Kopia vs Minarca Backup
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
Minarca Backup
Centralized rdiff-backup with self-service restore
| Feature | Kopia | Minarca Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,798 | ★ 239 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | CrashPlan, Veeam |
Why pick each one
Choose Minarca Backup if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Kopia or Minarca Backup better?
Kopia is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Minarca Backup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Kopia and Minarca Backup free and open-source?
Yes. Kopia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Minarca Backup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kopia and Minarca Backup with Docker?
Kopia: yes. Minarca Backup: yes.