pgBackRest vs pg_probackup

pgBackRest8.5Visit PPpg_probackup8.3Visit

Higher score pgBackRest #6 in Database Backup Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit pgBackRest

vs

PP pg_probackup #8 in Database Backup Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit pg_probackup

• pgBackRest fits best

  Production PostgreSQL backups

• pg_probackup fits best

  Advanced PostgreSQL retention and restores

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Side by side

Feature	pgBackRest 8.5/10 Visit ↗	PPpg_probackup 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	8.3
Ranking	#6 in Database Backup Software	#8 in Database Backup Software
Best for	Production PostgreSQL backups	Advanced PostgreSQL retention and restores
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux	Windows, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features pgBackRest 2/2 · pg_probackup 2/2
Point-in-time recovery	✓	✓
Restore verification	✓	✓
Specs
Backup frequency	Not checked yet	Continuous
Retention period	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Self_hosted	Self_hosted
Supported databases	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL; Postgres Pro Standard; Postgres Pro Enterprise; Postgres Pro Shardman
Our review
Pros	Parallel backup and restore with full, differential, and incremental modes Point-in-time recovery with WAL archives and asynchronous WAL handling Encrypted repositories, checksums, restore verification, and delta restore	Point-in-time recovery with WAL archives and continuous backup support Page-level incremental modes plus partial and incremental restore Validation, retention policies, deduplication and parallel operations
Cons	Supports PostgreSQL rather than multiple database engines Requires self-hosted Linux deployment and operational ownership Scheduling and retention require configuration instead of fixed plan defaults	Focused on PostgreSQL-family databases rather than broad database coverage Self-hosted command-line deployment requires database administration expertise No AI features or published paid plan structure
Our verdict	pgBackRest is open-source backup and restore software for PostgreSQL administrators managing production databases, replicas, disaster recovery workflows, and large database workloads. It supports full, differential, and incremental… Read the review →	pg_probackup is an open-source command-line utility for managing backups and recovery of PostgreSQL database clusters. It is designed for database administrators operating self-hosted PostgreSQL, Postgres Pro Standard, Postgres Pro… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• pgBackRest — where it wins

  • Parallel backup and restore with full, differential, and incremental modes
  • Point-in-time recovery with WAL archives and asynchronous WAL handling
  • Encrypted repositories, checksums, restore verification, and delta restore

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports PostgreSQL rather than multiple database engines
  • Requires self-hosted Linux deployment and operational ownership
  • Scheduling and retention require configuration instead of fixed plan defaults

• pg_probackup — where it wins

  • Point-in-time recovery with WAL archives and continuous backup support
  • Page-level incremental modes plus partial and incremental restore
  • Validation, retention policies, deduplication and parallel operations

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on PostgreSQL-family databases rather than broad database coverage
  • Self-hosted command-line deployment requires database administration expertise
  • No AI features or published paid plan structure

• pgBackRest8.5/10 · Free plan

  A capable, free PostgreSQL backup system for Linux teams comfortable managing infrastructure.

  Visit pgBackRestFull verdict →
• PPpg_probackup8.3/10 · Free plan

  A focused open-source choice for advanced PostgreSQL backup, retention and recovery.

  Visit pg_probackupFull verdict →