Software · head to head
Arcserve UDP vs N-able Backup
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; N-able Backup limited availability for non-Windows environments compared to competitors
- They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and N-able Backup actually diverge.
| Attribute | Arcserve UDP | N-able Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $25/month | $20/month |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows, Web |
| Founded | 1983 | 2021 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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
- Microsoft Exchange
- SQL Server
Only in N-able Backup
- Direct-to-cloud backup
- Standby image
- Bare metal recovery
- LocalSpeedVault
- TrueDelta incremental
- Documents protection
- Microsoft 365
- N-able RMM
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 protection
- Disaster recovery
- Business continuity
- Ransomware protection
- Compliance
N-able Backup
- Data protection
- Disaster recovery
- Business continuity
- Ransomware protection
- Compliance
Both are used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection, compliance, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
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
N-able Backup
- Limited availability for non-Windows environments compared to competitors
- MSP-focused product may include features unnecessary for smaller organizations
Pricing, plan by plan
Arcserve UDP
$25/month- UDP Premium$25/month
- Assured recovery
- Instant VM
- Tape support
N-able Backup
$20/month- Backup$20/month
- Direct-to-cloud
- Standby image
- Multi-tenant
Which should you pick?
Choose Arcserve UDP if
- You need assured recovery testing.
- You work on Windows, Linux.
- You also want instant vm recovery.
Choose N-able Backup if
- You need direct-to-cloud backup.
- You work on Windows, Web.
- You also want standby image.
Questions people ask
- Is Arcserve UDP or N-able Backup better?
- Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and N-able Backup at $20/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or N-able Backup?
- Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and N-able Backup at $20/month.
- Does Arcserve UDP or N-able Backup run on more platforms?
- Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. N-able Backup runs on Windows, Web.
- What is Arcserve UDP best used for?
- Arcserve UDP is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
- What can Arcserve UDP do that N-able Backup cannot?
- Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup, Standby image, Bare metal recovery, LocalSpeedVault. 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.
SourceN-able Backup: What does Cove Data Protection cover?
Cove Data Protection provides unified backup, security, and disaster recovery for servers, workstations, and Microsoft 365, with cloud-native architecture and automatic updates.
SourceArcserve 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.
SourceN-able Backup: Is hardware required for N-able Backup?
No, Cove Data Protection is fully SaaS-based with no appliances or hardware required. It offers a cloud management console accessible from anywhere with no upfront hardware investment.
SourceArcserve 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.
SourceN-able Backup: How often can backups be scheduled with Cove?
Cove's TrueDelta technology enables backups as frequently as every 15 minutes, eliminating redundancies and ensuring minimal data loss windows.
SourceN-able Backup: Does Cove offer ransomware protection?
Yes, Cove includes ransomware resilience through immutable backup copies and isolated backups kept separate by default, providing protection against encryption attacks.
SourceRelated pages
More on Arcserve UDP
More on N-able Backup
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