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Backup · head to head

Trilio vs Zerto

Trilio logo

Trilio

Backup

Backup and recovery for OpenStack, Kubernetes and Red Hat Virtualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zerto logo

Zerto

File Storage

Continuous data protection with near-zero RPO

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Trilio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Trilio coverage is deliberately narrow, so a mixed estate with VMware and physical servers needs a second backup product and two sets of restore procedures.; Zerto zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
  • They diverge on capability: Trilio covers OpenStack backup, Zerto covers Continuous data protection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Trilio and Zerto actually diverge.

Attributes where Trilio and Zerto differ
AttributeTrilioZerto
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelPer node per yearsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, WebWindows, Linux, Web
CategoryBackupFile Storage
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Trilio

  • OpenStack backup
  • Kubernetes backup
  • OpenShift Virtualization
  • Open format backups
  • Incremental forever
  • Self-service restore
  • Free basic edition

Only in Zerto

  • Continuous data protection
  • Journal-based recovery
  • Automated failover
  • Non-disruptive testing
  • Multi-cloud mobility
  • Long-term retention
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

What people use each for

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

Trilio

  • A telco running an OpenStack cloud whose incumbent backup vendor supports it only through generic agentsnot Zerto
  • An organisation migrating virtual machines from VMware to OpenShift Virtualization and needing protection on the new platform from day onenot Zerto
  • A research institution protecting tenant workloads where each tenant should restore its own data without a ticketnot Zerto
  • A platform team wanting to evaluate Kubernetes backup properly on ten nodes before committing budgetnot Zerto

Zerto

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

Where each one falls short

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

Trilio

  • Coverage is deliberately narrow, so a mixed estate with VMware and physical servers needs a second backup product and two sets of restore procedures.
  • Trilio is a small vendor next to the backup incumbents, and buyers with ten year retention obligations should assess the risk of the company being acquired or wound down.
  • Enterprise pricing is per node or per virtual machine and is not published, which makes it hard to compare against per-terabyte competitors without going through sales.
  • The free basic edition stops at ten nodes with community support only, so the step from evaluation to production is a full commercial negotiation rather than a tier upgrade.
  • Restore performance depends on the object storage or NFS target you supply, and egress charges from a cloud object store during a large recovery sit outside the vendor quote entirely.

Zerto

  • Zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector

Pricing, plan by plan

Trilio

Free
  • Basic EditionFree
    • Up to ten nodes
    • No time limit
    • Community support only
  • Enterprise Edition$undefined/year
    • Priced per node or per virtual machine annually
    • No scale limits
    • OpenStack, Kubernetes, OpenShift and Red Hat Virtualization

Zerto

$5/month
  • Zerto Enterprise Cloud$5/month
    • Continuous protection
    • Journal-based recovery
    • Multi-cloud mobility

Which should you pick?

Choose Trilio if

  • You need openstack backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Web.
  • You also want kubernetes backup.
Trilio review

Choose Zerto if

  • You need continuous data protection.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want journal-based recovery.
Zerto review

Questions people ask

Is Trilio or Zerto better?
Neither clearly leads. Trilio starts at Free and Zerto at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Trilio or Zerto?
Trilio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Trilio and $5/month for Zerto.
Does Trilio or Zerto run on more platforms?
Trilio runs on Linux, Web. Zerto runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
Can I use Trilio for free?
Yes. Trilio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zerto starts at $5/month.
What is Trilio best used for?
Trilio is most often used for a telco running an openstack cloud whose incumbent backup vendor supports it only through generic agents, an organisation migrating virtual machines from vmware to openshift virtualization and needing protection on the new platform from day one, a research institution protecting tenant workloads where each tenant should restore its own data without a ticket, a platform team wanting to evaluate kubernetes backup properly on ten nodes before committing budget. Of those, a telco running an openstack cloud whose incumbent backup vendor supports it only through generic agents and an organisation migrating virtual machines from vmware to openshift virtualization and needing protection on the new platform from day one are not what Zerto is typically brought in for.
What can Trilio do that Zerto cannot?
Trilio covers OpenStack backup, Kubernetes backup, OpenShift Virtualization, Open format backups. Zerto covers Continuous data protection, Journal-based recovery, Automated failover, Non-disruptive testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Trilio: Is the free edition production usable?

It is functionally complete up to ten nodes with community support only. Use it to evaluate, but understand that production incidents have no vendor behind them at that tier.

Zerto: Can I try Zerto before buying?

Yes, Zerto offers a 14-day free trial or on-demand lab access to test the platform.

Source
Trilio: Does it support OpenShift Virtualization?

Yes, which is the main reason it appears on shortlists for organisations moving virtual machines off VMware.

Trilio: Where are backups stored?

On NFS or S3-compatible object storage you provide, in an open format rather than a proprietary vendor container.

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