Kopia vs UrBackup
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
UrBackup
Client-server backup for files and disk images
| Feature | Kopia | UrBackup |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,188 | ★ 922 |
| First released | 2019 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Backblaze, Carbonite | Carbonite |
What are Kopia and UrBackup?
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
UrBackup
UrBackup is a client-server backup system that performs both file and disk image backups across a network with a web UI. It targets administrators backing up multiple machines. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- File and full image backups
- Client-server architecture
- Web-based administration
- Incremental backups
Kopia vs UrBackup: key differences
Kopia is written in Go, while UrBackup is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Kopia versus AGPL-3.0 for UrBackup. Kopia is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for UrBackup. UrBackup is the more established project (first released 2011), while Kopia arrived in 2019. Kopia has the considerably larger community, at 14,188 GitHub stars versus 922.
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 UrBackup if…
- Good for backing up many PCs
- Image backup support
- Central management
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Kopia or UrBackup better?
Kopia is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider UrBackup if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Kopia and UrBackup free and open-source?
Yes. Kopia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and UrBackup under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kopia and UrBackup with Docker?
Kopia: yes. UrBackup: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kopia or UrBackup?
Kopia has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for UrBackup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.