What's the Best Drive for Mac Time Machine Backups?
Published: August 2, 2026
Pulling live prices…
Live data across PricePerGig listings. Prices may change; Updated every few hours.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.com is $129/TB or $0.129/GB across the 4,462 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $36.5/TB or $0.037/GB. The best deals on Amazon.com start from about $250 for 8TB ($31.2/TB), $340 for 14TB ($24.3/TB) and $600 for 20TB ($30/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly $24.3 per TB.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.com is $113/TB or $0.113/GB across the 10,386 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $40.4/TB or $0.04/GB. The best deals on eBay.com start from about $185 for 8TB ($23.1/TB), $299 for 14TB ($21.4/TB) and $535 for 20TB ($26.8/TB). The current best value is 10TB at roughly $17.5 per TB.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on Newegg.com is $104/TB or $0.104/GB across the 1,106 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $44.2/TB or $0.044/GB. The best deals on Newegg.com start from about $300 for 8TB ($37.5/TB), $468 for 14TB ($33.4/TB) and $818 for 20TB ($40.9/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly $33.4 per TB.
📊 As of 2 August 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.co.uk is £154/TB or £0.154/GB across the 3,468 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around £44.1/TB or £0.044/GB. The best deals on Amazon.co.uk start from about £241 for 8TB (£30.2/TB), £328 for 14TB (£23.4/TB) and £466 for 20TB (£23.3/TB). The current best value is 20TB at roughly £23.3 per TB.
📊 As of 2 August 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.co.uk is £99/TB or £0.099/GB across the 7,156 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around £30/TB or £0.03/GB. The best deals on eBay.co.uk start from about £145 for 8TB (£18.1/TB), £259 for 14TB (£18.5/TB) and £500 for 20TB (£25/TB). The current best value is 8TB at roughly £18.1 per TB.
📊 As of 2 August 2026, the typical HDD on Overclockers.co.uk is £48.3/TB or £0.048/GB across the 55 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around £39.4/TB or £0.039/GB. The best deals on Overclockers.co.uk start from about £110 for 2TB (£55/TB), £180 for 6TB (£30/TB) and £280 for 8TB (£35/TB). The current best value is 6TB at roughly £30 per TB.
📊 As of 2 August 2026, the typical HDD on Box.co.uk is £46.8/TB or £0.047/GB across the 60 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around £43.4/TB or £0.043/GB. The best deals on Box.co.uk start from about £105 for 2TB (£52.5/TB), £267 for 8TB (£33.3/TB) and £329 for 10TB (£32.9/TB). The current best value is 10TB at roughly £32.9 per TB.
📊 As of 2. August 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.de is 217 €/TB or 0,217 €/GB across the 3,610 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 50,7 €/TB or 0,051 €/GB. The best deals on Amazon.de start from about 300 € for 8TB (37,5 €/TB), 360 € for 14TB (25,7 €/TB) and 525 € for 20TB (26,2 €/TB). The current best value is 18TB at roughly 22,2 € per TB.
📊 As of 2. August 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.de is 114 €/TB or 0,114 €/GB across the 178 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 26,9 €/TB or 0,027 €/GB. The best deals on eBay.de start from about 43,3 € for 2TB (21,7 €/TB), 150 € for 6TB (25 €/TB) and 81,8 € for 8TB (10,2 €/TB). The current best value is 8TB at roughly 10,2 € per TB.
📊 As of 2. August 2026, the typical HDD on getgoods.de is 66,7 €/TB or 0,067 €/GB across the 97 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 52,9 €/TB or 0,053 €/GB. The best deals on getgoods.de start from about 115 € for 2TB (57,7 €/TB), 177 € for 4TB (44,2 €/TB) and 283 € for 8TB (35,3 €/TB). The current best value is 8TB at roughly 35,3 € per TB.
📊 As of 2 August 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.com.au is $125/TB or $0.125/GB across the 1,538 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $67/TB or $0.067/GB. The best deals on eBay.com.au start from about $358 for 8TB ($44.7/TB), $575 for 14TB ($41.1/TB) and $1,099 for 20TB ($55/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly $41.1 per TB.
📊 As of 2 août 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.fr is 166 €/TB or 0,166 €/GB across the 2,716 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 48,7 €/TB or 0,049 €/GB. The best deals on Amazon.fr start from about 297 € for 8TB (37,1 €/TB), 408 € for 14TB (29,2 €/TB) and 650 € for 20TB (32,5 €/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly 29,2 € per TB.
📊 As of 2 de agosto de 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.es is 212 €/TB or 0,212 €/GB across the 2,885 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 53,7 €/TB or 0,054 €/GB. The best deals on Amazon.es start from about 329 € for 8TB (41,1 €/TB), 479 € for 14TB (34,2 €/TB) and 557 € for 20TB (27,8 €/TB). The current best value is 20TB at roughly 27,8 € per TB.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.ca is $247/TB or $0.247/GB across the 1,840 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $72.4/TB or $0.072/GB. The best deals on Amazon.ca start from about $390 for 8TB ($48.7/TB), $542 for 14TB ($38.7/TB) and $999 for 20TB ($50/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly $38.7 per TB.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.ca is $110/TB or $0.11/GB across the 195 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $34.3/TB or $0.034/GB. The best deals on eBay.ca start from about $49.1 for 2TB ($27.5/TB), $49 for 4TB ($12.3/TB) and $100 for 8TB ($12.5/TB). The current best value is 4TB at roughly $12.3 per TB.
