BackupPC vs ElkarBackup alt Snapper
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
ElkarBackup alt Snapper
Btrfs snapshot management tool with rollback
| Feature | BackupPC | ElkarBackup alt Snapper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 1,158 |
| First released | 2001 | 2011 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Time Machine | Time Machine |
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 ElkarBackup alt Snapper if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BackupPC or ElkarBackup alt Snapper better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while ElkarBackup alt Snapper is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and ElkarBackup alt Snapper free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ElkarBackup alt Snapper under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and ElkarBackup alt Snapper with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. ElkarBackup alt Snapper: check the project docs for container support.