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Backup · head to head

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs UrBackup

NAKIVO Backup & Replication logo

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Backup

Fast and affordable VM backup solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
UrBackup logo

UrBackup

Backup

Open source client server backup doing both file and whole disk image backups of Windows machines

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NAKIVO Backup & Replication no macOS support and limited Linux support due to absence of native Linux agent; UrBackup backups are stored on the server without encryption at rest by default, so the backup server holds a readable copy of every machine it protects and becomes the highest value target on the network.
  • They diverge on capability: NAKIVO Backup & Replication covers Instant VM recovery, UrBackup covers Windows image backups.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NAKIVO Backup & Replication and UrBackup actually diverge.

Attributes where NAKIVO Backup & Replication and UrBackup differ
AttributeNAKIVO Backup & ReplicationUrBackup
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWindows, Linux, Cloud, On-premiseLinux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 NAKIVO Backup & Replication

  • Instant VM recovery
  • Site recovery
  • Global deduplication
  • Network acceleration
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Self-service portal
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in UrBackup

  • Windows image backups
  • File backups
  • Web interface
  • Client discovery
  • Internet mode
  • Filesystem deduplication

What people use each for

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

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

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

UrBackup

  • A small office with Windows workstations that needs bare metal restore without per seat licensingnot NAKIVO Backup & Replication
  • Schools and labs where machines are re-imaged often and a known good image must be recoverablenot NAKIVO Backup & Replication
  • Backing up a mixed fleet to one server on premises with a web interface non specialists can usenot NAKIVO Backup & Replication
  • Replacing an expiring commercial endpoint backup licence where the budget is the constraintnot NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Where each one falls short

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

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

  • No macOS support and limited Linux support due to absence of native Linux agent
  • Limited SQL Server transaction log backup options restricting database protection granularity
  • Weak ITSM platform integrations - lacks tight integration with ServiceNow or Jira Service Desk
  • Encrypted VMware VMs only support crash-consistent backups in application-aware mode, limiting granular app-level recovery

UrBackup

  • Backups are stored on the server without encryption at rest by default, so the backup server holds a readable copy of every machine it protects and becomes the highest value target on the network.
  • Deduplication relies on filesystem features such as hard links, btrfs or ZFS, so a server built on the wrong filesystem silently consumes far more space and the fix is a rebuild rather than a setting.
  • There is no native object storage target, so offsite copies mean replicating the server storage with another tool rather than backing up to a bucket directly.
  • Restoring a full Windows image requires booting a restore environment, which is a manual, on site procedure that needs to be rehearsed before the day it is needed.
  • A single server holds everything and there is no built in clustering, so its own failure removes every recovery point at once unless you have separately solved replication.

Pricing, plan by plan

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the NAKIVO Backup & Replication review.

UrBackup

Free
  • UrBackupFree
    • Full functionality, unlimited clients
    • File and image backups
    • Web administration interface

Which should you pick?

Choose NAKIVO Backup & Replication if

  • You need instant vm recovery.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want site recovery.
NAKIVO Backup & Replication review

Choose UrBackup if

  • You need windows image backups.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
  • You also want file backups.
UrBackup review

Questions people ask

Is NAKIVO Backup & Replication or UrBackup better?
Neither clearly leads. NAKIVO Backup & Replication starts at Free and UrBackup at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NAKIVO Backup & Replication or UrBackup?
NAKIVO Backup & Replication starts at Free and UrBackup at Free.
Does NAKIVO Backup & Replication or UrBackup run on more platforms?
NAKIVO Backup & Replication runs on Windows, Linux, Cloud, On-premise. UrBackup runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
Can I use NAKIVO Backup & Replication for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NAKIVO Backup & Replication best used for?
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what UrBackup is typically brought in for.
What can NAKIVO Backup & Replication do that UrBackup cannot?
NAKIVO Backup & Replication covers Instant VM recovery, Site recovery, Global deduplication, Network acceleration. UrBackup covers Windows image backups, File backups, Web interface, Client discovery.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NAKIVO Backup & Replication: What does NAKIVO backup?

NAKIVO backs up virtual machines from VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, and Proxmox VE, plus physical Windows and Linux servers, Amazon EC2 instances, Microsoft 365 data, databases, and NAS file shares.

Source
UrBackup: Does it back up Linux servers as well?

File backups yes, image backups no. The image path is Windows only through volume shadow copy.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication: What is NAKIVO's pricing structure?

NAKIVO offers subscription pricing starting at $2.45 per workload per month or perpetual licensing starting at $19 per workstation. Additional tiers include $229 per CPU socket for larger deployments. Both on-premise and SaaS deployment options are available.

Source
UrBackup: Is the data encrypted?

Transport can be encrypted, and there is optional client side file encryption, but the default server storage is not encrypted at rest. Use full disk encryption on the server.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication: Does NAKIVO include ransomware protection?

Yes. NAKIVO includes AES-256 encryption, role-based access control, two-factor authentication, and built-in ransomware protection through immutable storage options.

Source
UrBackup: Can I back up to Amazon S3?

Not directly. The server writes to local or mounted storage, so cloud copies are made by replicating that storage separately.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication: Can NAKIVO replicate virtual machines?

Yes. NAKIVO Backup & Replication includes VM replication capabilities, disaster recovery orchestration, and automated failover for business continuity planning.

Source
UrBackup: How many clients can one server handle?

Dozens is routine on decent hardware. The limit is usually storage input and output during overlapping backup windows rather than client count.

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