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Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head

Bacula Enterprise vs Spanning Backup

Bacula Enterprise logo

Bacula Enterprise

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Open-source enterprise backup solution

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spanning Backup logo

Spanning Backup

Backup & Disaster Recovery

SaaS backup for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bacula Enterprise pricing is not published; the vendor asks for a request rather than listing rates; Spanning Backup cloud-only deployment; no on-premise or self-hosted options available
  • They diverge on capability: Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture, Spanning Backup covers Automated daily backup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bacula Enterprise and Spanning Backup actually diverge.

Attributes where Bacula Enterprise and Spanning Backup differ
AttributeBacula EnterpriseSpanning Backup
Starting price$500/year$4/month
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebCloud SaaS
Founded20092010

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup & Disaster Recovery).

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 Spanning Backup

  • Automated daily backup
  • Point-in-time restore
  • Cross-user restore
  • eDiscovery
  • Unlimited storage
  • Admin delegation
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365

Both cover

  • Web support

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

Spanning Backup

  • Cloud-to-cloud backup and disaster recovery for Microsoft 365 applicationsnot Bacula Enterprise
  • Data protection and compliance management for Google Workspace and Salesforcenot 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

Spanning Backup

  • Cloud-only deployment; no on-premise or self-hosted options available

Pricing, plan by plan

Bacula Enterprise

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

Spanning Backup

$4/month
  • Spanning Backup$4/month
    • Daily backup
    • Point-in-time restore
    • Unlimited storage

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 Spanning Backup if

  • You need automated daily backup.
  • You work on Cloud SaaS.
  • You also want point-in-time restore.
Spanning Backup review

Questions people ask

Is Bacula Enterprise or Spanning Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Bacula Enterprise starts at $500/year and Spanning Backup at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bacula Enterprise or Spanning Backup?
Bacula Enterprise starts at $500/year and Spanning Backup at $4/month.
Does Bacula Enterprise or Spanning Backup run on more platforms?
Bacula Enterprise runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Spanning Backup runs on Cloud SaaS.
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 Spanning Backup is typically brought in for.
What can Bacula Enterprise do that Spanning Backup cannot?
Bacula Enterprise covers Modular architecture, Plugin framework, Deduplication, Cloud storage. Spanning Backup covers Automated daily backup, Point-in-time restore, Cross-user restore, eDiscovery. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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