borgmatic vs bup
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?
borgmatic
Simple configuration-driven frontend for BorgBackup
VS
bup
Efficient backup system based on the git packfile format
| Feature | borgmatic | bup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,000 | ★ 7,337 |
| First released | 2013 | 2010 |
| Replaces | CrashPlan, Backblaze | Time Machine |
Why pick each one
Choose borgmatic if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose bup if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Mature project with 7.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is borgmatic or bup better?
Neither is universally better. bup has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are borgmatic and bup free and open-source?
Yes. borgmatic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and bup under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run borgmatic and bup with Docker?
borgmatic: yes. bup: check the project docs for container support.