Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SpiderOak VS Duplicity

Compare SpiderOak VS Duplicity and see what are their differences

SpiderOak logo SpiderOak

SpiderOak makes it possible for you to privately store, sync, share & access your data from everywhere.

Duplicity logo Duplicity

Duplicity backs directories by producing encrypted tar-format volumes and uploading them to a remote or local file server.
  • SpiderOak Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18
  • Duplicity Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

SpiderOak features and specs

  • Zero-Knowledge Privacy
    SpiderOak employs a zero-knowledge privacy policy, meaning that the service is incapable of reading the users' data. This ensures that all user data is encrypted before it leaves the user's device and only the user has access to the encryption keys.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    SpiderOak supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. This makes it versatile and accessible for users on different devices.
  • End-to-End Encryption
    Files are encrypted from end-to-end, ensuring that they remain secure during transit. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access by intermediaries.
  • Version History and Deleted File Retention
    SpiderOak allows users to access previous versions of files and recover deleted files, which can be crucial for data recovery and management.
  • Collaboration Features
    SpiderOak provides ShareRooms which allow users to share files and folders securely with others, making it useful for team collaboration.
  • No Storage Limit for Premium Plans
    With their premium plans, SpiderOak offers unlimited storage, so users do not have to worry about hitting a storage cap.

Possible disadvantages of SpiderOak

  • Cost
    Compared to some other cloud storage services, SpiderOak can be relatively expensive, especially for users who only need basic features.
  • Interface
    The user interface can be perceived as less intuitive and more complex compared to some of its competitors, potentially requiring a steeper learning curve for new users.
  • No Free Plan
    SpiderOak does not offer a free storage plan, which might deter potential users who are looking for a no-cost solution.
  • Limited Third-Party Integration
    SpiderOak has fewer third-party app integrations compared to other cloud storage services, which might limit its usage for users who rely on specific productivity tools.
  • Slower Sync Speeds
    Users have reported that sync speeds can be slower when compared to other cloud storage providers, which can hinder productivity for those needing rapid file synchronization.

Duplicity features and specs

  • Encrypted Backups
    Duplicity uses GnuPG to encrypt and sign backups, ensuring that data is secure and protected from unauthorized access.
  • Incremental Backups
    Supports incremental backups which only save the changes made since the last backup, reducing storage requirements and speeding up the backup process.
  • Storage Flexibility
    Supports various backends for backup storage including local files, FTP, SCP, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and others, giving users flexible storage options.
  • Bandwidth Efficiency
    Uploads bandwidth-efficient tar-format volumes using rsync or ssh+rsync, optimizing network usage.
  • Open Source
    Duplicity is open source software, meaning it is free to use and the codebase can be reviewed and modified by the community.
  • Cross-Platform
    Available on various operating systems including Unix-like systems (Linux, macOS) and Windows, making it versatile for different user environments.

Possible disadvantages of Duplicity

  • Complex Configuration
    Has a steep learning curve and complex configuration setup which may be challenging for non-technical users or those new to backup management.
  • Dependency on External Libraries
    Relies on several external libraries such as GnuPG and Python, which may complicate installation and maintenance.
  • Command Line Interface
    Lacks a graphical user interface (GUI), requiring users to operate through a command line, potentially limiting its usability for those unfamiliar with command-line operations.
  • Backup Speed
    Incremental backups can still be relatively slow, especially for large datasets or when using certain storage backends.
  • Restoration Time
    Restoring data can be time-consuming, particularly if multiple incremental backups need to be reassembled to recover the most recent version of files.
  • Limited Community Support
    Though it is open source, the community around Duplicity is smaller compared to more mainstream backup solutions, potentially leading to slower support and fewer third-party resources.

Analysis of Duplicity

Overall verdict

  • Duplicity is considered a highly capable backup software, especially appreciated for its encryption and compatibility with multiple storage solutions. However, its command-line nature might present a learning curve for those unfamiliar with terminal operations. Overall, it is well-regarded in tech communities for its flexibility and security features.

Why this product is good

  • Duplicity is a reliable and versatile backup solution that supports encrypted, versioned, and incremental backups. It utilizes the rsync algorithm and supports a wide range of backends, offering secure and confidential data storage over various protocols like FTP, SSH, and cloud services. Its robust encryption ensures data security during transfer and storage. Additionally, it provides command-line functionality, allowing advanced users to automate and customize their backup operations effectively.

