Duplicacy

Duplicacy is file-backup software for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a Web Edition and a scriptable CLI. It suits people who want to choose their own storage destination and are comfortable with licenses tied to individual computers. Its strongest case is destination flexibility and free personal CLI backups; the trade-offs are file-only coverage and optional, not automatic, encryption.

Overview

Backups cover files, and restores are file-level; Duplicacy does not provide mobile backup. It can send data to cloud providers, local disks, and SFTP servers, including computers and NAS boxes. Its lock-free deduplication uses a two-step fossil-collection process to remove unreferenced chunks without a centralized chunk database, a useful design for storage setups that should not depend on one shared chunk database.

Encryption requires a choice during storage initialization: set a password to encrypt the storage, or leave it empty and the storage remains unencrypted. That flexibility is practical, but users who require encrypted backups need to make the choice deliberately at setup.

Key features

• Web Edition: Handles backup, restore, check, copy, and prune, with scheduling and email notifications. Its dashboard shows storage and backup status graphically, making it the better fit for users who prefer an at-a-glance interface.
• Command line: The CLI can run manually or from scripts, and its source code is available on GitHub. Personal file backups on a home computer are free; CLI restore, check, copy, and prune operations also require no license.
• Storage choices: Documented setups include Microsoft Azure, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, and MinIO. The combination of cloud, local-disk, and SFTP destinations gives administrators and home users room to use existing storage.
• Provider branding: Service providers can customize the Web GUI with their own software name and logo, and volume discounts are available to providers and resellers.

Pricing

The personal GUI license is for personal files unrelated to employment or for-profit activity, includes public forum support, and is limited to one home computer per license. The first computer costs $20 a year for the first year, then $5 a year for each subsequent year. Each additional computer costs $10 a year for the first year and $2 a year for each subsequent year. This is the relevant option for household users who want the Web Edition, but the per-computer terms matter when covering multiple machines.

The commercial GUI license costs $50 a year per computer, billed each year, with no file-use limitation and private ticket support. It fits work or for-profit use; unlike personal pricing, its annual per-computer cost does not fall in subsequent years. The CLI license is $50 a year for one computer and also includes private ticket support. By contrast, CLI personal file backups on a home computer are free, as are CLI restore, check, copy, and prune operations.

Web Edition downloads a fully functional 30-day trial license automatically when used to run backups without a license. That offers a way to assess the GUI before buying, but the trial does not change the license limits for ongoing use.

Platforms

Duplicacy supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its computer-focused, file-level approach makes it a reasonable fit for desktop and server backup across those systems, but not for readers seeking mobile backup or whole-device imaging.

Who it's for

Choose Duplicacy if you need file backups across cloud, local, or SFTP storage, value a choice between a graphical interface and scriptable CLI, or want free personal CLI backups on a home computer. It is less suitable if you need mobile backup, image-level recovery, or encryption without an explicit setup choice. Organizations should account for a separate commercial license for each GUI computer.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Cloud, local-disk, and SFTP destinations—including NAS boxes—support varied backup arrangements without tying the workflow to one destination type.
• Pro: Free personal CLI backup and license-free CLI restore, check, copy, and prune make command-line use practical without a paid license for those uses.
• Pro: The Web Edition combines scheduling, email notifications, and a graphical status dashboard with backup and maintenance operations.
• Con: Backup and restore are file-level, and mobile backup is absent, so it does not cover whole-device or mobile needs.
• Con: Encryption depends on setting a password during storage initialization; leaving it empty leaves storage unencrypted.
• Con: GUI licensing is per computer, and commercial use costs $50 a year per computer.

Alternatives

IDrive is worth considering if you need mobile platforms alongside desktop systems or want a plan with a stated storage quota, such as IDrive Mini at $0.25 a month for 100 GB and one user.

Synology Photos is a free option to consider if you need a photo-focused tool and already have a Synology NAS.

Bareos offers a free community edition with public repository access and complete source code; consider it if that community-edition model better fits your needs.

Duplicati is another freemium backup option, with a free plan that monitors up to 2 machines and shows the last 200 backups.

MSP360 Backup has a free personal workstation plan that includes file and image-based backup, making it a candidate if image-based coverage is important.

EaseUS Todo Backup offers a free plan for file, system, disk, and partition backup and recovery; consider it when that broader recovery scope matters more than Duplicacy's storage choices.

AOMEI Backupper has a perpetually free Windows PC backup plan, so it may suit readers who need a Windows-only option.

Iperius Backup is another free option for Windows and Windows Server support.

For broader comparisons, see NAS Backup Software and Backup software.

Verdict

Duplicacy is a strong fit for technically comfortable users who want file backups to a range of cloud, local, or SFTP destinations, especially those happy to use the CLI for free personal home-computer backups. Its main reasons to look elsewhere are equally clear: it does not cover mobile or whole-device backup, encryption must be enabled at setup, and GUI use carries per-computer license costs.