BackupPC vs HashBackup
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?
BackupPC
High-performance backup system for PCs and servers
VS
HashBackup
Efficient command-line backup with deduplication
| Feature | BackupPC | HashBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 1 |
| First released | 2001 | 2009 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | CrashPlan |
Why pick each one
Choose BackupPC if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
Choose HashBackup if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or HashBackup better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while HashBackup is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and HashBackup free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and HashBackup under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and HashBackup with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. HashBackup: check the project docs for container support.