btrbk 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?
| Feature | btrbk | Kup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,125 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2014 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
Why pick each one
Choose btrbk if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
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 btrbk or Kup better?
Neither is universally better. btrbk 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 btrbk and Kup free and open-source?
Yes. btrbk is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kup under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run btrbk and Kup with Docker?
btrbk: check the project docs for container support. Kup: check the project docs for container support.