Softwr

Backup · head to head

Arcserve UDP vs Bacula Enterprise

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bacula Enterprise logo

Bacula Enterprise

Backup

Open-source enterprise backup solution

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; Bacula Enterprise pricing is not published; the vendor asks for a request rather than listing rates
  • They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Bacula Enterprise differ
AttributeArcserve UDPBacula Enterprise
Starting price$25/month$500/year
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWindows, Linux, Web
Founded19832009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • SQL Server

Only in Bacula Enterprise

  • Modular architecture
  • Plugin framework
  • Deduplication
  • Cloud storage
  • Encryption
  • Automated recovery testing
  • AWS
  • Azure

Both cover

  • VMware
  • Hyper-V
  • Windows support
  • Linux support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Arcserve UDP

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

Bacula Enterprise

  • Enterprise backup across virtual machines, databases and containersnot Arcserve UDP
  • Multi-cloud and hybrid backup from one systemnot Arcserve UDP
  • Backup where licensing by data volume would be prohibitive, since Bacula does not charge by capacitynot Arcserve UDP
  • Long-retention archival for regulated environmentsnot 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 Enterprise

  • Pricing is not published; the vendor asks for a request rather than listing rates
  • The differences between Enterprise and the open source Community edition are not set out on the product pages, so what the licence buys is unclear until you talk to sales
  • Aimed at data centre and enterprise environments rather than small deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

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

Bacula Enterprise

$500/year
  • Bacula Enterprise$500/year
    • Unlimited data
    • Plugin support
    • Enterprise support

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 Enterprise if

  • You need modular architecture.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want plugin framework.
Bacula Enterprise review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Bacula Enterprise better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Bacula Enterprise at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Bacula Enterprise?
Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Bacula Enterprise at $500/year.
Does Arcserve UDP or Bacula Enterprise run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Bacula Enterprise runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
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 Enterprise is typically brought in for.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Bacula Enterprise cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture, Plugin framework, Deduplication, Cloud storage. Both handle VMware, Hyper-V, Windows support, Linux 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.

Source
Bacula Enterprise: Does Bacula Enterprise offer a trial?

Yes. Bacula offers a trial that provides 'a streamlined version of Bacula Enterprise' with 'rapid access to an online, hosted environment'. However, no specific trial period duration is stated on the page.

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 Enterprise: Is there a free trial available, or does it require contacting sales?

The trial is available directly online without needing to contact sales first. The page provides streamlined access to test the service with Global Endpoint Deduplication and cloud storage capabilities.

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
Bacula Enterprise: Does Bacula charge by data volume?

No. One customer testimonial states 'we are not charged by data volume or hardware', indicating that Bacula does not use capacity-based pricing like some competitors.

Source
Bacula Enterprise: How can I get Bacula pricing information?

Bacula directs interested parties to Request Pricing through their contact page rather than displaying rates publicly.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Arcserve UDP

More on Bacula Enterprise

Keep looking

Other head to heads