-512, TLS/SSL | ||
 | None | off plans | Worldwide | None | AES-128, TLS/SSL | ||
 | 10GB | None. Best deal: $595 for life, Family 2TB plan | U.S., EU | ** | None | AES-256, TLS/SSL |
**Encrypted folder option
Our Methodology: How We Tested the Best Non-for-Profit Backup Software
Creating backups is essential to preventing data loss. However, nonprofit team members often perform multiple jobs at once, so cloud storage solutions need to be low maintenance to avoid disrupting operations. We tested multiple services for usability, security and price to find the best ones for nonprofits, keeping the following points in mind.
- Affordability: With tight budgets, nonprofit organizations need a flexible and affordable cloud backup solution. We assessed value based on price and features, as well as nonprofit discounts.
- Strong security: Nonprofits need to safely and efficiently back up client files. We checked for client-side and AES 256-bit encryption, as well as compliance with privacy laws.
- Backup features: Backups should take place frequently for optimal data security. To help with this, we picked services that have automatic backups, with some allowing custom scheduling. We also looked for incremental and block-level backups, which upload specific parts of the files that have changed, reducing computational load.
- Reliability: Backups need to be reliable. We tested each backup’s file versioning feature to see if we could revert any changes made in the event of a disaster.
- Ease of use: For nonprofits with non-technical volunteers or even remote teams, it’s important to have a backup service that anyone can set up and use. We tested each service’s user interface, along with role-based access and centralized management controls and tools designed to help with user organization and operations.
- Speed & Performance: A backup service should run in the background without disrupting your work. We tested each backup service’s upload and download speeds with a 5GB folder of mixed media, with speeds restricted to 100Mbps. We also looked at CPU usage, to see how lightweight each service is.
Online Backup vs Cloud Storage for Nonprofits
While the focus of this article is on cloud backup, we’ve also included a few cloud storage solutions, as not many backup tools offer nonprofit discounts.
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To supplement the list, we included some cloud storage providers that offer backup features. Cloud storage may also be a stronger option overall for long-term nonprofit needs, as some providers offer lifetime deals. This can cut down on recurring costs, which is more budget-friendly for small but long-standing nonprofits.
1. IDrive— Best Cloud Backup for Nonprofits
IDrive is our favorite backup solution for nonprofits because it supports unlimited device backups on one account, all of which are protected by client-side encryption. On top of this, IDrive offers a 50% discount to nonprofits. To apply, nonprofits can send supporting documents to IDrive’s customer support team.
It lets you back up Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android devices, as well as external hard drives. For larger organizations, IDrive supports network-attached storage (NAS) backups. You can configure IDrive to back up specific files — which is useful if you need to save only certain documents — or save the whole system in an image-based backup.
IDrive Hands-On Testing
There are multiple ways IDrive can back up your data. We tested both its sector-level disk cloning and its full machine backup and found the process easy to start. In an emergency, IDrive allows you to restore files from a specific point with its snapshot recovery and file versioning, which we found useful for reversing accidental changes.
Client-side encryption can be applied only during signup, so make sure it’s toggled on if you need that extra security. IDrive has many additional advanced options as well, such as optimizing CPU and network resources. We like that most features have helpful tool tips, and there are video tutorials to make it more accessible for beginner users.
Notes From the Lab: IDrive Speed Test Results (5GB Folder)
| Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload Speeds | 0:06:45 | 0:06:44 | 0:06:45 |
| Download Speeds | 0:06:50 | 0:07:06 | 0:06:58 |
IDrive has very fast upload and download speeds — topping the fastest cloud backup provider guide — with low CPU usage, so backups can run in the background without disrupting your workday.
Notes From the Lab: IDrive Security Analysis
| Encryption Type | Protocols Used |
|---|---|
| at rest | AES-256 |
| in transit | TLS/SSL |
IDrive Pricing & Value
Nonprofits can get a 50% discount on select personal or business IDrive plans. IDrive’s best value nonprofit deal is its 5TB personal plan for $39.75 per year. It supports one user, but you can install it on an unlimited number of devices. The discount also applies to the 10TB personal plan.
For nonprofits that need multi-user support, the discount also covers certain business plans, such as the 250GB, 5TB and 50TB plans — the largest storage option available. Take a closer look by trying IDrive’s 10GB free plan or by reading our IDrive review.`
- No credit card required.
