BorgBackup vs Tarsnap GUI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | BorgBackup | Tarsnap GUI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 7 · At risk |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,762 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Carbonite, Backblaze | Backblaze |
What are BorgBackup and Tarsnap GUI?
BorgBackup
BorgBackup is a deduplicating backup program with compression and authenticated encryption for efficient, secure archives. It targets technical users backing up to local or remote storage. It is deployed as a binary or package.
- Deduplication and compression
- Authenticated encryption
- Append-only repos for ransomware safety
- Efficient remote backups over SSH
Tarsnap GUI
Tarsnap GUI is a cross-platform graphical client for the Tarsnap secure online backup service, making encrypted deduplicated backups accessible without the command line. It manages archives, scheduling, and restores through a desktop interface.
- Tarsnap archive management
- Scheduling support
- Encrypted deduplicated backups
- Cross-platform UI
BorgBackup vs Tarsnap GUI: key differences
BorgBackup is written in Python, while Tarsnap GUI is built with C++. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for BorgBackup versus BSD-2-Clause for Tarsnap GUI. Tarsnap GUI is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for BorgBackup. BorgBackup has the considerably larger community, at 13,762 GitHub stars versus 251.
Why pick each one
Choose BorgBackup if…
- Excellent space efficiency
- Strong security
- Battle-tested
Watch out for
- Command-line oriented
- Repo not directly mountable everywhere
Choose Tarsnap GUI if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Tarsnap service is paid
- Requires Tarsnap CLI
Frequently asked questions
Is BorgBackup or Tarsnap GUI better?
Neither is universally better. BorgBackup has the larger community, while Tarsnap GUI is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BorgBackup and Tarsnap GUI free and open-source?
Yes. BorgBackup is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Tarsnap GUI under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BorgBackup and Tarsnap GUI with Docker?
BorgBackup: check the project docs for container support. Tarsnap GUI: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BorgBackup or Tarsnap GUI?
Tarsnap GUI has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for BorgBackup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.