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Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head

Borg Backup vs Box

Borg Backup logo

Borg Backup

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Box logo

Box

File Storage & Backup

Cloud content management for the enterprise

From
On request
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: Borg Backup linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform; Box all Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Borg Backup and Box actually diverge.

Attributes where Borg Backup and Box differ
AttributeBorg BackupBox
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, MacWeb
CategoryBackup & Disaster RecoveryFile Storage & Backup
Founded2015Unknown

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 Borg Backup

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

Only in Box

Nothing recorded that Borg Backup does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Borg Backup

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

Box

No use cases recorded yet. See the Box review.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Box

  • All Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users
  • Business Starter ($5/user/month) caps at 100 GB of shared storage across the whole account and a 2 GB per file upload limit
  • Enterprise Plus requires annual billing, and Enterprise Advanced's exact price is not published on the pricing page

Pricing, plan by plan

Borg Backup

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Deduplication
    • Compression
    • Encryption

Box

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Box review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Box if

Nothing in the data separates Box from Borg Backup on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Box review

Questions people ask

Is Borg Backup or Box better?
Neither clearly leads. Borg Backup starts at Free and Box at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Borg Backup or Box?
Borg Backup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Borg Backup and On request for Box.
Does Borg Backup or Box run on more platforms?
Borg Backup runs on Linux, Mac. Box runs on Web.
Can I use Borg Backup for free?
Yes. Borg Backup has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Box starts at On request.
What is Borg Backup best used for?
Borg Backup is most often used for deduplicated backups where daily full snapshots would otherwise be expensive, encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintext, browsing previous versions by mounting an archive over fuse, scripted server backups with no agent or daemon to run. Of those, deduplicated backups where daily full snapshots would otherwise be expensive and encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintext are not what Box is typically brought in for.
What can Borg Backup do that Box cannot?
Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Deduplication, Compression, Authenticated encryption.
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