- 10GB
- One user.
- 100GB
- One user, multiple computers. Plans starting from 5TB up to 100TB. Big discount for first-time signup.
- 5TB
More plans
- 5 computers, 5 users. Starting at 5TB up to 500TB. Big discount for first-time signup.
- 5TB
- Monthly Plan storage starts at 1.25TB up to 50TB Unlimited users, multiple computers and servers. NAS devices. 250GB storage. Starting at 250GB up to 50TB. Large discount for first-time signup.
- 250GB
- 5TB
2. Box — Best Unlimited Storage for Nonprofits
Box is our recommended choice for bigger nonprofits that need more space, with off its unlimited storage plans. Smaller organizations can benefit from its free 100GB nonprofit plan.
Although Box is predominantly a business cloud storage service, it does have backup features. Box uses file-level backup with automatic sync on its Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps — even offline edits will sync when you reconnect.
Box automatically backs up files when they’re changed – this means it’s always syncing files. This may be a better backup option if you need fast speeds, as it will sync small changes throughout the day instead of in one big upload.
Box Hands-On Testing
During testing, we discovered that automatic syncing works through the desktop and mobile apps, which you need to download to keep files continuously updated. However, the web client is useful for uploading individual files and making edits to existing documents. You can also view version history and download specific files or folders for recovery purposes.
Depending on the plan, Box allows either 25 file versions with Starter, 50 file versions with Business and Business Plus, 100 file versions with Enterprise, or unlimited versioning with Enterprise Plus.
We appreciate how intuitive the version history is. We also found it easy to upload new versions and restore the file to a previous state. In the event of a disaster, Box lets you download specific files from the web client or sync your whole storage from the app for recovery.
Notes From the Lab: Box Speed Test Results (5GB)
| Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload Speeds | 0:07:04 | 0:07:13 | 0:07:09 |
| Download Speeds | 0:07:47 | 0:07:25 | 0:07:36 |
Box’s uploads and downloads were relatively fast, with minimal CPU usage. However, its download speeds were a little unstable, which may be an issue for downloading large files.
Notes From the Lab: Box Security Analysis
| Encryption Type | Protocols Used |
|---|---|
| at rest | AES-256 |
| in transit | TLS/SSL |
Box Pricing & Value
While Box does offer a free plan for nonprofits with 100GB of storage, its best value is in its premium plans, which have unlimited storage.
Box offers nonprofits off premium plans, which include unlimited storage and third-party integrations such as Microsoft Office. We recommend the Business Plus plan, as it allows uploads of up to 15GB and unlimited external collaborators. Read our full Box review for an in-depth look at its features.
- Single user
- 10GB
- Single user
- 100GB
- Price per user, minimum of three users
- 100GB
More plans
- Users: No limit
- Unlimited GB
- Users: No limit
- Unlimited GB
- Users: No limit
- Unlimited GB
- Price shown is for one user; minimum 3 users
- Unlimited GB
3. Internxt — Best Secure Storage for Nonprofits
Internxt is a cloud storage service with backup features, which nonprofits will value for its security features. It uses post-quantum encryption standard Kyber-512, which is future-proofed against advances in encryption-breaking technology. This encryption is enabled client-side, meaning Internxt can never see the files you upload.
It offers a generous 50% discount for nonprofits “striving to make the internet a better place” – but the specific criteria aren’t defined. Nonprofits will need to reach out to Internxt to determine if they qualify.
Backup features are available on Internxt’s Windows, macOS and Linux apps. You can choose between a full backup, which saves complete files, or a faster incremental backup to update files that are already uploaded. This lets you customize your backup approach based on available storage and time.
Internxt Hands-On Testing
Since Internxt is primarily a cloud storage service, we were concerned that the backup features would be less prominent and make using its backup tools more complex. However, once we downloaded the desktop app, it was easy to choose which files we wanted to back up. We couldn’t set specific times for backups, but we could set backup intervals of one or six hours, or every day.
The web client doesn’t let you run backups — it backs up files only when changes are made. However, we still found the web client useful for keeping track of our connected devices, which is beneficial if team members or volunteers use more than one device.
