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Arcserve UDP vs Borg Backup

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Software

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Borg Backup logo

Borg Backup

Software

Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Borg Backup 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; Borg Backup linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform
  • They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and Borg Backup actually diverge.

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Borg Backup differ
AttributeArcserve UDPBorg Backup
Starting price$25/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, LinuxLinux, Mac
Founded19832015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Borg Backup

  • Content-defined chunking
  • Deduplication
  • Compression
  • Authenticated encryption
  • Pruning
  • Mount archives
  • SSH
  • BorgBase

Both cover

  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protectionnot Borg Backup
  • Disaster recoverynot Borg Backup
  • Business continuitynot Borg Backup
  • Ransomware protectionnot Borg Backup
  • Compliancenot Borg Backup

Borg Backup

  • Deduplicated backups where daily full snapshots would otherwise be expensivenot Arcserve UDP
  • Encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintextnot Arcserve UDP
  • Browsing previous versions by mounting an archive over FUSEnot Arcserve UDP
  • Scripted server backups with no agent or daemon to runnot 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

Borg Backup

  • Linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform
  • Command-line only, with no graphical interface in the project itself
  • Version 2.0 is still in beta, so production use means staying on the 1.4 line
  • Restoring requires the Borg tooling, since archives are a deduplicated chunk store rather than plain files

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

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

Borg Backup

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Deduplication
    • Compression
    • Encryption

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 Borg Backup if

  • You need content-defined chunking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac.
  • You also want deduplication.
Borg Backup review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Borg Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Borg Backup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Borg Backup?
Borg Backup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Arcserve UDP and Free for Borg Backup.
Does Arcserve UDP or Borg Backup run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Borg Backup runs on Linux, Mac.
Can I use Borg Backup for free?
Yes. Borg Backup 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 Borg Backup is typically brought in for.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Borg Backup cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Deduplication, Compression, Authenticated encryption. Both handle 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
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
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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Related pages

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