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Backup · head to head

Amanda Enterprise vs Paragon Backup & Recovery

Amanda Enterprise logo

Amanda Enterprise

Backup

Open-source backup trusted by enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paragon Backup & Recovery logo

Paragon Backup & Recovery

Backup

Professional-grade backup for Windows

From
$50/year
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; Paragon Backup & Recovery the free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • They diverge on capability: Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amanda Enterprise and Paragon Backup & Recovery actually diverge.

Attributes where Amanda Enterprise and Paragon Backup & Recovery differ
AttributeAmanda EnterpriseParagon Backup & Recovery
Starting priceFree$50/year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebWindows
Founded20051994

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk backup
  • File-level backup
  • Incremental/differential
  • Recovery media
  • Virtual disk mount
  • UEFI support
  • Windows
  • Network shares

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Amanda Enterprise

  • Data protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Disaster recoverynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Business continuitynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Ransomware protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Compliancenot Paragon Backup & Recovery

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk and partition backup on Windowsnot Amanda Enterprise
  • Bare metal recovery from an imagenot Amanda Enterprise
  • Scheduled incremental backups for a home machinenot Amanda Enterprise
  • Migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editionsnot 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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • The free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • Windows only, and specifically Windows 10 x64 from 1809, Windows 11 x64 and Windows 11 Arm64
  • Volume and OS copying, partition management and email notifications need the Advanced edition
  • Windows Server support requires the Business edition
  • Paid edition prices are not shown on the product page

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

$50/year
  • Community Edition$50/year
    • Full disk backup
    • File-level backup
    • Recovery media

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 Paragon Backup & Recovery if

  • You need full disk backup.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want file-level backup.
Paragon Backup & Recovery review

Questions people ask

Is Amanda Enterprise or Paragon Backup & Recovery better?
Neither clearly leads. Amanda Enterprise starts at Free and Paragon Backup & Recovery at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amanda Enterprise or Paragon Backup & Recovery?
Amanda Enterprise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amanda Enterprise and $50/year for Paragon Backup & Recovery.
Does Amanda Enterprise or Paragon Backup & Recovery run on more platforms?
Amanda Enterprise runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Paragon Backup & Recovery runs on Windows.
Can I use Amanda Enterprise for free?
Yes. Amanda Enterprise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year.
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 Paragon Backup & Recovery is typically brought in for.
What can Amanda Enterprise do that Paragon Backup & Recovery cannot?
Amanda Enterprise covers Cross-platform backup, Cloud integration, Disk staging, Encryption. Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, File-level backup, Incremental/differential, Recovery media. Both handle Windows support.

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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: Is Paragon Backup & Recovery still available?

No, Paragon Backup & Recovery has been unavailable since October 8, 2025, and is marked as a legacy product. Business customers are directed to explore alternative products for business use.

Source
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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: How much does Paragon Backup & Recovery cost?

No pricing information is published. The product is restricted to home use only and customers must contact Paragon's sales team directly for any inquiries.

Source
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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: What should business users do if they used Paragon Backup & Recovery?

Business customers are recommended to explore the company's other products designed for business use and contact the sales team for alternative solutions.

Source
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