rsync.net vs BorgBackup
A detailed comparison to help you choose between rsync.net and BorgBackup.
Quick Verdict
4.0/5
rsync.net
0 reviews
4.3/5
BorgBackup
0 reviews
BorgBackup is rated higher (4.3 vs 4.0). rsync.net provides SSH-accessible cloud storage for backups via rsync, BorgBackup, Restic, and rclone. Simple pricing per GB. US and EU storage. Trusted by the open source backup community since 2001. BorgBackup is a free, open source, deduplicating backup program for Linux/macOS with compression, encryption, and deduplication. Pairs with BorgBase for managed repository hosting. Our long-standing pick for self-hosters.
rsync.net Off-site storage for rsync, borg, and rclone | BorgBackup Open source deduplicating backup — free self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.0 (0 reviews) | 4.3 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | usage-based | free |
| Starting price | From $12/mo | Free✓ |
| Best for | Sysadmins who want SSH-native off-site backup storage with immutable snapshots, honest per-GB pricing, and humans on the support line. | Technical users and self-hosters who want deduplicated, encrypted, versioned backups to storage they control, without per-gigabyte vendor fees |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ✓ | |
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | Fremont, CA; Denver, CO; Zurich, Switzerland; Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong | — |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacenterus datacenter | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit rsync.net → | Visit BorgBackup → | |
rsync.net
Pros
- + Plain SSH-reachable UNIX filesystem: works with rsync, Borg, Restic, rclone, git-annex
- + Immutable ZFS snapshots on every standard account — strong ransomware protection
- + No egress charges, no contracts, and per-GB pricing that falls with volume
- + Own infrastructure in four locations (Fremont, Denver, Zurich, Hong Kong) with free account migration
- + Unlimited email and phone support from real engineers at every account size
Cons
- - No web UI — account management is email-based and the product is command-line only
- - 800 GB minimum on standard accounts; no free tier
- - Per-terabyte cost is higher than B2-class object storage for cold archives
- - No contractual uptime SLA published (resiliency claims are statistics, not commitments)
- - Bring your own backup tool, scheduling, and monitoring
BorgBackup
Pros
- + Deduplication plus per-repo compression makes repeated backups far cheaper in storage than full-image schemes
- + Authenticated encryption with a documented untrusted-server model; append-only mode defends backup history against compromise
- + Free BSD-licensed software with a decade-long public track record and detailed on-disk format documentation
- + Runs against any filesystem or SSH target — no lock-in, no required vendor
- + Mature companion ecosystem: Borgmatic for config-driven runs, Vorta for desktop GUI, BorgBase for hosted repos
Cons
- - Command-line only with no official GUI; keyfile and retention semantics take real learning
- - No native S3/object-storage repository mode in 1.4.x — cloud-object workflows need rclone-style workarounds
- - File-level tool: consistent database or VM backups need hooks or snapshots; no bare-metal restore agents
- - Support is community-based unless you pay for consulting or a hosting provider's SLA
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