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Backup · head to head

Comet Backup vs Portworx Backup

Comet Backup logo

Comet Backup

Backup

White-label backup software for service providers

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Portworx Backup logo

Portworx Backup

Backup

Kubernetes application backup with a free tier up to one terabyte

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Portworx Backup has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Comet Backup per-endpoint costs ($2/month per endpoint) can add up for large deployments with many protected machines; Portworx Backup the paid tier carries a 1,000 node hour monthly minimum, so a cluster that only needs occasional protection still pays a floor.
  • They diverge on capability: Comet Backup covers White-label branding, Portworx Backup covers Application-level backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Comet Backup and Portworx Backup actually diverge.

Attributes where Comet Backup and Portworx Backup differ
AttributeComet BackupPortworx Backup
Starting price$19/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer node hour
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, Linux
Founded2017Unknown

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 Comet Backup

  • White-label branding
  • Bring your own storage
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Chunking deduplication
  • Delta compression
  • Multi-tenant
  • AWS S3
  • Azure

Only in Portworx Backup

  • Application-level backup
  • Any CSI provider
  • Cross-cluster restore
  • Namespace and label selection
  • Scheduled policies
  • Role-based access
  • Free tier

What people use each for

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

Comet Backup

  • MSP backup and disaster recovery solutionsnot Portworx Backup
  • Cloud-to-cloud backup automationnot Portworx Backup
  • Ransomware protection with immutable storagenot Portworx Backup

Portworx Backup

  • A platform team running Velero that needs an accountable vendor for restore failuresnot Comet Backup
  • Protecting Kubernetes applications across EKS, GKE and on premises clusters under one policy setnot Comet Backup
  • Restoring a namespace into a different cloud provider as a disaster recovery testnot Comet Backup
  • A small team that wants real Kubernetes backup within the free one terabyte tier before committing budgetnot Comet Backup

Where each one falls short

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

Comet Backup

  • Per-endpoint costs ($2/month per endpoint) can add up for large deployments with many protected machines
  • Advanced and Enterprise tiers with additional management capabilities are significantly more expensive than base tiers
  • Platform-specific features (SQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Microsoft 365) have separate per-unit pricing

Portworx Backup

  • The paid tier carries a 1,000 node hour monthly minimum, so a cluster that only needs occasional protection still pays a floor.
  • It is licensed separately from Portworx Enterprise, so organisations that assumed storage and backup came together find a second subscription in the quote.
  • The free tier caps at one terabyte of protected data, which is quickly exceeded by any database of consequence and forces a jump straight to the minimum commitment.
  • Backup targets are object stores you provide, so restore egress charges from your cloud provider are outside the vendor price and appear during a recovery rather than in procurement.
  • Application-consistent backup of databases still depends on correct pre and post hooks, so the product does not remove the requirement to understand and rehearse your own restore ordering.

Pricing, plan by plan

Comet Backup

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • 1 self-hosted license
    • Endpoint scaling at $2/endpoint/month
  • Growth$49/month
    • 2 self-hosted licenses
    • Primary/replica setups
    • Endpoint scaling at $2/endpoint/month
  • Advanced$99/month
    • 5 management console licenses
    • Audit logging
    • Air-gap management console
  • Professional (Cloud-Hosted)$49/month
    • 1 cloud-hosted console license
    • Endpoint scaling at $2/endpoint/month

Portworx Backup

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to one terabyte of protected data
    • No feature restrictions
    • Fully managed service
  • Portworx Backup$0.2/node hour
    • Minimum 1,000 node hours per month
    • Unlimited protected capacity
    • Any Container Storage Interface provider

Which should you pick?

Choose Comet Backup if

  • You need white-label branding.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want bring your own storage.

Choose Portworx Backup if

  • You need application-level backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want any csi provider.

Questions people ask

Is Comet Backup or Portworx Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Comet Backup starts at $19/month and Portworx Backup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Comet Backup or Portworx Backup?
Portworx Backup has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Comet Backup and Free for Portworx Backup.
Does Comet Backup or Portworx Backup run on more platforms?
Comet Backup runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Portworx Backup runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Portworx Backup for free?
Yes. Portworx Backup has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Comet Backup starts at $19/month.
What is Comet Backup best used for?
Comet Backup is most often used for msp backup and disaster recovery solutions, cloud-to-cloud backup automation, ransomware protection with immutable storage. Of those, msp backup and disaster recovery solutions and cloud-to-cloud backup automation are not what Portworx Backup is typically brought in for.
What can Comet Backup do that Portworx Backup cannot?
Comet Backup covers White-label branding, Bring your own storage, End-to-end encryption, Chunking deduplication. Portworx Backup covers Application-level backup, Any CSI provider, Cross-cluster restore, Namespace and label selection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Comet Backup: How much does Comet Backup cost?

Self-hosted plans start at $19/month (Starter) and go up to $99/month (Advanced), with cloud-hosted plans starting at $49/month (Professional). All plans charge $2 per endpoint per month for additional protected machines beyond the base license count.

Source
Portworx Backup: Is the free tier real?

Yes, up to one terabyte of protected data with no feature restrictions as a managed service. It is a usable production tier for small footprints, not a trial.

Comet Backup: What is the price difference between self-hosted and cloud-hosted deployments?

Cloud-hosted plans start at $49/month (Professional) versus self-hosted which starts at $19/month (Starter). The main advantage of cloud-hosted is Comet manages the console infrastructure, though both models charge the same per-endpoint fees.

Source
Portworx Backup: Does it only protect Portworx volumes?

No. It works across Container Storage Interface providers, including cloud provider storage and other vendors' drivers.

Comet Backup: Does Comet Backup charge for additional protected machines?

Yes, all plans charge $2 per endpoint per month beyond the licensed endpoints. For example, the Growth plan includes 2 self-hosted licenses, but each additional protected machine costs $2/month.

Source
Portworx Backup: Is it included with Portworx Enterprise?

No. It is a separate licence at 0.20 USD per node hour with its own minimum.

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