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Backup · head to head

Rubrik Cloud Data Management vs Velero

Rubrik Cloud Data Management logo

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

Backup

Zero trust data security for modern enterprises

From
$100/varies
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Velero logo

Velero

Backup

Open source backup and migration for Kubernetes cluster resources

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Velero has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Rubrik Cloud Data Management requires substantial upfront investment with enterprise pricing models; Velero there is no vendor support contract from the project itself, so a failed restore during an outage is resolved by your team reading source code and GitHub issues.
  • They diverge on capability: Rubrik Cloud Data Management covers Zero trust data security, Velero covers Cluster resource backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Velero actually diverge.

Attributes where Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Velero differ
AttributeRubrik Cloud Data ManagementVelero
Starting price$100/variesFree
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, On-Premises, HybridLinux
Founded2014Unknown

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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management

  • Zero trust data security
  • Instant recovery
  • Ransomware detection
  • Data classification
  • Compliance automation
  • API-first architecture
  • VMware
  • AWS

Only in Velero

  • Cluster resource backup
  • Volume snapshots
  • File-level backup
  • Cross-cluster restore
  • Backup hooks
  • Scheduled backups
  • Object storage targets

What people use each for

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

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

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

Velero

  • A platform team needing namespace-level restore after an accidental deletion, with no budget for a backup productnot Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • Migrating workloads between Kubernetes clusters or between cloud providers using backup and restorenot Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • Capturing cluster configuration before a risky upgrade so the previous state can be reinstatednot Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • An organisation proving a Kubernetes recovery capability to an auditor before deciding whether to buy a commercial productnot Rubrik Cloud Data Management

Where each one falls short

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

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

  • Requires substantial upfront investment with enterprise pricing models
  • Complex implementation and integration with existing infrastructure
  • Complex configuration with many options for policies, bulk operations limits, and error handling
  • Limited built-in analytics compared to some competitors

Velero

  • There is no vendor support contract from the project itself, so a failed restore during an outage is resolved by your team reading source code and GitHub issues.
  • Application consistency depends on backup hooks you write and maintain, and a database backed up without a correct hook restores to a state that may not be usable.
  • Restore ordering across dependent resources such as custom resource definitions and operators needs manual attention, and complex applications frequently need a documented runbook rather than a single restore command.
  • Corporate engineering investment became uncertain after Broadcom acquired VMware, which is a real consideration for anyone building a long retention policy on the project.
  • Object storage egress charges apply on restore and are billed by your cloud provider, so a full cluster recovery from another region carries a cost discovered during the incident rather than during planning.

Pricing, plan by plan

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

$100/varies

No published plan breakdown. See the Rubrik Cloud Data Management review.

Velero

Free
  • VeleroFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed
    • No cluster or capacity limits
    • Community support via Kubernetes Slack and GitHub

Which should you pick?

Choose Rubrik Cloud Data Management if

  • You need zero trust data security.
  • You work on Cloud, On-Premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want instant recovery.
Rubrik Cloud Data Management review

Choose Velero if

  • You need cluster resource backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want volume snapshots.
Velero review

Questions people ask

Is Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Velero better?
Neither clearly leads. Rubrik Cloud Data Management starts at $100/varies and Velero at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Velero?
Velero has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/varies for Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Free for Velero.
Does Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Velero run on more platforms?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management runs on Cloud, On-Premises, Hybrid. Velero runs on Linux.
Can I use Velero for free?
Yes. Velero has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rubrik Cloud Data Management starts at $100/varies.
What is Rubrik Cloud Data Management best used for?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Velero is typically brought in for.
What can Rubrik Cloud Data Management do that Velero cannot?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management covers Zero trust data security, Instant recovery, Ransomware detection, Data classification. Velero covers Cluster resource backup, Volume snapshots, File-level backup, Cross-cluster restore.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: What ransomware protection does Rubrik offer?

Rubrik offers immutable backups that cannot be altered or deleted, providing zero trust data security. Enterprise customers receive a $10M ransomware recovery warranty for both on-premises and Rubrik managed cloud environments.

Source
Velero: Can we buy support for Velero?

Not from the project. Several commercial Kubernetes backup products package or extend it and sell support, which is the practical route to an accountable vendor.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: How quickly can Rubrik recover from data loss?

Rubrik enables near-instantaneous recovery of virtual machines and databases, minimizing downtime. Global Real-Time Search provides Google-like search across all backups to quickly locate and restore specific files.

Source
Velero: Does it back up persistent volume data?

Yes, through cloud or Container Storage Interface snapshots, or through file-level upload where snapshots are not available.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: What cloud platforms does Rubrik support?

Rubrik supports cloud mobility across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling data migration and replication to various cloud platforms.

Source
Velero: What does it cost?

Nothing to licence. You pay for object storage capacity and for egress on restore, both billed by your cloud provider.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: Does Rubrik reduce storage requirements?

Yes, Rubrik uses global deduplication to eliminate redundant data across all backups, significantly reducing storage requirements and optimizing storage efficiency.

Source
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