Software · head to head
Rewind vs Apple Time Machine
The short version
- Only Apple Time Machine has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Rewind cannot back up all QuickBooks Online data due to API limitations, excluding company info, exchange rates, and payroll data; 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: Rewind covers Automated backup, Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Rewind and Apple Time Machine actually diverge.
| Attribute | Rewind | Apple Time Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Mac |
| Founded | 2015 | 1976 |
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 Rewind
- Automated backup
- One-click restore
- Version comparison
- Continuous protection
- Bulk restore
- Activity monitoring
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
Only in Apple Time Machine
- Automatic backup
- Hourly snapshots
- Visual restore interface
- Network backup
- Encryption
- System restore
- macOS
- AirPort Time Capsule
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Rewind
- Data protectionnot Apple Time Machine
- Disaster recoverynot Apple Time Machine
- Business continuitynot Apple Time Machine
- Ransomware protectionnot Apple Time Machine
- Compliancenot Apple Time Machine
Apple Time Machine
- Automatic versioned local backups of a Mac to an external drivenot Rewind
- Restoring a Mac or migrating to a new one from a local backup historynot Rewind
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Rewind
- Cannot back up all QuickBooks Online data due to API limitations, excluding company info, exchange rates, and payroll data
- Backup restore speed is slow for large datasets, causing significant delays during critical recovery situations
- Cannot back up Shopify inventory tracking quantities, weight, measurement, or cost per item
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
Rewind
$29/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Rewind review.
Apple Time Machine
Free- Built-inFree
- Automatic backup
- Visual restore
- Network backup
Which should you pick?
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 Rewind or Apple Time Machine better?
- Neither clearly leads. Rewind starts at $29/month and Apple Time Machine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Rewind or Apple Time Machine?
- Apple Time Machine has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Rewind and Free for Apple Time Machine.
- Does Rewind or Apple Time Machine run on more platforms?
- Rewind runs on Web. Apple Time Machine runs on Mac.
- Can I use Apple Time Machine for free?
- Yes. Apple Time Machine has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rewind starts at $29/month.
- What is Rewind best used for?
- Rewind is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Apple Time Machine is typically brought in for.
- What can Rewind do that Apple Time Machine cannot?
- Rewind covers Automated backup, One-click restore, Version comparison, Continuous protection. Apple Time Machine covers Automatic backup, Hourly snapshots, Visual restore interface, Network backup.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Rewind: How long does Rewind keep backup snapshots?
Rewind keeps backup snapshots for 365 days, making them easily accessible for on-demand restores. This provides over a year of recovery options.
SourceRewind: What SaaS applications does Rewind back up?
Rewind backs up Shopify, BigCommerce, GitHub, Jira, Confluence, QuickBooks Online, Trello, monday.com, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Zendesk Suite, among others.
SourceRewind: Is Rewind compliant with data protection regulations?
Rewind is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, DORA, HIPAA, and CCPA compliant with AES-256 encryption and role-based access control.
SourceRewind: Can you restore individual items or only full backups?
Rewind supports granular, item-level recovery understanding parent-child dependencies, allowing you to restore specific files, orders, or customer information without full dataset rollback.
Source