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Backup · head to head

Redstor vs Restic

Redstor logo

Redstor

Backup

Cloud backup for managed service providers with instant streamed recovery

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Restic logo

Restic

Backup

Fast, secure, and efficient backup program

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Restic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Redstor it is sold through the channel, so you cannot buy it direct and your price and support quality depend entirely on the partner you engage.; Restic cold storage is not natively supported; restoring from S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive is only available as an experimental feature behind a feature flag
  • They diverge on capability: Redstor covers InstantData, Restic covers Content-defined chunking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Redstor and Restic actually diverge.

Attributes where Redstor and Restic differ
AttributeRedstorRestic
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, WebWindows, Mac, Linux
FoundedUnknown2014

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 Redstor

  • InstantData
  • Multi-tenant console
  • SaaS application backup
  • Regional data centres
  • Malware detection
  • White labelling

Only in Restic

  • Content-defined chunking
  • Cryptographic verification
  • Deduplication
  • Encryption
  • Multiple backends
  • Snapshot management
  • AWS S3
  • Azure

What people use each for

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

Redstor

  • A UK managed service provider needing client data to stay in UK data centres for public sector contractsnot Restic
  • An MSP that wants to promise a recovery time measured in minutes rather than hours for file serversnot Restic
  • A business needing Microsoft 365 and accounting SaaS backup managed by its IT provider in one consolenot Restic
  • An MSP consolidating several backup products across its client base onto one multi-tenant platformnot Restic

Restic

  • Encrypted deduplicated backups to S3, B2, SFTP and local disk from the command linenot Redstor
  • Scripted server backups with snapshot retention policiesnot Redstor

Where each one falls short

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

Redstor

  • It is sold through the channel, so you cannot buy it direct and your price and support quality depend entirely on the partner you engage.
  • Pricing is not published at all, and because partners resell it with their own margin, comparing quotes across MSPs is comparing partner markups rather than product cost.
  • The InstantData streaming advantage depends on network bandwidth to the data centre, so sites with poor connectivity see much less benefit than the demonstrations suggest.
  • Its footprint is concentrated in the UK, Europe and South Africa, so multinational organisations needing consistent coverage in North America or Asia will find the regional story uneven.
  • Feature depth for large enterprise virtual machine estates trails Veeam and Rubrik, so it fits small and medium client workloads rather than complex data centre recovery.

Restic

  • Cold storage is not natively supported; restoring from S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive is only available as an experimental feature behind a feature flag
  • A Windows file whose name contains a character Windows treats as invalid cannot be read by restic and has to be renamed
  • Antivirus real-time protection degrades performance on Windows unless the restic binary is added to an exclusions list
  • On large repositories the built-in five minute stuck-request timeout fires during file listing and has to be raised manually with --stuck-request-timeout

Pricing, plan by plan

Redstor

On request
  • Redstor Platform$undefined/year
    • Sold through managed service providers, priced per protected device or per user
    • Storage included in the per-unit price rather than billed separately
    • No egress or restore charges

Restic

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Content-defined chunking
    • Encryption
    • Multiple backends

Which should you pick?

Choose Redstor if

  • You need instantdata.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web.
  • You also want multi-tenant console.
Redstor review

Choose Restic if

  • You need content-defined chunking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want cryptographic verification.
Restic review

Questions people ask

Is Redstor or Restic better?
Neither clearly leads. Redstor starts at On request and Restic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Redstor or Restic?
Restic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Redstor and Free for Restic.
Does Redstor or Restic run on more platforms?
Redstor runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web. Restic runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use Restic for free?
Yes. Restic has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Redstor starts at On request.
What is Redstor best used for?
Redstor is most often used for a uk managed service provider needing client data to stay in uk data centres for public sector contracts, an msp that wants to promise a recovery time measured in minutes rather than hours for file servers, a business needing microsoft 365 and accounting saas backup managed by its it provider in one console, an msp consolidating several backup products across its client base onto one multi-tenant platform. Of those, a uk managed service provider needing client data to stay in uk data centres for public sector contracts and an msp that wants to promise a recovery time measured in minutes rather than hours for file servers are not what Restic is typically brought in for.
What can Redstor do that Restic cannot?
Redstor covers InstantData, Multi-tenant console, SaaS application backup, Regional data centres. Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Redstor: Can we buy Redstor directly?

Generally no. It is a channel product sold through managed service providers, so partner selection is part of the buying decision.

Restic: How much does restic cost?

Restic is entirely free to use and completely open source. There are no subscription tiers, paid plans, or licensing costs.

Source
Redstor: Are there restore or egress charges?

Redstor includes storage and recovery in the per-unit price rather than charging separately for egress, which is the opposite of the cloud-native backup vendors.

Redstor: Where is data stored?

UK and regional data centres, selectable by tenant, which is the reason UK public sector and legal clients tend to shortlist it.

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