Cloud backup services work much like traditional backup software. With a cloud backup service, however, your important data is transmitted over the internet and securely stored on a server in a professional data center.
The advantage of having your important data backed up off-site, away from your home or office, is that it's safe from theft, fire, and other local disasters.
You also get 25GB of online backup storage which makes it easier to restore important files, folders and images after an attack. Best Value Bitdefender Total Security 2018 comes bundled with separate programs for PC and Mac computers, and for Android and iOS mobile devices.
Below are reviews of most cloud backup services. Quickly compare features among our five favorites in this Online Backup Comparison Chart and get answers to your cloud backup questions in our Online Backup FAQ.
We also keep updated lists of the best Free Online Backup Plans, Unlimited Online Backup Plans, and Business Online Backup Services, if you're interested.
Cloud backup services, often called online backup services, regularly change pricing and plan details, so let me know if anything needs to be updated.
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Backblaze ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Backblaze is my favorite cloud backup service, mostly because everything about it is so simple, especially its pricing and software.
I also like that there are no file size limits, meaning you can finally back up your 100 GB virtual machine files and 3-hour 4K videos!
Backblaze is $6 /month /computer and allows an unlimited amount of storage. The cost can get down to a monthly $4.58 with a two-year plan purchase. This makes Backblaze one of the least expensive unlimited backup plans that I've reviewed.
If you're concerned about backing up online being complicated or confusing, you're going to love Backblaze. For what it's worth, this is the cloud backup service I pay for and use on my computers.
See A Tour of the Backblaze Service for more on how the program works.
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Carbonite ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Any exceptional backup service should be easy to use, automatic, reliable, and easy to restore from. Carbonite is all of these.
Many people rave about Carbonite's cloud backup plans — they've been popular options for a very long time. My experience has been similarly positive.
All of Carbonite's Safe backup plans allow for an unlimited amount of data backup from one internal hard drive, are per-computer, and require at least a 1-year prepayment.
Carbonite's lowest tier plan, Safe Basic, runs $6.00 /month ($71.99 /year). There are two higher tiers available as well, called Safe Plus and Safe Prime, and run $9.34 /month ($111.99 /year) and $12.50 /month ($149.99 /year), respectively. Each tier is a bit cheaper if two or three years is paid upfront. Plus, they each have a few extras over the base service like external hard drive and mirror image support.
Carbonite has mobile apps available for iPhone and Android systems and is one of the few cloud backup services with a BlackBerry app.
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Carbonite also has business-class cloud backup plans. In fact, it tops our Business Online Backup services list.
For more information on how the program works to back up your files, see our complete tour of the Carbonite service.
Carbonite purchased Mozy, another online backup service, in 2018.
Carbonite used to throttle bandwidth after backing up a certain amount of data but is no longer doing so for new customers.
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CrashPlan for Small Business ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
CrashPlan has always been a favorite backup service. The plan pricing is simple to understand and the service itself is secure, quick, and not difficult to use.
There's one plan option with CrashPlan: $10 /month /computer with unlimited space to back up your files. So, if you want to back up from three computers, for example, the price is $30 /month; ten computers backed up to CrashPlan is $100 /month, etc.
CrashPlan used to have a plan called CrashPlan Home, targeted at home users. However, even the CrashPlan for Small Business plan can be used at home; the pricing and features work the same.
Our tour of the CrashPlan service includes screenshots of the program.
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SOS Online Backup ReviewWhat We Like![]()
What We Don't Like
SOS is a big player in the cloud backup world, and for good reason. It includes only one backup plan but lets you choose between eight different storage capacities, all of which offer unlimited versioning, external and network drive support, and tons of other features, all at fantastic prices.
All of these different storage options offer the same support for 5 computers, but the cheapest is 50 GB and is $3.75 /month if you pay for a whole year at once, while the largest, 10 TB, is $250 /month for a year.
Every plan also supports an unlimited number of iOS and Android devices. Follow the links below to see the specific prices for the 100 GB, 150 GB, 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 5 TB prices.
Learn more about how SOS Online Backup works in this tour of the program.
Unlike some other online backup plans, SOS does not continuously back up all of your data — it occurs once per hour at most. However, certain types of files can be backed up instantly via SOS's LiveProtect feature. I have more on this in our review.
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SugarSync ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
SugarSync is different...in a good way. It's actually much more than an online backup service.
