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File Storage · head to head

Duplicati vs HAProxy

Duplicati logo

Duplicati

File Storage

Free open-source backup with encryption

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HAProxy logo

HAProxy

Cloud

High-performance TCP and HTTP load balancer

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Duplicati no managed service or commercial support; HAProxy configuration syntax is dense and unforgiving, with a steep initial learning curve
  • They diverge on capability: Duplicati covers AES-256 encryption, HAProxy covers High throughput.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Duplicati and HAProxy actually diverge.

Attributes where Duplicati and HAProxy differ
AttributeDuplicatiHAProxy
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryFile StorageCloud
Founded2008Unknown

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 Duplicati

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

Only in HAProxy

  • High throughput
  • Layer 4 and 7
  • Health checking
  • Rate limiting and ACLs

What people use each for

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

Duplicati

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

HAProxy

  • Load balancing at traffic levels where proxy efficiency shows up in the hardware billnot Duplicati
  • Precise traffic control — rate limits, sticky sessions, complex routing rulesnot Duplicati
  • TCP load balancing for databases and non-HTTP servicesnot Duplicati

Where each one falls short

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

Duplicati

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

HAProxy

  • Configuration syntax is dense and unforgiving, with a steep initial learning curve
  • No automatic certificate management, unlike newer servers that treat it as default behaviour
  • The built-in stats page is basic, so real observability needs exporters and dashboards
  • A dedicated load balancer is more machinery than small deployments need

Pricing, plan by plan

Duplicati

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Duplicati review.

HAProxy

Free
  • HAProxyFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

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

Choose HAProxy if

  • You need high throughput.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want layer 4 and 7.
HAProxy review

Questions people ask

Is Duplicati or HAProxy better?
Neither clearly leads. Duplicati starts at Free and HAProxy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Duplicati or HAProxy?
Duplicati starts at Free and HAProxy at Free.
Does Duplicati or HAProxy run on more platforms?
Duplicati runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. HAProxy runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use Duplicati for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Duplicati best used for?
Duplicati is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what HAProxy is typically brought in for.
What can Duplicati do that HAProxy cannot?
Duplicati covers AES-256 encryption, Incremental backup, Deduplication, Multiple cloud backends. HAProxy covers High throughput, Layer 4 and 7, Health checking, Rate limiting and ACLs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
HAProxy: Is HAProxy free?

Yes, the community version is open source. HAProxy Technologies sells HAProxy Enterprise separately.

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
HAProxy: HAProxy or Nginx?

HAProxy is a specialist load balancer with deeper balancing and health-check features. Nginx also serves static content and is more approachable, which is why it is more common as a general web server.

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
HAProxy: Does HAProxy handle TLS certificates automatically?

No. Certificate issuance and renewal are external, unlike Caddy where it is automatic.

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