Alternatives to UrBackup
Self-hosted image and file backup server
UrBackup ranks #8 of 12 in Backup software, with an Alt Score of 82. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
IT admins and small-to-medium organizations that need centralized, unattended backup of multiple Windows and Linux machines from one server, as well as individuals who want free open-source network backup for a home lab.
Combined file and full disk image backups with automatic incremental updates after the first run, plus cross-client deduplication so identical files are only stored once. A browser-based web interface handles server configuration, client monitoring, and file/folder restores. A bootable restore CD/USB enables bare-metal recovery of a full disk image without a working OS.
Install the UrBackup server, then install the lightweight client on each machine to be protected; clients on the local network are auto-discovered and register with the server. The server pulls scheduled (or continuous, change-triggered) file and image backups from each client over the network, and restores are done either through the web UI for files or by booting the restore CD/USB for a full image recovery.
Where UrBackup stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave UrBackup
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Backup software checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Backup software checklist | UrBackup | Duplicati | Kopia | Duplicacy | Restic | Arq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Incremental backups | ||||||
| E2E encryption | ||||||
| Deduplication | ||||||
| Cloud targets supported | ||||||
| Local / NAS targets | ||||||
| Scheduling | ||||||
| Versioning & retention policies | ||||||
| Restore granularity | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Compression |
Every fact and feature listed for UrBackup is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-11
UrBackup server currently runs on Windows, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD and several Linux based NAS operating systems. The UrBackup client runs on Windows, macOS and GNU/Linux.
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
Release 2.5.37
https://github.com/uroni/urbackup_backend/releases/tag/2.5.37 -
License AGPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/uroni/urbackup_backend/blob/dev/COPYING -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
UrBackup is Free Open Source software licensed under the OSI certified AGPLv3+
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
Incremental backups Yes verified 2026-07-11
UrBackup also continuously watches folders you want backed up in order to quickly find differences to previous backups. Because of that, incremental file backups are really fast.
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
E2E encryption No verified 2026-07-11
The transfer of data from client to server is unencrypted on the local network allowing eavesdropping attacks to recover contents of the data that is backed up.
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html -
Deduplication Yes verified 2026-07-11
If multiple clients have the same files the UrBackup server saves them only once, leading to reduced storage requirements.
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
Cloud targets supported No verified 2026-07-11
It should be easily extendable, which can be done by using a hardware raid, the volume manager LVM or the next generation file systems btrfs and ZFS.
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html -
Local / NAS targets Yes verified 2026-07-11
UrBackup server currently runs on Windows, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD and several Linux based NAS operating systems.
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
Scheduling Yes verified 2026-07-11
The server will only start backing up clients within the backup windows.
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html -
Versioning & retention policies Yes verified 2026-07-11
Maximal number of incremental file backups for this client. If the number of incremental file backups exceeds this number the server will start deleting old incremental file backups.
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html -
Restore granularity Yes verified 2026-07-11
allows the user to browse all backups of the client(s) via the UrBackup web interface and download individual files or whole directories as ZIP
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-11
UrBackup is Free Open Source software licensed under the OSI certified AGPLv3+
https://www.urbackup.org/index.html -
Compression Yes verified 2026-07-11
Since UrBackup Server 1.4 the VHD-files are compressed by default.
https://www.urbackup.org/administration_manual.html
FAQ
Yes. Kopia, Restic and Vorta have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Duplicati, Kopia and Restic — every license claim links its source.