SpiderOak Alternatives 2026: 7 Free Options
SpiderOak alternatives: Cryptomator, Syncthing, Nextcloud, Seafile and 4 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•4 min read•Cloud Storage & Backup
Verdict:SpiderOak's homepage now talks about edge and defense security (Aranya) and names no consumer backup product or price, and the one official support article I found on SpiderOak ONE is from 2020. If you still rely on SpiderOak ONE for personal backup, you are depending on a product the vendor no longer foregrounds, so check current plan prices with SpiderOak directly. That alone is a good reason to line up a replacement before you need to restore something. The right choice depends on what you valued. If it was the no-knowledge encryption, Cryptomator on top of any cloud, or Restic and BorgBackup pointing at storage you pick, keep the keys with you. If you want files synced between your own machines without any hosted copy, Syncthing does that, though it is not a true off-site backup. For a self-hosted file server, Nextcloud or Seafile give you sharing as well. If you just want a managed backup that works unattended, Backblaze at $99 per year or IDrive with its free 10 GB Basic plan are the easy swaps. The trade-off is plain: the open-source options give you control and cost almost nothing, but you own the setup, monitoring and test restores yourself.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptomator | Free (Desktop apps free; mobile apps free but read-only); paid from EUR 29.99 per one-time, mobile full access (shown for Germany; sale price EUR 19.99) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Encrypting files in any cloud | Docs only |
| Syncthing | Free (Free; syncs directly between your own devices with no central server or hosted storage) | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD | Peer-to-peer sync, no cloud | Docs only |
| Nextcloud | Free (Community server is free to self-host and the Nextcloud-branded desktop and mobile apps are free); paid from EUR 71.29 per user/year (Enterprise Standard at 100 users, 100-user minimum) | Web, Self-hosted, Desktop app, Mobile app | Self-hosted file sync and sharing | Docs only |
| Seafile | Free (Community Edition is free and open source; Professional Edition is free for up to 3 users); paid from $48 per user/year (Professional, 10-249 users) | Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Self-hosted sync for small teams | Docs only |
| restic | Free (free, open source) | Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD | Encrypted backups to any storage | Docs only |
| BorgBackup | Free (Free and open source; no paid plan listed) | Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows (experimental) | Deduplicated backups to your server | Docs only |
| Backblaze | Paid from $99 per year (Personal Backup) | Windows, macOS | Simple paid computer backup | Docs only |
| IDrive | Free (Basic plan: 10 GB, no credit card required); paid from $6.99 per month, 5 TB Personal plan billed yearly (first-year price; $11.99 billed monthly) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Managed backup with a free tier | Docs only |
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See the tools in action
Images from the linked documentation. Versions and features may differ from current plans.
Good fit if
- I want to keep encryption keys on my side while using any cloud (Cryptomator is the pick)
- I want to sync between my own devices with no hosted copy (Syncthing is the pick)
- I want to run my own file server (Nextcloud is the pick)
- I want command-line encrypted backups to storage I pick (restic is the pick)
- I want a managed backup that just runs (Backblaze is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on SpiderOak features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
SpiderOak today: Paid from $6 per month (150 GB plan, per user) (SpiderOak pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Why people look for SpiderOak alternatives
SpiderOak's own homepage now centres on edge and defense security and names no consumer backup product. Its backup plans live on spideroak.one: 150 GB costs $6 a month or $69 a year, and the largest listed plan, 5 TB, costs $29 a month or $320 a year, so there is no unlimited tier. The newest release note listed is One Backup 7.5.2 from April 2025, while CrossClave and Semaphor last shipped in 2022 or earlier.
Cryptomator
Compared with SpiderOak: Cryptomator encrypts files client-side before they reach any cloud you choose, covering SpiderOak's no-knowledge idea. It is not a backup service itself, and mobile apps are read-only unless you buy the one-time unlock.
Price: Free (Desktop apps free; mobile apps free but read-only); paid from EUR 29.99 per one-time, mobile full access (shown for Germany; sale price EUR 19.99) (Cryptomator pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. GPLv3 (commercial license for resellers) (open source).
Project activity: 16.4k GitHub stars · latest release 1.19.4 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Encrypting files in any cloud.
