--- title: "Backups and restore points: what a hosting backup actually protects you from" url: "https://hostidea.com/blog/backups-and-restore-points-explained" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/blog/backups-and-restore-points-explained" author: "Jennifer T." published: "2026-10-13" updated: "2026-10-13" sources: - "https://www.fastcomet.com/website-hosting" - "https://flashcloud.com/pricing" - "https://hosting.com/package-comparison/" - "https://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm" - "https://www.scalahosting.com/pricing" - "https://www.hostinger.com/web-hosting" - "https://www.bluehost.com/hosting/shared" - "https://www.hostpapa.com/renewal-pricing/" - "https://www.inmotionhosting.com/shared-hosting" generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) # Backups and restore points: what a hosting backup actually protects you from What "daily backups" means on a plan page, why retention and off-server storage matter more than frequency, and which failures a host backup does not cover. By [Jennifer T.](https://hostidea.com/authors/jennifer-t) · Reviewed by [Macaulay A.](https://hostidea.com/authors/macaulay-a) · Published Oct 13, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. [Disclosure](https://hostidea.com/disclosure). ## Key takeaways - A backup is only as good as the oldest copy you can still restore: frequency tells you how much you lose, retention tells you how long you have to notice. - Backups stored on the same server as the site die with the server; look for "off-server" or "separate infrastructure" on the plan page. - Six of the ten hosts we review include daily backups on the cheapest plan; one includes them for the first year only; one sells them as an add-on. - A host backup does not protect you from losing the account, so keep a copy you control. ## What does “daily backups” mean? That the host copies your files and database once a day. It says nothing about how many copies are kept, where they are stored, or whether you can restore one yourself without a ticket. Those three things are what separate the plans, and they are on the plan page if you look. From the plan pages we read on 13 October 2026: FastComet keeps up to thirty daily copies in a separate data center with unlimited restores from the panel; Flashcloud keeps daily copies for 30 days on separate infrastructure with file, database or mailbox restores from the portal; Hosting.com keeps 30 days of off-server restore points; SiteGround keeps daily copies for 30 days; ScalaHosting keeps seven restore points. Hostinger backs up weekly on its cheapest plan and daily above it; Bluehost backs up weekly. HostPapa includes backups for the first year only; InMotion sells them as an add-on. ## Why does retention matter more than frequency? Because you do not notice most problems the day they happen. A plugin update that corrupts a table, a hacked file that sits quietly, a bulk delete by a colleague: these surface days later. If the host keeps one daily copy, by the time you notice, the only backup is of the broken site. Thirty days of retention means thirty chances to pick the day before it went wrong. Frequency decides how much you lose when you do restore. A daily backup loses up to a day of orders or comments; a weekly one loses up to a week. For a site that changes rarely, weekly is fine; for a store, daily is the minimum and hourly database backups are worth paying for. ## Where should the backup live? Not on the server it backs up. A disk failure or a ransomware event on the server takes the local backups with it. FastComet, Flashcloud and Hosting.com state on their plan pages that backups are stored separately; the others do not say, which does not mean they are not, only that you should ask. ## What does a host backup not cover? Three things. First, the account itself: if the host suspends or closes it, or the host disappears, the backups go with it. Second, anything outside the backup’s scope, which at some hosts excludes email or excludes files over a size. Third, your own mistakes within the retention window: if you notice after 30 days, a 30-day retention has nothing left. So keep one copy you control: a monthly export of files and database to your own storage, done by a plugin or by hand. It is the backup that survives a host dispute, and it is the one you will use when you move hosts. ## How should you test a backup? Restore it, once, on a staging site. Every host with staging (Flashcloud, Hosting.com, SiteGround from GrowBig, Bluehost, HostPapa) lets you restore a backup into the staging copy without touching the live site. A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. ## Frequently asked questions - **### Are hosting backups enough on their own?**: For a hobby site, close to it. For anything that earns money, no: add a copy you control, and if orders arrive hourly, add a database backup plugin on a shorter schedule than the host's daily copy. - **### How long should backups be kept?**: Thirty days is a practical minimum because that is about how long it takes to notice a quiet problem. Hosts on our list keep between one copy and thirty. - **### Can I restore just one file or one table?**: At Flashcloud (files, a database, email or everything) and FastComet (full or incremental restores) the panel offers partial restores per their plan pages. Elsewhere it may be a full restore or a support ticket. ## Sources 1. [FastComet plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.fastcomet.com/website-hosting), accessed Oct 13, 2026 2. [Flashcloud plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://flashcloud.com/pricing), accessed Oct 13, 2026 3. [Hosting.com plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://hosting.com/package-comparison/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 4. [SiteGround plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm), accessed Oct 13, 2026 5. [ScalaHosting plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.scalahosting.com/pricing), accessed Oct 13, 2026 6. [Hostinger plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.hostinger.com/web-hosting), accessed Oct 13, 2026 7. [Bluehost plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.bluehost.com/hosting/shared), accessed Oct 13, 2026 8. [HostPapa plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.hostpapa.com/renewal-pricing/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 9. 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