Which cloud backup if any?

Windows 10 1909 (build 18363.836)

Hello folks. So I have a few external hard drives and regularly do file back ups and the occasional system image. More file backups. Just clean installed 1909 and set everything up and every time I do a clean install and faff about with reinstalling files I think - maybe I should get cloud backup as well. Then I never get round to it and get cold feet. Apart from it also costing. But my iphone cloud backups work pretty well and I can see the advantage, especially if your house burns down - although if that happened I may have a lot more to worry about than lost data!

I keep some file backups in email anyway - email them to myself and file them. I don't bother with syncing and sharing files so haven't bothered with dropbox, googledrive etc, prefer to keep it simple and don't travel much (nobody does right now anyway!).

Anyway - any recommendations would be appreciated. I've read all the reviews and there are pros and cons. Idrive and Acronis seem the two top recommended ones and both do system images as well - and both are a bit expensive. I was put off Backblaze by reports that it doesn't put files back on the pc in the folders if files need to be recover.

So thoughts are - surely another process running on a laptop would slow it down? Like antivirus. What are experiences of recovery from cloud backups with different programs? Does everything go back as it was in the named folders - like a regular copy and paste back up?

And is it all too much hassle or something really worth doing these days? My main computer has a 1TB ssd drive and half of that is full (ie at least 500GB) - many years of documents and files.

Who are these companies that provide cloud backups? Acronis I know is a big name but in the current climate I wonder what happens to your data if a company goes bust. Even big companies can go bust.

Cloud backup would be better than nothing.

Standard shortcomings of all of them are slow speed, cost, reliance on an Internet connection, and possible privacy issues.

Most likely you've thought of all of that.

You just have to make a judgement call as to whether another backup layer would be best satisfied by the cloud rather than something else. If it's fire/theft you worry about, consider a safe deposit box.

Privacy issues alone have made me say no.

Thanks Yeah I got past the concern about privacy issues - you can have passwords and 2 factor authentification. Safe is a good idea I never worried about the idea of losing everything in a housefire but reviews for cloud backups put the idea in my head!

Ok so not safe then lol! I doubt they'd be interested in any of my documents but there is the risk of identity fraud.

If its on the cloud like Google their security is way above anything you have on your pc and if you use Google photos then the data is unlimited

My house fire (or similar) protection is simply a couple of encrypted 2.5" hard drives in cheap plastic cases stored by friends, swapped over occasionally when I visit. Plus an extra 1 at home to update to the latest before I go visiting. Quick easy synchronisation on a USB 3 /SATA adaptor.