Secondly, there is a difference between cloud sync services and true backup services.

The better choice is a dedicated online backup service provider.

Here are five of the easiest backup solutions for your Mac, with the best options listed first.

you’re able to get started by going toSystem Preferences > Time Machineand selecting a backup disk.

Or choose a more expensive, robust solution like NAS (web connection-attached storage).

If youre looking for a more advanced solution, adedicated web link-attached storage equipment is an option.

If you only need to back up one computer, an NAS is obviously overkill.

If you want a faster backup solution, consider using a dedicated backup app such asSuperDuper!

($30) orCarbon Copy Cloner($40).

Both apps offer a free trial to let you check out features without committing.

Both cost less than $10 a month and offer a complete online backup of your setup.

If your data is valuable to you, a secondary offsite backup is essential.

Thats why its not ideal to use an online backup service as your primary backup option.

However, its still a better choice than no backup at all.

This feature, like Time Machine, is built into macOS.

iCloud can also be frustratingly slow at times, even if your internet speed is fast.

You may be able to recover large files quickly, but smaller ones may take forever to download.

This works best if youre already paying for cloud storage and want an online copy of your data.

The backup apps designed by these cloud storage providers often clunky and slow.

If thats getting to you,Arq Backup($50) is a faster alternative.

It can back up your data to multiple cloud storage services and even external hard disks or your NAS.

To address privacy concerns, the appencrypts your data before uploadingit to cloud storage services.

The only negative of using Arq Backup is that youll need to use the app to restore your backups.