{
    "slug": "backup-software",
    "name": "Backup software",
    "title": "Best Backup Software in 2026",
    "category": "system-utilities",
    "filter": null,
    "available_filters": [
        "free",
        "open-source",
        "windows",
        "macos",
        "linux"
    ],
    "page": "https://listme.name/best/backup-software",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/lists/backup-software.json",
    "updated": "2026-10-10",
    "intro": "Backup tools differ in whether they suit Mac or Windows, whether they run from a graphical app or a terminal, and whether you pay monthly, once or not at all. This ranking weighs restore options and everyday fit first, then platform reach, openness and cost.",
    "criteria": [
        "Restore options and reliability",
        "Platform fit",
        "Ease of setup",
        "Openness and license",
        "Price and free options"
    ],
    "specs": [
        {
            "key": "platforms",
            "label": "Platforms",
            "type": "text"
        },
        {
            "key": "open_source",
            "label": "Open source",
            "type": "bool"
        },
        {
            "key": "cost",
            "label": "Cost",
            "type": "text"
        }
    ],
    "how_to_choose": [
        {
            "point": "Platform",
            "detail": "Carbon Copy Cloner is Mac only, Arq Backup and Backblaze cover Mac and Windows, and restic and BorgBackup run from the command line."
        },
        {
            "point": "Interface",
            "detail": "Choose a desktop app if you want scheduled backups with a few clicks; choose restic or BorgBackup if you script backups."
        },
        {
            "point": "Cost",
            "detail": "restic, BorgBackup, Kopia and Duplicati are free; Backblaze is $9 a month, and Arq Backup and Carbon Copy Cloner are paid licenses."
        },
        {
            "point": "Destination",
            "detail": "Kopia and Duplicati send backups to cloud storage you choose, while Backblaze's personal product uses its own cloud service."
        }
    ],
    "faq": [
        {
            "q": "What is the best free backup software?",
            "a": "Kopia and restic are the strongest free options here. Kopia has a desktop app, while restic is a command-line tool. Duplicati is also free and sends encrypted backups to cloud providers."
        },
        {
            "q": "Which backup software works on both Mac and Windows?",
            "a": "Arq Backup and Backblaze run on Mac and Windows. Kopia and Duplicati also support both, and they run on Linux too."
        },
        {
            "q": "Is there a free tool that makes bootable Mac backups?",
            "a": "Not in this list. Carbon Copy Cloner makes bootable clones of a Mac, but it is a paid app with a 30-day trial."
        },
        {
            "q": "Which backup tools are open source?",
            "a": "restic, BorgBackup, Kopia and Duplicati are open source, under BSD-2-Clause, BSD-3-Clause, Apache-2.0 and MIT respectively."
        }
    ],
    "entries": [
        {
            "rank": 1,
            "score": 91.5,
            "verdict": "The strongest paid option for Mac and Windows here, with many cloud destinations, multiple file versions and point-in-time recovery. It needs a paid license after a 30-day trial, and additional cloud storage is billed separately.",
            "best_for": "Mac and Windows users who want versioned backups",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "macOS, Windows",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Paid license, 30-day trial"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "arq-backup",
                "name": "Arq Backup",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://www.arqbackup.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/arq-backup",
                "tagline": "Paid backup software for Mac and Windows with many cloud providers",
                "summary": "Arq Backup is paid backup software for Mac and Windows. It backs up to local drives, network locations and many cloud providers, and a 30-day free trial is available.",
                "platforms": [
                    "macos",
                    "windows"
                ],
                "pricing": "paid",
                "price_note": "Paid license with a 30-day free trial; cloud storage billed separately",
                "free_to_use": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Backs up to many cloud providers and local drives",
                    "Multiple versions with point-in-time recovery"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Paid license after a 30-day trial",
                    "Cloud storage add-on is billed per gigabyte"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 2,
            "score": 90,
            "verdict": "The best Mac-only choice for bootable clones, snapshots and scheduled backups, with restores of single files or a whole Mac. It is a paid app with a 30-day trial and does not run on Windows.",
            "best_for": "Mac users who want bootable clones of their system disk",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "macOS",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Paid license, 30-day trial"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "carbon-copy-cloner",
                "name": "Carbon Copy Cloner",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://bombich.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/carbon-copy-cloner",
                "tagline": "Mac backup app that makes bootable clones, snapshots and scheduled backups",
                "summary": "Carbon Copy Cloner is a macOS backup and copying app from Bombich Software. It makes bootable backups, schedules backups and takes snapshots, and it is sold with a 30-day trial.",
                "developer": "Bombich Software",
                "platforms": [
                    "macos"
                ],
                "pricing": "paid",
                "price_note": "Paid license with a 30-day trial; household license option",
                "free_to_use": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Bootable clones of a Mac",
                    "Snapshots and scheduled backups"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Runs on macOS only",
                    "Paid after a 30-day trial"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 3,
            "score": 88,
            "verdict": "The open-source choice with both a desktop app and a command line on Windows, macOS and Linux. Encrypted, deduplicated snapshots go to cloud storage you choose, but setup takes more steps than consumer apps.",
            "best_for": "Open-source encrypted backups with a desktop app",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Windows, macOS, Linux",
