Best Kubernetes Backup Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Velero is ranked #1 of 30 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Google Kubernetes Engine and Afi Kubernetes Backup. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Google Kubernetes Engine. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Kubernetes Engine at $0.10/mo.
Kubernetes backup software can support protection and recovery for application data and persistent volumes. Compared on application consistency, persistent volume backup, backup frequency, and retention options, these entries also show cross-cluster restore and immutable backups. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. Google Kubernetes Engine, KubeSphere Backup, and Plakar are among the options. Consider the clusters and workloads you need to protect, how often backups should run, and what recovery paths matter if data must be restored across clusters. Retention details can help you assess how each option aligns with your recovery requirements.
30 Kubernetes backup software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
13 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VeleroWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | Google Kubernetes EngineWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $0.10/mo | 6.5 | |
| 3 | Afi Kubernetes BackupWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $140/mo | 6.4 | |
| 4 | KubeSphere BackupWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $65/mo | 6.4 | |
| 5 | PlakarWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 6 | Storware Backup & RecoveryWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 7 | Veeam Agent for MacMac | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 8 | Vinchin Backup & RecoveryWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | KubeStashSelf-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 10 | Rancher Backup and Restore OperatorLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 11 | StashSelf-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 12 | Veeam Kasten for KubernetesWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | VolSyncSelf-hosted | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 14 | Dell APEX AIOps Incident ManagementWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 15 | Trilio Site RecoveryLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | Bacula EnterpriseWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | Cohesity SiteContinuityWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | RetourWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | BnkrWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 20 | K8upNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 21 | Portworx EnterpriseWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 22 | AWS Backup for Amazon EKSWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 23 | CloudCasaWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $69/mo | 5.0 |
| 24 | Cohesity Kubernetes Backup and RecoveryWeb · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | Commvault Cloud Kubernetes BackupWeb · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $90/mo | 5.0 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Application consistency | Persistent volume backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Velero | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | — | — | both | Yes |
| 2 | Google Kubernetes Engine | 6.5 | Free plan | $0.10/mo | No | 9 /mo | both | Yes |
| 3 | Afi Kubernetes Backup | 6.4 | Free plan | $140/mo | — | 140 /mo | application-consistent | Yes |
| 4 | KubeSphere Backup | 6.4 | Free plan | $65/mo | Yes | 65 /mo | — | Yes |
| 5 | Plakar | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | Storware Backup & Recovery | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | Veeam Agent for Mac | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | Vinchin Backup & Recovery | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | KubeStash | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | Yes |
| 10 | Rancher Backup and Restore Operator | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | No |
| 11 | Stash | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 12 | Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | VolSync | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | — | — | crash-consistent | Yes |
| 14 | Dell APEX AIOps Incident Management | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 15 | Trilio Site Recovery | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Bacula Enterprise | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 17 | Cohesity SiteContinuity | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | application-consistent | Yes |
| 18 | Retour | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | both | Yes |
| 19 | Bnkr | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | K8up | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | both | Yes |
| 21 | Portworx Enterprise | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | both | Yes |
| 22 | AWS Backup for Amazon EKS | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | — | Yes |
| 23 | CloudCasa | 5.0 | No | $69/mo | No | 69 /mo | both | Yes |
| 24 | Cohesity Kubernetes Backup and Recovery | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | both | Yes |
| 25 | Commvault Cloud Kubernetes Backup | 5.0 | No | $90/mo | No | — | both | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Kubernetes backup software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Velero is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 6.6. Google Kubernetes Engine is second and Afi Kubernetes Backup third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Google Kubernetes Engine has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.