I don’t know anyone who hasn’t accidentally deleted a file at some point in their life, be it an important work document or a final submission for a school project (yikes!).
From watching (and making) these costly mistakes, I’ve come to realize that having an infallible data backup solution is worth more than its weight in gold.
Best overall
Pair the Seagate 5TB portable HDD with NordLocker 2TB cloud storage
This storage combo is the best balance of cost, capacity, and speed. For less than $200 you can get 7TB of storage across the physical realm and the cloud. Keep your super important stuff in your NordLocker, and your regularly accessed files on the Seagate Portable 5TB drive.
I selected the Seagate Portable 5TB External HDD for both its size and capacity, making it a great option for those who need a desktop HDD that can be quickly taken on the go. While the USB 3.0 connection doesn’t offer the blistering transfer speeds of an internal M.2 connection, its a good compromise for a plug-and-go hard drive that can used across multiple devices. And even if something does go wrong, 1 year of Rescue Service is included in the price.
As for cloud storage, I would go for the NordLocker 2TB cloud storage deal which comes with some serious security features, such as unlimited end-to-end encryption and secure file sharing. The 53% Black Friday discount also makes it super affordable.
Best for capacity
Pair the Seagate Expansion 26TB HDD with Sync Pro Solo Unlimited
If you don’t care about budget and simply have a lot to store, this is the combo for you.
Once again, I’ve turned to Seagate for a high-capacity drive with a reasonable form factor. This Seagate 26TB External HDD is an absolute monster, and if you manage to somehow fill it up during regular use, I’ll eat my hard drive. This is a great backup option for big creative portfolios, a lifetime of precious family memories, or your home cinema collection.
I may have been too hasty on promising to eat my hard drive, because this Sync.com deal is actually unfillable. Right now, you can get UNLIMITED cloud storage with a 50% lifetime discount from Sync.com. That means the yearly price won’t ever go up, you get exactly what you pay for, at the same price, forever.
Best for budget
Pair the Aiolo 1TB HDD with Proton Drive 200GB
Looking to spread the cost or stretch your dollars a little further? This is the combo for you.
When it comes to budget storage, you’re going to have to look into brands you’ve never heard of before. The Aiolo 1TB External Hard Drive is one such example, but 1TB is 1TB. At a little over $45, this is a great portable external drive for photos, videos, and projects that don’t take up too much space.
As for cloud storage, I’ve picked Proton Drive. Now, this is a monthly plan to help keep the cost down, but for less than $2 per month you can bag yourself 200GB of cloud storage for all your most important files, while keeping the stuff you need to hand on your 1TB external drive.
Best for speed
Pair the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB internal SSD with IDrive 10TB cloud back-up
With great speed comes great compromise, at least for physical storage. This combo focuses purely on transfer speeds.
For speed, an M.2 SSD is the way to go, and with the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB SSD your file transfers will be done before you can blink. This internal SSD can rev up to 7,450MB/s read speed, and 6900MB/s in write speed. This is a super popular option for gamers, creatives, and professionals.
Speed is slightly harder to compare when it comes to cloud storage as it largely depends on your own internet. But, for your convenience, I’ve picked the IDrive 10TB cloud backup purely because it offers superior syncing options from multiple devices, all to one account. That way, you can backup all your important data whether you’re at home or on the go.
We’ve also rounded up our picks of the best Black Friday cloud storage deals.
The best cloud storage for all budgets