📊 As of August 2, 2026, the typical HDD on Newegg.ca is $156/TB or $0.156/GB across the 385 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around $53.9/TB or $0.054/GB. The best deals on Newegg.ca start from about $420 for 8TB ($52.5/TB), $800 for 14TB ($57.1/TB) and $948 for 20TB ($47.4/TB). The current best value is 20TB at roughly $47.4 per TB.
📊 As of 2 augustus 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.nl is € 118/TB or € 0,118/GB across the 1,475 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around € 56,7/TB or € 0,057/GB. The best deals on Amazon.nl start from about € 270 for 8TB (€ 33,8/TB), € 400 for 14TB (€ 28,6/TB) and € 508 for 20TB (€ 25,4/TB). The current best value is 16TB at roughly € 24,9 per TB.
📊 As of 2 agosto 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.it is 197 €/TB or 0,197 €/GB across the 4,424 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 50 €/TB or 0,05 €/GB. The best deals on Amazon.it start from about 320 € for 8TB (40 €/TB), 484 € for 14TB (34,6 €/TB) and 720 € for 20TB (36 €/TB). The current best value is 16TB at roughly 28,8 € per TB.
📊 As of 1 agosto 2026, the typical HDD on eBay.it is 98,6 €/TB or 0,099 €/GB across the 12,060 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 96,5 €/TB or 0,097 €/GB. The best deals on eBay.it start from about 215 € for 8TB (26,9 €/TB), 349 € for 14TB (24,9 €/TB) and 300 € for 18TB (16,7 €/TB). The current best value is 18TB at roughly 16,7 € per TB.
📊 As of 2 augusti 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.se is 1 477 kr/TB or 1,477 kr/GB across the 995 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 735 kr/TB or 0,735 kr/GB. The best deals on Amazon.se start from about 992 kr for 2TB (496 kr/TB), 1 350 kr for 4TB (338 kr/TB) and 2 006 kr for 6TB (334 kr/TB). The current best value is 6TB at roughly 334 kr per TB.
📊 As of 2 sierpnia 2026, the typical HDD on Amazon.pl is 563 zł/TB or 0,563 zł/GB across the 1,248 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around 195 zł/TB or 0,195 zł/GB. The best deals on Amazon.pl start from about 1231 zł for 8TB (154 zł/TB), 2112 zł for 12TB (176 zł/TB) and 1704 zł for 14TB (122 zł/TB). The current best value is 14TB at roughly 122 zł per TB.
Sourced from real discussions on r/mac and r/applehelp, cross-checked against live PricePerGig listings.
Setting up Time Machine on your Mac and wondering what drive to buy? Good news, this is the easy and cheap kind of storage decision.
You want a big external hard drive. Not an SSD. Big and cheap.
Time Machine backs up quietly in the background, so speed is irrelevant. Capacity is what matters, and hard drives give you the most of it per pound.
The table above shows the live price per TB on your marketplace for exactly the kind of drive Time Machine loves.
Why a hard drive, not an SSD
This is where people overspend, so let me stop you.
Time Machine works away in the background, snapshotting your files over time. You are almost never sitting there watching it or waiting on it.
That means SSD speed is completely wasted. You would be paying several times more per TB for performance your backups never use.
A big cheap hard drive is the right tool. Put the money you save into more capacity, which Time Machine actually benefits from.
How big should it be?
Here is the rule that makes Time Machine shine.
Buy a drive several times bigger than the data you are backing up. Two to three times is a good target.
Why so big? Because Time Machine does not just keep one copy. It keeps a history of older versions, so you can roll back a file to how it looked last week or last month. The more space you give it, the deeper that history goes.
So a generous drive is not waste here. It directly buys you a longer, more useful backup history. Check the live table and size up.
What to actually buy
Keep it simple.
- A large external hard drive, sized two to three times your data.
- Plug it in, point Time Machine at it, and let it run.
- Buy on the best price per TB from the live table above, because capacity is the whole game.
A plain, roomy external drive does this job perfectly. No need for anything fancy or fast.
Do not stop at one copy
A gentle but important nudge.
Time Machine on a local drive is a great first backup. But it lives in the same house as your Mac.
For anything irreplaceable, add a second copy somewhere else. A cloud backup or a drive kept offsite means a fire or theft does not take both your Mac and its backup at once.
Time Machine plus an offsite copy is a genuinely solid setup.
The bottom line
The best Time Machine drive is a big, cheap external hard drive, sized a few times larger than your data so the version history has room to breathe.
Skip the SSD, chase the best price per TB on the live table above, and add an offsite copy for the irreplaceable stuff. Cheap, roomy, and your Mac is properly protected, no fuss and no overspendng.
