# Best open source backup software > The best open source backup tool is restic, with 36,436 GitHub stars and the BSD-2-Clause license; Duplicati and Kopia are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Kopia leads for small business; restic for enterprise; Duplicati for solo developers and home use. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 5 apps in the backup category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source backup tool? | | Picks | 25 | | Top pick | restic (36,436 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-backup-software | ## Top picks 5 of the 5 apps in the backup category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 645 commits in the last year. - [Duplicati](https://appsgit.com/apps/duplicati) (15,062 stars, MIT, C#, Docker): Duplicati has 15,062 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,440 commits in the last year. - [Kopia](https://appsgit.com/apps/kopia) (14,265 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Kopia has 14,265 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 442 commits in the last year. - [BorgBackup](https://appsgit.com/apps/borgbackup) (13,811 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): BorgBackup has 13,811 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 2,208 commits in the last year. - [Backrest](https://appsgit.com/apps/backrest) (7,468 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Backrest has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 177 commits in the last year. ## Best for small business Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides. - [Kopia](https://appsgit.com/apps/kopia) (14,265 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Kopia has 14,265 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 442 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 645 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Duplicati](https://appsgit.com/apps/duplicati) (15,062 stars, MIT, C#, Docker): Duplicati has 15,062 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,440 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [BorgBackup](https://appsgit.com/apps/borgbackup) (13,811 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): BorgBackup has 13,811 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 2,208 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Backrest](https://appsgit.com/apps/backrest) (7,468 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Backrest has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 177 commits in the last year. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for enterprise Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 645 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Duplicati](https://appsgit.com/apps/duplicati) (15,062 stars, MIT, C#, Docker): Duplicati has 15,062 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,440 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [BorgBackup](https://appsgit.com/apps/borgbackup) (13,811 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): BorgBackup has 13,811 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 2,208 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Kopia](https://appsgit.com/apps/kopia) (14,265 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Kopia has 14,265 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 442 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Backrest](https://appsgit.com/apps/backrest) (7,468 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Backrest has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 177 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for solo developers Ranked for solo developers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Duplicati](https://appsgit.com/apps/duplicati) (15,062 stars, MIT, C#, Docker): Duplicati has 15,062 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in C# and had 2,440 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Kopia](https://appsgit.com/apps/kopia) (14,265 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Kopia has 14,265 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Go and had 442 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license, is written in Go and had 645 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [BorgBackup](https://appsgit.com/apps/borgbackup) (13,811 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): BorgBackup has 13,811 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, is written in Python and had 2,208 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Backrest](https://appsgit.com/apps/backrest) (7,468 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Backrest has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 177 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for home use Ranked for home use on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Duplicati](https://appsgit.com/apps/duplicati) (15,062 stars, MIT, C#, Docker): Duplicati has 15,062 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,440 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Kopia](https://appsgit.com/apps/kopia) (14,265 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Kopia has 14,265 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 442 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [restic](https://appsgit.com/apps/restic) (36,436 stars, BSD-2-Clause, Go): restic has 36,436 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-2-Clause license and had 645 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Backrest](https://appsgit.com/apps/backrest) (7,468 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Backrest has 7,468 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 177 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [BorgBackup](https://appsgit.com/apps/borgbackup) (13,811 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): BorgBackup has 13,811 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 2,208 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 5 apps in the backup category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is restic free? Yes. restic is open-source software released under the BSD-2-Clause license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Which open source backup tool is best for a small business? Kopia ranks first for small business, with 14,265 GitHub stars, the Apache-2.0 license and a Docker image; restic and Duplicati follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity. ### Which open source backup tool is best for an enterprise team? restic ranks first for enterprise, with 36,436 GitHub stars and the BSD-2-Clause license; Duplicati and BorgBackup follow. The enterprise ranking adds points for open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Can I self-host these backup software with Docker? Yes, 3 of the 5 picks. Duplicati, Kopia and Backrest publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide. ### Are all of these backup software open source? All 5 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source team chat app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-team-chat) - [What is the best open source file sharing app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-file-sharing) - [What is the best open source analytics tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-analytics) - [What is the best open source developer tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-developer-tools) - [What is the best open source accounting software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-accounting-software) - [What is the best open source task manager?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-task-management) ## See also - [All backup apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/backup) - [All archiving apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/archiving) - [All utilities apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/utilities) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-backup-software Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.