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Cohesity DataProtect vs Restic

Cohesity DataProtect logo

Cohesity DataProtect

Software

Hyperconverged secondary data protection

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Restic logo

Restic

Software

Fast, secure, and efficient backup program

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Restic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cohesity DataProtect primarily focused on enterprise customers; less suitable for small businesses; Restic cold storage is not natively supported; restoring from S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive is only available as an experimental feature behind a feature flag
  • They diverge on capability: Cohesity DataProtect covers Hyperconverged architecture, Restic covers Content-defined chunking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cohesity DataProtect and Restic actually diverge.

Attributes where Cohesity DataProtect and Restic differ
AttributeCohesity DataProtectRestic
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsOn-premises, AWS, Azure, Google CloudWindows, Mac, Linux
Founded20132014

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 Cohesity DataProtect

  • Hyperconverged architecture
  • Instant mass restore
  • Global deduplication
  • Global search
  • Ransomware protection
  • Cloud tiering
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Restic

  • Content-defined chunking
  • Cryptographic verification
  • Deduplication
  • Encryption
  • Multiple backends
  • Snapshot management
  • AWS S3
  • Google Cloud

Both cover

  • Azure
  • Windows support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

Cohesity DataProtect

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

Restic

  • Encrypted deduplicated backups to S3, B2, SFTP and local disk from the command linenot Cohesity DataProtect
  • Scripted server backups with snapshot retention policiesnot Cohesity DataProtect

Where each one falls short

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

Cohesity DataProtect

  • Primarily focused on enterprise customers; less suitable for small businesses
  • Requires significant IT expertise to optimize deduplication and retention policies
  • High upfront infrastructure costs for on-premises deployment

Restic

  • Cold storage is not natively supported; restoring from S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive is only available as an experimental feature behind a feature flag
  • A Windows file whose name contains a character Windows treats as invalid cannot be read by restic and has to be renamed
  • Antivirus real-time protection degrades performance on Windows unless the restic binary is added to an exclusions list
  • On large repositories the built-in five minute stuck-request timeout fires during file listing and has to be raised manually with --stuck-request-timeout

Pricing, plan by plan

Cohesity DataProtect

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cohesity DataProtect review.

Restic

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Content-defined chunking
    • Encryption
    • Multiple backends

Which should you pick?

Choose Cohesity DataProtect if

  • You need hyperconverged architecture.
  • You work on On-premises, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
  • You also want instant mass restore.
Cohesity DataProtect review

Choose Restic if

  • You need content-defined chunking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want cryptographic verification.
Restic review

Questions people ask

Is Cohesity DataProtect or Restic better?
Neither clearly leads. Cohesity DataProtect starts at On request and Restic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cohesity DataProtect or Restic?
Restic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cohesity DataProtect and Free for Restic.
Does Cohesity DataProtect or Restic run on more platforms?
Cohesity DataProtect runs on On-premises, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud. Restic runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use Restic for free?
Yes. Restic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cohesity DataProtect starts at On request.
What is Cohesity DataProtect best used for?
Cohesity DataProtect is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Restic is typically brought in for.
What can Cohesity DataProtect do that Restic cannot?
Cohesity DataProtect covers Hyperconverged architecture, Instant mass restore, Global deduplication, Global search. Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Encryption. Both handle Azure, Windows support, Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cohesity DataProtect: What is the main benefit of Cohesity DataProtect's instant recovery?

Cohesity uniquely reduces downtime by enabling instant mass restoration of any number of VMs, large volumes of unstructured data, and Oracle databases to any point in time.

Source
Cohesity DataProtect: How much can Cohesity reduce data protection costs?

Cohesity DataProtect reduces data protection costs by 70% or more through unified management and deduplication.

Source
Cohesity DataProtect: What platforms and workloads does Cohesity DataProtect support?

Cohesity DataProtect protects on-premises systems, multiple cloud environments, and SaaS applications through a single unified platform.

Source
Cohesity DataProtect: Does Cohesity use security best practices for backup protection?

Yes. Cohesity DataProtect uses multilayered security architecture designed to minimize the risk of backups becoming a ransomware target.

Source
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