Software · head to head
Amanda Enterprise vs Arcserve UDP
The short version
- Only Amanda Enterprise has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Amanda Enterprise amanda Community Edition is genuinely open source, released under a mix of BSD, GPLv2, LGPL and Apache licenses with source on GitHub, but the Enterprise edition that adds central management and paid support is a separate proprietary product sold by Zmanda (a Betsol company since its 2018 acquisition); Zmanda's own pricing page returned 403 to direct fetch, so no current per-client or per-agent figure could be confirmed from the vendor directly.; Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
- They diverge on capability: Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amanda Enterprise and Arcserve UDP actually diverge.
| Attribute | Amanda Enterprise | Arcserve UDP |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $25/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, Web | Windows, Linux |
| Founded | 2005 | 1983 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Amanda Enterprise
- Cross-platform backup
- Cloud integration
- Disk staging
- Encryption
- Web-based management
- Bare metal recovery
- AWS S3
- Azure
Only in Arcserve UDP
- Assured recovery testing
- Instant VM recovery
- Deep application support
- Ransomware protection
- Tape backup
- Hardware snapshots
- VMware
- Hyper-V
Both cover
- Windows support
- Linux support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amanda Enterprise
- 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.
Amanda Enterprise
- Amanda Community Edition is genuinely open source, released under a mix of BSD, GPLv2, LGPL and Apache licenses with source on GitHub, but the Enterprise edition that adds central management and paid support is a separate proprietary product sold by Zmanda (a Betsol company since its 2018 acquisition); Zmanda's own pricing page returned 403 to direct fetch, so no current per-client or per-agent figure could be confirmed from the vendor directly.
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
Amanda Enterprise
Free- Amanda Enterprise$30/month
- Cross-platform
- Cloud backup
- Web console
Arcserve UDP
$25/month- UDP Premium$25/month
- Assured recovery
- Instant VM
- Tape support
Which should you pick?
Choose Amanda Enterprise if
- You need cross-platform backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
- You also want cloud integration.
Choose Arcserve UDP if
- You need assured recovery testing.
- You work on Windows, Linux.
- You also want instant vm recovery.
Questions people ask
- Is Amanda Enterprise or Arcserve UDP better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amanda Enterprise starts at Free and Arcserve UDP at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amanda Enterprise or Arcserve UDP?
- Amanda Enterprise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amanda Enterprise and $25/month for Arcserve UDP.
- Does Amanda Enterprise or Arcserve UDP run on more platforms?
- Amanda Enterprise runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Amanda Enterprise for free?
- Yes. Amanda Enterprise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month.
- What is Amanda Enterprise best used for?
- Amanda Enterprise is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
- What can Amanda Enterprise do that Arcserve UDP cannot?
- Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, Cloud integration, Disk staging, Encryption. Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Both handle Windows support, Linux support, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceArcserve 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.
SourceArcserve 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