While SugarSync does 'traditional' online backup just as well or better than much of its competition, it can also sync files between all of your devices, gives you access to your backed up data from your smartphone, and much more.
SugarSync has three tiers of online backup service that are each available on a month-to-month purchase plan: 100 GB for $7.49 /month, 250 GB for $9.99 /month, and 500 GB for $18.95.
All three of SugarSync's cloud backup plans offer support for an unlimited number of devices, meaning you can back up your smartphones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers all on the same account without any extra fees!
If you want more than just an online repository for safety's sake, you will no doubt be very happy with SugarSync.
SugarSync also has a business class plan as well as larger plans that you'll have to get a quote for.
See our tour of SugarSync for a look at the program.
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SpiderOak ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
SpiderOak is one of the better choices overall among the online backup services out there, especially when it comes to security.
I love any company that puts the effort they did into their Support, tutorials, and FAQ pages. It's been a long time since I've seen this kind of attention to customer support.
Pricing is pretty straightforward at SpiderOak. Everyone starts out with a trial run account that lasts 21 days.
You can then select the 150 GB, 400 GB, 2,000 GB, or 5,000 GB plan for $6 /month, $11 /month, $14 /month, or $29 /month, respectively. They also offer small 5–10 GB plans but you have to pay for those by the year.
If you're after a service run by a company that takes their lack of access to your files very seriously, you're going to love SpiderOak!
A one-year prepayment of any of the plans I mentioned above will save you a little over the listed prices.
See A Tour of the SpiderOak Service for an explanation of the program, with screenshots.
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Zoolz ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Zoolz is an online backup service with just about every limitation removed, but with a small trade-off. While most online backup services allow pretty much instant restore, a restore will Zoolz can take 3-5 hours to initiate.
Zoolz lets you back up all of your internal, external, and even network drives. There are no file type or size limits and nothing is ever deleted. If you're looking for a backup for archival purposes, Zoolz might be a great choice.
Two consumer-class plans are offered by Zoolz, both of which have to be purchased for a full year at once (instead of on a month-to-month basis) and support five computers.
Zoolz Family is the smaller of the two, with 1,000 GB for $69.99 /year ($5.83 /month) — it's often discounted to just $39.95 /year. The other is called Zoolz Heavy — 4,000 GB for $249.99 /year ($20.83 /month), also usually discounted to $99.95 /year.
We have a complete tour of the Zoolz service you can look through to see how the program works to back up your data.
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Livedrive ReviewWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Livedrive is an online backup service that offers an interesting mix of backup plans, a cost effective way to add computers, and a really nice computer and mobile app interface.
Livedrive 'Backup' and 'Pro Suite' are the two backup plans you can purchase. They both offer unlimited online backup, but the 'Backup' plan only supports backing up 1 computer, whereas the 'Pro Suite' can back up up to 5 computers.
Livedrive 'Backup' runs $8.00 /month, and 'Pro Suite' is $25 /month. With either plan, more computers can be added for just $1.50 /month for each one.
All Livedrive online backup plans offer significant discounts if you prepay for one year.
Another plan offered by Livedrive is called 'Briefcase,' and is just an online storage plan that offers 2 TB of space — it doesn't back up your files like a regular backup plan. Other features are included, though, like file sharing, file editing, file syncing, and more. This comes in at $16 /month.
If you purchase the 'Pro Suite' plan, you get 5 TB of the 'Briefcase' plan included, plus its added features.
'Military grade' AES-256 encryption, an excellent interface, and competitive pricing makes any of the Livedrive plans a good choice.
Look through our tour of the Livedrive program to see how it works before you buy.
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Acronis True Image Cloud
Acronis, maker of the popular True Image Home backup software program, is also in the online backup business.
When you purchase the backup software at $49.99 /year ($4.16 /month), you also get 250 GB of online backup storage included. This is called the Advanced package.
Another is Premium, which is $99.99 /year ($8.33 /month) with 1 TB of backup space.
With both, you can purchase more space for an additional price. For example, the Advanced option can be used with 500 GB of storage for another $20 /year. Premium has a few more options but maxes out at 5 TB.
However, the prices above are for backing up just one computer. You can instead pick the three or five computer option to back up more computers, but the price, of course, goes up as well.
Among other options, you can also encrypt your files with a password, schedule the backup to run at a later time, and choose a specific country for the data center where the files will be stored.
