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Backup pricing per 100GB comparison

Choosing a backup provider often comes down to price-per-storage-unit. This backup pricing per 100GB comparison explains common pricing models, shows line-item costs per 100GB, and gives practical tips to avoid hidden charges.

Why per-100GB pricing matters

Many services advertise per‑TB or unlimited plans, but most customers think in hundreds of gigabytes. A per‑100GB view makes monthly costs easier to compare, forecast, and budget—especially for individuals, photographers, and small businesses.

Common pricing models (and how they translate per 100GB)

Below are the usual models you’ll encounter and the math you should use when comparing offers.

1. Fixed storage unit (e.g., 100GB units)

How it works: The provider sells fixed storage units (for example, 100GB per unit) at a fixed monthly price. You choose the number of units you need and can often increase or decrease monthly.

Per-100GB cost: the published unit price (simple to budget).
Good for: users who prefer predictable bills and managed features bundled with storage.

2. Raw object storage (per‑GB / per‑TB)

How it works: You pay storage by the GB or TB-month and often pay separately for egress (downloads) and API requests. Examples include Backblaze B2 and Wasabi (see vendor pages for current rates).

Per‑100GB cost: raw storage price × 100 (often the cheapest on the list for pure storage).
Watchouts: egress, API, and lifecycle charges can make total cost higher during restores or heavy use. See Backblaze B2 and Wasabi pricing for details.

3. Device- or user‑based (per-device / per-user)

How it works: Pricing is based on the number of devices or users backed up rather than storage volume. Some vendors combine a per-device fee with a storage allowance.

Per‑100GB translation: divide the plan price by the effective storage included to compute per‑100GB.
Good for: small deployments with predictable device counts but unpredictable storage needs.

4. Pay-as-you-grow (elastic per-GB)

How it works: You are billed exactly for the storage you use each billing cycle. Prices can be per‑GB or tiered; often used by cloud-native and enterprise services.

Per‑100GB cost: current per‑GB rate × 100. Benefit: no upfront allocation; drawback: unexpected growth can increase bills quickly.

Line‑item examples: direct per‑100GB comparisons

These examples show how to convert published rates into a per‑100GB figure so you can compare apples to apples. Numbers are illustrative; check vendors for live prices.

Model	Typical headline rate	Per 100GB (monthly)	Notes
Fixed 100GB unit (AgooCloud example)	6€ per 100GB unit	6€ / 100GB	Includes managed backup features, support and software—simple billing.
Raw object storage (Backblaze B2 example)	~$5 / TB storage (storage-only)	~$0.50 / 100GB	Very low storage cost, but egress and request costs apply. See Backblaze B2 pricing.
Raw object storage (Wasabi example)	~$6 / TB storage (storage-only)	~$0.60 / 100GB	Low-cost storage; vendor details vary by region and plan. See Wasabi pricing.
Pay‑as‑you‑grow managed backup	Per‑GB × usage	Varies — calculate: per‑GB rate × 100	Good flexibility, but check how restores and versioning are billed.

Note: the values above show pure storage cost vs managed backup pricing. Managed services normally charge more per‑GB because they include software, deduplication, scheduling, encryption, and support.

Backup for photographers pricing per TB

Photographers usually need multiple terabytes. Translate per‑100GB pricing to per‑TB easily:

Using 6€ per 100GB units → 6€ × 10 = 60€ per TB per month (managed unit model).
Using raw object storage at ~$5–$6 per TB → roughly $5–$6 per TB per month (storage-only).

Advice for photographers: factor in restore speed (egress), retention/versioning, and whether the backup tool deduplicates or compresses raw photos—these affect effective storage use and monthly cost.

How storage‑based pricing works for backups (simple formula)

To estimate monthly cost:

Start with the storage rate (per‑GB or per‑100GB or per‑TB).
Multiply by the amount of data you keep that month.
Add extra charges (egress, API requests, snapshots, encryption key management, retention surcharges).

Example formula (EUR): monthly cost = (per‑GB rate × GB stored) + egress fees + feature/add‑ons + VAT.

Pay‑as‑you‑grow backup storage models — pros and cons

Pay-as-you-grow is attractive because you don’t pre-purchase capacity. But it requires monitoring and budget guardrails.

Pros: no wasted pre-paid storage, scales with usage, easy onboarding.
Cons: sudden data growth or large restores can spike bills. Hidden costs like egress or retrieval can be material.

Common hidden charges and how to avoid them

Watch out for these items that can unexpectedly increase your bill:

Egress / restore fees — test a restore and check vendor egress pricing.
API request and transaction charges — common with object storage.
Versioning and snapshot retention — older versions count toward storage unless excluded.
Minimum billing increments — some vendors round up to the next storage unit.
Regional taxes and VAT — ensure published prices are clear about tax.
Onboarding or restore support fees — some providers charge for large-scale recovery assistance.

Practical steps to avoid surprises:

Request a sample invoice for your expected usage profile.
Run a trial restore to estimate egress costs and restore time.
Confirm retention policy and version handling in writing (see our Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for data handling commitments).
Use budgeting alerts or set hard caps where possible.

Monthly cloud backup plans Europe — what to check

If you’re buying monthly plans in Europe, pay extra attention to:

Data residency and GDPR compliance — check the provider’s DPA and location of data centres.
Currency and VAT — whether prices are listed including VAT.
Local support hours and SLAs for recovery time objectives.

For business backup scenarios, see our guide Backup for Small Business: Secure, Automated & Affordable and our individual user page Backup for Individuals for planning tips.

Quick checklist before you buy

Calculate per‑100GB cost from the vendor’s published rate.
Include restore/egress and request charges in your estimate.
Confirm how versioning and retention affect billed storage.
Check data processing terms and EU GDPR coverage (DPA).
Ask for a sample invoice for your projected usage and a documented SLA.

Conclusion: backup pricing per 100GB comparison — the bottom line

The cheapest raw storage (object storage) often wins on pure per‑100GB cost, but managed backup solutions (like per‑100GB units) bundle software, encryption, scheduling, and support—so their higher per‑100GB price can be a good value. Use the per‑100GB conversion above to compare offerings, and always add egress, retention and support costs to your estimate.

FAQ

How do I compare backup providers using per‑100GB pricing?

Convert all published rates into a per‑100GB monthly number: for per‑GB rates multiply by 100; for per‑TB divide by 10 (or /1024 ×100 for GiB). Add likely egress and versioning costs to get a realistic monthly figure.

What is a reasonable backup for photographers pricing per TB?

Raw object storage can be very cheap (single‑digit USD/EUR per TB per month), but managed backup services billed in 100GB units can cost more (for example, 6€ per 100GB = ~60€ per TB). Balance cost with features like dedupe, encryption, and restore speed.

Are monthly cloud backup plans in Europe more expensive?

Not necessarily. Pricing is similar globally for raw storage, but European plans may show VAT or offer EU data residency and compliance guarantees—factor those into total cost.

How does pay-as-you-grow backup storage work?

You are billed for actual storage used each month at a per‑GB rate. It’s flexible but requires monitoring; spikes in stored data or heavy restores can increase bills quickly.

What hidden costs should I test for?

Test a restore to estimate egress fees and verify API/request costs, retention impacts, and any charged support during recovery.

Backup Pricing per 100GB Comparison Guide