Backblaze B2 vs Sync.com: Which Should You Buy?
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If you’ve been in the home-lab game as long as I have, you know that “cloud storage” is a dangerously broad term. Depending on who you ask, it could mean a place to dump your raw VM backups or a secure folder for your tax documents. When you’re choosing between Backblaze B2 and Sync.com, you aren’t just picking a provider—you’re picking an entirely different architecture for how your data lives off-site.
I’ve seen too many beginners treat these as interchangeable. They aren’t. One is built for the machine; the other is built for the person. Let’s break down where each fits into a proper self-hosting stack.
Quick verdict
| If you are… | Buy this |
|---|---|
| A home-labber needing an S3-style target for NAS backups | Backblaze B2 |
| Someone wanting zero-knowledge encrypted storage for files | Sync.com |
Spec-by-spec
| Feature | Backblaze B2 | Sync.com |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Object Storage | Cloud Storage |
| Type | SAAS | SAAS |
| Price | $6/TB/mo | $8/mo |
| Best For | S3-style off-site target | Encrypted cloud storage |
The Analysis: Infrastructure vs. Interface
Object Storage for the Power User
When we talk about Backblaze B2, we are talking about object storage. In my experience, this is exactly what you want if you’re running a NAS or a custom backup script. It doesn’t pretend to be a “drive” in the traditional sense; it’s an S3-style target.
The beauty here is how native it feels when integrated into professional backup software. You aren’t dragging and dropping files through a web browser all day; you’re setting up a pipeline where your server pushes data to the cloud automatically. It is simple, efficient, and designed for scale. However, be mindful of the egress fees—pulling massive amounts of data back down from the cloud isn’t free, which is why B2 is best positioned as a “write-once, read-rarely” disaster recovery target.
Zero-Knowledge Privacy
On the flip side, Sync.com operates in the realm of traditional cloud storage. This is for the user who wants their files accessible across devices without managing an API key or a bucket policy.
The standout feature here is the zero-knowledge encryption. For those of us paranoid about privacy (which is standard for any self-hoster), knowing that the provider cannot peek at your data is non-negotiable. While it offers a much simpler user experience than object storage, you do trade off some performance; the sync speeds can be slower compared to raw object transfers. It’s less of a “backup target” and more of a “secure vault.”
Pros & Cons
Backblaze B2
Pros:
- Cheap: Very competitive pricing for bulk data.
- Simple: Easy to deploy once you understand the S3 workflow.
- NAS-native: Plays incredibly well with home server hardware and backup suites.
Cons:
- Egress fees: You’ll pay a premium if you need to download your entire archive frequently.
Sync.com
Pros:
- Zero-knowledge: Top-tier privacy where only you hold the keys.
- Simple: No complex configuration; it just works like a standard cloud folder.
Cons:
- Slower sync: Not the fastest option for moving large volumes of data quickly.
Which should you buy?
The decision comes down to your specific use case: Automation vs. Accessibility.
If you are building a 3-2-1 backup strategy and need an off-site destination for your server’s snapshots, Backblaze B2 is the obvious choice. It fits perfectly into the “off-site” leg of that strategy because it treats your data as objects in a bucket, making it ideal for programmatic backups from a NAS.
However, if you are looking for a place to store sensitive documents, passwords, or personal archives that you need to access from your laptop and phone with total privacy, Sync.com is the winner. The zero-knowledge architecture removes the trust requirement from the equation, providing peace of mind that object storage generally doesn’t prioritize in the same way.
FAQ
Is Backblaze B2 a replacement for a local backup? No. It is an S3-style off-site target. You should always keep your primary backups on local hardware and use B2 as the final, remote layer of redundancy.
What does “zero-knowledge” mean in Sync.com? It means that Sync.com does not have access to your encryption keys. Consequently, they cannot read your files or hand them over to third parties because only you possess the ability to decrypt the data.
Why are there egress fees with Backblaze B2? Object storage providers typically charge for moving data out of their ecosystem (egress). This is standard for this category of service and reinforces why it’s best used for disaster recovery rather than active file sharing.
Can I use Sync.com as a NAS backup target? While you can store files there, Sync.com is designed as cloud storage for encrypted files and folders. For true server-level backups, an object storage solution like Backblaze B2 is generally the more appropriate tool due to its S3-style nature.
Our pick for personal cloud storage
Want privacy-first storage without recurring monthly fees? Consider pCloud — it’s EU/Swiss-based with optional zero-knowledge encryption and one-time lifetime plans, a strong value alternative for backing up your own data.