BackupPC 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?
BackupPC
High-performance backup system for PCs and servers
VS
Restic Browser
Desktop app to browse and restore Restic snapshots
| Feature | BackupPC | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,621 | ★ 1,275 |
| First released | 2001 | 2022 |
| 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 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 BackupPC or Restic Browser better?
Neither is universally better. BackupPC has the larger community, while Restic Browser is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BackupPC and Restic Browser free and open-source?
Yes. BackupPC is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Restic Browser under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BackupPC and Restic Browser with Docker?
BackupPC: yes. Restic Browser: check the project docs for container support.