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N-able Cove Data Protection vs iDrive comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

iDrive
Ranking in Cloud Backup
20th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
N-able Cove Data Protection
Ranking in Cloud Backup
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (30th), SaaS Backup (8th), MSP Backup (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Cloud Backup category, the mindshare of iDrive is 0.9%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of N-able Cove Data Protection is 2.5%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Backup
 

Featured Reviews

Jose Francisco Rosario - PeerSpot reviewer
A reliable platform with good encryption process for data security
Setting up iDrive is straightforward and easy. The local software can be installed after setting up everything in the cloud. The deployment process can take a few hours or more depending on the complexity of the structure you want to create. Integrating iDrive into our ecosystem was not complex. I handled the deployment process by myself and did not need much workforce for deployment. Our IT technicians handle all implementations and changes. The maintenance process for iDrive is smooth, but often faces challenges in terms of sensitivity to internet bandwidth variations. If there's a large variation, it might pause the backup process. But in such cases, the notifications keep us updated as it is very swift and reliable.
Per MøllerJacobsen - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivers cost-effective data backup with room for search improvements
The challenges I face especially are those I've mentioned, that finding some specific data in N-able Cove Data Protection is not as easy as it is in some other systems. You cannot just search for something—you need to know where it was and when it was there to restore it, plus it would be nice to take out data from Microsoft 365 in some portable format, which is currently not an option. I would like to extract the data from Microsoft 365 in a portable format, something like a database or maybe just to take out a PST file or SharePoint and Teams files to the file system. Especially in these times, where we discuss potential risks with the Microsoft cloud for European companies, companies would want to know how to access their data from the backup if they suddenly don't have a tenant. I believe there should be the ability to take out data from Microsoft 365 in a portable format. I know that Cohesity is working on making such a thing. It's not there yet; I asked last week for something for forensics, and the support team said it's not possible yet, but I know from our technical account manager they are working on some solutions.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The encryption process is the most useful part of using iDrive for data security. I also use the background backup feature which helps me to clone and conduct computer backup. These features are very reliable, especially when restoring images from damaged servers. But I don't use the real-time backup feature; I always use the scheduled backup."
"iDrive will keep up to 30 versions of a file."
"What I like the most about it's the ease of use and the reliability that it has when copying information to the cloud."
"The most valuables feature is the alerts and monitoring that catches the failed backups."
"The most valuable feature by far is the Virtual Disaster Recovery. On top of that is the bare-metal recovery. The recovery options that we have are great. We have tested the Virtual Disaster Recovery and the bare-metal recovery in just about any scenario you can think of. We have even restored bare metal, a full server, to a laptop, and had full functionality. It's just insane how well it works and how simple it is. It does most of the work for you."
"N-able Cove Data Protection is user-friendly and straightforward, and the dashboard is clear."
"The monitoring makes it very easy to check whether a backup has gone bad."
"The most valuable feature of N-able Cove Data Protection is its ease of use."
"The integration of N-able Cove Data Protection into our existing infrastructure is easy."
"I know I won't have an issue if the data is there. The reliability and the confidence that we have is amazing. It doesn't matter. We've had customers have ransomware. We've had customers that have had corruption. We've had customers that have had employees destroy their data. As long as it's been backed up, I know that I can get it back and I know I have nothing to worry about. Our confidence level is very high."
 

