BackupPC vs Kup
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
Kup
KDE backup scheduler for personal files
| Feature | BackupPC | Kup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2001 | 2012 |
| 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 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 BackupPC or Kup better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while Kup is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and Kup free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and Kup with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. Kup: check the project docs for container support.