Software · head to head
Restic vs Apple Time Machine
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Apple Time Machine apple states the Time Machine backup disk should be used only for Time Machine backups and not for storing other files, unless you split it into a separate APFS volume
- They diverge on capability: Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Restic and Apple Time Machine actually diverge.
| Attribute | Restic | Apple Time Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux | Mac |
| Founded | 2014 | 1976 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), 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 Restic
- Content-defined chunking
- Cryptographic verification
- Deduplication
- Multiple backends
- Snapshot management
- AWS S3
- Azure
- Google Cloud
Only in Apple Time Machine
- Automatic backup
- Hourly snapshots
- Visual restore interface
- Network backup
- System restore
- macOS
- AirPort Time Capsule
- NAS devices
Both cover
- Encryption
- Mac support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Restic
- Encrypted deduplicated backups to S3, B2, SFTP and local disk from the command linenot Apple Time Machine
- Scripted server backups with snapshot retention policiesnot Apple Time Machine
Apple Time Machine
- Automatic versioned local backups of a Mac to an external drivenot Restic
- Restoring a Mac or migrating to a new one from a local backup historynot Restic
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Apple Time Machine
- Apple states the Time Machine backup disk should be used only for Time Machine backups and not for storing other files, unless you split it into a separate APFS volume
- Apple recommends the Time Machine volume be twice the storage capacity of the Mac being backed up
- It requires an attached external storage device or network disk; there is no built-in cloud destination
- It backs up Macs only
Pricing, plan by plan
Restic
Free- FreeFree
- Content-defined chunking
- Encryption
- Multiple backends
Apple Time Machine
Free- Built-inFree
- Automatic backup
- Visual restore
- Network backup
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Apple Time Machine if
- You need automatic backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Mac.
- You also want hourly snapshots.
Questions people ask
- Is Restic or Apple Time Machine better?
- Neither clearly leads. Restic starts at Free and Apple Time Machine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Restic or Apple Time Machine?
- Restic starts at Free and Apple Time Machine at Free.
- Does Restic or Apple Time Machine run on more platforms?
- Restic runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. Apple Time Machine runs on Mac.
- Can I use Restic for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Restic best used for?
- Restic is most often used for encrypted deduplicated backups to s3, b2, sftp and local disk from the command line, scripted server backups with snapshot retention policies. Of those, encrypted deduplicated backups to s3, b2, sftp and local disk from the command line and scripted server backups with snapshot retention policies are not what Apple Time Machine is typically brought in for.
- What can Restic do that Apple Time Machine cannot?
- Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Multiple backends. Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup, Hourly snapshots, Visual restore interface, Network backup. Both handle Encryption, Mac support.