Duplicati vs Tarsnap GUI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Duplicati
Free backup software with a friendly web UI
VS
Tarsnap GUI
Cross-platform desktop front end for Tarsnap backups
| Feature | Duplicati | Tarsnap GUI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 7 · At risk |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | C# | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,020 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2008 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | Backblaze |
What are Duplicati and Tarsnap GUI?
Duplicati
Duplicati is free backup software that stores encrypted, incremental backups to cloud and local destinations through a web interface. It targets users who want scheduled GUI-driven backups. It is deployed via Docker or installers.
- Web-based backup management
- Encrypted incremental backups
- Many cloud storage targets
- Scheduling built in
Tarsnap GUI
Tarsnap GUI is a cross-platform graphical client for the Tarsnap secure online backup service, making encrypted deduplicated backups accessible without the command line. It manages archives, scheduling, and restores through a desktop interface.
- Tarsnap archive management
- Scheduling support
- Encrypted deduplicated backups
- Cross-platform UI
Duplicati vs Tarsnap GUI: key differences
Duplicati is written in C#, while Tarsnap GUI is built with C++. Licensing differs — MIT for Duplicati versus BSD-2-Clause for Tarsnap GUI. Tarsnap GUI is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Duplicati. Duplicati is the more established project (first released 2008), while Tarsnap GUI arrived in 2016. Duplicati has the considerably larger community, at 15,020 GitHub stars versus 251. Duplicati lists first-class Docker deployment; Tarsnap GUI does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Duplicati if…
- Friendly GUI
- Broad storage support
- Free
Watch out for
- Restores can be slow
- Long beta history
Choose Tarsnap GUI if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Tarsnap service is paid
- Requires Tarsnap CLI
Frequently asked questions
Is Duplicati or Tarsnap GUI better?
Neither is universally better. Duplicati has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Duplicati and Tarsnap GUI free and open-source?
Yes. Duplicati is licensed under MIT and Tarsnap GUI under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Duplicati and Tarsnap GUI with Docker?
Duplicati: yes. Tarsnap GUI: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Duplicati or Tarsnap GUI?
Tarsnap GUI has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Duplicati. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.