Five Free Backup Applications for Mac

Everyone has suffered a hard drive crash and has lost all of their files, photos, and videos, or they know someone who has. You know that it’s best to backup your data to more places than one. Therefore, having a reliable backup application on your computer is something that you should have to assist you in doing that. Here are five free backup applications for Mac users:

1. PsyncX

PsyncX is a backup application that provides the minimal functions that you need in order to backup your system. It has a scheduler that enters a time and day that can run weekly. This scheduler can be disabled if it’s only one time that you will be backing up a folder or file.

Other options that you have are to copy or delete files after it’s been backed up. If you want to have a mirror of your system’s drive, then I wouldn’t recommend using these options. It’s very easy to use for the bare essentials in backing up your system.

2. SilverKeeper

SilverKeeper is useful for someone who wants automatic backups of their files and/or folder. When you are installing the application, it will begin backing up your files in three different ways: your entire local drive, just users’ information, or the current user. You can choose the one you want. It was very similar to antivirus softwares, and it’s one of the things that I didn’t like. I like having the option of choosing how I want my data to be backed up. If you press the Cancel button, you are taken to the SilverKeep main screen.

After selecting the files and/or folder you want to backup and the destination folder, SilverKeeper will quickly scan them. The application has a scheduler that can be set to run daily, weekly, or monthly.

It also provides a log that you can choose the size; if you want to append/remove log whenever you do another backup; and format. It has more to offer than PsyncX. However, the makers might want to rethink some of the current features (e.g. automatically backing up your system) that it has.

3. iBackup

iBackup has the features as the two backup applications above, but it also has a few that they don’t have. It has a scheduler, like SilverKeeper, allows you to set the frequency to how you prefer. Additionally, it has a log file. However, you are able to save it to a destination folder, or send it to an email account.

iBackup allows you to run scripts (*.scpt) files that you can set to run at the start at a backup process or at the end. This is useful if you want to have more control to the way you backup your data. Furthermore, for Unix lovers, iBackup allows you to use Unix commands that further lets you manage the application.

Useful backup applications that gives you tons of flexibility and control over your backups.

4. Bonkey

Bonkey has a lot of features that will make backing up your files a breeze. You can organize the window so you see your local drives, your backup drives, progress window, and audit log, which is a great feature.

Bonkey provides various location types to send your files to. The main ones included are FTP locations to your own site; SQL Server database; and Amazon S3 online storage. You can decide to encrypt your files during the file transfer, which is convenient if you have information that you want to further protect. If you don’t create an encryption key, Bonkey will generate one for you.

You are able to synchronize your backup by arranging your files in in groups in the way that you want them backed up. This depends on the following items: Time interval you want to back up your synchronization group; Target location; Backup type (e.g. complete backup or modified files only). Synchronization also has its own audit history.

An audit log provides a way for you to monitor if your files are being backup correctly. If there are any errors, it is color-coded red, so you can quickly see them and read what caused it. There is an option to either overwrite or append the audit log. You are able to send audit logs to a file and your email. If you decide to do email, you can decide to send all messages or just errors.

Bonkey is a great backup application that has tons of features to help you take care of your files.

5. JaBack

JaBack has similar features as Bonkey. It has tasks, scheduler, audit logs, and sychronization. One feature that JaBack has is that it allows the ability to use variables. These are useful for using variables to find similar files without having to know the actual filenames or their locations. There are a variety of variables that you can use in order to find and backup your files. It even has an internal syntax checker, so you can verify the variable you are entered.

JaBack has three different types of logs: output log, debut log, and activity log. Each of them provide you different types of auditing information. There is a task log list that has the logs that the application has provided.

The debug log can be emailed to wherever you want. You can have more than one email profile that you can use to send different tasks to different emails.

JaBack is a little complex to first grasp, but after you do, it is a robust, flexible backup application. Bonkey is more for a single person who wants to backup his/her Mac. However, JaBack provides a way for you to use it to backup a whole slew of Macs. If it enhances its visual UI, JaBack will have minor setbacks.

Image credit: billibala

Tags: backup, free, Mac, Software