Alternatives to Apple Time Machine
Built-in macOS backup tool that takes hourly snapshots automatically. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Apple Time Machine
Built-in macOS backup tool that takes hourly snapshots automatically.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Apple Time Machine.
Arq
Encrypted backup software for Mac and Windows that stores backups in your own cloud account or disk.
Arq is paid software for Mac and Windows that adds end-to-end encryption and backs up to your own cloud account or local disk.
Backblaze Computer Backup
Unlimited automatic cloud backup for a single Mac or Windows PC at a flat monthly price.
Backblaze Computer Backup sends one Mac to unlimited cloud storage for a flat monthly price instead of a local external drive.
Carbonite
Automatic, encrypted cloud backup service for personal computers with unlimited storage and file restoration.
Carbonite provides automatic encrypted cloud backup with unlimited storage on personal plans, replacing the local drive with a paid subscription.
Vorta
A desktop front end for BorgBackup, so encrypted deduplicated backups stop being a cron job.
Vorta is a free open source desktop front end for BorgBackup on macOS and Linux, adding encrypted deduplicated backups to disks or SSH servers.
Kopia
An encrypted snapshot backup tool with both a command line and a proper desktop app, pointed at whatever storage you choose.
Kopia is free Apache-2.0 snapshot backup with a desktop app, encryption and deduplication, running on macOS, Windows and Linux against many storage types.
Acronis True Image
Personal backup application from Acronis that combines image-based backup with anti-malware protection.
Acronis True Image is paid image-based backup for macOS and Windows that adds anti-malware protection and an optional cloud destination.
Duplicati
A backup client with a web interface that encrypts your files and pushes them to more than twenty cloud services.
Duplicati is free MIT-licensed software with a web interface that encrypts backups and pushes them to many cloud services on macOS, Windows and Linux.
IDrive
Cloud backup service that protects multiple computers, phones and servers under one account.
IDrive is a freemium cloud service covering several computers and phones under one account, with storage capped by plan.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Apple Time Machine as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Carbon Copy Cloner
A macOS backup app that makes scheduled copies, snapshots and bootable backups of your drives.
Apple Time Machine is built into macOS for free with automatic hourly snapshots, but it does not make bootable clones or offer filter rules.
Get Backup Pro
A Mac app for incremental backups, encrypted archives, bootable disk clones and folder syncing.
Apple Time Machine is built into macOS for free and takes automatic hourly snapshots, but it does not make bootable clones or sync folders.
SuperDuper!
Mac utility that makes fully bootable copies of a startup disk on an external drive.
Apple Time Machine is free and built into macOS, taking automatic hourly snapshots to an external drive or network share rather than making a bootable clone of the startup disk.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Windows File History
Built-in Windows tool that versions files to an external or network drive.
Timeshift
System restore for Linux: scheduled snapshots you can roll back to after an update goes wrong.
Back In Time
Graphical front-end for incremental rsync backups on Linux.
BorgBackup
A deduplicating archiver for Linux, macOS and BSD that makes daily backups cost almost nothing beyond the day’s changes.
restic
A single-executable backup program that makes encrypted, deduplicated snapshots and can send them almost anywhere.
Déjà Dup
GNOME's backup app: pick folders and a destination, and it handles encryption, scheduling and versions for you.
