Vorta vs pgBackRest
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?
Vorta
Desktop backup client built on BorgBackup
VS
pgBackRest
Reliable backup and restore solution for PostgreSQL
| Feature | Vorta | pgBackRest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,490 | ★ 4,296 |
| First released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Time Machine, CrashPlan | Veeam |
Why pick each one
Choose Vorta if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose pgBackRest if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is Vorta or pgBackRest better?
Neither is universally better. pgBackRest has the larger community, while Vorta is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Vorta and pgBackRest free and open-source?
Yes. Vorta is licensed under GPL-3.0 and pgBackRest under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Vorta and pgBackRest with Docker?
Vorta: check the project docs for container support. pgBackRest: yes.