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Altaro VM Backup vs Arcserve UDP

Altaro VM Backup logo

Altaro VM Backup

Software

Simple and powerful VM backup for SMBs

From
$595/perpetual
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Software

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Altaro VM Backup limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers; Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • They diverge on capability: Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Altaro VM Backup and Arcserve UDP actually diverge.

Attributes where Altaro VM Backup and Arcserve UDP differ
AttributeAltaro VM BackupArcserve UDP
Starting price$595/perpetual$25/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWindows ServerWindows, Linux
Founded20091983

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Altaro VM Backup

  • Augmented inline dedup
  • WAN-optimized replication
  • Boot from backup
  • Granular restore
  • Cloud management
  • Continuous CDP
  • Azure
  • AWS S3

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • SQL Server

Both cover

  • VMware
  • Hyper-V
  • Windows support
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Altaro VM Backup

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Both are used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection, compliance, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Altaro VM Backup

  • Limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers
  • Perpetual license model outdated compared to modern cloud-based backup solutions
  • Lacks enterprise-grade features for large-scale deployments
  • Offsite backup to cloud requires additional setup and configuration

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

Pricing, plan by plan

Altaro VM Backup

$595/perpetual

No published plan breakdown. See the Altaro VM Backup review.

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Which should you pick?

Choose Altaro VM Backup if

  • You need augmented inline dedup.
  • You work on Windows Server.
  • You also want wan-optimized replication.
Altaro VM Backup review

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Questions people ask

Is Altaro VM Backup or Arcserve UDP better?
Neither clearly leads. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual and Arcserve UDP at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Altaro VM Backup or Arcserve UDP?
Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual and Arcserve UDP at $25/month.
Does Altaro VM Backup or Arcserve UDP run on more platforms?
Altaro VM Backup runs on Windows Server. Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux.
What is Altaro VM Backup best used for?
Altaro VM Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
What can Altaro VM Backup do that Arcserve UDP cannot?
Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, WAN-optimized replication, Boot from backup, Granular restore. Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Both handle VMware, Hyper-V, Windows support, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Altaro VM Backup: What is the price per host for Altaro VM Backup?

Altaro VM Backup pricing starts at $595 per host for the Standard Edition, with the Unlimited Edition at $695 per host and Unlimited Plus at $875 per host. Pricing includes the first year of priority support and updates.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
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Related pages

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