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Software · head to head

N-able Backup vs Arcserve UDP

N-able Backup logo

N-able Backup

Software

Cloud-first backup built for MSPs

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Software

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: N-able Backup limited availability for non-Windows environments compared to competitors; Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • They diverge on capability: N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup, Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which N-able Backup and Arcserve UDP actually diverge.

Attributes where N-able Backup and Arcserve UDP differ
AttributeN-able BackupArcserve UDP
Starting price$20/month$25/month
PlatformsWindows, WebWindows, Linux
Founded20211983

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 N-able Backup

  • Direct-to-cloud backup
  • Standby image
  • Bare metal recovery
  • LocalSpeedVault
  • TrueDelta incremental
  • Documents protection
  • Microsoft 365
  • N-able RMM

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • SQL Server

Both cover

  • VMware
  • Hyper-V
  • Windows support
  • Linux support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

N-able Backup

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Both are used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection, compliance, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

N-able Backup

  • Limited availability for non-Windows environments compared to competitors
  • MSP-focused product may include features unnecessary for smaller organizations

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

Pricing, plan by plan

N-able Backup

$20/month
  • Backup$20/month
    • Direct-to-cloud
    • Standby image
    • Multi-tenant

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Which should you pick?

Choose N-able Backup if

  • You need direct-to-cloud backup.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want standby image.

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.

Questions people ask

Is N-able Backup or Arcserve UDP better?
Neither clearly leads. N-able Backup starts at $20/month and Arcserve UDP at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, N-able Backup or Arcserve UDP?
N-able Backup starts at $20/month and Arcserve UDP at $25/month.
Does N-able Backup or Arcserve UDP run on more platforms?
N-able Backup runs on Windows, Web. Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux.
What is N-able Backup best used for?
N-able Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
What can N-able Backup do that Arcserve UDP cannot?
N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup, Standby image, Bare metal recovery, LocalSpeedVault. Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Both handle VMware, Hyper-V, Windows support, Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

N-able Backup: What does Cove Data Protection cover?

Cove Data Protection provides unified backup, security, and disaster recovery for servers, workstations, and Microsoft 365, with cloud-native architecture and automatic updates.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
N-able Backup: Is hardware required for N-able Backup?

No, Cove Data Protection is fully SaaS-based with no appliances or hardware required. It offers a cloud management console accessible from anywhere with no upfront hardware investment.

Source
Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
N-able Backup: How often can backups be scheduled with Cove?

Cove's TrueDelta technology enables backups as frequently as every 15 minutes, eliminating redundancies and ensuring minimal data loss windows.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
N-able Backup: Does Cove offer ransomware protection?

Yes, Cove includes ransomware resilience through immutable backup copies and isolated backups kept separate by default, providing protection against encryption attacks.

Source

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