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Backup · head to head

Commvault Complete Data Protection vs Velero

Commvault Complete Data Protection logo

Commvault Complete Data Protection

Backup

Enterprise-grade intelligent data management

From
On request
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: Commvault Complete Data Protection requires specialized knowledge to optimize configurations for cost-effectiveness; 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: Commvault Complete Data Protection covers Unified data protection, Velero covers Cluster resource backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Commvault Complete Data Protection and Velero actually diverge.

Attributes where Commvault Complete Data Protection and Velero differ
AttributeCommvault Complete Data ProtectionVelero
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, On-Premises, HybridLinux
Founded1988Unknown

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 Commvault Complete Data Protection

  • Unified data protection
  • Automated recovery orchestration
  • AI-driven insights
  • Cloud mobility
  • Ransomware detection
  • Compliance management
  • AWS
  • Azure

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.

Commvault Complete Data Protection

  • 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 Commvault Complete Data Protection
  • Migrating workloads between Kubernetes clusters or between cloud providers using backup and restorenot Commvault Complete Data Protection
  • Capturing cluster configuration before a risky upgrade so the previous state can be reinstatednot Commvault Complete Data Protection
  • An organisation proving a Kubernetes recovery capability to an auditor before deciding whether to buy a commercial productnot Commvault Complete Data Protection

Where each one falls short

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

Commvault Complete Data Protection

  • Requires specialized knowledge to optimize configurations for cost-effectiveness
  • Integration with certain legacy systems can be challenging

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

Commvault Complete Data Protection

On request
  • Microsoft 365 Backup$1.7/per user per month
    • Cloud-based backup
  • Endpoint Backup$7.5/per user per month
    • User endpoints backup
  • Database Backup$90/per TB per month
    • Database protection
  • File and Object Backup$58.5/per TB per month
    • Storage backup

Velero

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Commvault Complete Data Protection if

  • You need unified data protection.
  • You work on Cloud, On-Premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want automated recovery orchestration.
Commvault Complete Data Protection 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 Commvault Complete Data Protection or Velero better?
Neither clearly leads. Commvault Complete Data Protection starts at On request and Velero at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Commvault Complete Data Protection or Velero?
Velero has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Commvault Complete Data Protection and Free for Velero.
Does Commvault Complete Data Protection or Velero run on more platforms?
Commvault Complete Data Protection 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. Commvault Complete Data Protection starts at On request.
What is Commvault Complete Data Protection best used for?
Commvault Complete Data Protection 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 Commvault Complete Data Protection do that Velero cannot?
Commvault Complete Data Protection covers Unified data protection, Automated recovery orchestration, AI-driven insights, Cloud mobility. Velero covers Cluster resource backup, Volume snapshots, File-level backup, Cross-cluster restore.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Commvault Complete Data Protection: What does Commvault protect?

Commvault protects workloads across on-premises data centers, virtual machines, cloud-native applications, SaaS platforms, and AI data pipelines, offering backup and disaster recovery for diverse 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.

Commvault Complete Data Protection: Does Commvault work with AWS and Azure?

Yes, Commvault integrates natively with AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, Glacier) and Microsoft Azure (managed and non-managed VMs), with agentless protection via Virtual Server Agent.

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.

Commvault Complete Data Protection: What are Commvault's pricing tiers?

Commvault offers Silver (foundational protection and recovery), Gold (automated validation and live replication), and Platinum (data risk visibility and security posture management) packages, with usage-based pricing per workload type.

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.

Commvault Complete Data Protection: Does Commvault support compliance standards?

Yes, Commvault helps organizations meet GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA and other compliance standards, and is ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified for information security management.

Source
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