Open-Source Backup Ledger 2026: 16 Projects Scored
Sixteen open-source backup projects scored on capability since 2016, credibility, sustainability, lock-in and support, from public records only.
Reports in this series
How the Open-Source Backup Ledger scores 16 projects: fixed anchors, public evidence only, separate rankings for platforms, tools and database tools.
Amanda was once a reference for tape backup, and its plain tar format still makes old backups easy to read.
BackupPC still does what it always did: agentless file backup of many machines into a deduplicated pool with a web console.
Bacula Community is still a capable tape-first backup system, and 15.0.2 brought real ransomware defences (immutable volumes, malware checks).
Bareos is the most complete open-source backup platform here and is moving fastest toward VMware leavers, but one small company writes most of the code.
Barman is EDB's centralised PostgreSQL backup manager and the backup engine behind CloudNativePG.
Borg is a trusted, audited deduplicating backup tool with append-only repositories, widely packaged and used.
Burp is a lean, secure network backup tool with built-in certificate handling and block dedupe, kept alive by one person.
Kopia is a fast, modern backup tool that also powers Kasten K10 and Velero, which keeps it well funded and active.
XtraBackup is the standard hot-backup tool for MySQL and the engine behind Percona's operators.
pgBackRest is the reference open-source PostgreSQL backup tool: parallel, incremental, encrypted, multi-repository. Its real risk is a single maintainer.
PBS is the most polished open-source backup product here, with live-restore, global dedupe, tape and S3, and a public roadmap it delivers on.
ReaR is the standard way to rebuild a failed Linux server or move it to new hardware, and it ships with RHEL and SLES.
restic is the most widely adopted tool in this Ledger: encrypted, deduplicated backups to almost any storage. A tool, not a platform: no central console.
UrBackup is the simplest route to image and file backup of Windows and Linux machines and easy to leave, but has no tape, object storage or VM integration.
WAL-G is the broadest database backup tool here, covering PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis and more with fast cloud-native backups.
For XCP-ng estates, Xen Orchestra is a complete backup and DR product released monthly, but it protects only Xen VMs and has no tape or physical agents.
Part of the Open-Source Backup Ledger (edition 2026-10-02). How the scores work: methodology. Each project links to its own report.
All projects, by Ledger Index
| Project | Kind | Capability /100 | Momentum | Credibility /25 | Sustainability risk /25 (lower better) | Lock-in /25 (lower better) | Support /20 | AI /20 | Ledger Index | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bareos | Backup platform | 75.4 | +16.2 | 20.5 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 15.5 | 1.5 | 67.7 | Vendor-led open platform, growing fastest |
| Xen Orchestra (backup) | Backup platform | 70.4 | +4.8 | 21.5 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 16.5 | 3.0 | 67.0 | Hypervisor-bound platform, fast cadence |
| Proxmox Backup Server | Backup platform | 70.6 | +4.0 | 21.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 16.5 | 2.0 | 66.2 | Ecosystem-bound platform, dependable builder |
| pgBackRest | Database backup tool | 63.4 | +0.0 | 22.5 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 1.0 | 63.9 | Single-maintainer reference tool |
| Barman | Database backup tool | 62.2 | +1.2 | 21.0 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 14.5 | 1.0 | 62.6 | Vendor-backed reference tool |
| WAL-G | Database backup tool | 62.8 | +0.0 | 20.5 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 12.0 | 1.0 | 61.3 | Multi-company collective |
| Percona XtraBackup | Database backup tool | 59.4 | +0.0 | 20.5 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 1.0 | 61.3 | Vendor-backed reference tool |
| Kopia | Backup tool | 59.6 | +0.0 | 20.0 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 11.0 | 1.5 | 58.3 | Vendor-sponsored engine |
