{"slug": "parachute-backup", "name": "Parachute Backup", "category": "files", "category_name": "Files, sync and backup", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 3, "warners": 0, "score": 2.788, "rising": 1.67, "first": "2026-01-11", "latest": "2026-10-07", "why": "I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive.", "icon": true, "domain": "parachuteapps.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://parachuteapps.com", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Parachute Backup"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 799839360, "item_id": 49989960, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49989960", "by": "Maximilian_Bet", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive.", "excerpt": "Mac: I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive. Backblaze backs the external drive and all local working files (roughly 16TB altogether) up for ~$100/year.", "context": "Mac user", "use_case": "local iCloud backup", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What Is Your Personal Backup Methods"}, {"id": 795835776, "item_id": 49739736, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739736", "by": "mrngld", "date": "2026-09-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Parachute Backup will do backups to a variety of destinations.", "excerpt": "That's tedious. Can't believe nobody mentioned Parachute Backup yet. It had a moment in the sun earlier this year or last year when it first started getting traction. I have a Mac, so not just an iPhone, so I use Arq there, it materializes the iCloud stuff as necessary for backup. But if all you have is an iPhone or iPad along with an external disk, NAS or whatever, Parachute Backup will do backups to a variety of de", "context": "", "use_case": "iPhone/iPad backups", "switched_from": "", "story": "Backups Aren't Simple"}, {"id": 745281328, "item_id": 46580083, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46580083", "by": "DHPersonal", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Parachute Backup is a tool I use", "excerpt": "Parachute Backup is a tool I use: https://parachuteapps.com/parachute", "context": "", "use_case": "iCloud Photos backup", "switched_from": "", "story": "Open-source iCloud Photos Downloader (AKA escape from iCloud)"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "Maximilian_Bet", "context": "Mac user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49989960", "date": "2026-10-07"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["local icloud backup", "iphone/ipad backups", "icloud photos backup"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49986855", "title": "Ask HN: What Is Your Personal Backup Methods", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49732513", "title": "Backups Aren't Simple", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46578921", "title": "Open-source iCloud Photos Downloader (AKA escape from iCloud)", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 799839360, "item_id": 49989960, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49989960", "by": "Maximilian_Bet", "date": "2026-10-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive.", "excerpt": "Mac: I use Parachute Backup to keep a local copy of my iCloud files and photos on an external drive. Backblaze backs the external drive and all local working files (roughly 16TB altogether) up for ~$100/year.", "context": "Mac user", "use_case": "local iCloud backup", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What Is Your Personal Backup Methods"}, {"id": 795835776, "item_id": 49739736, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739736", "by": "mrngld", "date": "2026-09-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Parachute Backup will do backups to a variety of destinations.", "excerpt": "That's tedious. Can't believe nobody mentioned Parachute Backup yet. It had a moment in the sun earlier this year or last year when it first started getting traction. I have a Mac, so not just an iPhone, so I use Arq there, it materializes the iCloud stuff as necessary for backup. But if all you have is an iPhone or iPad along with an external disk, NAS or whatever, Parachute Backup will do backups to a variety of de", "context": "", "use_case": "iPhone/iPad backups", "switched_from": "", "story": "Backups Aren't Simple"}, {"id": 745281328, "item_id": 46580083, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46580083", "by": "DHPersonal", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Parachute Backup is a tool I use", "excerpt": "Parachute Backup is a tool I use: https://parachuteapps.com/parachute", "context": "", "use_case": "iCloud Photos backup", "switched_from": "", "story": "Open-source iCloud Photos Downloader (AKA escape from iCloud)"}]}