---
id: backups.drive-or-cloud-for-backups
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/drive-or-cloud-for-backups
category: "Backups & restore points"
subcategory: "Time Machine and backup strategy"
question: "Is it better to back up to an external drive or to the cloud?"
alt_questions:
  - "cloud backup vs external drive"
  - "local vs online backup"
  - "which backup destination is safest"
  - "SSD backup or cloud backup"
short_answer: "Both, ideally. A drive is fastest and needs no internet but sits beside your Mac; a cloud account is off-site and encrypted before upload but slower. Use one backup set of each."
tags: ["strategy", "cloud", "external drive"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/should-i-back-up-to-two-places", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/where-can-i-back-up-to"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Is it better to back up to an external drive or to the cloud?

Each protects against different things, so the best answer is both.

- **External drive:** fastest to back up and restore, no internet needed, no ongoing fees for the storage you already own. But it sits beside your Mac, so theft, fire or a spill can take both.
- **Cloud account:** off-site, so it survives what happens to your desk, and it's encrypted on your Mac before upload. But the first backup is slower, and restoring large amounts takes time.

In Data Backup you can protect the same folders with one set of each.