| restic | Backup tool | 56.4 | +0.0 | 21.0 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 58.1 | Community tool, broad base |
| BorgBackup (with borgmatic) | Backup tool | 53.2 | +0.0 | 18.5 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 54.4 | Community tool, single lead |
| Relax-and-Recover (ReaR) | Backup tool | 47.6 | +0.0 | 18.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 14.5 | 0.5 | 54.2 | Distro-backed recovery framework |
| Bacula Community | Backup platform | 58.0 | +5.6 | 15.5 | 15.0 | 10.0 | 14.0 | 1.5 | 51.8 | Open-core platform with a thinning community edition |
| UrBackup | Backup platform | 49.4 | +0.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 1.0 | 46.7 | Founder-led niche platform |
| Burp | Backup platform | 38.2 | +0.0 | 11.0 | 17.0 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 35.2 | One-maintainer project |
| BackupPC | Backup platform | 38.0 | +0.0 | 8.5 | 17.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 33.9 | Revived, low velocity |
| Amanda Community | Backup platform | 39.8 | +0.0 | 6.0 | 21.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 31.6 | Dormant |
Backup platforms, by Ledger Index
| Project | Kind | Capability /100 | Momentum | Credibility /25 | Sustainability risk /25 (lower better) | Lock-in /25 (lower better) | Support /20 | AI /20 | Ledger Index | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bareos | Backup platform | 75.4 | +16.2 | 20.5 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 15.5 | 1.5 | 67.7 | Vendor-led open platform, growing fastest |
| Xen Orchestra (backup) | Backup platform | 70.4 | +4.8 | 21.5 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 16.5 | 3.0 | 67.0 | Hypervisor-bound platform, fast cadence |
| Proxmox Backup Server | Backup platform | 70.6 | +4.0 | 21.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 16.5 | 2.0 | 66.2 | Ecosystem-bound platform, dependable builder |
| Bacula Community | Backup platform | 58.0 | +5.6 | 15.5 | 15.0 | 10.0 | 14.0 | 1.5 | 51.8 | Open-core platform with a thinning community edition |
| UrBackup | Backup platform | 49.4 | +0.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 1.0 | 46.7 | Founder-led niche platform |
| Burp | Backup platform | 38.2 | +0.0 | 11.0 | 17.0 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 35.2 | One-maintainer project |
| BackupPC | Backup platform | 38.0 | +0.0 | 8.5 | 17.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 33.9 | Revived, low velocity |
| Amanda Community | Backup platform | 39.8 | +0.0 | 6.0 | 21.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 31.6 | Dormant |
Backup tools, by Ledger Index
| Project | Kind | Capability /100 | Momentum | Credibility /25 | Sustainability risk /25 (lower better) | Lock-in /25 (lower better) | Support /20 | AI /20 | Ledger Index | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kopia | Backup tool | 59.6 | +0.0 | 20.0 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 11.0 | 1.5 | 58.3 | Vendor-sponsored engine |
| restic | Backup tool | 56.4 | +0.0 | 21.0 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 58.1 | Community tool, broad base |
| BorgBackup (with borgmatic) | Backup tool | 53.2 | +0.0 | 18.5 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 54.4 | Community tool, single lead |
| Relax-and-Recover (ReaR) | Backup tool | 47.6 | +0.0 | 18.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 14.5 | 0.5 | 54.2 | Distro-backed recovery framework |
Database backup tools, by Ledger Index
| Project | Kind | Capability /100 | Momentum | Credibility /25 | Sustainability risk /25 (lower better) | Lock-in /25 (lower better) | Support /20 | AI /20 | Ledger Index | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pgBackRest | Database backup tool | 63.4 | +0.0 | 22.5 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 1.0 | 63.9 | Single-maintainer reference tool |
| Barman | Database backup tool | 62.2 | +1.2 | 21.0 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 14.5 | 1.0 | 62.6 | Vendor-backed reference tool |
| WAL-G | Database backup tool | 62.8 | +0.0 | 20.5 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 12.0 | 1.0 | 61.3 | Multi-company collective |
