Hoard

Hoard is a cross-platform game-save service for players who move between computers and want automatic protection against lost progress. It is particularly suitable for users who value permanent rollback history or want to run the service themselves. The main trade-off is that its inexpensive Free plan is tightly capped, while several alternatives avoid a subscription by using local or personally owned storage.

Overview

Hoard notices when you stop playing and synchronizes your saves automatically, so routine backups do not depend on remembering a manual command. If two machines contain different versions, the newest save takes precedence and the other is stored locally. That is a sensible safety net, but it is not a merge system: anyone who needs to compare or reconcile both branches must inspect the local copy.

Snapshots remain available indefinitely and can be restored manually to an earlier point. This gives long-term protection from a corrupted or unwanted save, although recovery requires an explicit restore rather than happening automatically. SHA-256 checks are applied to files and repeated during restoration, adding a concrete integrity check to the process.

Key features

Game discovery covers Steam, Epic, GOG, Proton and Wine libraries, with the Ludusavi manifest providing coverage for thousands of titles. Hoard says save paths for 71 games have been checked by hand; that is useful reassurance for those titles, while the wider manifest-based coverage is less specific. Saves can be exported in their original game format on every tier, including Free, so leaving the service does not require converting files.

Snapshots are encrypted at rest, connections between the app and server use TLS, and save data is stored in the EU without replication outside it. Anonymous diagnostics are enabled by default but can be disabled without changing how the service works. A Discord community and contact page provide support routes. The project is credited to solo developer Raimundo León Oliva.

Self-hosting uses the same Rust binary under the AGPL-3.0 license. It requires no account and imposes no quotas, making it the strongest option for technically confident users who want control over deployment and limits rather than a hosted account.

Pricing

Free is appropriate for a small library and up to three machines, but the storage ceiling and per-save limit can become restrictive for large collections or unusually big saves. Pro is aimed at households or players using many devices, and its 100 GB allowance leaves substantially more room for retained snapshots. There is no free trial, so upgrading is a paid commitment from the first month. Self-hosting is an alternative to both hosted plans when you can operate the software yourself.

Platforms

Hoard supports Linux, macOS and Windows, and it can also be self-hosted. Cloud synchronization and automatic backup are supported; scheduled backups are not. Restores are manual, so players seeking scheduled jobs or automatic recovery should account for that workflow.

Who it's for

Choose Hoard if you switch between supported desktop platforms, want saves synchronized without a post-session routine, and value indefinite snapshots with an export path. Free fits a limited three-device setup. Pro makes more sense for a growing library, larger saves or unlimited devices. Self-hosting suits users comfortable managing a Rust-based service and who prefer no account or quotas.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Automatic post-session syncing reduces the chance of forgetting a backup.
• Indefinite snapshots provide a durable rollback history.
• Newest-save conflict handling preserves the losing copy locally.
• SHA-256 verification and original-format export strengthen recovery and portability.
• Self-hosting removes account and quota requirements.
• EU storage, encryption at rest and TLS address important privacy and transport concerns.

Cons

• Free is limited to 2 GB, three devices and a 1 GB–1.5 GB save-size range.
• Conflict resolution chooses the newest file rather than merging versions.
• Restores are manual and scheduled backups are absent.
• Anonymous diagnostics start enabled, even though they can be turned off.
• There is no free trial for evaluating Pro.

Alternatives

Game Save Managers is the broader category guide for comparing this type of software. Pick Checkpoint64 instead if you want team-oriented spaces and can accept its 20 MiB-per-space Free limit; Pro is €5 a month and allows five seats. SaveState suits users who want a free, no-account local backup tool with optional cloud sync across Android and desktop platforms.

EmuSync is a free option for Linux and Windows users seeking software with no subscription or paywall. Choose Game Backup Monitor for an open-source local monitor with unlimited games and 7-Zip compression, while cloud use requires your own provider and sync client. Game Save Genie is preferable when you want no subscription and intend to use your own cloud storage.

Ludusavi is a free, portable MIT-licensed executable for Windows, Linux or Mac. OpenSave is a free open-source choice with no subscription, ads or telemetry and no Pro tier. QSave fits Mac and Windows users who want a free open-source tool that sends saves to their own Google Drive.

Verdict

Hoard is a strong choice for players who want automatic cross-device syncing, permanent version history and a self-hosting route, with useful integrity checks and export on the Free tier. Look elsewhere if you need scheduled backups, automatic restoration, branch merging or a free plan without tight storage and device limits.