Kopia vs linux-timemachine
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?
Kopia
Fast, encrypted backup with a clean interface
VS
linux-timemachine
rsync-based Time Machine style backups for Linux and macOS
| Feature | Kopia | linux-timemachine |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,798 | ★ 840 |
| First released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | Apple Time Machine |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Kopia or linux-timemachine better?
Neither is universally better. Kopia has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kopia and linux-timemachine free and open-source?
Yes. Kopia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and linux-timemachine under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kopia and linux-timemachine with Docker?
Kopia: yes. linux-timemachine: check the project docs for container support.