You can create backups on as many devices as you want until you reach the storage limit. We like that you can view or delete these backups from the web client for any reason.
Notes From the Lab: Internxt Speed Test Results (5GB)
| Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload Speeds | 0:07:57 | 0:08:05 | 0:08:01 |
| Download Speeds | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | 0:09:28 |
Internxt’s speeds were fast, but the connection was more unstable with larger file sizes. It also used a moderate amount of CPU, so large backups may slow down your device.
Notes From the Lab: Internxt Security Analysis
| Encryption Type | Protocols Used |
|---|---|
| at rest | AES-256 & Kyber-512 |
| in transit | TLS/SSL |
Internxt Pricing & Value
Qualified nonprofits can get 50% off Internxt’s paid plans. Internxt’s annual business plans offer the best value for nonprofits: Each user gets 2TB of backup storage. If you don’t need that much space, you can opt for 1TB of storage.
Business plans also include user management, so you can organize your users into different teams. We like that this also includes a breakdown of how much backup space each member is using. Check out our Internxt review for more details on its features. You can also try Internxt’s 1GB free plan.
- 1GB
- Storage + VPN (FR), Antivirus, Backup & More
- 1TB
- Storage + VPN (FR, DE, PL), Antivirus, Backup & More
- 3TB
More plans
- Storage + VPN (FR, DE, PL, CA, UK), Antivirus, Backup & More
- 5TB
- Storage + VPN (FR, DE, PL), Antivirus, Backup & More
- 1TB
- Storage + VPN (FR, DE, PL, CA, UK), Antivirus, Backup & More
- 2TB
4. Carbonite — Best Simple Cloud Backup for Nonprofits
Carbonite is a more beginner-friendly backup service that’s suitable for nonprofits in need of a low-maintenance solution. It doesn’t come with many extra features, so the user-friendly interface is simpler than that of other choices on this list.
You can install Carbonite and run backups on up to 25 Windows or macOS devices, external drives and NAS servers, making it a good choice for larger nonprofits with a lot of devices to secure. For disaster recovery, Carbonite facilitates full and incremental bare-metal backups that allow you to save your entire system image and restore it later.
Carbonite Hands-On Testing
Carbonite has a simple interface that is geared toward beginners. It has no extra features besides backup, which may be beneficial if you prefer a more straightforward app. A blog and an FAQ section is available, and you can contact support from the desktop app. There’s even an app tutorial that you can refer to for help.
We like that Carbonite offers a choice between recommended and manual configuration during setup. If you’re not sure which files you need to back up, the default setup will automatically save your photos, music, videos, documents and emails. You can add files to your backup after setup even if you opt for the recommended configuration.
Notes From the Lab: Carbonite Speed Test Results (5GB)
| Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload Speeds | 0:07:57 | 0:08:05 | 0:08:01 |
| Download Speeds | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | 0:09:28 |
Carbonite’s speeds were the slowest on this list, and it also used more CPU power than other services. You’ll likely have to pause work on your device while backing up files.
Notes From the Lab: Carbonite Security Analysis
| Encryption Type | Protocols Used |
|---|---|
| at rest | AES-128 or AES-256 |
| in transit | TLS/SSL |
Carbonite Pricing & Value
Carbonite has a discount for nonprofits on its Core, Power and Ultimate Pro plans. The best value is its 500GB Power plan, which includes AES 256-bit encryption and bare metal image backups. It backs up only one server, though, so nonprofits with multiple servers should consider the 500GB Ultimate plan.
The Core plan is a cheaper alternative for smaller nonprofits, but it doesn’t allow bare metal backups. It also supports only 128-bit encryption, but this security standard is still strong enough to protect your data. Read our Carbonite review for more details on its security.
- Cheaper price with promo link
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited GB
More plans
- 250GB
- 500GB
- 500GB
5. pCloud — Best Lifetime Storage for Nonprofits
pCloud is a great choice for nonprofits that need lifetime storage with some basic backup functionality. Its one-time payment can benefit nonprofits that need long-term protection without monthly or annual fees. The service is compliant with GDPR regulations, though, so it’s still a good option for organizations that need strong privacy.
