Pricing

In addition to the pricing plans listed below, BackupGenie offers a free trial which includes only 15MB of storage, the equivalent of about 30 standard-sized files. Although this isn't enough to provide security for almost any user, it gives a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the BackupGenie tools and interface before committing to a payment plan. You may have to search around to find that option or any information about it but it's there if you look.

You can pay via Paypal or Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit cards to pay monthly, or within the time periods listed above. Additionally, BackupGenie offers a 30 day money back guarantee, meaning that users can cancel within 30 days if you decide that the service isn't right for you for any reason.

Features

Unlike other online backup services, BackupGenie provides all the same features for every payment package. The features list shows the company's desire to give a lot of flexibility to all users no matter how much storage they're using, plus a few perks like music and video streaming that add convenience to all of the usual security features.  Overall, we found the features offered by BackupGenie to be sufficient though not overly abundant.  We also found most of the features extremely easy to use, which made for a generally positive user experience.    

• Automatic daily backup
• Automated synching of multiple devices, including across multiple platforms.
• Mobile apps for ipad and iphone allowing music and video streaming
• Private and invitation-only file and folder sharing
• Remote file access from the BackupGenie website
• File version history
• Drag and drop transfer
• Video tutorials

BackupGenie runs a backup to their servers once daily, although you can back up your files more often if you've made changes that you would like to be protected immediately.  However, in most cases the automated daily backup will be more than enough. It runs in the background with no need for any action on the part of the user.

Storage Space

BackupGenie offers three different payment packages based on the amount of storage you will need. These options range from 15MB for the free plan to unlimited storage in the largest plan available. Below is an approximate breakdown the company provides of the types of media that can be stored with each package.

Ease of Use

When you first sign up for an account with BackupGenie you are automatically directed to enter your credit card information to get a paid account. The free trial version is found by simply downloading the BackupGenie app to your computer, rather than actually registering. Once you've done that, the backup is practically automatic and the whole process takes only a few minutes. During the initial backup, the files that are backed up are chosen automatically and you do not get to choose.

After that, all information and options can be accessed from the homepage on the BackupGenie website, which includes the control panel which is laid out simply and intuitively. The page lists all information you might need at a glance, such as how much of your available storage is used, how many files and folders you have backed up and how long it's been since your last backup. A list on the side of the page provides more detailed information about which specific devices are synched as well as giving you easy-to-use tools for synching more devices, adding files to the backup and sharing with other people.   

BackupGenie control panel

Tabs across the top of the page provide access to all data about your computer, your backup history and "account health" which lists all devices on the account and any possible problems. Any information you need is easy to find and the tools you need to make changes are both accessible and simple to use. The site's design uses clear icons and layout and does not overload you with information on any page. For any questions that do come up, the site has a thorough FAQ section which will discuss below.

Security

BackupGenie uses Amazon S3 storage servers, which are very reliable and heavily monitored. These data centers are spread out around multiple locations in Virginia. All of BackupGenie's data transfers are encrypted using a combination of 128bit SSL and 256bit AES encryption keys.

Although BackupGenie is not listed as compliant with any of the usual security certifications, they are in the process of getting certification and their official status according to the awarding organizations is "in progress."

Customer Support

Although BackupGenie does not offer telephone support, they do provide easy access to email support in addition to a lot of helpful information that you can find on your own on their website. Their FAQ section is very thorough and easy to navigate and they offer a number of video tutorials with more step-by-step guidance. In theory, you can also get involved with the BackupGenie social media community on both facebook and twitter in order to share information with other users. However, at the moment these communities are very inactive and you are unlikely to find answers. According to the website, they are working to improve this section and have a tool coming soon to test your computer's backup speed. 

BackupGenie support center

We contacted BackupGenie's email support from the Support Center on the website at 12:45pm on a Wednesday. We immediately got a message saying that our request had been sent and that we should look for a response soon either in our email inbox or on the control panel of our BackupGenie account. We received a response at 1:52, which was helpful and to the point. It was clearly written by a human being and answered our specific question with brief, simple but thorough and personalized instructions.

Email through BackupGenie support center

Summary

Positive Features

• Very clear and intuitive interface
• Excellent FAQ section and tutorials
• Storage on Amazon S3 servers
• Full encryption on all data transfers
• Long list of additional convenience features

Negative Features

• No information available about free trial account
• Not all files are backed up automatically