Ente Photos vs IDrive

Ente Photos is an end-to-end encrypted photo service for backing up and accessing images across devices. Its apps encrypt photos and metadata on the device before upload, and can back up new photos in the background. On-device AI recognizes faces and photo elements to support natural-language search. Users can revisit curated memories and share encrypted albums or browser links, with password and expiry options for links. Album owners can allow others to contribute photos, including people without an Ente account. Ente documents imports from Google Photos, Apple Photos, Amazon Photos, and local storage; its desktop app supports incremental export. The Free plan includes 10 GB and one replica. Paid plans start with Starter at $2.49 a month, which includes 50 GB. Paid subscribers can share storage with up to five family members, each with a private space. Ente says it stores three encrypted copies across providers and EU locations. It also says it cannot recover an account or data if a user loses both the password and recovery key while logged out of all devices.

IDrive backs up computers, mobile devices, servers, and NAS devices to one account, with apps and access for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and the web. Its free Basic plan provides 10 GB of storage without a credit card; paid plans start at $0.25 per month for IDrive Mini, which includes 100 GB for one user. Backup and restore options cover files, devices, earlier versions, deleted files, disk images, and IDrive Express. The service retains up to 30 earlier versions of each backed-up file, and Snapshots provide point-in-time recovery. True Archiving keeps files in the account until you delete them or run Archive Cleanup. IDrive says it encrypts data in transit and at rest using 256-bit AES, with private keys optional, and that stored versions and Snapshots support recovery after ransomware incidents. Add-ons provide backup for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox, and Box. Team and Business plans include multi-user administration. Support is available 24/7 by live chat, email, and phone.