This service supports backups on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and any files you edit are synced at the block level. This means only the blocks that have changed in a file are updated, ensuring fast speeds. pCloud keeps previous file versions for up to 30 days if you need to revert any accidental changes made.
pCloud Hands-On Testing
Users won’t be able to set specific times to run backups because it happens continuously in the background. However, we like that pCloud’s apps automatically sync files, as this entails less maintenance. Because of this, we found the desktop and mobile apps more useful than the web client.
Additionally, pCloud can run automatic backups of your Facebook, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive accounts. This was easy to set up, and pCloud successfully backed up the photos we had saved. You can unlink these accounts at any time, and you can start and stop the backups whenever you want.
Notes From the Lab: pCloud Speed Test Results (5GB)
| Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload Speeds | 0:07:02 | 0:07:10 | 0:07:06 |
| Download Speeds | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | 0:06:52 |
pCloud’s upload and download speeds were fast, but they weren’t very stable. If you have larger files to upload, it may take longer than expected.
Notes From the Lab: pCloud Security Analysis
| Encryption Type | Protocols Used |
|---|---|
| at rest | AES-256 |
| in transit | TLS/SSL |
pCloud Pricing & Value
There are two family lifetime pCloud plans: a 2TB plan for $595 and a 10TB plan for $1499, both of which support up to five users. Lifetime client-side encryption costs an extra $150. We go over all the pros and cons in our pCloud review. You can also try the free 10GB pCloud plan.
- 10GB
- 500GB
- 2TB
More plans
- 10TB
- + FREE Encryption
- 2TB
- + FREE Encryption
- 10TB
- Price per user (minimum 3)
- 1TB
- Price per user (minimum 3)
- 2TB
- Encryption for pCloud Drive
Honorable Mentions
Although OneDrive and Google Workspace are cloud storage solutions, they also offer basic backup functionality, which earns them a place in our honorable mentions. These services have free plans for nonprofits — earning them a spot in our best cloud storage for nonprofits guide — that also allow you to back up and restore important files.
OneDrive
OneDrive is a great choice for nonprofits that need seamless collaboration. A free nonprofit account gets you 1TB of storage space. Although OneDrive is a cloud storage provider, its apps come with automatic folder sync, so you can use it to run backups. Business accounts can customize the number of saved file versions, depending on the available storage.
Prospective organizations can apply through Microsoft with appropriate documentation, such as a determination letter or your country’s equivalent. Check out our OneDrive review for more details.
- For one person
- 5GB
- 100GB
- Comes with Office 365 Personal
- 1TB
More plans
- Comes with Office 365 Home
- 6TB
- Price per user
- 1TB
- 1TB
- Price per user
- 1TB
Google Workspace
Google Workspace is the best free cloud storage option for nonprofits. Signing up gets you 100TB of cloud backup along with the entire Google Drive suite. Like OneDrive, it’s a cloud storage service that offers automatic file sync. It comes with indefinite file versioning on Docs and its other collaboration apps, which you can use to undo old changes.
Google provides transparent eligibility requirements, but there’s no clear estimation on how long the approval process takes. Organizations that need client-side encryption must apply for an Enterprise plan, and they’ll have to contact sales for a price quote. Our Google Workspace review has more information.
- 15GB
- per user / month, 1 year commitment
- 30GB
- per user / month, 1 year commitment
- 2TB
More plans
- *100TB shared across all users
- 100TB
- per user / month, 1 year commitment
- 5TB
Final Thoughts
With all the critical information nonprofit organizations collect, they need secure and stable backups. The best backup services for nonprofits have automatic syncing and file versioning. Our favorite choice is IDrive, which offers a 50% discount on plans, so you can get a 5TB plan for $39.75 per year.
What is your favorite cloud backup service? Have you tried any of the ones on this list? Which features do you think are most important for nonprofit organizations? Leave a comment for us below, and thank you for reading.
FAQ: The Best Nonprofit Backup Services
The 3-2-2 backup rule means that you create three copies of data, save it to two different storage mediums and store it in two different locations. It’s an upgrade of the common 3-2-1 rule, which requires three copies of data, stored locally on two devices with one copy stored offsite. The 3-2-2 method introduces greater data redundancy, which offers better security.
The best backup strategy for nonprofits is the 3-2-2 backup rule. This protects sensitive data and lowers the risk of data loss.