Backblaze Personal Backup costs $9/mo.
These cost $0.
3 free alternatives to Backblaze Personal Backup, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Backblaze Personal Backup vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $9/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duplicati | open source | MIT | Local | ★ 15k | Backblaze Personal Backup vs Duplicati → |
| Kopia | open source | Apache-2.0 | Local | ★ 14k | Backblaze Personal Backup vs Kopia → |
| Backrest | open source | GPL-3.0 | Self-host | ★ 7.1k | Backblaze Personal Backup vs Backrest → |
The picks
3 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
Duplicati
open sourceMITLocal15kjul 2026Browser-driven encrypted backups to nearly any storage target, with more knobs than charm.
The catch vs Backblaze Personal BackupIt can automate encrypted backups, but you must choose and pay for storage, protect credentials, monitor jobs, and test restores yourself instead of getting Backblaze's managed service.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopwebone-click install
- install
- Signed Windows/macOS/Linux package or Docker container, then configure backups through its local web UI
- setup
- The first setup is not just an install: you must supply destination credentials, choose encryption and retention, preserve the passphrase, and understand how to rebuild from remote volumes if the local database is lost.
- your data
- Each backup target contains encrypted compressed `.dblock` data volumes, `.dindex` indexes, and one `.dlist` manifest per version; a local database accelerates catalog and restore operations.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
- 02
Kopia
open sourceApache-2.0Local14kaug 2026Encrypted snapshots to storage you choose; the cloud bill and restore drills are still yours.
The catch vs Backblaze Personal BackupIts snapshots are excellent, but the storage account, capacity, billing, scheduling, monitoring, and restore drills are all your responsibility rather than Backblaze's.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopclione-click install
- install
- Install KopiaUI or the CLI from native Windows/macOS/Linux packages, then create or connect to a repository
- setup
- You must provision and pay for the storage target, enter its credentials, and safeguard the repository password, Kopia cannot recover data if that password is lost.
- your data
- Snapshots live in an encrypted, deduplicated, content-addressed Kopia repository on local/NAS, SFTP, WebDAV, object storage, rclone, or supported cloud targets; small blocks are packed into opaque blobs.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
- 03
Backrest
open sourceGPL-3.0Self-host7.1kaug 2026Restic with buttons, schedules, checks, and enough guardrails to avoid living in a terminal.
The catch vs Backblaze Personal BackupIt adds a friendly scheduler, but unlike Backblaze it includes no unlimited off-site storage, automatic destination, managed retention, or shipped physical restore.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopwebone-click install
- install
- Standalone installer or Homebrew on macOS/Linux, Windows installer, or Docker Compose; it downloads/manages restic on first run
- setup
- You still have to choose and provision storage, protect the repository password, grant filesystem access, and test restores; macOS may require Full Disk Access.
- your data
- Backups are encrypted, content-addressed restic repositories on the chosen local, SFTP, object-storage, or rclone target; Backrest keeps local JSON configuration, cache, and service data.
- checked
- 2026-08-14
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Backblaze Personal Backup open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Backblaze Personal Backup?+
The top free alternative to Backblaze Personal Backup is Duplicati (open source, MIT). Browser-driven encrypted backups to nearly any storage target, with more knobs than charm. Other popular Backblaze Personal Backup replacements include Kopia, Backrest.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Backblaze Personal Backup?+
Yes. Of the 3 free alternatives to Backblaze Personal Backup, 1 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Backrest (GPL-3.0).
How much does switching from Backblaze Personal Backup to a free alternative save?+
Backblaze Personal Backup starts at $9/month per seat ($108/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Duplicati saves $540 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Backblaze Personal Backup clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Backblaze Personal Backup is NOT REALLY (use a free alternative, save the tokens). A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Backblaze Personal Backup, continuously back up a selected computer to user-owned object storage and test restores. The hard boundary is unlimited backup economics, client reliability, restore logistics, support, and durable infrastructure, plus reliability, durability, and cross-device sync.
What is the catch when switching from Backblaze Personal Backup to Duplicati?+
It can automate encrypted backups, but you must choose and pay for storage, protect credentials, monitor jobs, and test restores yourself instead of getting Backblaze's managed service.