                "open_source": true,
                "cost": "Free"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "kopia",
                "name": "Kopia",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://kopia.io/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/kopia",
                "tagline": "Open-source encrypted backup tool with a desktop app and command line",
                "summary": "Kopia is a free, open-source backup tool with a desktop app and a command-line interface for Windows, macOS and Linux. It makes encrypted, compressed and deduplicated snapshots in the cloud storage you choose.",
                "platforms": [
                    "windows",
                    "macos",
                    "linux",
                    "cli"
                ],
                "pricing": "open-source",
                "price_note": "Free and open source under Apache-2.0",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "license": "Apache-2.0",
                "source": "https://github.com/kopia/kopia",
                "strengths": [
                    "Desktop app and command-line interface",
                    "Encrypted, compressed and deduplicated backups"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Setup takes more steps than consumer backup apps",
                    "Cloud storage is chosen and paid for separately"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 4,
            "score": 86.5,
            "verdict": "A free, open-source command-line tool under BSD-2-Clause that covers Linux, macOS and Windows and many storage back ends. It needs a terminal and scripting, so it suits technical users rather than people who want a point-and-click app.",
            "best_for": "Scripted backups from the command line on major systems",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Linux, macOS, Windows, command line",
                "open_source": true,
                "cost": "Free"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "restic",
                "name": "restic",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://restic.net/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/restic",
                "tagline": "Free open-source command-line backup program for Linux, macOS and Windows",
                "summary": "restic is a free, open-source command-line backup program for Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows. It backs up to many storage back ends and is licensed under the BSD 2-Clause License.",
                "platforms": [
                    "linux",
                    "macos",
                    "windows",
                    "cli"
                ],
                "pricing": "open-source",
                "price_note": "Free and open source under the BSD 2-Clause License",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "license": "BSD-2-Clause",
                "source": "https://github.com/restic/restic",
                "strengths": [
                    "Free and open source under BSD-2-Clause",
                    "Runs on Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Command-line program in this entry",
                    "Scheduling and setup are left to the user"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 5,
            "score": 85,
            "verdict": "Free Windows backup with file-level and folder-level backups and bootable recovery media. Veeam describes the free edition as free forever, but it is Windows only and does not replace a server-level backup product.",
            "best_for": "Windows PC owners who want free recovery media",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Windows",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free edition"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "veeam-agent",
                "name": "Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://www.veeam.com/products/free/microsoft-windows.html",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/veeam-agent",
                "tagline": "Free Windows backup tool with bootable recovery media",
                "summary": "Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows is a free backup tool for Windows PCs and endpoints. It offers file-level and folder-level backups and can create bootable recovery media, and Veeam describes the free edition as free forever.",
                "platforms": [
                    "windows"
                ],
                "pricing": "free",
                "price_note": "Free edition for Windows PCs, described by Veeam as free forever",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Free forever for Windows PCs, per the vendor page",
                    "Bootable recovery media and file-level restores"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Windows only",
                    "Server and multi-user features point to other Veeam products"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 6,
            "score": 84,
            "verdict": "Automatic, unlimited backup for a flat $9 a month, with a free trial that needs no credit card. Restores depend on your connection, and the subscription is an ongoing cost that the free tools here avoid.",
            "best_for": "People who want backup handled for them on a Mac or PC",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Windows, macOS",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "$9 a month, free trial"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "backblaze",
                "name": "Backblaze",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup/personal",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/backblaze",
                "tagline": "Subscription cloud backup for Mac and PC computers",
                "summary": "Backblaze Personal Backup is a subscription service that backs up Mac and PC computers to the cloud. It offers unlimited cloud storage for $9 a month, and a free trial needs no credit card.",
                "platforms": [
                    "windows",
                    "macos"
                ],
                "pricing": "subscription",
                "price_note": "$9 a month for unlimited computer backup; free trial",
                "free_to_use": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Automatic, unlimited backup for Mac and PC",
                    "Free trial with no credit card"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Subscription at $9 a month",
                    "Cloud restores depend on your internet connection"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 7,
            "score": 83,
            "verdict": "Built into macOS, it backs up only changed files after the first backup and restores single files or a whole Mac. It needs an external disk, and its support page does not describe making a bootable copy.",
