BorgBackup

Free, open-source command-line backup tool with deduplication, compression and encryption.

Open sourceCloud storage and file sync services

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About BorgBackup

BorgBackup, usually just called Borg, is a command-line backup program that has been developed in the open since 2015. It splits files into content-defined chunks and stores each chunk once, so nightly full backups take up little more space than what changed since the night before. Repositories can be encrypted with authenticated AES, which means the machine holding the backups only ever sees ciphertext, and data can be compressed with lz4, zstd, zlib or lzma. Archives can be mounted as a normal folder through FUSE to browse or restore old versions. Borg backs up to a local disk or to any server reachable over SSH that has Borg installed, and several hosts such as BorgBase, Hetzner Storage Box and rsync.net offer Borg-ready storage. It is free under the BSD licence and runs on Linux, macOS and the BSDs. It suits sysadmins and technical users; desktop users often pair it with the Vorta GUI or borgmatic for scheduling.

Best for: Sysadmins and technical users backing up servers or PCs to their own disks or SSH hosts.

What works

Deduplication keeps years of daily backups small
Authenticated encryption, so the backup server needn't be trusted
Archives can be mounted and browsed like folders
Several storage providers offer Borg-ready hosting

Why people leave

No native Windows build
Remote targets must be SSH servers running Borg, not S3 or cloud drives directly
Command line only; a GUI needs a separate project such as Vorta

Top BorgBackup alternatives

See all 5

1
restic
Similar encrypted, deduplicated CLI backups, but writes straight to S3, B2 and other cloud storage and runs on Windows.
68.8
2
Kopia
Encrypted deduplicated backups with an optional desktop GUI and direct cloud storage support.
64.8
3
Duplicati
Free backup with a web interface and scheduler built in, and native Windows support.
61.8
4
Arq Backup
Paid Mac and Windows app with a proper GUI that backs up to your own cloud storage.
59.4
5
Vorta
Keeps Borg's repository format but adds a desktop app for scheduling and restores.
50.3

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BorgBackup: common questions

Is BorgBackup free?

Yes. BorgBackup is free, open-source software.

Is BorgBackup open source?

No, BorgBackup is not open source. Open-source alternatives include restic, Kopia and Duplicati.

What platforms does BorgBackup run on?

BorgBackup is available for Linux and macOS.

What are the best alternatives to BorgBackup?

The highest-ranked BorgBackup alternatives right now are restic, Kopia and Duplicati. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 BorgBackup alternatives

BorgBackup facts

5 of 5 verified

License: BSD; Checked Nov 1, 2026borgbackup.org(opens source in a new tab); “BorgBackup is free software, distributed under the BSD license.”
Encryption: Authenticated AES; Checked Nov 1, 2026borgbackup.org(opens source in a new tab); “⬢ Authenticated encryption AES encryption with cryptographic authentication.”
Compression: lz4, zstd, zlib, lzma; Checked Nov 1, 2026borgbackup.org(opens source in a new tab); “◧ Compression Pick your trade-off: lz4 for speed, zstd for balance, zlib and lzma for maximum squeeze — or none at all.”
Platforms: Linux, macOS, BSD; Checked Nov 1, 2026borgbackup.org(opens source in a new tab); “⌬ Runs everywhere you do Easy installation on Linux, macOS, BSD and more — from distribution packages, single-file binaries, or pip.”
Mountable archives: Yes, via FUSE; Checked Nov 1, 2026borgbackup.org(opens source in a new tab); “⌖ Mountable archives Mount any archive as a regular filesystem with FUSE and browse old versions of your files like any folder.”