Softwr

Backup · head to head

Cohesity vs Restic

Cohesity logo

Cohesity

Backup

Protect, secure, and gain insights into your enterprise data

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Restic logo

Restic

Backup

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 no pricing details published on website; 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
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cohesity and Restic actually diverge.

Attributes where Cohesity and Restic differ
AttributeCohesityRestic
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows, Mac, Linux
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

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

Nothing recorded that Restic does not also cover.

Only in Restic

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

What people use each for

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

Cohesity

  • Data protection and ransomware defensenot Restic
  • Cloud backup and recovery across hybrid environmentsnot Restic
  • Instant recovery from 1,000 VMs simultaneouslynot Restic
  • Multi-cloud data management and securitynot Restic
  • AI-powered threat detection and anomaly detectionnot Restic

Restic

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cohesity

  • No pricing details published on website
  • Advanced edition status listed as coming soon
  • Requires contacting sales team for quotes
  • No self-service pricing tiers or calculator available

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

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cohesity review.

Restic

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Cohesity if

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

Cohesity 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 or Restic better?
Neither clearly leads. Cohesity 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 or Restic?
Restic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cohesity and Free for Restic.
Does Cohesity or Restic run on more platforms?
Cohesity runs on Web. 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 starts at On request.
What is Cohesity best used for?
Cohesity is most often used for data protection and ransomware defense, cloud backup and recovery across hybrid environments, instant recovery from 1,000 vms simultaneously, multi-cloud data management and security. Of those, data protection and ransomware defense and cloud backup and recovery across hybrid environments are not what Restic is typically brought in for.
What can Cohesity do that Restic cannot?
Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cohesity: How much does Cohesity cost?

Cohesity does not publish specific pricing on their website. Customers must request a demo, contact the sales team, or initiate a 30-day free trial to discuss pricing options.

Source
Restic: How much does restic cost?

Restic is entirely free to use and completely open source. There are no subscription tiers, paid plans, or licensing costs.

Source
Cohesity: What editions does Cohesity offer?

Cohesity Data Cloud offers three editions: Core for entry-level, Enterprise for mid-tier, and Advanced (coming soon). Each includes varying Data Insights, Security, Protection, and Platform capabilities.

Source
Cohesity: Is there a free trial for Cohesity?

Yes, Cohesity offers a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card. No credit card is needed to get started with the trial.

Source
Cohesity: What performance benefits does Cohesity claim?

Cohesity claims 18x faster backups, 2x faster restores, instant recovery of 1000 VMs, and 50% lower total cost of ownership to secure and manage data.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Cohesity

More on Restic

Keep looking

Other head to heads