Deja Dup vs Timeshift
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted backup & recovery options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Deja Dup | Timeshift |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Backup & Recovery | Backup & Recovery |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vala | Vala |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 4,286 |
| First released | 2008 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Time Machine, Backblaze | Time Machine, System Restore |
What are Deja Dup and Timeshift?
Deja Dup
Deja Dup is a simple backup tool that hides the complexity of doing backups properly. It supports local, network, and cloud storage with encryption and incremental backups powered by Restic.
- Beginner-friendly GUI
- Encrypted incremental backups
- Local and cloud targets
Timeshift
Timeshift creates incremental snapshots of the Linux filesystem at regular intervals, allowing the system to be restored to an earlier state. It supports both rsync and Btrfs snapshot modes.
- Incremental system snapshots
- rsync and Btrfs modes
- Easy full-system restore
Deja Dup vs Timeshift: key differences
Both projects are written in Vala. Timeshift is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Deja Dup. Deja Dup is the more established project (first released 2008), while Timeshift arrived in 2014. Timeshift has the considerably larger community, at 4,286 GitHub stars versus 600.
Why pick each one
Choose Deja Dup if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Vala
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Timeshift if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
Frequently asked questions
Is Deja Dup or Timeshift better?
Neither is universally better. Timeshift has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Deja Dup and Timeshift free and open-source?
Yes. Deja Dup is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Timeshift under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Deja Dup and Timeshift with Docker?
Deja Dup: check the project docs for container support. Timeshift: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Deja Dup or Timeshift?
Timeshift has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Deja Dup. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.