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Backup · head to head

Keepit vs rustic

Keepit logo

Keepit

Backup

Independent cloud backup for SaaS workloads

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
rustic logo

rustic

Backup

Rust reimplementation of restic that reads and writes the same repository format

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only rustic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Keepit search functionality is very limited with restrictive search strings and poor filter options; rustic the project is small with a short list of active maintainers, so bus factor is a genuine consideration for software whose job is to still work in five years.
  • They diverge on capability: Keepit covers Vendor-independent storage, rustic covers restic format compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Keepit and rustic actually diverge.

Attributes where Keepit and rustic differ
AttributeKeepitrustic
Starting price$3/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows
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 Keepit

  • Vendor-independent storage
  • Immutable backup
  • Blockchain verification
  • Unlimited retention
  • Granular restore
  • API access
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Only in rustic

  • restic format compatibility
  • Configuration profiles
  • Deduplicated encrypted backups
  • Cold and append only storage support
  • Multiple back ends
  • Library crates

What people use each for

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

Keepit

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

rustic

  • An existing restic user who wants configuration files rather than long command lines in cronnot Keepit
  • Backing up a memory constrained machine where the reference implementation is uncomfortably heavynot Keepit
  • Writing to append only or cold object storage where the default tooling assumes rewritable bucketsnot Keepit
  • Keeping a second implementation available so a long lived archive does not depend on one codebasenot Keepit

Where each one falls short

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

Keepit

  • Search functionality is very limited with restrictive search strings and poor filter options
  • Download speeds during restoration are slow, particularly for mailbox restorations
  • Console interface is complex and unintuitive, making file retrieval time-consuming
  • Limited support for advanced features like Power Automate flows and manual backup job initiation
  • Primarily targets SaaS applications and is not a single platform for on-premises workloads, VMs, or endpoint backup

rustic

  • The project is small with a short list of active maintainers, so bus factor is a genuine consideration for software whose job is to still work in five years.
  • It inherits the restic repository format, so design limits in that format, including the cost of pruning large repositories, are inherited rather than fixed.
  • Command names, flags and behaviour do not map one to one onto restic, so scripts and runbooks need rewriting rather than a binary swap.
  • Far fewer people have performed a real restore from it under pressure, and backup software is one of the few categories where being second most used is itself a risk.
  • Alternating between rustic and restic against one repository works but doubles the surface for a version incompatibility to corrupt state, so most operators should pick one and stay with it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Keepit

$3/month
  • Keepit Business$3/month
    • Immutable backup
    • Unlimited retention
    • Blockchain verification

rustic

Free
  • rusticFree
    • Full functionality, no data limit
    • All supported storage back ends
    • Community support via GitHub

Which should you pick?

Choose Keepit if

  • You need vendor-independent storage.
  • You also want immutable backup.
Keepit review

Choose rustic if

  • You need restic format compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want configuration profiles.
rustic review

Questions people ask

Is Keepit or rustic better?
Neither clearly leads. Keepit starts at $3/month and rustic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Keepit or rustic?
rustic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month for Keepit and Free for rustic.
Does Keepit or rustic run on more platforms?
Keepit runs on Web. rustic runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use rustic for free?
Yes. rustic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Keepit starts at $3/month.
What is Keepit best used for?
Keepit is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what rustic is typically brought in for.
What can Keepit do that rustic cannot?
Keepit covers Vendor-independent storage, Immutable backup, Blockchain verification, Unlimited retention. rustic covers restic format compatibility, Configuration profiles, Deduplicated encrypted backups, Cold and append only storage support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Keepit: What SaaS applications does Keepit protect?

Keepit provides backup for Microsoft 365 workloads (Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Groups, Public Folders), Microsoft Entra ID, Google, Salesforce, and 15 SaaS applications total as of 2026, with plans to add more.

Source
rustic: Can it read my existing restic repository?

Yes, that is the point of the project. Take a copy and verify before you rely on it, as with any change to backup tooling.

Keepit: How is Keepit priced?

Keepit uses custom pricing starting at $5 per seat monthly. Enterprise plans are custom quoted, with median annual contracts around $60,270. The pricing includes unlimited data storage.

Source
rustic: Should I switch from restic?

Only for a specific reason such as configuration profiles, memory use or cold storage handling. Compatibility means there is no cost to trying and no cost to going back.

Keepit: Does Keepit guarantee immutability?

Yes, Keepit's architecture runs on secure, private infrastructure offering data immutability to prevent ransomware and accidental deletion.

Source
rustic: Is it production ready?

It is used in production by a small community, but it is younger and less exercised than the implementation it is compatible with. Test restores accordingly.

rustic: Does it support the same back ends?

The common ones, including local, SFTP, S3 compatible storage and rclone. Check the current list before committing to an unusual target.

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