            "best_for": "Mac users who want built-in file history",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "macOS",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free, built into macOS"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "time-machine",
                "name": "Time Machine",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://support.apple.com/en-us/104984",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/time-machine",
                "tagline": "Built-in macOS backup to an external storage device",
                "summary": "Time Machine is the backup feature built into macOS. It backs up files, apps, photos, email and documents to a connected storage device, and it can restore individual files or the whole Mac.",
                "developer": "Apple",
                "platforms": [
                    "macos"
                ],
                "pricing": "free",
                "price_note": "Built into macOS; needs an external storage device",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Built into macOS with no purchase needed",
                    "Backs up only changed files after the first backup"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Needs an external storage device to store the backups",
                    "Runs on Macs only, not Windows or Linux"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 8,
            "score": 82.5,
            "verdict": "A deduplicating, encrypted command-line backup tool for Linux and macOS under BSD-3-Clause. Its deduplication suits repeated backups of similar data, but its site does not list Windows.",
            "best_for": "Linux and macOS administrators who script backups",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Linux, macOS, command line",
                "open_source": true,
                "cost": "Free"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "borg",
                "name": "BorgBackup",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://www.borgbackup.org/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/borg",
                "tagline": "Deduplicating command-line backup with compression and encryption",
                "summary": "BorgBackup, or Borg, is a free command-line backup program that deduplicates data and compresses and encrypts backups. It runs on Linux and macOS and is licensed under BSD-3-Clause.",
                "platforms": [
                    "linux",
                    "macos",
                    "cli"
                ],
                "pricing": "open-source",
                "price_note": "Free and open source under BSD-3-Clause",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
                "source": "https://github.com/borgbackup/borg",
                "strengths": [
                    "Deduplication and encryption built in",
                    "Free and open source under BSD-3-Clause"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Command-line program in this entry",
                    "Site lists Linux, macOS and BSD, not Windows"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 9,
            "score": 80.5,
            "verdict": "Cross-platform cloud backup with client-side encryption and lock-free deduplication, free for individuals on the command line. Commercial use needs a per-machine licence, and setup takes more work than a consumer app.",
            "best_for": "Individuals who script encrypted cloud backups",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Windows, macOS, Linux, command line",
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free for individuals; per-machine commercial licence"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "duplicacy",
                "name": "Duplicacy",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://duplicacy.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/duplicacy",
                "tagline": "Cross-platform cloud backup with client-side encryption",
                "summary": "Duplicacy is a cross-platform cloud backup tool that encrypts data on the client and backs it up to many cloud storage services, with lock-free deduplication. Its command-line version is free for individual users, and commercial licences are sold per machine.",
                "platforms": [
                    "windows",
                    "macos",
                    "linux",
                    "cli"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free command-line version for individuals; commercial licences per machine",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Client-side encryption and lock-free deduplication",
                    "Command-line version free for individual users"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Commercial use needs a per-machine licence",
                    "Command-line setup takes more work than a consumer app"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 10,
            "score": 79.5,
            "verdict": "A free MIT-licensed backup program for Windows, macOS and Linux that sends encrypted backups to many cloud providers. Its paid hosted console is optional, and setting up cloud destinations takes care.",
            "best_for": "Free encrypted cloud backup on three systems",
            "spec": {
                "platforms": "Windows, macOS, Linux",
                "open_source": true,
                "cost": "Free, optional paid console"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "duplicati",
                "name": "Duplicati",
                "kind": "app",
                "website": "https://duplicati.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/duplicati",
                "tagline": "Free encrypted backup software that sends backups to many cloud providers",
                "summary": "Duplicati is a free, open-source backup program for Windows, macOS and Linux. It encrypts backups and sends them to many cloud providers, and a paid hosted console adds management for multiple machines.",
                "platforms": [
                    "windows",
                    "macos",
                    "linux"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free open-source app; paid hosted console for many machines",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "license": "MIT",
                "source": "https://github.com/duplicati/duplicati",
                "strengths": [
                    "Free and MIT licensed for three systems",
                    "Only changed blocks are sent to storage"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Hosted console plans are paid per machine",
                    "Cloud and encryption options need careful setup"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial, 0 to 100. Entries with product.connected_to_publisher true are made by or connected to the publisher and receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}