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Backup · head to head

Bacula Enterprise vs Dokku

Bacula Enterprise logo

Bacula Enterprise

Backup

Open-source enterprise backup solution

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dokku logo

Dokku

Cloud

Single-server platform that accepts a git push and runs Heroku buildpacks on Docker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dokku has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bacula Enterprise pricing is not published; the vendor asks for a request rather than listing rates; Dokku one maintainer accounts for nearly all human commit activity and the project records roughly 10,500 US dollars of annual income on Open Collective, which is not enough to fund a maintainer, so continuity rests on one person continuing to volunteer.
  • They diverge on capability: Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture, Dokku covers Git push deploy.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bacula Enterprise and Dokku actually diverge.

Attributes where Bacula Enterprise and Dokku differ
AttributeBacula EnterpriseDokku
Starting price$500/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebLinux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted
CategoryBackupCloud
Founded2009Unknown

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

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 Bacula Enterprise

  • Modular architecture
  • Plugin framework
  • Deduplication
  • Cloud storage
  • Encryption
  • Automated recovery testing
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Dokku

  • Git push deploy
  • Heroku buildpacks
  • Datastore plugins
  • Automatic certificates
  • Zero downtime deploys
  • Pluggable schedulers

What people use each for

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

Bacula Enterprise

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

Dokku

  • Running a dozen side projects and client applications on one virtual private server with Heroku style deploymentnot Bacula Enterprise
  • Moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic hasnot Bacula Enterprise
  • A consultancy that wants buildpack deployments without teaching every client team Kubernetesnot Bacula Enterprise
  • Keeping a legacy Procfile application alive on hardware you control after a managed platform deprecates its stacknot Bacula Enterprise

Where each one falls short

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

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

Dokku

  • One maintainer accounts for nearly all human commit activity and the project records roughly 10,500 US dollars of annual income on Open Collective, which is not enough to fund a maintainer, so continuity rests on one person continuing to volunteer.
  • Dokku Pro asks 849 US dollars for a lifetime licence from a project with no disclosed legal entity behind the promise and no published refund terms, while the product is still described as in development at early bird pricing.
  • Dokku is single-server by design, and the k3s scheduler that provides multi-node support is missing log retrieval, process inspection and content-based health checks, with a post-run hook the documentation says does not consistently fire.
  • Supported operating systems are limited to Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and Debian 11 or later, so organisations standardised on Red Hat, Rocky or Alma Linux cannot run it on their approved base image.
  • Backups are separate commands per datastore plugin that you schedule yourself, with no unified snapshot, no point-in-time recovery and no tested restore path, so verifying that a restore works is entirely your responsibility.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bacula Enterprise

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

Dokku

Free
  • DokkuFree
    • MIT licensed, no usage limits
    • Command line and SSH only
    • All datastore and certificate plugins
  • Dokku Pro$849/one-time
    • Lifetime licence with free upgrades and no subscription
    • Covers 1 production and 2 pre-production servers
    • Web dashboard and JSON REST API

Which should you pick?

Choose Bacula Enterprise if

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

Choose Dokku if

  • You need git push deploy.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted.
  • You also want heroku buildpacks.
Dokku review

Questions people ask

Is Bacula Enterprise or Dokku better?
Neither clearly leads. Bacula Enterprise starts at $500/year and Dokku at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bacula Enterprise or Dokku?
Dokku has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Bacula Enterprise and Free for Dokku.
Does Bacula Enterprise or Dokku run on more platforms?
Bacula Enterprise runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Dokku runs on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted.
Can I use Dokku for free?
Yes. Dokku has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bacula Enterprise starts at $500/year.
What is Bacula Enterprise best used for?
Bacula Enterprise is most often used for enterprise backup across virtual machines, databases and containers, multi-cloud and hybrid backup from one system, backup where licensing by data volume would be prohibitive, since bacula does not charge by capacity, long-retention archival for regulated environments. Of those, enterprise backup across virtual machines, databases and containers and multi-cloud and hybrid backup from one system are not what Dokku is typically brought in for.
What can Bacula Enterprise do that Dokku cannot?
Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture, Plugin framework, Deduplication, Cloud storage. Dokku covers Git push deploy, Heroku buildpacks, Datastore plugins, Automatic certificates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Dokku: Is Dokku still maintained?

Yes. Version 0.38.27 shipped in August 2026 with roughly six releases in the preceding two months. The caveat is that one maintainer writes nearly all of it.

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
Dokku: What does Dokku Pro give me over the free edition?

A web dashboard, a JSON REST API, git push over HTTPS, browser log tailing, team management and email support from the maintainers. It costs 849 US dollars once for one production and two pre-production servers.

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
Dokku: Can Dokku run across multiple servers?

Only through the k3s or Nomad schedulers. The k3s path is missing several commands and health check types, and the older Kubernetes scheduler is deprecated and no longer developed.

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
Dokku: Will my Heroku application run on it unchanged?

Usually. Dokku runs the same buildpacks and reads a Procfile, so the application layer normally moves across. Add-ons, scaling behaviour and backups are the parts you have to rebuild.

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