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Backup · head to head

N-able Backup vs Paragon Backup & Recovery

N-able Backup logo

N-able Backup

Backup

Cloud-first backup built for MSPs

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paragon Backup & Recovery logo

Paragon Backup & Recovery

Backup

Professional-grade backup for Windows

From
$50/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: N-able Backup limited availability for non-Windows environments compared to competitors; Paragon Backup & Recovery the free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • They diverge on capability: N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup, Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which N-able Backup and Paragon Backup & Recovery actually diverge.

Attributes where N-able Backup and Paragon Backup & Recovery differ
AttributeN-able BackupParagon Backup & Recovery
Starting price$20/month$50/year
PlatformsWindows, WebWindows
Founded20211994

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

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

Only in Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk backup
  • File-level backup
  • Incremental/differential
  • Recovery media
  • Virtual disk mount
  • UEFI support
  • Windows
  • Network shares

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

N-able Backup

  • Data protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Disaster recoverynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Business continuitynot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Ransomware protectionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Compliancenot Paragon Backup & Recovery

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk and partition backup on Windowsnot N-able Backup
  • Bare metal recovery from an imagenot N-able Backup
  • Scheduled incremental backups for a home machinenot N-able Backup
  • Migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editionsnot N-able Backup

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • The free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • Windows only, and specifically Windows 10 x64 from 1809, Windows 11 x64 and Windows 11 Arm64
  • Volume and OS copying, partition management and email notifications need the Advanced edition
  • Windows Server support requires the Business edition
  • Paid edition prices are not shown on the product page

Pricing, plan by plan

N-able Backup

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

$50/year
  • Community Edition$50/year
    • Full disk backup
    • File-level backup
    • Recovery media

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.
N-able Backup review

Choose Paragon Backup & Recovery if

  • You need full disk backup.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want file-level backup.
Paragon Backup & Recovery review

Questions people ask

Is N-able Backup or Paragon Backup & Recovery better?
Neither clearly leads. N-able Backup starts at $20/month and Paragon Backup & Recovery at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, N-able Backup or Paragon Backup & Recovery?
N-able Backup starts at $20/month and Paragon Backup & Recovery at $50/year.
Does N-able Backup or Paragon Backup & Recovery run on more platforms?
N-able Backup runs on Windows, Web. Paragon Backup & Recovery runs on Windows.
What is N-able Backup best used for?
N-able Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Paragon Backup & Recovery is typically brought in for.
What can N-able Backup do that Paragon Backup & Recovery cannot?
N-able Backup covers Direct-to-cloud backup, Standby image, Bare metal recovery, LocalSpeedVault. Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, File-level backup, Incremental/differential, Recovery media. Both handle Windows 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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: Is Paragon Backup & Recovery still available?

No, Paragon Backup & Recovery has been unavailable since October 8, 2025, and is marked as a legacy product. Business customers are directed to explore alternative products for business use.

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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: How much does Paragon Backup & Recovery cost?

No pricing information is published. The product is restricted to home use only and customers must contact Paragon's sales team directly for any inquiries.

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
Paragon Backup & Recovery: What should business users do if they used Paragon Backup & Recovery?

Business customers are recommended to explore the company's other products designed for business use and contact the sales team for alternative solutions.

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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