Arq Premium review

Arq comes in two forms. Arq 7 is a $59.99 per-computer app that sends encrypted backups to storage you already have, such as a cloud account, an SFTP server, a NAS or an external drive. Arq Premium, at $69.99 per year, bundles the app for up to 5 computers with 1 TB of cloud storage that Arq manages, plus web access to your backups. Additional storage over 1 TB is billed at $.00699 per GB per month. Backups use filesystem snapshots, so files that change during a run are still captured consistently, and block-level incremental backup, compression and de-duplication keep uploads small. Encryption is end to end, and the backup format is open and documented, with an open-source restore tool. You can schedule hourly or daily runs, pause on battery or on chosen Wi-Fi networks, and cap bandwidth. The cost of that control is a steeper learning curve than Backblaze or Carbonite, and there is no Linux client.

Who it is for

Technical users who want end-to-end encryption and an open backup format

Price

Arq Premium $69.99 per year for 5 computers and 1 TB; Arq 7 app $59.99 per computer one-time for use with your own storage; 30-day free trial.

Arq Premium $ 69.99 /year 5 computers and 1 TB included storage
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Arq Premium covers up to 5 computers with 1 TB of included cloud storage and web access
• Extra storage over 1 TB billed at $.00699 per GB per month
• Back up to your own cloud account, an SFTP server, a NAS or an external drive, or several at once
• Filesystem snapshots, block-level incremental backup, compression and de-duplication
• Open, documented backup format with an open-source restore tool, arq_restore

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: End-to-end encryption so backups are readable only by you
• Strength: Five computers for $69.99 per year is the lowest multi-computer price here
• Strength: Unlimited retention keeps backups of USB drives even if they are never reconnected
• Weakness: More settings to understand than Backblaze or Carbonite
• Weakness: Mac and Windows only
• Weakness: Storage beyond 1 TB is metered per GB

Key facts

• Computers: Up to 5 (Premium)
• Included storage: 1 TB
• Platforms: Mac, Windows
• Free trial: 30 days

Where it ranks

Arq Premium is No. 3 in our Best Online Backup Services verdict.