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Altaro VM Backup vs Borg Backup

Altaro VM Backup logo

Altaro VM Backup

Software

Simple and powerful VM backup for SMBs

From
$595/perpetual
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Borg Backup logo

Borg Backup

Software

Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Borg Backup has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Altaro VM Backup limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers; Borg Backup linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform
  • They diverge on capability: Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Altaro VM Backup and Borg Backup differ
AttributeAltaro VM BackupBorg Backup
Starting price$595/perpetualFree
Pricing modelUnknownfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows ServerLinux, Mac
Founded20092015

Identical on both: 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
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Borg Backup

  • Content-defined chunking
  • Deduplication
  • Compression
  • Authenticated encryption
  • Pruning
  • Mount archives
  • SSH
  • BorgBase

What people use each for

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

Altaro VM Backup

  • Data protectionnot Borg Backup
  • Disaster recoverynot Borg Backup
  • Business continuitynot Borg Backup
  • Ransomware protectionnot Borg Backup
  • Compliancenot Borg Backup

Borg Backup

  • Deduplicated backups where daily full snapshots would otherwise be expensivenot Altaro VM Backup
  • Encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintextnot Altaro VM Backup
  • Browsing previous versions by mounting an archive over FUSEnot Altaro VM Backup
  • Scripted server backups with no agent or daemon to runnot Altaro VM Backup

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

Borg Backup

  • Linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform
  • Command-line only, with no graphical interface in the project itself
  • Version 2.0 is still in beta, so production use means staying on the 1.4 line
  • Restoring requires the Borg tooling, since archives are a deduplicated chunk store rather than plain files

Pricing, plan by plan

Altaro VM Backup

$595/perpetual

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

Borg Backup

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Deduplication
    • Compression
    • Encryption

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 Borg Backup if

  • You need content-defined chunking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac.
  • You also want deduplication.
Borg Backup review

Questions people ask

Is Altaro VM Backup or Borg Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual and Borg Backup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Altaro VM Backup or Borg Backup?
Borg Backup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $595/perpetual for Altaro VM Backup and Free for Borg Backup.
Does Altaro VM Backup or Borg Backup run on more platforms?
Altaro VM Backup runs on Windows Server. Borg Backup runs on Linux, Mac.
Can I use Borg Backup for free?
Yes. Borg Backup has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual.
What is Altaro VM Backup best used for?
Altaro VM Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Borg Backup is typically brought in for.
What can Altaro VM Backup do that Borg Backup cannot?
Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, WAN-optimized replication, Boot from backup, Granular restore. Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Deduplication, Compression, Authenticated encryption.

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.

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