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IDrive
IDrive is similar in most ways to other online backup services. Maybe the best thing about IDrive is that it comes with a free offline backup option, something we haven't seen with any other service and should come in really (really) handy for large initial backups.
Some other features that make IDrive stand out among the competition include mapped drive support and excellent mobile apps.
IDrive Basic is completely free and gives you up to 5 GB of storage.
IDrive Pro Personal comes in two tiers and offers support for backup from an unlimited number of computers:
IDrive also has business-class pricing and storage options available, up to 12,500 GB for $2,999.50 /year.
All plans are offered in one-year and two-year prepayment forms, both of which are usually discounted for the first two years. The prices you see above are non-discounted, one-year prices. Check their website for the most up-to-date pricing with discounts included.
I found the IDrive software to be no more or less intuitive than any other online backup services. However, if their unique features are high on your priority list, IDrive may be just what you're looking for in an online backup service.
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Degoo
The Degoo online backup service prides itself as a 'top secret cloud drive.' Depending on how you pay, you can get it for as inexpensive as just a couple dollars per month.
You can purchase Degoo Pro for $2.99 /month, which comes with 500 GB of storage for unlimited mobile devices and up to three computers. The pay-by-year option is $23.88 ($1.99 /month) and the 5-year payment plan is $89.40 ($1.49 /month).
The Degoo Ultimate plan is a bit more at $9.99 /month, but you also get 10 TB of storage for an unlimited number of mobile and desktop devices. To get Degoo for less, you can pay for a whole year at once for $95.88 ($7.99 /month), or five years for $239.40 ($3.99 /month)
Degoo uses zero-knowledge encryption so that not even their employees can access the files in your account. Degoo's use of storage replication means that your files are backed up in chunks across different countries so that even if a data center is breached, there isn't enough information to access a whole file.
There's an option in the desktop program to keep files in your Degoo account even if you delete them from your computer. Sharing backed up files is supported, too.
Degoo is free for the first 100 GB, with several opportunities to get 500 GB more (or 1 TB more with Degoo Ultimate). However, to get the free account, you have to invite 10 friends to use Degoo. A free account does not include zero-knowledge encryption and can only back up files from one computer.
Subscribed users can also send files to anyone, and the recipient doesn't have to be a Degoo user.
Degoo works on Windows and macOS, plus Android and iOS devices.
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Norton's Security Software
Norton, the makers of popular computer security and antivirus software, provides automatic online backup in its security software.
Keep in mind that these backup services are usually heavily discounted for the first year if you want to pay that way instead of monthly. For example, the 10 GB plan that comes with 360 Standard is currently $49.99 ($4.17 /month) for the first year and then continues at $79.99 /year ($6.67 /month).
If online backup is all you need, you might not like Norton's software because each backup plan is just part of a larger suite of security tools. However, if you don't currently have an antivirus program on your computer, then getting one with backup included is a nice deal.
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Data Deposit Box
Data Deposit Box (formerly known as KineticD) is an online backup provider that advertises 'true month-to-month.'
There are two backup options here, called Personal and Business, and both start off at $10 /month for 100 GB. You can add more space at $0.10 for every additional 1 GB. There's a monthly backup calculator estimator on their site that you can use to get an idea of how much data you might need for what you want to back up.
Since it's said that 'all family members' get access to the backup space, it's assumed that you can use the same account on multiple computers so that all of them can share in the cloud storage.
There's a free 14-day trial option before you buy either plan.
Data Deposit Box sports all the excellent features of any online backup service that's in it for the long run, including an excellent history of data recovery, top-of-the-line security, and more.
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ElephantDrive
The ElephantDrive online backup service offers a couple easy to understand plans to choose from, of which is FREE if you just need 2 GB backed up between 1–3 devices.
The cheapest of these plans is $10 /month for 1 TB of backup space and support for 10 devices (and three sub accounts). You can add more for the same price and storage, like another 1 TB for another $10 /month. The maximum storage plan you can pay for is 15 TB, but if you want more you can contact their support team.
Check the link below for the other plans you can choose from. ElephantDrive also offers business online backup plans.
One really cool feature with ElephantDrive's service is their 'Web Explorer' that you can use to upload files via a web browser from wherever you may be. Many online backup services only allow backup from your approved devices and only via their proprietary software.
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Jungle Disk
Jungle Disk is an online backup service provider that works a bit differently than most. Jungle Disk structures their pricing so you only pay for exactly what you use.
