Softwr

Cloud · head to head

Caddy vs Duplicati

Caddy logo

Caddy

Cloud

Web server with automatic HTTPS by default

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Duplicati logo

Duplicati

File Storage

Free open-source backup with encryption

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Caddy smaller ecosystem than Nginx, so third-party guides and modules are fewer; Duplicati no managed service or commercial support
  • They diverge on capability: Caddy covers Automatic HTTPS, Duplicati covers AES-256 encryption.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Caddy and Duplicati actually diverge.

Attributes where Caddy and Duplicati differ
AttributeCaddyDuplicati
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, DockerWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryCloudFile Storage
FoundedUnknown2008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Caddy

  • Automatic HTTPS
  • Caddyfile
  • Reverse proxy
  • Single binary

Only in Duplicati

  • AES-256 encryption
  • Incremental backup
  • Deduplication
  • Multiple cloud backends
  • Compression
  • Web interface
  • AWS S3
  • Azure

What people use each for

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

Caddy

  • Sites and services where expired certificates have caused outages beforenot Duplicati
  • Small deployments where Nginx configuration is more effort than the problem warrantsnot Duplicati
  • Reverse proxying internal services with TLS without a certificate workflownot Duplicati

Duplicati

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

Where each one falls short

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

Caddy

  • Smaller ecosystem than Nginx, so third-party guides and modules are fewer
  • Adding plugins means rebuilding the binary rather than loading a module
  • Under very high throughput Nginx generally still benchmarks ahead
  • Automatic certificate issuance needs outbound internet access, which complicates air-gapped deployments

Duplicati

  • No managed service or commercial support
  • Relies on community support
  • No enterprise features

Pricing, plan by plan

Caddy

Free
  • CaddyFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

Duplicati

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Duplicati review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Caddy if

  • You need automatic https.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker.
  • You also want caddyfile.
Caddy review

Choose Duplicati if

  • You need aes-256 encryption.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want incremental backup.
Duplicati review

Questions people ask

Is Caddy or Duplicati better?
Neither clearly leads. Caddy starts at Free and Duplicati at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Caddy or Duplicati?
Caddy starts at Free and Duplicati at Free.
Does Caddy or Duplicati run on more platforms?
Caddy runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker. Duplicati runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Caddy for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Caddy best used for?
Caddy is most often used for sites and services where expired certificates have caused outages before, small deployments where nginx configuration is more effort than the problem warrants, reverse proxying internal services with tls without a certificate workflow. Of those, sites and services where expired certificates have caused outages before and small deployments where nginx configuration is more effort than the problem warrants are not what Duplicati is typically brought in for.
What can Caddy do that Duplicati cannot?
Caddy covers Automatic HTTPS, Caddyfile, Reverse proxy, Single binary. Duplicati covers AES-256 encryption, Incremental backup, Deduplication, Multiple cloud backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Caddy: Is Caddy free?

Yes, open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, free for commercial use.

Duplicati: Is Duplicati free?

Yes. Duplicati is completely free and open-source under the LGPL license. There are no premium tiers, trials, or limitations.

Source
Caddy: What does automatic HTTPS mean?

Caddy obtains certificates from Let’s Encrypt or ZeroSSL on first request and renews them before expiry, with no cron job or configuration.

Duplicati: What does Duplicati support?

Duplicati supports zero-trust, fully encrypted backups to local storage, network drives, and cloud services. It includes deduplication and incremental backups.

Source
Caddy: Caddy or Nginx?

Caddy is dramatically simpler to configure and removes certificate management. Nginx has the larger ecosystem and better peak throughput.

Duplicati: What are the platforms?

Duplicati runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can back up data to local storage, network drives, or cloud providers.

Source
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