Kup vs Restic Browser
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kup | Restic Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 1,306 |
| First released | 2012 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Time Machine | Time Machine |
What are Kup and Restic Browser?
Kup
Kup is a backup scheduler for the KDE desktop that helps users keep their personal files backed up. It supports synchronized folders and incremental backups using the bup format.
- Integrated with KDE Plasma
- bup-based incremental backups
- Automatic scheduling
Restic Browser
Restic Browser is a cross-platform desktop application that lets you explore the contents of Restic backup repositories and restore individual files. It provides a graphical alternative to the CLI.
- Browse Restic snapshots visually
- Restore individual files
- Cross-platform desktop app
Kup vs Restic Browser: key differences
Kup is written in C++, while Restic Browser is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Kup versus MIT for Restic Browser. Kup is the more established project (first released 2012), while Restic Browser arrived in 2022. Restic Browser has the considerably larger community, at 1,306 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Kup if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Restic Browser if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Kup or Restic Browser better?
Neither is universally better. Restic Browser has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kup and Restic Browser free and open-source?
Yes. Kup is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Restic Browser under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kup and Restic Browser with Docker?
Kup: check the project docs for container support. Restic Browser: check the project docs for container support.