Duplicati

Duplicati is a backup platform for computers, servers, cloud services, and storage you provide. It is best suited to teams managing varied systems from one console. Its breadth and unlimited endpoint capacity are compelling, but the free tier is tightly capped and paid plans carry annual terms and storage limits.

Overview

Duplicati brings backup configuration and administration together for local machines, servers, NAS devices, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and S3 buckets. Destinations include S3, WebDAV, SFTP, and local hardware, so it can serve mixed environments without requiring a single storage provider. The trade-off is that customers generally bring their own storage; the service adds no storage fees or bandwidth limits for that model, but storage itself remains your responsibility.

Data is encrypted locally with AES-256 before it reaches a network or cloud destination. Changed-block transfers reduce the amount sent after the initial backup, helping limit network congestion and cloud egress costs. Retention rules can remove older backups or keep a chosen number, useful for controlling backup history rather than allowing it to grow unchecked.

Key features

• Broad coverage: Back up desktops, laptops, local servers, NAS devices, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and S3 buckets. Cloud data can also be copied to an on-premises SAN or private S3 cluster, a useful option for organizations that want a local archive.
• Local network backups: Machines can back up to network-attached storage over SFTP or SMB, giving offices another destination beyond cloud storage.
• Central administration: Create configurations once and push them to multiple clients. Global administrators can delegate local backup management to regional IT staff, while sub-organizations keep clients separated under one subscription. That combination is well suited to distributed teams and service providers managing multiple groups.
• Security and retention: Local AES-256 encryption protects data before transmission, while configurable retention governs how many older backups remain. Duplicati also identifies ransomware protection as a capability.
• Changed-block transfers: Sending only modified blocks after a backup can reduce repeated traffic and cloud egress, particularly across larger or frequently updated datasets.

Pricing

Duplicati has a free plan and paid plans billed annually. The free plan costs nothing and is always free, but its dashboard monitors only 2 machines and shows the last 200 backups. It is a reasonable way to oversee a very small setup, not a substitute for broader fleet monitoring.

Pro costs $2 a month with annual billing and supports up to 100 machines. It includes 3-year monitoring retention and 100 GB of storage per machine, as well as alerts, AI analysis, remote management, retention, storage, and priority support. This is the practical fit for individuals or companies that need more than the free monitoring caps; teams should still account for the included storage allowance per machine.

Enterprise costs $3 a month, is billed yearly, requires a minimum of 10 machines, and uses a yearly contract. It adds organization management, configuration assistance, SSO with MFA, agent deployment, and credential management. Those administrative and identity controls suit larger or more structured deployments, but the minimum and contract make it a poor fit for a small team; contact sales is required.

Additional storage costs $0.60 a month, billed yearly, per additional 100 GB using Duplicati integrated storage. Microsoft 365 backup costs $0.50 a month, billed yearly, per Office 365 user, and covers mailbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams chat and files, with restore locally or to the tenant. Google Workspace backup also costs $0.50 a month, billed yearly, per workspace user, covering Gmail, Drive, contacts, and calendar, with restore locally or to the tenant. These per-user add-ons matter for organizations protecting hosted productivity accounts rather than just machines.

Platforms

Duplicati supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. That desktop and server coverage is broad, though readers looking specifically for a mobile client should consider another option.

Who it's for

Duplicati is strongest for organizations that need to coordinate backups across different operating systems, cloud services, NAS devices, and storage destinations. Centralized policies, delegated administration, sub-organizations, and unlimited clients and endpoints under one subscription make it especially relevant to distributed IT teams. Individuals can use Pro, but the annual billing and emphasis on machine administration may be more than a simple personal backup need requires.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad source and destination support lets one console cover local systems, cloud services, and storage you control.
• Pros: Local AES-256 encryption and changed-block transfers address data protection and transfer efficiency before data reaches its destination.
• Pros: Centralized configuration, delegation, and sub-organizations support multi-site management, while endpoint capacity is unlimited under one subscription.
• Cons: The free plan monitors just 2 machines and retains visibility of only the last 200 backups, limiting its usefulness for larger setups.
• Cons: Pro's included storage is 100 GB per machine, and extra integrated storage is a separate annual-billed charge.
• Cons: Enterprise requires at least 10 machines and a yearly contract, making it a substantial commitment for smaller organizations.

Alternatives

IDrive is worth considering if mobile coverage matters: it supports Android and iOS as well as desktop and web platforms, and its IDrive Mini plan costs $0.25 a month for 100 GB and one user.

MSP360 Backup is a relevant alternative for a personal workstation backup: its free plan includes file- and image-based backup with forum-based support.

VM Backup may be the better match for a small virtual-machine setup, with a free edition covering 2 VMs per host and a 30-day fully featured trial.

Vinchin Backup & Recovery offers a permanent free edition for protecting up to 3 virtual machines, a focused option for that scale of VM use.

Bareos is an alternative for readers seeking an open-source community edition with public repository access and complete source code.

AOMEI Backupper has a perpetually free Windows PC backup plan, so it may suit a Windows-only user seeking a basic desktop alternative.

SEP sesam may suit a small environment that fits its Community Edition limits: up to 5 backup clients, a 3 TB storage pool, and 1 TB of Si3 deduplication.

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows is a Windows-focused alternative whose free plan supports one backup job targeting a local drive, network shared folder, or Veeam backup.

Browse more options in Backup software, NAS Backup Software, and Cloud Backup Services.

Verdict

Choose Duplicati if you need one system to coordinate encrypted backups across varied sources and destinations, especially across multiple teams or sites. Its unlimited endpoint support, retention controls, and administrative tools give it meaningful reach. Look elsewhere if two-machine free monitoring is insufficient but an annual subscription, storage allowances, or Enterprise's 10-machine minimum do not fit your needs.