Syncthing
Compared with SpiderOak: Syncthing syncs folders directly between your own devices with no central server or hosted storage. You give up SpiderOak's off-site copy and versioned restore, but nothing is stored with a third party.
Price: Free (Free; syncs directly between your own devices with no central server or hosted storage) (Syncthing pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD. MPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 89.8k GitHub stars · latest release v2.1.7 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Peer-to-peer sync, no cloud.
Nextcloud
Compared with SpiderOak: Nextcloud is a self-hostable server with free community and Nextcloud-branded apps. You run and secure the server yourself, unlike SpiderOak's managed service, and gain file sharing, calendar and a large app ecosystem.
Price: Free (Community server is free to self-host and the Nextcloud-branded desktop and mobile apps are free); paid from EUR 71.29 per user/year (Enterprise Standard at 100 users, 100-user minimum) (Nextcloud pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted, Desktop app, Mobile app. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 37.3k GitHub stars · latest release v33.0.10 (Oct 15, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Self-hosted file sync and sharing.
Seafile
Compared with SpiderOak: Seafile Community Edition is free and open source, and Professional is free for up to 3 users. It focuses on fast file sync and libraries with optional encryption, and you host it yourself instead of renting capacity.
Price: Free (Community Edition is free and open source; Professional Edition is free for up to 3 users); paid from $48 per user/year (Professional, 10-249 users) (Seafile pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. AGPL-3.0 (server core); GPL-2.0 desktop client (open source).
Project activity: 15.4k GitHub stars · latest release v9.0.5 (Feb 27, 2024) · last commit Oct 16, 2026
Best for: Self-hosted sync for small teams.
restic
Compared with SpiderOak: Restic is a free command-line backup tool that encrypts snapshots and sends them to many storage back ends. It has no GUI and no vendor-run service, but you choose where the encrypted data lives.
Price: Free (free, open source) (restic pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD. BSD-2-Clause (open source).
Project activity: 36.8k GitHub stars · latest release v0.19.1 (Jul 5, 2026) · last commit Oct 18, 2026
Best for: Encrypted backups to any storage.
Worth knowing: Command-line, encrypted, deduplicated backups to local, SFTP, S3 and other storage.
BorgBackup
Compared with SpiderOak: BorgBackup is a free, deduplicating backup tool that stores encrypted archives on your own server or a Borg-friendly host. Setup is command-line work compared with SpiderOak's desktop client, in return for efficient storage.
Price: Free (Free and open source; no paid plan listed) (BorgBackup pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows (experimental). BSD-3-Clause (open source).
Project activity: 13.9k GitHub stars · latest release 1.4.5 (Jul 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Deduplicated backups to your server.
Backblaze
Compared with SpiderOak: Backblaze Personal Backup is a paid, hands-off service listed at $99 per year. It is a simpler managed replacement for SpiderOak backup, but check its encryption options yourself if a no-knowledge guarantee matters to you.
Price: Paid from $99 per year (Personal Backup) (Backblaze pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Simple paid computer backup.
IDrive
Compared with SpiderOak: IDrive has a free Basic plan with 10 GB and no credit card, and a 5 TB Personal plan from $6.99 per month on yearly billing. It is a managed backup like SpiderOak, with sync and multi-device support.
Price: Free (Basic plan: 10 GB, no credit card required); paid from $6.99 per month, 5 TB Personal plan billed yearly (first-year price; $11.99 billed monthly) (IDrive pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Managed backup with a free tier.
Worth knowing: Discounted price applies to the first year; standard pricing applies from year two.
Which one to pick
- I want to keep encryption keys on my side while using any cloud: Cryptomator
- I want to sync between my own devices with no hosted copy: Syncthing
- I want to run my own file server: Nextcloud
- I want command-line encrypted backups to storage I pick: restic
- I want a managed backup that just runs: Backblaze
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Cryptomator, Syncthing, Nextcloud, Seafile, restic, BorgBackup, Backblaze, IDrive: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from SpiderOak. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: SpiderOak, Cryptomator, Syncthing, Nextcloud, Seafile, restic, BorgBackup, Backblaze, IDrive. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.