Is Tigris or Arq Backup better?

Neither clearly leads. Tigris starts at Free and Arq Backup at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Tigris or Arq Backup?

Tigris has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tigris and $50/year for Arq Backup.

Does Tigris or Arq Backup run on more platforms?

Tigris runs on Web, API, CLI. Arq Backup runs on Windows, Mac.

Can I use Tigris for free?

Yes. Tigris has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arq Backup starts at $50/year.

What is Tigris best used for?

Tigris is most often used for storing and versioning ai training datasets without egress penalties, distributing model checkpoints and artifacts globally, serving static assets with low latency across regions, multi-cloud data portability with standardized api. Of those, storing and versioning ai training datasets without egress penalties and distributing model checkpoints and artifacts globally are not what Arq Backup is typically brought in for.

What can Tigris do that Arq Backup cannot?

Tigris covers Global Distribution, Zero Egress Fees, S3 Compatibility, Multiple Storage Classes. Arq Backup covers Client-side encryption, Hourly backups, Network backup, Deduplication.

File Storage · head to head

Tigris vs Arq Backup

Tigris

File Storage

Globally distributed S3-compatible object storage with zero egress fees

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Arq Backup

File Storage

Mac and Windows backup to your own cloud storage

From: $50/year
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Tigris has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Tigris lowest tier still more expensive than some cold storage alternatives; Arq Backup runs on Mac and Windows only
They diverge on capability: Tigris covers Global Distribution, Arq Backup covers Client-side encryption.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tigris and Arq Backup actually diverge.

Attributes where Tigris and Arq Backup differ
Attribute	Tigris	Arq Backup
Starting price	Free	$50/year
Pricing model	Usage-based tiered storage with per-request fees	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, API, CLI	Windows, Mac
Founded	Unknown	2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).

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 Tigris

Global Distribution
Zero Egress Fees
S3 Compatibility
Multiple Storage Classes
Object Notifications
API Access

Only in Arq Backup

Client-side encryption
Hourly backups
Network backup
Deduplication
Immutable backups
Budget controls
AWS S3
Google Cloud

What people use each for

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

Tigris

Storing and versioning AI training datasets without egress penaltiesnot Arq Backup
Distributing model checkpoints and artifacts globallynot Arq Backup
Serving static assets with low latency across regionsnot Arq Backup
Multi-cloud data portability with standardized APInot Arq Backup

Arq Backup

Data protectionnot Tigris
Disaster recoverynot Tigris
Business continuitynot Tigris
Ransomware protectionnot Tigris
Compliancenot Tigris

Where each one falls short

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

Tigris

Lowest tier still more expensive than some cold storage alternatives
Retrieval charges on infrequent access tier add cost variability
Limited to object storage, no file system semantics
Archive retrieval requires planning ahead

Arq Backup

Runs on Mac and Windows only
Arq 7 is licensed per computer, and continuing to receive updates after the first year costs $25 per year per computer
Arq Premium covers up to 5 computers, so larger households or teams need more than one subscription
Arq Premium includes 1TB of storage and charges $0.0059 per GB per month beyond it

Pricing, plan by plan

Tigris

Free

Standard Storage$0.02/GB/month
- Frequently accessed data
- No retrieval charges
- Free data egress
Infrequent Access$0.01/GB/month
- Lower storage cost
- Retrieval: $0.01 per GB
- 30-day minimum retention
Archive$0.004/GB/month
- Lowest storage cost
- Free retrieval
- 90-day minimum retention
Archive Instant Retrieval$0.004/GB/month
- Archive storage cost
- Instant retrieval: $0.03 per GB
- 90-day minimum retention

Arq Backup

$50/year

Arq Premium$50/year
- 5 computers
- Arq Cloud storage option
- Email support

Which should you pick?

Choose Tigris if

You need global distribution.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, API, CLI.
You also want zero egress fees.

Tigris review

Choose Arq Backup if

You need client-side encryption.
You work on Windows, Mac.
You also want hourly backups.

Arq Backup review

Questions people ask

Is Tigris or Arq Backup better?: Neither clearly leads. Tigris starts at Free and Arq Backup at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tigris or Arq Backup?: Tigris has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tigris and $50/year for Arq Backup.
Does Tigris or Arq Backup run on more platforms?: Tigris runs on Web, API, CLI. Arq Backup runs on Windows, Mac.
Can I use Tigris for free?: Yes. Tigris has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arq Backup starts at $50/year.
What is Tigris best used for?: Tigris is most often used for storing and versioning ai training datasets without egress penalties, distributing model checkpoints and artifacts globally, serving static assets with low latency across regions, multi-cloud data portability with standardized api. Of those, storing and versioning ai training datasets without egress penalties and distributing model checkpoints and artifacts globally are not what Arq Backup is typically brought in for.
What can Tigris do that Arq Backup cannot?: Tigris covers Global Distribution, Zero Egress Fees, S3 Compatibility, Multiple Storage Classes. Arq Backup covers Client-side encryption, Hourly backups, Network backup, Deduplication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tigris: Is there a free tier?

Yes, new users receive 5 GB of Standard storage monthly plus 10,000 Class A and 100,000 Class B requests at no cost.

Source

Arq Backup: What are the different licensing models for Arq?

Arq 7 is a perpetual license with a one-time purchase and 1 year of free updates, then $25/year for continued updates. Arq Premium is a subscription model covering up to 5 computers with 1TB of included cloud storage.

Source

Tigris: What are the request costs?

Class A requests cost $0.005 per 1,000 requests, Class B requests cost $0.0005 per 1,000 requests. DELETE and CANCEL operations are free.

Source

Arq Backup: Is there a trial period before purchasing Arq?

Yes, Arq 7 includes a 30-day free trial.

Source

Tigris: Do I get charged for data egress?

No, Tigris provides free data egress across all storage tiers.

Source

Arq Backup: What are the storage costs beyond the included 1TB with Arq Premium?

Additional storage is billed at $0.0059/GB per month beyond the 1TB included with Arq Premium.

Source

Arq Backup: Can I access my backup data directly or is it in a proprietary format?

Arq uses open and documented backup formats with transparent storage, allowing users direct access to encrypted backup data.

Source

Arq Backup: Are perpetual licenses from earlier Arq versions still compatible?

Yes, perpetual licenses from Arq 5 and earlier remain compatible with Arq 7.

Source

Tigris vs Arq Backup

Tigris

Arq Backup

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Tigris

Only in Arq Backup

What people use each for

Tigris

Arq Backup

Where each one falls short

Tigris

Arq Backup

Pricing, plan by plan

Tigris

Arq Backup

Which should you pick?

Choose Tigris if

Choose Arq Backup if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Tigris

More on Arq Backup

Keep looking

Other head to heads