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Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head

Restic vs CloudAlly

Restic logo

Restic

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Fast, secure, and efficient backup program

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CloudAlly logo

CloudAlly

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Enterprise SaaS backup made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; CloudAlly pricing not transparently displayed; requires customer inquiry
  • They diverge on capability: Restic covers Content-defined chunking, CloudAlly covers Automated daily backup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Restic and CloudAlly actually diverge.

Attributes where Restic and CloudAlly differ
AttributeResticCloudAlly
Pricing modelfreesubscription
PlatformsWindows, Mac, LinuxWeb, Cloud
Founded20142011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup & Disaster Recovery).

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
  • Encryption
  • Multiple backends
  • Snapshot management
  • AWS S3
  • Azure

Only in CloudAlly

  • Automated daily backup
  • Point-in-time recovery
  • Cross-account restore
  • Archive export
  • Activity logs
  • Multi-admin support
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

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 CloudAlly
  • Scripted server backups with snapshot retention policiesnot CloudAlly

CloudAlly

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

CloudAlly

  • Pricing not transparently displayed; requires customer inquiry
  • Limited visibility into data center locations for compliance-sensitive organizations
  • Transition to OpenText Cybersecurity branding may cause confusion

Pricing, plan by plan

Restic

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

CloudAlly

Free
  • CloudAlly Backup$3/month
    • Daily backup
    • Point-in-time restore
    • Unlimited storage

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.
Restic review

Choose CloudAlly if

  • You need automated daily backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want point-in-time recovery.
CloudAlly review

Questions people ask

Is Restic or CloudAlly better?
Neither clearly leads. Restic starts at Free and CloudAlly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Restic or CloudAlly?
Restic starts at Free and CloudAlly at Free.
Does Restic or CloudAlly run on more platforms?
Restic runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. CloudAlly runs on Web, Cloud.
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 CloudAlly is typically brought in for.
What can Restic do that CloudAlly cannot?
Restic covers Content-defined chunking, Cryptographic verification, Deduplication, Encryption. CloudAlly covers Automated daily backup, Point-in-time recovery, Cross-account restore, Archive export.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CloudAlly: What cloud applications can CloudAlly backup?

CloudAlly backs up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, SharePoint/OneDrive, Salesforce, Box, and Dropbox with daily automated backups and unlimited retention.

Source
CloudAlly: How is CloudAlly data encrypted and stored?

CloudAlly stores backups on AWS servers with 128-bit SSL encryption and AES 256-bit encryption, maintaining compliance certifications including ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR.

Source
CloudAlly: What recovery options does CloudAlly provide?

CloudAlly offers granular point-in-time recovery with unlimited retention, allowing three-click recovery of deleted files, and point-in-time restore capabilities for ransomware protection.

Source
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Related pages

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