Backup · alternatives
Alternatives to Apple Time Machine
23 backup tools sit alongside Apple Time Machine in this directory. Below is what separates each from Apple Time Machine on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 23
- With a free tier
- 12
- Cheaper to start
- 0
- Apple Time Machine starts at
- Free
Why people look past Apple Time Machine
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Apple Time Machine entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Apple Time Machine publishes a single plan, Built-in at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Automated cloud-to-cloud backup
- No free tier, where Apple Time Machine has one.
- Starts $29 a month dearer, at $29/month.
- 2 tiers to Apple Time Machine's 1.
Integrated backup and cybersecurity protection
- No free tier, where Apple Time Machine has one.
- Starts $68 a year dearer, at $68/year.
- 3 tiers to Apple Time Machine's 1.
SaaS backup for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
- No free tier, where Apple Time Machine has one.
- Starts $4 a month dearer, at $4/month.
- Sold on a subscription model rather than free.
Enterprise SaaS backup made simple
- Starts $3 a month dearer, at $3/month.
- Sold on a subscription model rather than free.
Kubernetes application backup with a free tier up to one terabyte
- Starts $0.2 a node hour dearer, at $0.2/node hour.
- Sold on a Per node hour model rather than free.
- 2 tiers to Apple Time Machine's 1.
Open source backup and migration for Kubernetes cluster resources
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than free.
Every Apple Time Machine alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Time Machine (this page) | Free | Free | 1 | |
| BackupifyAutomated cloud-to-cloud backup | $29/month | - | 2 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Acronis Cyber ProtectIntegrated backup and cybersecurity protection | $68/year | - | 3 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Spanning BackupSaaS backup for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 | $4/month | Subscription | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| CloudAllyEnterprise SaaS backup made simple | Free, then $3/month | Subscription | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Portworx Backup | Free, then $0.2/node hour | Per node hour | 2 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Velero | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Trilio | Free | Per node per year | 2 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes | Free | Per worker node | 2 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| CloudCasa | Free, then $69/month | Per node per month | 3 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| rustic | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| UrBackup | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Proxmox Backup Server | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Kopia | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| AOMEI Backupper | Free, then $39.95/one-time | One-time | 3 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Bacula | Free | Open-source | - | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Redstor | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Clumio | $0.01/month | Per GiB-month protected | 3 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| AvePoint Cloud Backup | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| HYCU | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| BDRShield | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Comet Backup | $19/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Commvault Complete Data Protection | On request | - | 4 | vs Apple Time Machine |
| Datto Backup | On request | Subscription | - | vs Apple Time Machine |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Apple Time Machine badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (12)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- CloudAlly , Free, then $3/month
- Portworx Backup , Free, then $0.2/node hour
- Velero , Free
- Trilio , Free
- Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes , Free
- CloudCasa , Free, then $69/month
- rustic , Free
- UrBackup , Free
What you would be giving up
Apple Time Machine is most often brought in for automatic versioned local backups of a mac to an external drive, restoring a mac or migrating to a new one from a local backup history. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Apple Time Machine is broadly right and the question is cost, the Apple Time Machine pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Backup category lists everything the directory holds, and best backup tools ranks them.
Apple Time Machine runs on mac. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Apple Time Machine alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Apple Time Machine?
- 23 other backup tools are listed in this directory, led by Backupify, Acronis Cyber Protect, Spanning Backup, CloudAlly. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Apple Time Machine?
- 12 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: CloudAlly, Portworx Backup, Velero, Trilio, Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Apple Time Machine?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Apple Time Machine?
- Apple Time Machine is most often brought in for automatic versioned local backups of a mac to an external drive, restoring a mac or migrating to a new one from a local backup history. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Apple Time Machine?
- Bacula is recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Apple Time Machine alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Backup, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Apple Time Machine against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Apple Time Machine covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every backup tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Backup category, 23 tools beside Apple Time Machine. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.