SHSelfHostIndex

Kopia vs Docker Volume 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?
KO Kopia Fast, encrypted backup with a clean interface VS DO Docker Volume Backup Backup tool for Docker volumes to local or remote storage
FeatureKopiaDocker Volume Backup
CategoryBackup & RecoveryBackup & Recovery
LicenseApache-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB64 MB
Deploymentbinary, dockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 13,798★ 3,944
First released20192021
ReplacesBackblaze, CarboniteVeeam

Why pick each one

Choose Kopia if…

  • GUI and CLI both available
  • Fast and efficient
  • Modern design
Kopia details

Choose Docker Volume Backup if…

  • Released under the MPL-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (3.9k GitHub stars)
Docker Volume Backup details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kopia or Docker Volume Backup 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 Docker Volume Backup free and open-source?

Yes. Kopia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Docker Volume Backup under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kopia and Docker Volume Backup with Docker?

Kopia: yes. Docker Volume Backup: yes.

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