I'm evaluating Microsoft 365 backup options for a small company, and Afi keeps coming up. I haven't used it before, so I'm interested in hearing whether it's reliable, how well restores work, and whether there are any pricing or cancellation issues to watch for. I saw one review mentioning that the bill increased over time and that canceling was difficult, but I'm not sure how representative that experience is.
4 Answers
A lower-cost alternative is running the Microsoft 365 backup app on a Synology device. It costs more upfront and requires maintenance, but you avoid being tied to a cloud provider and can retain control of the backup data. Some companies use both approaches: Synology for the complete backup and Afi for an additional copy of critical data.
My experience with Afi has been positive, including dependable restores and a solid security posture. The administration and search experience could be better, but the core backup service has worked well. Support has also been responsive when configuration or backend issues came up. I can't confirm how difficult cancellation is, so I'd read the contract carefully and ask specifically about retention, data export, storage charges, and cancellation terms before committing.
The price can increase over time because storage usage grows as more backup data accumulates. That isn't necessarily a billing problem, but you should understand whether pricing is based on users, storage, or both. Excluding junk mail and deleted items can help control growth, and you may want a process for removing departed users' backups or exporting them to your own storage.
Afi seems to be a legitimate and reliable service. Several people have used it for multiple years without restore problems, and recovery is generally described as smooth. It also works well for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace environments. Make sure you verify the initial backup configuration so that all the data you actually need is included.
We use it across several client environments and haven't seen unexplained increases. Costs have generally changed when clients added users or accumulated more data, so the storage and retention settings are worth reviewing before signing up.