Proxmox Backup Server

Deduplicating backup server for virtual machines, containers and Linux hosts, with verification built in

As of 31 August 2026, Proxmox Backup Server is free to use. A dedicated backup server from the Proxmox team that stores content addressed chunks, encrypts client side and re-reads what it stored to prove restores will work. Softwr lists it under Backup. Proxmox Backup Server is made by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, available on Linux.

Visit siteVisit Proxmox Backup Server

Overview

What Proxmox Backup Server does

Proxmox Backup Server is an open source backup server written in Rust by Proxmox Server Solutions. It stores backups as deduplicated chunks in a datastore, so identical blocks across virtual machines and snapshots are held once, and it integrates directly with Proxmox VE to take incremental backups of running guests using a dirty bitmap so only changed blocks are read. A separate Linux client backs up file trees from physical hosts, and tape and remote sync jobs cover offsite copies. The distinguishing feature is verification. The server can re-read stored chunks and check them against their hashes, marking each snapshot verified or failed, which converts the usual assumption that backups are good into a scheduled job that produces evidence. Combined with client side encryption, where the server stores data it cannot read, that gives a small organisation the two properties that decide whether a restore succeeds from a partly damaged repository, and it does so without a per socket or per terabyte licence. Buyers are Proxmox VE users first, then Linux shops that want a self hosted deduplicating backup target. The trade-off is scope and hardware. It is built around Proxmox and Linux, there is no Windows client, and the chunk store is millions of small files, so it wants solid state or fast local disks and behaves badly on a single spinning disk or a network share.

What people use it for

Backing up a Proxmox VE cluster with incremental block level backups of running guests
Replacing a backup product whose licence is priced per socket or per terabyte on a virtualisation estate
Proving backup integrity on a schedule rather than discovering corruption during a restore
Keeping an encrypted second copy on a remote server or on tape without a third party service

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Proxmox Backup Server.

There is no Windows client, so physical Windows machines must be backed up by something else and the estate ends up with two backup products.
The datastore is millions of small chunk files, so it needs storage with real input and output capability and performs poorly on a single spinning disk or an SMB or NFS share.
Deduplication is per datastore, so splitting workloads across datastores for retention or tenancy reasons multiplies the storage those workloads consume.
Garbage collection depends on file access time semantics on the underlying filesystem, so a datastore mounted with the wrong options can fail to reclaim space or, worse, behave unpredictably.
Subscriptions are priced per CPU socket per year, so a backup server consolidated onto fewer larger dual socket machines pays twice per host for the supported repository.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Proxmox Backup Server

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

Proxmox Backup Servervs
Veeam Backup & Replication
Veeam Backup & Replication: Broader platform coverage including Windows agents and other hypervisors, with licence costs to match
Proxmox Backup Servervs
Proxmox VE
Proxmox VE: The hypervisor this is designed to protect, which can also write backups without a dedicated backup server
Proxmox Backup Servervs
Bacula
Bacula: If the requirement is a general purpose enterprise backup catalogue across mixed platforms and tape

Pricing

What Proxmox Backup Server costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

No subscription

Free

Full functionality with no capacity limit
Community package repository
Community forum support

Subscription

On request

Priced per CPU socket per year
Access to the enterprise package repository
Vendor support tickets
Tested update path

Capabilities

Features

Deduplicated chunk store
Content addressed chunks shared across guests and snapshots so common blocks are stored once
Incremental guest backups
Uses a dirty bitmap in Proxmox VE so only changed blocks are read from running guests
Client side encryption
AES-GCM encryption performed on the client, so the server stores data it cannot decrypt
Verification jobs
Re-reads chunks and marks snapshots verified, turning backup integrity into a scheduled check
Remote sync
Pulls or pushes datastores between servers for an offsite copy
Live restore and file level restore
Starts a guest while data is still being restored, or extracts single files from a backup

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Can it back up machines that are not on Proxmox?

Linux hosts yes, through the client, at file level. Other hypervisors and physical Windows machines are outside its scope.

Is a subscription required?

No. Without one you use the community repository and forum support. The subscription buys the tested enterprise repository and vendor tickets.

How do I know a backup will restore?

Run verification jobs. They re-read the stored chunks and mark snapshots verified or failed, which is stronger evidence than a successful backup log.

What storage should the datastore be on?

Local disks, ideally with ZFS and enough input and output capacity for many small files. Network shares are supported but routinely disappointing.

Keep looking

Where to go from Proxmox Backup Server

Best Backup software for

Compare Proxmox Backup Server with

Other Backup software

Bacula
The best open source backup software for Linux
Free plan7 researched notes
Kopia
Open source deduplicating backup with client side encryption and a repository on almost any storage
Open source12 researched notes
rustic
Rust reimplementation of restic that reads and writes the same repository format
Open source12 researched notes
UrBackup
Open source client server backup doing both file and whole disk image backups of Windows machines
Open source12 researched notes
Borg Backup
Deduplicating archiver with compression and encryption
Free plan11 researched notes
Duplicacy
Lock-free deduplication cloud backup
Free, then $50/yr9 researched notes
BDRShield
Low-cost backup for virtual machines, servers, endpoints and SaaS from Vembu
Pricing on request11 researched notes
HPE StoreOnce
Disk-based backup with built-in deduplication
From $5,000/one-time4 researched notes
HYCU
Backup as a service spanning SaaS applications as well as infrastructure
Pricing on request11 researched notes
Acronis Cyber Protect
Integrated backup and cybersecurity protection
From $68/yr11 researched notes
Portworx Backup
Kubernetes application backup with a free tier up to one terabyte
Free, then $0.2/node hour11 researched notes
Velero
Open source backup and migration for Kubernetes cluster resources
Open source11 researched notes
Apple Time Machine
Built-in backup for every Mac
Free plan11 researched notes
Arcserve UDP
Unified data protection for all workloads
From $25/mo8 researched notes
AvePoint Cloud Backup
Microsoft 365, Dynamics and Salesforce backup from a long-standing Microsoft partner
Pricing on request11 researched notes
Axcient x360Recover
Unified BCDR for managed service providers
From $99/mo11 researched notes
Bacula Enterprise
Open-source enterprise backup solution
From $500/yr11 researched notes
BDRShield
Low-cost backup for virtual machines, servers, endpoints and SaaS from Vembu
Pricing on request11 researched notes

Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Proxmox Backup Server, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

Best Backup software alternatives

View all Backup software