Jungle Disk has a base price of $4 /month + storage fees. There are no file size limits, network drive support is included, and you get AES-256 private key encryption.
Storage fees differ depending on the online storage provider you choose to use with Jungle Disk. Amazon S3 (US or EU) or Rackspace are your options, costing $0.15 /GB-month if you need anything more beyond the 10 GB of included storage.
All the backed up data is compressed before it moves, which can save you around 30% on data usage.
Jungle Disk Server is their business-class plan and works similarly but at $5 /month instead of $4.
If the static plans of other online backup services don't appeal to you, Jungle Disk's pay-for-what-you-use plans might be an excellent fit.
Amazon S3 charges per GB downloaded (e.g., when you restore data from your backup) and a very small fee per upload and download request. However, there isn't a charge if you go through Jungle Disk.
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Memopal
Memopal is an online backup service with support for a wide range of operating systems, both desktop, and mobile.
The 500 GB plan is for one user at $79 /year (around $7 /month). Add another user and the price jumps to $158 /year ($13 /month). Include 10 and it's $66 /month, or $790 /year. You can enter any number of users you want, up to 200.
You can upgrade the 500 GB Pro plan to a 1 TB plan, but it, of course, comes with an extra cost. There's also a Business plan that supports anywhere from three to 50 users.
Software or apps for Memopal are available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.
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ADrive
ADrive is an online backup service that sports some interesting features like WebDAV support, online document editing, and more.
There are dozens of online backup plans listed on ADrive's site, ranging from $2.50 /month for 100 GB of space to $250.00 /month for 10 TB (10,240 GB). You can request a quote if you need more space than that, even up to 'unlimited.'
All ADrive backup plans can be had at deeply discounted prices if you prepay for a longer time period, up to three years.
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Total Defense Online Backup
Total Defense Online Backup is another service that offers a number of popular features like an online and local backup with the same tool, file sharing, mobile access to all backed up data, unlimited versioning, and more.
There are two ways to get online backup with Total Defense, and with both, you also get their Internet Security program. Ultimate Internet Security is $99.99 /year and includes 25 GB of online backup for 10 devices, whereas Premium Internet Security is $59.99 /year and includes 10 GB of online backup space for five devices.
You can buy either plan at two or three-year prepayments to bring the price down. For example, the 25 GB plan comes out to $8.33 /month for the one-year price, but if you pay for three years up front for $199.99 /year, the monthly equivalent drops to $5.55 /month.
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OpenDrive
OpenDrive is yet another online backup service that we hear good things about. They allow streaming video and music, public folders, and lots more.
In addition to the 5 GB free option, OpenDrive has one consumer-grade plan called Personal Unlimited. It costs $9.95 /month and offers an unlimited amount of storage space for your backed up files. Prepay for one year at $99 to bring that down to $8.25 /month. You can add an additional computer for $9.95 extra /computer, up to three extras for a total of four.
You also have the option of a custom plan with OpenDrive. Choose the online backup space you need, how much bandwidth you expect to use each day, and the number of users that should have access to the backups. Most of you probably won't find a better deal using the custom plan, but you might if you have a small amount to back up.
The cheapest plan you can make here is $50 /year ($4.17 /month) for one user who needs 500 GB of storage and 25 GB of daily bandwidth.
OpenDrive also has a free plan, offering 5 GB of storage, but since this plan doesn't offer file versioning or any kind of encryption, I'd stick to Personal Unlimited if you're looking for a true cloud backup solution from this company.
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MiMedia
MiMedia has four backup plans, but they're severely limited in what you can back up. The only supported files are images, videos, documents, and music files.
MiMedia is much different than the other backup services from this list because nearly all of them can upload many more file types, like EXE, ZIP, 7Z, ISO, and others.
MiMedia's can be purchased at a slight discount if you prepay for a year at once. For example, with the Basic plan, paying monthly for a year equates to $96, or you can buy a year at once with one payment of $85.
MiMedia can be used on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Backing up with MiMedia is great if you only need to back up things like your photos and music. For support for a wider range of file types, we suggest using a different backup service from this list.
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Jottacloud
Jottacloud is another online backup service with a free plan, as well as an unlimited one, plus support for Windows and Mac, as well as iOS and Android.
Jottacloud has one FREE plan, Jottacloud Free, that allows 5 GB of backup from an unlimited number of devices.
