Back In Time vs Kup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Back In Time | Kup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,669 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2008 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are Back In Time and Kup?
Back In Time
Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux inspired by Time Machine and rsnapshot. It takes snapshots of specified folders using rsync and hard links to save disk space.
- Time Machine-style snapshots
- Hard-link deduplication
- GUI and command-line modes
Kup
Kup is a backup scheduler for the KDE desktop that helps users keep their personal files backed up. It supports synchronized folders and incremental backups using the bup format.
- Integrated with KDE Plasma
- bup-based incremental backups
- Automatic scheduling
Back In Time vs Kup: key differences
Back In Time is written in Python, while Kup is built with C++. Back In Time is the more established project (first released 2008), while Kup arrived in 2012. Back In Time has the considerably larger community, at 2,669 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Back In Time if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Kup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Back In Time or Kup better?
Neither is universally better. Back In Time has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Back In Time and Kup free and open-source?
Yes. Back In Time is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Kup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Back In Time and Kup with Docker?
Back In Time: check the project docs for container support. Kup: check the project docs for container support.