Ranked by GitHub stars
All 5 Backup apps
restic
restic/restic
Fast, secure and efficient backup program with encryption and deduplication.
BackupGoDuplicati
duplicati/duplicati
Free backup software that stores encrypted, incremental backups on cloud storage and servers.
BackupC#DockerKopia
kopia/kopia
Cross-platform backup tool with encryption, deduplication and a web UI.
BackupGoDockerBorgBackup
borgbackup/borg
Deduplicating backup program with compression and authenticated encryption.
BackupPythonBackrest
garethgeorge/backrest
Web UI and orchestrator for restic backups.
BackupTypeScriptDocker
From the blog
Articles about backup
Comparisons, rankings and guides on the appsgit blog for backup apps.
- Guides
Docker Compose for self-hosters: the only tutorial you need
Docker Compose for self-hosters: install it, then learn compose.yaml, .env files, volumes, networks, restart policies, safe updates and backups with examples.
6 min read
- Guides
How to start self-hosting in 2026: a beginner's roadmap (hardware, Docker, reverse proxy, backups)
How to start self-hosting in 2026: pick hardware or a VPS, install Docker, add a reverse proxy with HTTPS, reach it remotely and back it up, step by step.
6 min read
Keep exploring
Related categories
What is the best self-hosted app for backup?
By GitHub stars, restic is the most popular self-hosted app for backup with 36,436 stars, followed by Duplicati and Kopia. The best fit depends on your needs, so compare Docker support, license and recent activity on each app page.
Are these Backup apps free?
Yes. All 5 apps in this category are open source and free to run on your own server. A few also offer a paid hosted plan or enterprise add-ons, but self-hosting the open-source edition costs nothing beyond your hardware.
How do I install a self-hosted Backup app?
3 of the 5 apps here ship a Docker image, which is the easiest route: rent a small VPS or use a home server, install Docker, and start the app with its Docker Compose file. Apps without an image list their native install steps in the README.
Which Backup apps are most actively developed?
Measured by commits in the last twelve months, the most active projects are Duplicati (2,440 commits), BorgBackup (2,208 commits) and restic (645 commits). Active development usually means faster bug fixes and security patches.