Jottacloud Personal and Home plans are available, too. Personal provides unlimited backup space for $9.90 /month or as low as $8.25 /month with a one year plan of $99.00. Home includes 1 TB of shared storage space for five family members, and runs $6.99 /month or $5.83 /month if you prepay for a whole year for $69.90.
File versioning works a bit differently with Jottacloud. Most online backup services keep old versions of files available for restore based on length of time, like 30-day, 60-day, even unlimited. Jottacloud, on the other hand, keeps the last five versions no matter the length of time.
Files you delete from your computer are kept in Jottacloud's Trash folder for 30 days, giving most of you plenty of time to restore that accidentally removed file.
There are also two Jottacloud Business plans for small and large companies that support 1 TB of space for anywhere from two to an unlimited number of users.
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MyPCBackup
MyPCBackup is another online backup service with a really user-friendly web interface and a good selection of backup plans. Every user starts off with 1 GB of free storage.
The MyPCBackup Ultimate plan offers 1 TB of online backup space for $14.44 /month. Two other limited plans are also available: MyPCBackup Premium which runs $11.94 /month for up to 250 GB of storage space and MyPCBackup Home/Pro which allows up to 75 GB of storage for $10.69 /month.
All MyPCBackup plans can be had for several dollars less per month if a full year (or even two) is paid up front. There's also a 6-month option for all three plans. Since you can't add more than one device for a plan, each device you want to back up requires a plan of its own.
Also available through the link below are 'additional services' like a 5 GB sync folder, network drive support, bigger maximum file size limit, and other things, each of which come with an additional yearly payment.
MyPCBackup is owned by Just Develop It (JDI), which also owns ZipCloud, Instant Computer Backup, JustCloud, Backup Genie, and StudyBackup, five additional online backup services with similar feature sets and pricing. It didn't feel right profiling them individually in this list considering how incredibly similar they are.
Didn't See an Online Backup Service?
Please let me know if I missed an online backup service and you'd like to see me review and include it above.
Wondering why some popular online storage sites aren't listed here? See Why Aren't Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Etc. In Your List? for more on that.
The Best DVD Copy Software of 2019 - Top Ten Reviews
We have researched, compared, tested, rated and ranked the best DVD copy software for 15 years. In that time we’ve considered dozens of programs, spent hundreds of hours testing products, created hundreds of new discs and examined the quality of the copy. DVD Cloner has topped our rankings for more than a decade, and for good reason. It has every tool and feature we look for in the best DVD copy software, including two copy modes: Express and Expert. Express allows you to start the copy process with minimal effort, while Expert gives you all the customization tools to get the exact copy you want.
Best Overall
DVD Cloner
This software is our top pick because its unique design allows you to either start copying a DVD right away or dig in to customize your new disc. And anyone with a computer can learn to use this software.
Best Value
DVDFab
It certainly isn’t the cheapest, but it is the most modern and intuitive. It produces exact DVD copies easily and offers several customization options. Plus, its compressed copies have minimal quality loss.
Best for Mac
DVD Cloner for Mac
It’s no surprise that the best solution for Apple users is the same as for Windows. DVD Cloner for Mac is easy to learn and use, and it yields high-quality results.
Best OverallDVD Cloner
Open Cloner DVD-Cloner
You can start copying a DVD in less than a minute.
It has every customization option we look for in this category.
Saving ISO (disc image files) to your hard drive is more complex than necessary.
The time it takes to burn a new disc is longer than average, according to our tests.
DVD Cloner is the most expensive program we reviewed.
For years, DVD Cloner has been our top pick for DVD copy software. It’s versatile, easy to use and yields high-quality copies of the original content.
This application allows you to make a perfect 1:1 copy, compress a DVD 9 onto a DVD 5, pick and choose the aspects of a commercial DVD you wish to copy onto a new disc, and more.
It’s also remarkably easy to use. DVD Cloner has two main interface modes, Expert and Express. The former allows you to dig deeply into the application’s potential, and the latter is a wizard-style sequence that walks you through the entire process of ripping, copying and burning a DVD movie. The interface is completely intuitive, but it also has powerful controls that allow you to customize your copy. DVD Cloner has consistently performed excellently in our quality, time and ease of use tests. Results are almost always crystal-clear and perfect matches of their source discs, and the program rarely produces an unplayable or unwatchable disc. You can also use it to merge several DVDs onto a single Blu-ray disc. This is an excellent option if you’re upgrading your physical media library or simply trying to consolidate the space it takes to store optical media discs. This software can also convert your movies and TV shows into standalone files. This is a great feature because it lets you watch your content on nearly any media player, and content can be synced to your multimedia devices easily. Best ValueDVDFab
DVDFab DVD Copy
It provides the most features for the price.
