Back In Time vs Restic Browser
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Back In Time
Simple backup tool inspired by Apple Time Machine
VS
Restic Browser
Desktop app to browse and restore Restic snapshots
| Feature | Back In Time | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,641 | ★ 1,275 |
| First released | 2008 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
Why pick each one
Choose Back In Time if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Restic Browser if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Back In Time or Restic Browser 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 Restic Browser free and open-source?
Yes. Back In Time is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Restic Browser under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Back In Time and Restic Browser with Docker?
Back In Time: check the project docs for container support. Restic Browser: check the project docs for container support.