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Backup · head to head

Amanda Enterprise vs BDRShield

Amanda Enterprise logo

Amanda Enterprise

Backup

Open-source backup trusted by enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BDRShield logo

BDRShield

Backup

Low-cost backup for virtual machines, servers, endpoints and SaaS from Vembu

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amanda Enterprise has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amanda Enterprise minimum 10 workloads required for most use cases; BDRShield published per-workload pricing has been replaced by a custom quote form, so the cost transparency that was a main reason to shortlist it no longer exists and you must go through sales.
  • They diverge on capability: Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, BDRShield covers Agentless VM backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amanda Enterprise and BDRShield actually diverge.

Attributes where Amanda Enterprise and BDRShield differ
AttributeAmanda EnterpriseBDRShield
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2005Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Windows, Linux, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

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 BDRShield

  • Agentless VM backup
  • Proxmox support
  • SaaS backup
  • Hybrid storage
  • Cloud or on-premises console
  • MSP multi-tenancy

What people use each for

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

Amanda Enterprise

  • Data protectionnot BDRShield
  • Disaster recoverynot BDRShield
  • Business continuitynot BDRShield
  • Ransomware protectionnot BDRShield
  • Compliancenot BDRShield

BDRShield

  • A managed service provider whose margins do not survive Datto or Veeam per-endpoint pricingnot Amanda Enterprise
  • An organisation running Proxmox VE that finds the major backup vendors do not support it properlynot Amanda Enterprise
  • A small business needing virtual machine, server, endpoint and Microsoft 365 backup from one consolenot Amanda Enterprise
  • A company wanting backup data in its own cloud bucket rather than a vendor-controlled repositorynot Amanda Enterprise

Where each one falls short

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

Amanda Enterprise

  • Minimum 10 workloads required for most use cases
  • Per-device pricing may increase costs for large deployments with many servers
  • Enterprise plan requires contacting sales for custom quotes
  • NAS/File share backups charged separately at $4.99-$5.99/TB/month after first 10 TB free

BDRShield

  • Published per-workload pricing has been replaced by a custom quote form, so the cost transparency that was a main reason to shortlist it no longer exists and you must go through sales.
  • The product was renamed from BDRSuite to BDRShield, so documentation, forum answers and third-party reviews are split across two names and searching for help is harder than it should be.
  • Recovery orchestration and instant recovery performance trail Veeam and Rubrik, which is invisible in an evaluation and expensive during an actual outage.
  • Support is priced to match the low licence cost, and complex escalations move more slowly than customers used to premium vendors expect.
  • The integration ecosystem is thin compared with the incumbents, so monitoring, ticketing and professional services automation tool connections are limited for MSPs running mature stacks.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amanda Enterprise

Free
  • Business$5.99/monthly
    • Linux/Windows backup
    • Database backup
    • M365 backup
  • Business Plus$6.99/monthly
    • Everything in Business plus: 24/7 premium support
    • 10 hours pro services
    • 8 hours training
  • Enterprise$undefined/quote
    • Everything in Business Plus plus: Integrated data resiliency
    • Expert consultation & design
    • Bulk automation scripts

BDRShield

On request
  • BDRShield$undefined/year
    • Per-workload licensing quoted through a custom quote form
    • Separate licensing tracks for MSPs and for end-user organisations
    • Free 30-day trial with full feature access

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.
Amanda Enterprise review

Choose BDRShield if

  • You need agentless vm backup.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want proxmox support.
BDRShield review

Questions people ask

Is Amanda Enterprise or BDRShield better?
Neither clearly leads. Amanda Enterprise starts at Free and BDRShield at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amanda Enterprise or BDRShield?
Amanda Enterprise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amanda Enterprise and On request for BDRShield.
Does Amanda Enterprise or BDRShield run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, Linux, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Amanda Enterprise for free?
Yes. Amanda Enterprise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BDRShield starts at On request.
What is Amanda Enterprise best used for?
Amanda Enterprise is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what BDRShield is typically brought in for.
What can Amanda Enterprise do that BDRShield cannot?
Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, Cloud integration, Disk staging, Encryption. BDRShield covers Agentless VM backup, Proxmox support, SaaS backup, Hybrid storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amanda Enterprise: How much does Zmanda Pro backup software cost?

Zmanda pricing starts at $5.99/month per device for the Business plan and $6.99/month per device for Business Plus with 24/7 support. Enterprise plans are custom-priced. Pricing estimator available at zmanda.com/pricing to calculate costs based on workload count and storage. Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20241128003646/https://www.zmanda.com/pricing/

Source
BDRShield: Is BDRSuite the same product?

Yes. BDRSuite was renamed BDRShield, and bdrsuite.com now redirects to bdrshield.com. Same company, Vembu Technologies.

Amanda Enterprise: Is Zmanda's licensing model flexible?

Yes, Zmanda's licensing is flexible, you can change your server or client license midway if your backup environment changes and only pay the difference. Additional professional services cost $200/hour for consulting.

Source
BDRShield: Is pricing published?

Not any more. The pricing page now routes to a custom quote form for both MSPs and end-user organisations, despite marketing that emphasises a few dollars per workload.

Amanda Enterprise: What payment options does Zmanda accept?

Zmanda offers multiple payment options including electronic fund transfers (EFTs), wire transfers, and credit card payments with flexible 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year license periods available.

Source
BDRShield: Does it back up Proxmox?

Yes, agentlessly, which is a genuine reason to shortlist it since several larger vendors support Proxmox poorly or not at all.

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