BorgBackup vs UrBackup
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | BorgBackup | UrBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,762 | ★ 922 |
| First released | 2015 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Carbonite, Backblaze | Carbonite |
What are BorgBackup and UrBackup?
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
UrBackup
UrBackup is a client-server backup system that performs both file and disk image backups across a network with a web UI. It targets administrators backing up multiple machines. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- File and full image backups
- Client-server architecture
- Web-based administration
- Incremental backups
BorgBackup vs UrBackup: key differences
BorgBackup is written in Python, while UrBackup is built with C. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for BorgBackup versus AGPL-3.0 for UrBackup. BorgBackup is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for UrBackup. UrBackup is the more established project (first released 2011), while BorgBackup arrived in 2015. BorgBackup has the considerably larger community, at 13,762 GitHub stars versus 922. UrBackup lists first-class Docker deployment; BorgBackup does not.
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 UrBackup if…
- Good for backing up many PCs
- Image backup support
- Central management
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is BorgBackup or UrBackup better?
Neither is universally better. BorgBackup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BorgBackup and UrBackup free and open-source?
Yes. BorgBackup is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and UrBackup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BorgBackup and UrBackup with Docker?
BorgBackup: check the project docs for container support. UrBackup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, BorgBackup or UrBackup?
BorgBackup has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for UrBackup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.