It contains a full array of customization options.
Picture quality is excellent, with minimal quality loss on compressed copies.
In our tests, it took longer than average to produce a compressed copy.
If you want to use DVDFab’s ripper, converter and creator features, you must buy separate modules.
This may not be the least expensive DVD copy program, but it provides the biggest bang for your buck.
Its well-designed, intuitive interface is the most modern of the programs we reviewed. DVDFab does a great job keeping the program updated so that it’s compatible with your current operating system – something that isn’t guaranteed with other applications.
But it’s the multiple copy tools that make this program such a bargain. You can make an exact copy of a disc, make a movie-only copy or split the content onto several new discs. This program also allows you to back up your DVDs to a hard drive. This is great because you can use the copied files to burn a new copy of a disc without needing the original. In our quality tests, DVDFab earned high marks. Exact copies were indistinguishable from the original, and compressed copies had minimal artifact and other imperfections. The downside is that it might be intimidating to beginners. Learning everything and using it to its fullest potential might require a few times through the process. However, if you’re willing to take the time, you can master the program with help from tutorials and other resources from DVDFab’s website. Best for MacDVD Cloner for Mac
Open Cloner DVD-Cloner
The step-by-step workflow allows novices to use the software flawlessly.
It is compatible with most current version of MacOS.
You’ll need an external DVD burner to use the software on recent Macs.
The interface seems a bit antiquated for 2018.
The best DVD copy option for Mac is the sibling of the best Windows pick.
DVD Cloner for Mac provides the same easy-to-understand workflow, customization options and backup tools as its PC counterpart. Its Expert and Express modes allow you to choose whether you want to make a copy in just a few clicks or take a little more time to create a personalized disc.
You don’t have to splurge on the more expensive DVD-9 (or DVD-DL) blank discs; you can compress a commercial disc to fit onto the cheaper DVD-5 discs. You’ll notice some quality loss when you choose this option, but DVD Copy for Mac keeps that to a minimum. If you want to retain as much quality as possible, you can make a movie-only copy of a disc that will require less compression. This is also the fastest Mac DVD copy software we reviewed. It takes about 40 minutes to make an exact 1:1 copy of a commercial disc. When we compressed the copy, it took about 45 minutes. The program can save a disc’s image (ISO file) to your hard drive, so you can make new copies without using the original. You will need an external DVD burner if you want to use this software on a newer Mac, since they no longer come with an internal optical drive. Best Quality Copy1Click DVD Copy
1Click DVD Copy
Great compressed video quality.
Every program we reviewed can make a perfect 1:1 copy of a DVD. However, several contain the ability to compress a movie found on a commercial DVD-9 onto the smaller-capacity blank DVD-5.
This necessarily reduces the quality of the original movie. 1Click DVD Copy, along with our top pick, create the best quality compressed copy.
Additionally, this DVD copy software is very easy to use. Like its name suggests, you can start the copy process in as little as one click. The interface is one of the simplest of all the programs we reviewed. However, it’s missing several of the features we look for. Such as the ability to customize new discs as well saving a disc image or TS folder to your hard drive. Best Online Backup For PhotographersEasiest to Use1Step DVD Copy
1Step DVD Copy
All the tools in this software are available from the main window of the interface.
While its interface is antiquated, 1Step DVD Copy is the easiest-to-use DVD copy software we tested and reviewed.
All its features and tools are available from the main window of the interface. You have the ability to choose to clone a DVD directly, copy DVD files to your hard drive, burn a new disc from a saved DVD folder and convert DVD videos into digital files you can watch without a physical player. Anyone can use this software to its fullest potential, even those with limited computer skills.
This simplicity does come with some tradeoffs. Unlike the best programs we reviewed, 1Step DVD Copy cannot copy a disc’s image (ISO file) onto your computer for archiving or backup purposes. Additionally, the quality of compressed copies leaves much to be desired.
Why Trust Us?
We have reviewed this category for 15 years. In that time our reviewers and video experts have spent hundreds of man hours copying discs, customizing content, watching newly burned discs, and comparing results with other copies from other programs and with the original. We’ve used dozens of DVD copy programs and made hundreds of copies. We are intimately familiar with the software’s abilities, performance and drawbacks.
