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AOMEI Backupper vs Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

AOMEI Backupper logo

AOMEI Backupper

Backup

Complete backup and restore solution for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes logo

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Backup

Kubernetes-native backup, disaster recovery and application mobility

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AOMEI Backupper windows only, covering Windows 7 through 11; Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes licensing is per worker node, so clusters designed with many small nodes for scheduling flexibility pay considerably more than the same capacity in fewer large nodes.
  • They diverge on capability: AOMEI Backupper covers System backup, Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AOMEI Backupper and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes actually diverge.

Attributes where AOMEI Backupper and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes differ
AttributeAOMEI BackupperVeeam Kasten for Kubernetes
Pricing modelone-timePer worker node
PlatformsWindowsKubernetes, Linux
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 AOMEI Backupper

  • System backup
  • Disk clone
  • File sync
  • Real-time sync
  • Universal restore
  • Bootable media
  • OneDrive
  • Google Drive

Only in Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • Application-aware capture
  • Policy engine
  • Immutable targets
  • Restore transformation
  • Database hooks
  • Ransomware detection

What people use each for

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

AOMEI Backupper

  • Free disk and file backup on a personal Windows machinenot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • System image and bare metal recoverynot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Cloning a drive when upgrading to a larger disk on the paid editionsnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Scheduled incremental backupsnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • A platform team that must prove to auditors it can restore a production namespace, not just its disksnot AOMEI Backupper
  • Migrating a stateful application from on-premises OpenShift to a managed cloud Kubernetes servicenot AOMEI Backupper
  • Protecting Kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backupsnot AOMEI Backupper
  • A team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capturenot AOMEI Backupper

Where each one falls short

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

AOMEI Backupper

  • Windows only, covering Windows 7 through 11
  • The free Standard edition is licensed for personal use; business use requires a paid edition from $39.95
  • Differential backup, cloud backup and system cloning are all withheld from the free edition, which clones data disks only
  • The free edition reads from disk more slowly than the paid ones
  • Email notifications on Standard are limited to Gmail and Hotmail servers
  • Support on the free edition is business hours rather than 24/7

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • Licensing is per worker node, so clusters designed with many small nodes for scheduling flexibility pay considerably more than the same capacity in fewer large nodes.
  • The free Starter edition is scale limited and community supported, so it works for evaluation and small clusters but there is no gentle upgrade path when production grows past the limit.
  • Backup performance depends on the underlying CSI driver snapshot capability, so on storage without proper CSI snapshot support it falls back to slower generic copying.
  • Restores into a different cluster need matching custom resource definitions and operator versions present beforehand, so cross-cluster mobility is less automatic than the marketing suggests.
  • Kasten protects Kubernetes only, so organisations with mixed virtual machine and container estates run it alongside a separate backup product and manage two retention policies and two sets of evidence.

Pricing, plan by plan

AOMEI Backupper

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Free forever
    • 1 PC license
    • Data disk cloning only
  • Professional$39.95/one-time
    • 1 PC license
    • System clone
    • Differential backup
  • Workstation$49.95/one-time
    • 1 PC license
    • System clone
    • Differential backup

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Functionally the same as Enterprise
    • Limited on scale and support
    • Intended for evaluation and small non-production clusters
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Licensed per worker node, quoted annually
    • Available through AWS, Azure and Google Cloud marketplaces
    • Vendor support with SLAs

Which should you pick?

Choose AOMEI Backupper if

  • You need system backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want disk clone.

Choose Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes if

  • You need application-aware capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Linux.
  • You also want policy engine.

Questions people ask

Is AOMEI Backupper or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes better?
Neither clearly leads. AOMEI Backupper starts at Free and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AOMEI Backupper or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes?
AOMEI Backupper starts at Free and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes at Free.
Does AOMEI Backupper or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes run on more platforms?
AOMEI Backupper runs on Windows. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes runs on Kubernetes, Linux.
Can I use AOMEI Backupper for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AOMEI Backupper best used for?
AOMEI Backupper is most often used for free disk and file backup on a personal windows machine, system image and bare metal recovery, cloning a drive when upgrading to a larger disk on the paid editions, scheduled incremental backups. Of those, free disk and file backup on a personal windows machine and system image and bare metal recovery are not what Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is typically brought in for.
What can AOMEI Backupper do that Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes cannot?
AOMEI Backupper covers System backup, Disk clone, File sync, Real-time sync. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Policy engine, Immutable targets, Restore transformation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AOMEI Backupper: Is AOMEI Backupper free?

Yes, AOMEI Backupper Standard Edition is free forever. Professional Edition costs $39.95 and Workstation Edition costs $49.95 as one-time purchases, with a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Source
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: Is Kasten K10 still a product?

It is now sold as Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes. The kasten.io domain redirects to Veeam and the documentation still lives at docs.kasten.io.

AOMEI Backupper: Can AOMEI Backupper clone system drives?

System drive cloning requires Professional Edition ($39.95) or Workstation Edition ($49.95). The free Standard Edition supports data disk cloning only.

Source
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: Is there a free edition?

Yes, the Starter edition is free and functionally complete but limited on scale and support, aimed at evaluation and small non-production clusters.

AOMEI Backupper: How many PCs can one AOMEI Backupper license cover?

Each AOMEI Backupper license covers 1 PC only. Separate licenses are required for multiple computers.

Source
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: How is Enterprise licensed?

Per worker node. Count your nodes, not your capacity, before comparing quotes, because node sizing directly changes the price.

AOMEI Backupper: What backup features are included in each edition?

Standard is free but limited to data disk cloning. Professional ($39.95) and Workstation ($49.95) both include system cloning, differential backup, and cloud backup. Workstation also offers faster task execution speeds.

Source
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