Software · head to head
Borg Backup vs Clonezilla
Borg Backup
Software
Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Borg Backup linux, macOS and BSD only; Windows is not a supported platform; Clonezilla the destination partition must be equal to or larger than the source partition
- They diverge on capability: Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Borg Backup and Clonezilla actually diverge.
| Attribute | Borg Backup | Clonezilla |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Mac | Linux, Windows |
| Founded | 2015 | 2004 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), 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 Borg Backup
- Content-defined chunking
- Deduplication
- Compression
- Authenticated encryption
- Pruning
- Mount archives
- BorgBase
- rsync.net
Only in Clonezilla
- Disk/partition imaging
- Disk cloning
- Multicast deployment
- Multiple file systems
- Encryption support
- Unattended mode
- PXE boot
- DRBL
Both cover
- SSH
- Linux support
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 Clonezilla
- Encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintextnot Clonezilla
- Browsing previous versions by mounting an archive over FUSEnot Clonezilla
- Scripted server backups with no agent or daemon to runnot Clonezilla
Clonezilla
- Bare metal backup and restore of a whole disk or partitionnot Borg Backup
- Mass deployment of a disk image to many PCs over the networknot Borg Backup
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
Clonezilla
- The destination partition must be equal to or larger than the source partition
- Differential and incremental backup is not implemented
- Online imaging and cloning is not implemented; the partition being imaged or cloned has to be unmounted first
- The image format cannot be explored or mounted, so a single file cannot be recovered from an image
- Recovery media spanning multiple CDs or DVDs is not implemented; the recovery ISO must fit on one disc
- Clonezilla SE requires a DRBL server to be prepared in advance and the target machine to boot from the network
- Runs only on x86 or x86-64 processors and needs at least 196 MB of RAM
Pricing, plan by plan
Borg Backup
Free- FreeFree
- Deduplication
- Compression
- Encryption
Clonezilla
Free- FreeFree
- Disk cloning
- Multicast
- Multiple file systems
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.
Choose Clonezilla if
- You need disk/partition imaging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows.
- You also want disk cloning.
Questions people ask
- Is Borg Backup or Clonezilla better?
- Neither clearly leads. Borg Backup starts at Free and Clonezilla at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Borg Backup or Clonezilla?
- Borg Backup starts at Free and Clonezilla at Free.
- Does Borg Backup or Clonezilla run on more platforms?
- Borg Backup runs on Linux, Mac. Clonezilla runs on Linux, Windows.
- Can I use Borg Backup for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Clonezilla is typically brought in for.
- What can Borg Backup do that Clonezilla cannot?
- Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Deduplication, Compression, Authenticated encryption. Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging, Disk cloning, Multicast deployment, Multiple file systems. Both handle SSH, Linux support.