---
id: comparisons.online-backup-services-vs-data-backup
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/online-backup-services-vs-data-backup
category: "Comparisons & alternatives"
subcategory: "Backup and cloning tools"
question: "How is Data Backup different from a subscription online backup service?"
alt_questions:
  - "online backup service vs storage studio data backup"
  - "cloud backup app vs data backup"
  - "should I use data backup or an online backup company"
  - "data backup own cloud account vs backup service"
  - "backup to my own cloud storage mac"
short_answer: "An online backup service keeps your backup in its own cloud. Data Backup sends versioned, encrypted backups to a drive or cloud account you choose and control, with a passphrase only you know."
tags: ["backup", "cloud", "data backup"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/cloning-apps-vs-storage-studio"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How is Data Backup different from a subscription online backup service?

The main difference is **where the backup lives and who runs it**. An online backup service usually stores your backup in its own cloud as part of its plan. Storage Studio's **Data Backup** backs up to a destination **you** choose — an external drive, or a cloud account you've already connected — and runs from your Mac.

What Data Backup gives you either way:

- versioned, incremental backups of the folders you pick, made automatically as things change;
- cloud backups encrypted on your Mac before they upload, protected by a passphrase you set (keep it safe — nobody, including us, can recover it);
- a set marked **Protected** only after its latest version passes an integrity check.

If you'd rather someone else manage the storage entirely, a backup service may suit you better. See [Data Backup](https://storagestudio.us/manual/data-backup).