If you’re looking to move off Backblaze, you have options. Real ones. Here are the 4 open-source, self-hostable alternatives I’ve tested, with honest notes on what each does well and where each falls short.
Why leave Backblaze?
- $99/year per computer for unlimited but limited restore speed.
- B2 pricing scales but egress fees add up during large restores.
- Reliance on their servers — offline access to your backups requires paid tiers.
The 4 best self-hosted alternatives to Backblaze
Restic
The gold standard for self-hosted backup. Point it at any storage backend (S3, B2, local, etc).
Visit Restic website →Duplicati
GUI-first backup. Nice for non-technical users. Slightly less bulletproof than Restic.
Visit Duplicati website →Borg + Borgmatic
Efficient dedup + encryption. Borgmatic makes it much easier to configure.
Visit Borg + Borgmatic website →Kopia
GUI + CLI backup. Growing quickly. Feature parity with Restic + easier UX.
Visit Kopia website →Quick comparison
| Alternative | Difficulty | License |
|---|---|---|
| Restic | Medium | BSD-2-Clause |
| Duplicati | Easy | MIT |
| Borg + Borgmatic | Medium | BSD-3-Clause |
| Kopia | Easy | Apache-2.0 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Backblaze?
Yes. Every tool listed above is free and open source. Some, like Restic, also have optional paid hosted tiers if you don’t want to run the server yourself. Everything else is genuinely free to self-host — you pay only for your own hardware and time.
Which one should I pick if I’ve never self-hosted anything before?
Start with Duplicati. It’s the lowest-friction option here — realistic to have running in an afternoon on a small server or Raspberry Pi. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, Duplicati is a good second try.
Can I run these on a Raspberry Pi?
Most of them, yes — the tools marked Easy here will comfortably run on a Pi 4 or Pi 5 with 4GB+ of RAM. The Medium tools may work but appreciate a mini PC or a spare desktop. Hard-tagged tools generally want real server hardware.
What about mobile apps?
It varies. Tools like Vaultwarden and Immich have native iOS/Android apps that connect to your server. Others rely on the web UI through your phone browser — fine for occasional use, not a full app experience.