Alternatives to Back In Time
Graphical front-end for incremental rsync backups on Linux. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Back In Time
Graphical front-end for incremental rsync backups on Linux.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Back In Time.
Timeshift
System restore for Linux: scheduled snapshots you can roll back to after an update goes wrong.
Timeshift also uses rsync snapshots on Linux but focuses on system files for rolling back updates, and can use native BTRFS snapshots.
Déjà Dup
GNOME's backup app: pick folders and a destination, and it handles encryption, scheduling and versions for you.
Déjà Dup is a GNOME backup app that adds encryption, compression and cloud destinations, using Restic underneath instead of rsync hard links.
Pika Backup
A GNOME front end for BorgBackup: plug in a USB drive, pick folders, and it handles the rest.
Pika Backup is a GNOME front end for BorgBackup, adding deduplication and encryption with local and remote destinations, for Linux only.
Vorta
A desktop front end for BorgBackup, so encrypted deduplicated backups stop being a cron job.
Vorta is a desktop Borg front end for Linux and macOS that adds encrypted, deduplicated backups to local disks, SSH servers or hosting services.
rsnapshot
Filesystem snapshot backups using rsync and hard links.
rsnapshot uses the same rsync and hard link approach from the command line on Linux and macOS, with no graphical interface.
Kopia
An encrypted snapshot backup tool with both a command line and a proper desktop app, pointed at whatever storage you choose.
Kopia adds encryption, compression and deduplication with a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, but snapshots are not plain browsable folders.
Grsync
Graphical front end for rsync with saved sessions.
Grsync is a GTK front end for rsync with saved sessions across Windows, macOS and Linux, but it does not keep hard-linked snapshots.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Back In Time as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
rdiff-backup
Reverse incremental backup that keeps the newest copy as a plain mirror.
Back In Time gives a Linux graphical front end to hard-linked rsync snapshots that restore from a file manager, but still has no built-in encryption.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
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.
Apple Time Machine
Built-in macOS backup tool that takes hourly snapshots automatically.
Windows File History
Built-in Windows tool that versions files to an external or network drive.
Snapper
A Linux command-line tool for creating and managing filesystem snapshots so system changes can be undone.
