Softwr

Software · head to head

Paragon Backup & Recovery vs Bacula

Paragon Backup & Recovery logo

Paragon Backup & Recovery

Software

Professional-grade backup for Windows

From
$50/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
B

Bacula

Software

The best open source backup software for Linux

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bacula has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Paragon Backup & Recovery the free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only; Bacula the community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paragon Backup & Recovery and Bacula actually diverge.

Attributes where Paragon Backup & Recovery and Bacula differ
AttributeParagon Backup & RecoveryBacula
Starting price$50/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb
Founded1994Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Paragon Backup & Recovery

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

Only in Bacula

Nothing recorded that Paragon Backup & Recovery does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

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

Bacula

No use cases recorded yet. See the Bacula review.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Bacula

  • The community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.

Pricing, plan by plan

Paragon Backup & Recovery

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

Bacula

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bacula review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Paragon Backup & Recovery if

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

Choose Bacula if

  • You want to start without paying.
Bacula review

Questions people ask

Is Paragon Backup & Recovery or Bacula better?
Neither clearly leads. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year and Bacula at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paragon Backup & Recovery or Bacula?
Bacula has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/year for Paragon Backup & Recovery and Free for Bacula.
Does Paragon Backup & Recovery or Bacula run on more platforms?
Paragon Backup & Recovery runs on Windows. Bacula runs on Web.
Can I use Bacula for free?
Yes. Bacula has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year.
What is Paragon Backup & Recovery best used for?
Paragon Backup & Recovery is most often used for full disk and partition backup on windows, bare metal recovery from an image, scheduled incremental backups for a home machine, migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editions. Of those, full disk and partition backup on windows and bare metal recovery from an image are not what Bacula is typically brought in for.
What can Paragon Backup & Recovery do that Bacula cannot?
Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, File-level backup, Incremental/differential, Recovery media.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Paragon Backup & Recovery

More on Bacula

Keep looking

Other head to heads