Linode Backup Service vs BorgBase
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Linode Backup Service and BorgBase.
Quick Verdict
3.3/5
Linode Backup Service
0 reviews
4.1/5
BorgBase
0 reviews
BorgBase is rated higher (4.1 vs 3.3). Linode's managed backup service creates automatic daily, weekly, and biweekly backups of your Linode VPS. Stored for 2 or 4 weeks. Simple restore via Linode dashboard. BorgBase provides managed backup repositories specifically designed for BorgBackup and Restic. Append-only repos, alerting for missed backups, and EU/US storage options.
Linode Backup Service Automatic backups for Linode VPS | BorgBase Managed backup repositories for BorgBackup and Restic | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.3 (0 reviews) | 4.1 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | freemium |
| Starting price | From $2/mo | Free tier available✓ |
| Best for | Akamai Cloud (Linode) users wanting a zero-maintenance restore safety net for single instances — especially as one layer alongside off-site storage. | Sysadmins, freelancers, and homelabbers running BorgBackup or Restic who want append-only offsite repositories with missed-backup alerting and honest per-GB billing. |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ✓ | |
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | backups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenter | free tiereu datacenterus datacenter |
| Visit Linode Backup Service → | Visit BorgBase → | |
Linode Backup Service
Pros
- + Cheap and effortless: from $2/month, one-click enable, no software to install
- + Live full-disk snapshots taken while the instance runs — no downtime
- + Four restore points including a persistent manual snapshot slot
- + Managed via Cloud Manager, Linode CLI, and REST API for fleet scripting
- + Free with Linode Managed ($100/instance/month)
Cons
- - Automated retention capped at 14 days — shallow for compliance or ransomware scenarios
- - Stored in the same data center as the instance — off-host but not off-site
- - Excludes attached Volumes and encrypted disks (unencrypted ext3/ext4 only)
- - Backups are deleted together with the instance; not an archive
- - Not available in distributed compute regions; priced per instance
BorgBase
Pros
- + Purpose-built for BorgBackup and Restic with append-only mode and end-to-end encryption
- + Free forever tier: 10 GB across 2 repositories with no card and no transfer charges
- + Billed after compression and deduplication; restores and API calls are free
- + Stale-backup alerting (email, Pushover, webhook), quotas, and a full automation API
- + EU and US regions mixable per repository; supports Borg, Borgmatic, and its own Vorta GUI
Cons
- - Only supports Borg and Restic — no image backups, Windows agents, or S3-compatible access
- - No geographic redundancy by design (no backup of your backup) and no published SLA
- - Email-only support from a small company; large custom volumes are an email conversation
- - Requires comfort with command-line backup tooling and manual restore verification
- - Third-party price listings disagree with vendor pages — confirm at checkout
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