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Software · head to head

Bacula vs Arcserve UDP

B

Bacula

Software

The best open source backup software for Linux

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Software

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bacula has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bacula the community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.; Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bacula and Arcserve UDP differ
AttributeBaculaArcserve UDP
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWindows, Linux
FoundedUnknown1983

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 Bacula

Nothing recorded that Arcserve UDP does not also cover.

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

What people use each for

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

Bacula

No use cases recorded yet. See the Bacula review.

Arcserve UDP

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

Where each one falls short

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

Bacula

  • The community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Bacula

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bacula review.

Arcserve UDP

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Bacula if

  • You want to start without paying.
Bacula review

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Questions people ask

Is Bacula or Arcserve UDP better?
Neither clearly leads. Bacula starts at Free and Arcserve UDP at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bacula or Arcserve UDP?
Bacula has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bacula and $25/month for Arcserve UDP.
Does Bacula or Arcserve UDP run on more platforms?
Bacula runs on Web. Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux.
Can I use Bacula for free?
Yes. Bacula has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month.
What can Bacula do that Arcserve UDP cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection.

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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