Duplicati vs Time Machine
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?
Duplicati
Free backup software with a friendly web UI
VS
Time Machine
Configure the server as a Time Machine backup target
| Feature | Duplicati | Time Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | MIT | WTFPL |
| Language | C# | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,864 | ★ 9 |
| First released | 2008 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Time Machine if…
- Released under the WTFPL license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Shell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Duplicati or Time Machine 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 Time Machine free and open-source?
Yes. Duplicati is licensed under MIT and Time Machine under WTFPL. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Duplicati and Time Machine with Docker?
Duplicati: yes. Time Machine: check the project docs for container support.