Best Free Backup Software 2026: 7 Options Compared

Free backup tools fall into two styles. Image backup tools such as Veeam Agent for Windows and AOMEI Backupper copy a whole disk so you can restore a dead computer in one go, and they suit people who want a click-through wizard. File-level tools such as restic, BorgBackup and Duplicati keep versioned, encrypted copies of chosen folders and send them to a drive, a server or a cloud bucket, which is better for documents and for backing up over the internet. UrBackup and Bacula target many machines from one server and are for people who administer a small network. IDrive's Basic plan is the only entry here that includes storage, with a 10 GB free allowance. The trade-off is usability against control: command-line tools are free and flexible but you write and test the schedule yourself, while the wizard tools are friendlier but often hold advanced features back for paid editions. Whatever you choose, follow the 3-2-1 habit of three copies on two kinds of media with one off-site, and run a test restore before you trust it, because a backup you never restored is only a hope.

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free

Free standalone agent for desktops and laptops that takes image, volume and file backups with bootable recovery media. It is not meant for servers or multi-user business setups, and the download needs an email form.

Price: Free (Free standalone agent for desktops, laptops and tablets; not meant for servers or multi-user business setups) (Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary (free edition).

Best for: Full-disk images on one Windows PC.

AOMEI Backupper

Standard edition is free on Windows for OS, disk and file backup, sync, clone and bootable media. Paid editions exist; Mac is a separate product, and no prices were listed on the page.

Price: Free (Standard edition: OS, disk, file backup, sync, clone and bootable media) (AOMEI Backupper pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.

Best for: Wizard-driven Windows backup and cloning.

Duplicati

Free MIT-core client for encrypted incremental backups to cloud and file servers on Windows, macOS and Linux. Some files sit under a separate license, and you manage schedules in a web UI.

Price: Free (free client; proprietary folder under separate license) (Duplicati pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. MIT (core) (open source).

Project activity: 15.2k GitHub stars · latest release v2.4.0.1_stable_2026-10-07 (Oct 7, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Backups to cloud storage you control.

Worth knowing: Encrypted incremental backups to cloud and file servers.

restic

BSD-2-Clause command-line tool for encrypted, deduplicated backups to local, SFTP, S3 and other storage. No GUI, so it suits people comfortable with scripts and schedulers.

Price: Free (free, open source) (restic pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD. BSD-2-Clause (open source).

Project activity: 36.8k GitHub stars · latest release v0.19.1 (Jul 5, 2026) · last commit Oct 18, 2026

Best for: Technical users who want simple, fast repositories.

Worth knowing: Command-line, encrypted, deduplicated backups to local, SFTP, S3 and other storage.

BorgBackup

BSD-3-Clause deduplicating backup for Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, Windows experimental. The Borg2 branch is described as beta, so check which release you install for real backups.

Price: Free (Free and open source; no paid plan listed) (BorgBackup pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows (experimental). BSD-3-Clause (open source).

Project activity: 13.9k GitHub stars · latest release 1.4.5 (Jul 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Efficient backups on Linux and Mac.

UrBackup

AGPL-3.0 file and image backup with a web interface and bare-metal restore from a USB stick. You run a server, which is more work than one-PC tools but handles many machines.

Price: Free (free and open source) (UrBackup pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, macOS (client). AGPL-3.0+ (open source).

Best for: A home or small office with several PCs.

Worth knowing: File and image backups with a web interface; bare-metal restore from a USB stick.

IDrive

Basic plan gives 10 GB with no credit card, on Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile. It is the only entry with hosted storage; the 5 TB Personal plan starts at $6.99 a month in year one.

Price: Free (Basic plan: 10 GB, no credit card required); paid from $6.99 per month, 5 TB Personal plan billed yearly (first-year price; $11.99 billed monthly) (IDrive pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Cloud copies without running a server.

Worth knowing: Discounted price applies to the first year; standard pricing applies from year two.

Which one to pick

• You want to image a whole Windows PC before an upgrade: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free
• You want encrypted backups to cloud storage with a web interface: Duplicati
• You are comfortable with the command line and want speed: restic
• You look after five or more computers at home or work: UrBackup
• You want off-site storage without setting up a server: IDrive