Head-to-head

Acronis vs IDrive

The power-user duel. Both do disk images and hybrid backup. One adds security, the other adds terabytes.

Some links on this site pay us a small commission if you buy; your price stays the same.

Time machine
Acronis True Image logoAcronis True Image
Acronis

Acronis True Image

Disk-image backup with its own bodyguard.

Our pick
Time machine
IDrive logoIDrive
IDrive Inc.

IDrive

The most backup per dollar, by a comfortable margin.

Acronis True Image compared with IDrive, side by side
FeatureAcronis True ImageIDrive
Our score4.2 / 54.5 / 5
PriceFrom $7.50/moFrom $6.99/mo
Renews atn/a$119.88/yr
Free planNoNo
Best forPower users, disk imagesBacking up everything you own
CategoryTrue backupTrue backup
ProviderAcronisIDrive Inc.
Visit Acronis True Image Visit IDrive

Our verdict

IDrive wins on value and coverage. More cloud storage per dollar, unlimited devices, and physical drive shipping for monster restores. Acronis wins on depth. Its disk imaging and bare-metal restore are the most battle-tested in home use, local-plus-cloud strategies are first-class citizens, and the integrated anti-ransomware layer actively defends backup files, a unique safeguard.

Multi-device households optimizing cost take IDrive. The enthusiast with a NAS who wants their backup system to defend itself takes Acronis.

The power tool. Full disk images, local plus cloud backup, and an integrated anti-malware layer that actively guards your backups against ransomware. Overkill for most homes, exactly right for the technically inclined.Editorial team, on Acronis True Image
The value champion of true backup: 5 TB for under $70 in year one, covering unlimited devices, with disk-image backup and even physical data shipment. The interface shows its age, but no one else does this much backup per dollar.Editorial team, on IDrive

Frequently asked questions

Acronis True Image or IDrive: which is the better backup?

IDrive for value and coverage, Acronis for depth. IDrive gives more cloud storage per dollar, unlimited devices and physical drive shipping for huge restores. Acronis has the most battle-tested disk imaging in home use, treats local-plus-cloud strategies as first-class citizens and adds an anti-ransomware layer that defends the backup files themselves. Multi-device household? IDrive. NAS enthusiast? Acronis.

Which gives more storage for the money, Acronis or IDrive?

IDrive, by a wide margin. Acronis True Image Advanced includes 500 GB of cloud storage at $89.99 a year. IDrive Personal gives 5 TB for about $83.92 in the first year, renewing at $119.88 a year, and covers unlimited devices on that one account. US dollars, annual billing, prices last checked August 2026.

Can both of them restore a computer that will not boot?

Both do disk images, but Acronis is built for this. Its full disk imaging can bring a dead PC back to a bootable state on new hardware, which is the scenario the product exists for. IDrive also offers disk-image backup and adds IDrive Express, which ships you a physical drive when the restore is too big to download.

What is the catch with Acronis?

Weight and complexity. Acronis carries a heavier background footprint than pure-cloud rivals, and its interface assumes you already know what an incremental image is. IDrive has the opposite problem. Dated apps and mid-pack upload speeds, but nothing you need to understand first. Buy Acronis only if you actively want the controls.