How We Tested
During our evaluation of DVD copy software, we subjected each product on our lineup to a series of tests.
Quality Tests
We made at least two new copies of our test disc with each program we reviewed, one compressed and one uncompressed. Our video experts then examined each copy and compared it against the original, searching for quality loss such as compression artifact, pixelation and distortion.
We found that all the products on our list can make an identical copy of a DVD if they are uncompressed and burned onto a blank DVD-9. There were no exceptions to this. If you want a perfect copy of a DVD movie, bonus features and all, you can choose any of the products in our lineup to get it.
However, when we evaluated the quality of compressed discs, we found wide variations among the software. They all had noticeable quality loss, but some were much worse than others. Our video experts compared the compressed discs against each other and the original disc, and gave each program a letter grade (A-F) depending on the quality of the video.
Timing Tests
When we tested the DVD copy programs, we timed how long each took to complete a full copy of our test disc, both compressed and uncompressed. These copies had everything contained on the disc, including a full-length feature film, menus, audio tracks and all other bonus features.
We found that the average time to make an exact copy of our test disc to a blank DVD-9 is a little less than an hour. Some products take as little 40 minutes on the low end and nearly an hour and a half on the high end. If you have a single disc you want to copy, these variations don't matter much. However, if you have a large DVD library you want to back up, even a few minutes can make a huge difference in the time you must dedicate to the task.
Making a compressed copy takes considerably less time than an uncompressed copy. With one exception, the products in our lineup took about half an hour to compress the contents on our test disc and burn them onto a DVD-5.
Ease-of-Use Tests
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Many of the programs in our lineup have very similar interfaces. We evaluated how easy it is to access and use the common features of each product. We documented how many clicks it takes to begin a conversion, load an ISO file and access each application's customization tools. We also tracked how many times the programs crashed during testing and how many unusable discs they created.
Things to Consider When Choosing DVD Copy Software
There are a few things you should understand and features you should look for when shopping for the best DVD copy software.
Every DVD contains what is known as an ISO file (or ISO image). These files are essentially the blueprints for a disc. They contain everything a DVD drive needs to recognize and play a disc on a computer or a television. DVD copy software scans this file, copies it onto your hard drive and then burns it onto a new disc. This creates an exact copy of the original disc, complete with the movie, menus, audio tracks and bonus materials.
Before a DVD copy program can make a new disc, it must bypass the copy encryptions found on almost all DVDs sold by major entertainment companies. These protections are intended to stop illegal piracy. The best DVD copy software circumvents these encryptions so you can back up, archive and make personal copies of the movies and TV shows you've already paid for.
There are two types of blank discs you can copy your DVDs to: DVD-9 and DVD-5. DVD-9s have about 9GB of storage space and DVD-5s have about 5GB. This is important because nearly all commercial DVD movies are sold on DVD-9s, and the most common and less expensive blank discs are DVD-5s. The best DVD copy software allows you to compress the content on a DVD-9 to fit onto a blank DVD-5.
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Keep in mind that if you compress your DVD copy, you'll notice significant quality loss on the new disc. This is the nature of video compression, and even the best DVD copy software can't get around it. This includes pixelation, compression artifact and motion blur. If you want an exact copy of a disc, you should purchase and use the more expensive blank DVD-9s, which will yield a copy with no quality loss whatsoever.
An alternative to compressing your DVD movies onto smaller discs is to create custom copies that require little to no compression. Most of the DVD copiers in our review allow you to copy just the main feature on a disc and leave off extras like menus, alternate audio tracks and bonus materials. In most cases, the main feature from a commercial disc will fit onto a DVD-5 with no compression. The best DVD copy software allows you to pick which tracks and content make it onto your new disc.
One other way to avoid quality loss due to compression is to split the content from a DVD-9 onto two DVD-5s, with the main feature on one disc and everything else on the other. The best products in our lineup have this feature among their main tools.
Another important attribute for any DVD copy program is the ability to save the disc's ISO file onto your hard drive. If you're using these programs for archiving purposes or have a large DVD library, this is a must-have tool. When you save an ISO file, you're essentially saving a virtual DVD onto your hard drive. These files act the exact same way as physical discs. You can play them through DVD player software and even burn new copies without the original disc on hand.
