Kopia 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.
Kopia
Fast, encrypted backup with a clean interface
VS
Tarsnap GUI
Cross-platform desktop front end for Tarsnap backups
| Feature | Kopia | Tarsnap GUI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 7 · At risk |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,188 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | Backblaze |
What are Kopia and Tarsnap GUI?
Kopia
Kopia is a fast and secure backup tool that creates encrypted, deduplicated snapshots and offers both a CLI and a desktop GUI. It targets users who want modern backups with a clean interface. It is deployed as a binary or via Docker.
- Encrypted deduplicated snapshots
- Both CLI and desktop GUI
- Many storage backends
- Compression and policies
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
Kopia vs Tarsnap GUI: key differences
Kopia is written in Go, while Tarsnap GUI is built with C++. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Kopia versus BSD-2-Clause for Tarsnap GUI. Tarsnap GUI is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Kopia. Tarsnap GUI is the more established project (first released 2016), while Kopia arrived in 2019. Kopia has the considerably larger community, at 14,188 GitHub stars versus 251. Kopia lists first-class Docker deployment; Tarsnap GUI does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Kopia if…
- GUI and CLI both available
- Fast and efficient
- Modern design
Watch out for
- Younger than Restic
- Advanced options can confuse
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 Kopia or Tarsnap GUI 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 Tarsnap GUI free and open-source?
Yes. Kopia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tarsnap GUI under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kopia and Tarsnap GUI with Docker?
Kopia: yes. Tarsnap GUI: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Kopia or Tarsnap GUI?
Tarsnap GUI has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Kopia. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.