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Backup · head to head

Arcserve UDP vs Bacula

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bacula logo

Bacula

Backup

The best open source backup software for Linux

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bacula has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; Bacula the community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and Bacula actually diverge.

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Bacula differ
AttributeArcserve UDPBacula
Starting price$25/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWeb
Founded1983Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Bacula

Nothing recorded that Arcserve UDP does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Arcserve UDP

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

Bacula

  • Linux, Windows, and macOS network backup at scalenot Arcserve UDP
  • VMware, KVM, Hyper-V virtual machine backupnot Arcserve UDP
  • MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL database backupnot Arcserve UDP
  • Microsoft Exchange Server backupnot Arcserve UDP
  • Tape backup and enterprise data retentionnot Arcserve UDP

Where each one falls short

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

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

Bacula

  • The community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Bacula

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bacula review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Choose Bacula if

  • You want to start without paying.
Bacula review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Bacula better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Bacula at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Bacula?
Bacula has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Arcserve UDP and Free for Bacula.
Does Arcserve UDP or Bacula run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Bacula runs on Web.
Can I use Bacula for free?
Yes. Bacula has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month.
What is Arcserve UDP best used for?
Arcserve UDP is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Bacula is typically brought in for.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Bacula cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection.

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.

Source
Bacula: How much does Bacula cost?

Bacula Community Edition is free and open source. Bacula Enterprise is a commercial offering with a free trial available, but specific pricing is not listed on the main website.

Source
Arcserve 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.

Source
Bacula: Is Bacula free?

Bacula Community Edition is fully free and open source. Enterprise Edition is commercial but offers a free trial to evaluate features before purchasing.

Source
Arcserve 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
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