Cons

"I’ve had issues like the scheduler mysteriously erasing my settings. I have to babysit it."
"The disadvantage of using real-time backup in iDrive is that it significantly impacts server performance, causing considerable speed issues. The archiving process needs improvement along with the management of bandwidth and CPU. There should also be more options for creating conditions to manage the workload of the environment, making the system easier to balance."
"N-able Cove Data Protection for Microsoft 365 is an area with shortcomings that need improvement."
"For small amounts of data, recovery is easy, but when it's large amounts of data, it takes forever. So, if they can have a service where they put our data on a hard drive and ship it to us as fast as possible, it would be great. Even if there's a fee associated with it, it's fine."
"There could be a possibility to create a local NAS backup for infrastructure."
"We don't use the solution’s automated recovery testing because SolarWinds made me cross. When they released it, I went, "Oh, well, that's quite good." Because if you use the system, then it supposedly spins up, and on the portal, it gives you a screenshot of the booted device. So, I phoned up, and I said, "Oh, that's really quite cool. How much is that?" They said, "No, no, no. It's all included in your license." I went, "Okay then," and went and deployed it on about half the fleet. One of the options that our customers have is they can pay us a small amount every month for us to test the recovery just to prove that it's viable, and I thought, "Well, this will do that for us. Nice." Then, in the next invoice, we got a charge for it. While It was not a huge amount, I took offense at the fact that we were told that it would be a no extra cost option that was part of our license, but it turns out that it's chargeable. Therefore, we haven't used it since."
"N-able Cove Data Protection does not provide a lot of SaaS backup products, which is an area they can improve. Additionally, there are some limitations on the storage side, where I cannot have a lot of employees backing up their data."
"The only area that needs improvement is that it is a little bit difficult when you get into virtual machines. The initial deployment of Cove is a little tedious, not for standard machines, but when you get into specialty stuff, like Hyper-V."
"The recovery side, the restore side, could be a little more optimized."
"For the MSP side, they could have more of a "security user" that can go in and only see certain clients. If you give somebody access as a technician, they can see all the clients."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"According to our evaluation done five to seven years ago, iDrive is cheap and it covers a lot of our needs."
"The only option I would like to see is an adjustable scale. Right now we have 250 seats and we're not using all of them. It would be nice to be able to save that little bit of money by being able to buy just what we need."
"The price isn't extreme, but I'd love to pay less."
"There is no per node cost, at least not the way I am doing it. I am on bulk. New customers can be set up on a trial, where they can get things all squared away, then they can switch over to being a billed customer."
"The cost is around ten dollars per workstation a month and that includes a certain amount of data."
"I believe that the price is very reasonable in comparison to other options. It is cheaper than both Redstor and Acronis and, since we are now using our own on-premise cloud, there is absolutely no comparison since we have unlimited storage rather than paying per gigabyte used for their onsite storage. We are currently able to backup fifty computers for the same price that we use to backup five computers."
"N-able Cove Data Protection is an averagely-priced product."
"Cove only takes the data you have on the physical server. I can back that up for long periods of time, and I don't accrue high charges to have the data in the cloud. It stays at one rate. This allows me to forecast payment for the next one or two years and show clients their estimated growth."
"The pricing is very competitive and it's well worth the price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iDrive?
The pricing’s really good for the amount of backup space you get. I get five terabytes. I think it’s, like, eighty bucks a year, something like that.
What needs improvement with iDrive?
I’ve had some issues with iDrive. I don’t have an updated version of Windows, so that might have something to do with it. I’m running a 2018 version of Windows 10, and I haven’t had any issues with...
What is your primary use case for iDrive?
We have a wide variation of use cases.
What do you like most about N-able Backup?
The initial setup of N-able Cove Data Protection was very easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N-able Backup?
In terms of pricing, N-able Cove Data Protection is neither cheap nor expensive compared to other competitors.
What needs improvement with N-able Backup?
The challenges I face especially are those I've mentioned, that finding some specific data in N-able Cove Data Protection is not as easy as it is in some other systems. You cannot just search for s...
 

Also Known As

No data available
N-able Backup, SolarWinds Backup, SolarWinds MSP Backup & Recovery, SolarWinds MSP Backup
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. BMW  2. Audi  3. Mercedes-Benz  4. Volkswagen  5. Ford  6. General Motors  7. Toyota 8. Honda  9. Nissan  10. Hyundai  11. Kia  12. Volvo  13. Jaguar Land Rover  14. Porsche  15. Subaru  16. Mazda  17. Mitsubishi  18. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles  19. Tesla  20. Peugeot  21. Renault  22. Citroën  23. Skoda  24. Seat  25. Mini  26. Bentley  27. Rolls-Royce  28. Lamborghini 29. Aston Martin  30. Ferrari  31. Maserati  32. Alfa Romeo
Computer Depot, Leading Edge Computers, IT Logic Australia
Find out what your peers are saying about N-able Cove Data Protection vs. iDrive and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,533 professionals have used our research since 2012.