Recommended for

  • Tech-savvy users comfortable with command-line interfaces
  • Individuals or organizations needing encrypted backups
  • Users requiring incremental backups and version control
  • Linux users seeking open-source backup solutions

SpiderOak videos

Sync.com vs SpiderOak: A Zero-Knowledge Battle

More videos:

  • Review - SpiderOak Review 2016 | THE BEST CLOUD BACKUP WITH SYNCING?
  • Review - SpiderOak Review: Cloud Storage and Backup

Duplicity videos

Duplicity Movie Review: Beyond The Trailer

More videos:

  • Review - "Duplicity" (Funny Movie Review)
  • Review - Duplicity Spill Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SpiderOak and Duplicity)
Cloud Storage
84 84%
16% 16
File Sharing
84 84%
16% 16
Encrypted Cloud Storage
100 100%
0% 0
File Sharing And Backup
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare SpiderOak and Duplicity

SpiderOak Reviews

Looking for Dropbox Alternatives? These 5 Should Be on Your List
In general, SpiderOak is a service that you need to try out first if you want a reliable Dropbox alternative. Certainly not the cheapest at $14 per month for a 2TB while pCloud offers $9.99 per month for the same amount of storage and great features as well.
13 Best Free Dropbox Alternatives for File Sharing
Sign up on the SpiderOak Website is SSL secured and very easy to do. Once you sign up, you have to download their standard installer. The installer will run you through the typical dialogue for installation. Unlike other backup solutions, SpiderOak offers installer software for major OSes such as Linux, Mac and Windows. Upon sign up, you will be given a free storage of 2GB....
Source: brainyhubs.com
Top 11 Best Dropbox Alternatives in 2020: Which Is The Most Secure?
SpiderOak ONE doesn’t offer a free plan, so it’s not better than Dropbox in that regard. That said, no free plan is common for online backup services. SpiderOak ONE’s plans are expensive, too. Dropbox’s 1TB plan is $9.99 per month compared to SpiderOak ONE’s 400GB plan for $11 per month.
8 Best Dropbox Alternatives
SpiderOak is a suite of cloud storage apps for businesses. Although their service is made for businesses, they do offer a cloud storage backup service called SpiderOak One. The best part about SpiderOak is that their apps are built with privacy and security in mind.
Running Out of Room in Dropbox? Here are 11 Dropbox Alternatives That Offer WAY More Free Cloud Storage
SpiderOak provides 2 GB of space for free and 100 GB for a cost of $10.00 per month. SpiderOak promises a secure back-up system. Users will never need to worry about losing a file again.

Duplicity Reviews

25 Outstanding Backup Utilities for Linux Systems in 2020
Duplicity is a free open source, secure and bandwidth-efficient backup tool based on rsync. It creates encrypted backups of directories in tar-format archives and backs them on the local or remote machine over SSH. When launched for the first time, it performs a full backup, and in subsequent backups in the future, it only records parts of files that have changed.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Duplicity should be more popular than SpiderOak. It has been mentiond 12 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

SpiderOak mentions (2)

Duplicity mentions (12)

  • Restic: Backups Done Right
    Other popular choices include borg, duplicity, and duplicati. After evaluating these and others mentioned in the comments, I ended up using borg with borgmatic to define homelab backups with yaml files that are version controlled in gitea and deployed using ansible. I also use duplicity to back up my sister in laws storefront website to backblaze. I've been quite happy with both.... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Are small ceph clusters viable?
    Overbuilt and OTT? Sure... But this works fantastically for my use case. I have current backups of everything except my media library because of the size of it; my VM's are all backed up to my Synology nightly using Backy2, my application data gets dumped to that same Synology NAS nightly as well, and all of that also gets synced to Glacier deep storage once a week using Duplicity. I'm going to be adding a new ZFS... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Most used selfhosted services in 2022?
    There are some backup tools in this thread. Duplicati, rsync, restic, Duplicity, Syncthing. Source: over 2 years ago
  • reposting help with bash script
    Here are a couple of projects that implement what you seem to be trying to do: https://duplicity.gitlab.io , https://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/en/stable/index.html# . You could either use them or just look at the scripts for ideas Writing your own script is a great exercise but a robust, historical and conveniently accessible backup system is more complicated. (I personally use rsnapshot to an encrypted drive... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Simple backup tools for Fedora?
    GUI based on https://duplicity.gitlab.io/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SpiderOak and Duplicity, you can also consider the following products

Dropbox - Online Sync and File Sharing

Duplicati - Free backup software to store backups online with strong encryption. Works with FTP, SSH, WebDAV, OneDrive, Amazon S3, Google Drive and many others.

Mega - Secure File Storage and collaboration

rsync - rsync is a file transfer program for Unix systems. rsync uses the "rsync algorithm" which provides a very fast method for bringing remote files into sync.

Box - Box offers secure content management and collaboration for individuals, teams and businesses, enabling secure file sharing and access to your files online.

Borg Backup - Deduplicating backup program with compression and authenticated encryption