Backblaze Personal Backup alternatives: 7 open-source picks
Backblaze Personal Backup costs $9/mo — $108 a year. These 7 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Duplicati, Kopia and Backrest. All 7 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Browser-driven encrypted backups to nearly any storage target, with more knobs than charm.
licenseMIT
runson your machine
installSigned Windows/macOS/Linux package or Docker container, then configure backups through its local web UI
dataEach backup target contains encrypted compressed `.dblock` data volumes, `.dindex` indexes, and one `.dlist` manifest per version; a local database accelerates catalog and restore operations.
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.
setupThe 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.
facts verified 2026-08-14
Encrypted snapshots to storage you choose; the cloud bill and restore drills are still yours.
licenseApache-2.0
runson your machine
installInstall KopiaUI or the CLI from native Windows/macOS/Linux packages, then create or connect to a repository
dataSnapshots 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.
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.
setupYou 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.
facts verified 2026-08-14
Restic with buttons, schedules, checks, and enough guardrails to avoid living in a terminal.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour server
installStandalone installer or Homebrew on macOS/Linux, Windows installer, or Docker Compose; it downloads/manages restic on first run
dataBackups 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.
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.
setupYou still have to choose and provision storage, protect the repository password, grant filesystem access, and test restores; macOS may require Full Disk Access.
facts verified 2026-08-14
Continuous peer-to-peer file sync between your devices with no server and no cloud in the middle.
licenseMPL-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Your own Dropbox plus calendar, contacts, office docs and a huge app store. The default answer to "can I self-host my files?"
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
End-to-end encrypted photo storage with open-source clients for every platform, so nobody but you can see your library.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
High-performance file sync and share with delta sync, file locking, and selective sync for teams.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Duplicati · Syncthing · Nextcloud · Ente
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
Nextcloud FilesFile sync is not a tested backup system; deletions and bad changes can follow you.
resticExcellent backup engine; still a terminal, scheduler, and retention policy you must assemble yourself.
how to choose a Backblaze Personal Backup alternative
Easiest to get running
Duplicati — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
Syncthing, with 70,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 7, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Runs on your own machine, no server
Duplicati — nothing to host, your data stays on your disk.
what you give up by leaving Backblaze Personal Backup
- unlimited backup economics, client reliability, restore logistics, support, and durable infrastructure
- global sync network
- battle-tested conflict resolution
- ransomware recovery guarantees
- mobile clients and support
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Backblaze Personal Backup alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duplicati | MIT | one-click install | web, macos, windows, linux | 14,900 | 2026-07 |
| Kopia | Apache-2.0 | one-click install | macos, windows, linux, cli | 13,800 | 2026-08 |
| Backrest | GPL-3.0 | one-click install | web, macos, windows, linux | 7,100 | 2026-08 |
| Syncthing | MPL-2.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 70,000 | 2026-08 |
| Nextcloud | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 29,000 | 2026-08 |
| Ente | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 20,000 | 2026-08 |
| Seafile | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 13,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Backblaze Personal Backup
People still pay for Backblaze Personal Backup because storage subscriptions sell confidence that files will still exist after a lost device, bad sync, or provider incident. The recurring cost buys chunking, encryption, conflict detection, versions, garbage collection, bandwidth, restore drills, monitoring, billing, and disaster recovery, not just the visible interface. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $108 a year.
questions about switching from Backblaze Personal Backup
Is there an open-source alternative to Backblaze Personal Backup?
Yes: Duplicati, Kopia, Backrest and 4 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Backblaze Personal Backup?
Our verdict is YES. Syncthing (70k stars), Nextcloud (29k stars), Ente (20k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Backblaze Personal Backup — self-host in one command and stop paying $9/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/backblaze-personal-backup.
What is the easiest open-source Backblaze Personal Backup alternative to set up?
Duplicati — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source Backblaze Personal Backup alternative?
By GitHub stars, Syncthing (70,000). Nextcloud is next with 29,000.
