Software · head to head
Borg Backup vs Rewind
Borg Backup
Software
Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Rewind cannot back up all QuickBooks Online data due to API limitations, excluding company info, exchange rates, and payroll data
- They diverge on capability: Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Rewind covers Automated backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Borg Backup and Rewind actually diverge.
| Attribute | Borg Backup | Rewind |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $29/month |
| Pricing model | free | Unknown |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Linux, Mac | Web |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2015).
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 Rewind
- Automated backup
- One-click restore
- Version comparison
- Continuous protection
- Bulk restore
- Activity monitoring
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
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 Rewind
- Encrypted backup to a server you do not fully trust, since the server never sees plaintextnot Rewind
- Browsing previous versions by mounting an archive over FUSEnot Rewind
- Scripted server backups with no agent or daemon to runnot Rewind
Rewind
- Data protectionnot Borg Backup
- Disaster recoverynot Borg Backup
- Business continuitynot Borg Backup
- Ransomware protectionnot Borg Backup
- Compliancenot 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
Rewind
- Cannot back up all QuickBooks Online data due to API limitations, excluding company info, exchange rates, and payroll data
- Backup restore speed is slow for large datasets, causing significant delays during critical recovery situations
- Cannot back up Shopify inventory tracking quantities, weight, measurement, or cost per item
Pricing, plan by plan
Borg Backup
Free- FreeFree
- Deduplication
- Compression
- Encryption
Rewind
$29/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Rewind 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.
Questions people ask
- Is Borg Backup or Rewind better?
- Neither clearly leads. Borg Backup starts at Free and Rewind at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Borg Backup or Rewind?
- Borg Backup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Borg Backup and $29/month for Rewind.
- Does Borg Backup or Rewind run on more platforms?
- Borg Backup runs on Linux, Mac. Rewind runs on Web.
- Can I use Borg Backup for free?
- Yes. Borg Backup has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rewind starts at $29/month.
- 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 Rewind is typically brought in for.
- What can Borg Backup do that Rewind cannot?
- Borg Backup covers Content-defined chunking, Deduplication, Compression, Authenticated encryption. Rewind covers Automated backup, One-click restore, Version comparison, Continuous protection.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Rewind: How long does Rewind keep backup snapshots?
Rewind keeps backup snapshots for 365 days, making them easily accessible for on-demand restores. This provides over a year of recovery options.
SourceRewind: What SaaS applications does Rewind back up?
Rewind backs up Shopify, BigCommerce, GitHub, Jira, Confluence, QuickBooks Online, Trello, monday.com, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Zendesk Suite, among others.
SourceRewind: Is Rewind compliant with data protection regulations?
Rewind is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, DORA, HIPAA, and CCPA compliant with AES-256 encryption and role-based access control.
SourceRewind: Can you restore individual items or only full backups?
Rewind supports granular, item-level recovery understanding parent-child dependencies, allowing you to restore specific files, orders, or customer information without full dataset rollback.
Source