Vorta vs snapper
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Vorta | snapper |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,505 | ★ 1,171 |
| First released | 2018 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Time Machine, CrashPlan | Time Machine |
What are Vorta and snapper?
Vorta
Vorta is a graphical desktop client for the BorgBackup deduplicating backup tool. It provides scheduling, profiles, and an easy way to manage encrypted, compressed backups.
- GUI for BorgBackup
- Scheduled backup profiles
- Encrypted and deduplicated archives
snapper
Snapper is a tool for managing filesystem snapshots on Btrfs and LVM thin volumes. It can create automatic timeline snapshots and roll back the system to a previous state.
- Automatic timeline snapshots
- Btrfs and LVM support
- System rollback
Vorta vs snapper: key differences
Vorta is written in Python, while snapper is built with C++. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Vorta versus GPL-2.0 for snapper. Snapper is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Vorta. Snapper is the more established project (first released 2011), while Vorta arrived in 2018. Vorta has the considerably larger community, at 2,505 GitHub stars versus 1,171.
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 snapper if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Vorta or snapper better?
Vorta is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider snapper if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Vorta and snapper free and open-source?
Yes. Vorta is licensed under GPL-3.0 and snapper under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Vorta and snapper with Docker?
Vorta: check the project docs for container support. snapper: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Vorta or snapper?
snapper has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Vorta. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.