| Percona XtraBackup | Database backup tool | 59.4 | +0.0 | 20.5 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 1.0 | 61.3 | Vendor-backed reference tool |
Capability by domain today
| Domain | Bacula | Bareos | PBS | Amanda | UrBackup | Xen Orchestra | BackupPC | Burp | Borg | restic | Kopia | ReaR | pgBackRest | Barman | WAL-G | XtraBackup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual and physical servers (12) | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Databases and applications (12) | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Recovery (14) | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cyber resilience (14) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Storage efficiency and targets (10) | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Long-term retention and tape (6) | 4.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.5 |
| Replication and DR (10) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Security and compliance (8) | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| New-platform support (VMware exit) (8) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Management at scale and automation (6) | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 |
Capability by year
| Year | Bacula | Bareos | PBS | Amanda | UrBackup | Xen Orchestra | BackupPC | Burp | Borg | restic | Kopia | ReaR | pgBackRest | Barman | WAL-G | XtraBackup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 45.4 | 49.8 | n/a | 39.8 | 44.6 | 48.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 43.8 | 44.4 | n/a | 42.8 | 51.0 | 50.2 | n/a | 48.6 |
| 2017 | 45.4 | 49.8 | n/a | 39.8 | 44.6 | 48.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 43.8 | 44.4 | n/a | 42.8 | 51.0 | 50.2 | 45.6 | 48.6 |
| 2018 | 45.4 | 49.8 | n/a | 39.8 | 44.6 | 48.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 43.8 | 44.4 | n/a | 42.8 | 51.0 | 50.2 | 45.6 | 48.6 |
| 2019 | 51.6 | 58.0 | n/a | 39.8 | 49.4 | 57.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 52.4 | 47.0 | 45.4 | 44.2 | 57.2 | 53.4 | 53.2 | 52.4 |
| 2020 | 51.6 | 58.0 | 55.6 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 57.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 53.0 | 45.4 | 44.2 | 58.2 | 53.4 | 53.2 | 52.4 |
| 2021 | 51.6 | 58.0 | 65.2 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 57.8 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 53.0 | 45.4 | 44.2 | 58.2 | 53.4 | 53.2 | 52.4 |
| 2022 | 52.4 | 59.2 | 66.6 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 65.6 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 56.4 | 59.6 | 47.6 | 63.4 | 61.0 | 62.8 | 59.4 |
| 2023 | 52.4 | 60.4 | 68.0 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 69.6 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 56.4 | 59.6 | 47.6 | 63.4 | 61.0 | 62.8 | 59.4 |
| 2024 | 58.0 | 64.2 | 68.0 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 70.4 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 56.4 | 59.6 | 47.6 | 63.4 | 62.2 | 62.8 | 59.4 |
| 2025 | 58.0 | 74.8 | 68.6 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 70.4 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 56.4 | 59.6 | 47.6 | 63.4 | 62.2 | 62.8 | 59.4 |
| 2026 | 58.0 | 75.4 | 70.6 | 39.8 | 49.4 | 70.4 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 53.2 | 56.4 | 59.6 | 47.6 | 63.4 | 62.2 | 62.8 | 59.4 |
How to read these scores
- Capability uses the same ten domains as the commercial backup Ledger, so a project can be compared with Veeam or Commvault. Tools and database tools score low outside their purpose by design; compare them within their kind.
- Sustainability risk replaces commercial risk: it measures maintainer concentration, backer health, licence-change risk, abandonment signs and security response.
- The Ledger Index is shown only for 2023 onward, because credibility, risk and support are scored for that window only.
- Project-health figures come from the research agent's GitHub/GitLab API reads (2026-10-01/02). Several yearly commit columns are 100-commit samples rather than full counts; distinct authors and top-author share are the reliable signals.
Related reading
Download the data
Every score in this edition, free to reuse with a link back to this page.