A great way to back up your DVD library is to get an external hard drive and back up each disc's ISO file. You'll never have to worry about a disc being lost, damaged or broken, because you'll always have that backup ISO file to make a new copy. The best DVD copy programs allow you to load an ISO into the interface and burn a new copy the same way you would if you had the original disc.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $60 for DVD copy software. But keep in mind that the more expensive software isn’t necessarily better. For example, our top choice costs $60, which is the same price for programs that are missing several of the tools we look for in this category. Make sure the program you buy has all the features you need, so you get the most for your money.
Is it Legal to Copy a DVD for Personal Use?
Ripping, duplicating and copying DVDs is a tricky legal issue, even if it’s for personal use. The short answer is that you can probably get away with it, but there are some things you should know. Starting with the law.
The DMCA
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) forbids anyone from bypassing digital rights management technologies found on most commercial DVDs and Blu-ray discs. This effectively makes it impossible to rip, copy or convert any media that contains copy protections, encryptions or similar guards without running afoul of the DMCA.
Title I of the DMCA rather definitively states, “No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.” It also prohibits anyone from making or distributing a product or service that circumvents protected content.
The title empowers the Librarian of Congress to issue exceptions to the anti-circumvention rule, and exceptions have been made for copying obsolete computer software, “jailbreaking” smartphones and using clips from movies for commentary and criticism. However, the Library of Congress has not made an exception for circumventing Digital Rights Management, or DRM, even for personal use.
Ripping, Copying and Circumvention
You’ve likely seen the warnings repeatedly that copying or ripping a DVD or Blu-ray disc is illegal. However, while circumventing DRM protections isn’t allowed, ripping and copying haven’t been specifically forbidden. What are the important differences between these concepts?
Ripping is the act of transferring files found on physical media, such as an optical disc, to a computer. This act is not technically illegal because it can apply to ripping homemade DVDs. Copying or duplicating home-produced DVDs or Blu-ray discs is likewise legal, so long as the user owns the copyright to the content found on the disc. But what about ripping movies and shows you didn’t produce?
There have been several statements and rulings made by government officials and courts both in the U.S. and the U.K. that affirm the legality of ripping even copyrighted works. In 2012 Congressman Darrell Issa participated in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) event on Reddit. During the session, he was challenged about the legality of ripping legally acquired DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
“You can in fact make personal copies for your own use. A good example would be ripping a DVD so you can play it on your iPad. That use is not prohibited. The MPAA always takes the view that your rights are limited, but for non-commercial use, making a digital copy like you suggest is a-okay,” Issa said.
This statement appears to be in conflict with the rules set forth by both the DMCA and the Librarian of Congress. However, Congressman Issa only mentions ripping copyrighted material; he says nothing about circumventing the copy protections. It was a partial dodge of the question. The asker followed up his question with a request for clarification about circumvention – a request that was ignored by Congressman Issa.
In 2014, a U.K. court legalized making personal copies of legally acquired media for private use. However, this ruling does not touch on the subject of DRM. While Britons may duplicate copyrighted works for noncommercial use, circumvention of DRM protections remains illegal.
Prosecutions and Lawsuits
Despite the efforts of the above-mentioned institutions and individuals, circumventing copy protections remains against the law in the United States, the United Kingdom and most western nations.
Large-scale content creators, such as movie studios, use the anti-circumvention clauses in the DMCA to target software manufacturers that produce applications that circumvent DRM encryptions such as the Content Scramble System (CSS) for DVDs and the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) for Blu-ray discs.
A recent case brought by Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA) against the software manufacturer of DVDFab, resulted in the company’s U.S. based domains, such as DVDFab.com, being seized by the U.S. government and their affiliate program ordered to be halted. Representatives of Fengato Software (the maker of DVDFab) didn’t show up to the hearing that resulted in the injunction against them.
Bottom Line
While it is illegal for an individual to use ripping or copying software to bypass DRM, there have been no notable cases of copyright holders pursuing legal actions against individual users, nor has there been any action taken against publishers who review or otherwise cover products that circumvent DRM. It appears that the manufacturers of the software bear almost all the liability for the illegal use of their products.
What Is CSS?
Content Scramble System, or CSS, is the encryption method that protects discs from piracy. Unlike the protection encryption for Blu-ray (AASC), CSS is no longer being updated to keep up with codebreakers like those found in the programs we reviewed. As such, all these programs can easily decrypt discs so you can make backup copies of the movies and TV shows you have bought and paid for.
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November 2020
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