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Backup · head to head

Bacula vs Restic

Bacula logo

Bacula

Backup

The best open source backup software for Linux

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Restic logo

Restic

Backup

Fast, secure, and efficient backup program

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bacula the community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.; 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
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bacula and Restic actually diverge.

Attributes where Bacula and Restic differ
AttributeBaculaRestic
Pricing modelopen-sourcefree
PlatformsWebWindows, Mac, Linux
FoundedUnknown2014

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 Bacula

Nothing recorded that Restic does not also cover.

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.

Bacula

  • Linux, Windows, and macOS network backup at scalenot Restic
  • VMware, KVM, Hyper-V virtual machine backupnot Restic
  • MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL database backupnot Restic
  • Microsoft Exchange Server backupnot Restic
  • Tape backup and enterprise data retentionnot Restic

Restic

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

Where each one falls short

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

Bacula

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

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

Bacula

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bacula review.

Restic

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Bacula if

  • You want to start without paying.
Bacula 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 Bacula or Restic better?
Neither clearly leads. Bacula starts at Free and Restic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bacula or Restic?
Bacula starts at Free and Restic at Free.
Does Bacula or Restic run on more platforms?
Bacula runs on Web. Restic runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use Bacula for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bacula best used for?
Bacula is most often used for linux, windows, and macos network backup at scale, vmware, kvm, hyper-v virtual machine backup, mysql, oracle, postgresql database backup, microsoft exchange server backup. Of those, linux, windows, and macos network backup at scale and vmware, kvm, hyper-v virtual machine backup are not what Restic is typically brought in for.
What can Bacula do that Restic cannot?
Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bacula: How much does Bacula cost?

Bacula Community Edition is free and open source. Bacula Enterprise is a commercial offering with a free trial available, but specific pricing is not listed on the main website.

Source
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
Bacula: Is Bacula free?

Bacula Community Edition is fully free and open source. Enterprise Edition is commercial but offers a free trial to evaluate features before purchasing.

Source
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