Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Time Machine VS Duplicacy

Compare Time Machine VS Duplicacy and see what are their differences

Time Machine logo Time Machine

Time Machine is the breakthrough automatic backup that’s built right into Mac OS X.

Duplicacy logo Duplicacy

A new generation cross-platform cloud backup tool
  • Time Machine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-24
  • Duplicacy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-20

Time Machine features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Time Machine is built into macOS, making it simple and intuitive for Mac users to back up their data automatically without needing additional software.
  • Automatic Backups
    Automatically backs up the entire system, including apps, music, photos, emails, and documents, at regular intervals without user intervention.
  • Versioning
    Maintains multiple versions of files, allowing users to revert to earlier versions or recover deleted files easily.
  • Seamless Integration
    Integrates seamlessly with macOS, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility with other native Apple applications and features.
  • Incremental Backups
    After the initial full backup, Time Machine only backs up changed files, saving space and reducing backup time.

Possible disadvantages of Time Machine

  • Storage Requirements
    Requires a significant amount of storage space, especially for the first full backup, which can be cumbersome for users with limited storage capacity.
  • Mac-Only
    Exclusively available for macOS users, which limits its utility for those using other operating systems.
  • External Drive Dependence
    Requires an external hard drive or Time Capsule for backup, which can be an additional cost and inconvenience for users who do not already own one.
  • Initial Backup Time
    The initial backup process can be time-consuming, depending on the amount of data that needs to be backed up.
  • Network Performance
    Backing up over a network can sometimes affect performance and speed, especially on slower networks or with large amounts of data.

Duplicacy features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Duplicacy is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible for users with different operating systems.
  • Deduplication
    The software uses advanced deduplication technology to save space by storing only one copy of identical files across backups.
  • Encryption
    Duplicacy supports end-to-end encryption to ensure that your backup data is secure and protected from unauthorized access.
  • Versioning
    It provides the ability to keep multiple versions of each file, allowing users to restore files from different points in time.
  • Cloud Storage Support
    Duplicacy supports various cloud storage providers including Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and others, offering flexibility in backup destinations.
  • Open-Source
    The command-line version of Duplicacy is open-source, allowing users to inspect the code and contribute to its development.
  • Web-Based Management
    Offers a web-based GUI which simplifies the process of managing backups, making it more user-friendly for those who prefer not to use the command line.
  • Snapshot-based Backup
    Utilizes snapshot-based backups, which capture the state of the file system at a specific point, offering efficient and consistent backups.

Possible disadvantages of Duplicacy

  • Complex Setup for Beginners
    Setting up Duplicacy can be daunting for non-technical users due to the complexity involved in initial configuration and understanding its advanced features.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of Duplicacy is limited to the command-line interface, which may not be suitable for users who prefer a graphical user interface.
  • Cost
    While the command-line version is open-source, the full-featured GUI version requires a paid subscription, which might be a downside for some users.
  • Documentation
    The documentation can be lacking in certain areas, making it harder for users to find specific information or troubleshooting steps.
  • Resource Intensive
    Deduplication and encryption processes can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting system performance during backup operations.
  • Customer Support
    User experiences with customer support can vary, and some users have reported slow or unhelpful responses.

Analysis of Time Machine

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Time Machine is highly regarded for its reliability and ease of use, making it a good choice for Mac users looking for an efficient way to safeguard their data.

Why this product is good

  • Time Machine is a robust backup solution integrated into macOS, which provides a simple and automatic way to back up all your personal data, including apps, music, photos, emails, and system files. Its ease of use, seamless integration with the macOS ecosystem, and ability to restore specific files or entire systems make it a valuable tool for data protection.

Recommended for

    Time Machine is recommended for Mac users who want an uncomplicated, built-in backup solution. It's especially beneficial for those who value automatic backups and seamless data restoration without needing third-party software.

Analysis of Duplicacy

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Duplicacy is a robust and reliable backup solution for both personal and enterprise use. It is especially praised for its cross-platform compatibility and its efficient deduplication and encryption features. However, some users may find its command-line interface initially challenging, although there is a GUI available.

Why this product is good

  • Duplicacy is considered good due to its ability to efficiently handle multiple backups with a single storage backend. It supports a wide range of storage options including local disk, cloud storage services, and SFTP servers. The software is designed with a focus on deduplication, which ensures that only unique chunks of data are stored across all backups, reducing storage usage and costs. Additionally, Duplicacy offers encryption, ensuring that data is kept secure during storage and transfer.

Recommended for

    Duplicacy is highly recommended for users who need a flexible and efficient backup solution that can handle large volumes of data with deduplication. It's suitable for IT professionals, small to medium-sized businesses, and technically-inclined individuals who require secure and reliable cloud or local backups.

Time Machine videos

Bad Movie Beatdown: The Time Machine (2002) (REVIEW)

More videos:

  • Review - The Time Machine (1960) Review
  • Review - THE MORLOCKS (The Time Machine) EXPLORED

Duplicacy videos

Cloud Backup: Duplicacy vs. Duplicati

More videos:

  • Review - Presentation: Duplicacy has a new WebUI!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Time Machine and Duplicacy)
Backup & Restore
100 100%
0% 0
File Sharing And Backup
34 34%
66% 66
Cyber Security
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Storage
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Time Machine and Duplicacy. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Duplicacy seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 79 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.

Time Machine mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Time Machine yet. Tracking of Time Machine recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Duplicacy mentions (79)

  • Ask HN: What do you use to backup your VMs?
    I have had good luck with duplicacy for cloud backup: https://duplicacy.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Duplicity
    Not to be confused with Duplicati [1] or Duplicacy [2]. There are too many backup programs whose names start with 'Duplic'. [1] https://www.duplicati.com/ [2] https://duplicacy.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Duplicity
    I have been having great luck with incremental backups with the very similar named Duplicacy https://duplicacy.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Restic – Simple Backups
    My recommendation would be Duplicacy [0]. Code is also on GitHub [1]. It has a paid GUI version, $20 for the first year and $5 for subsequent years with discounts for multiple machines [2]. At least once they've run a promotion for a very cheap lifetime license. Use it just from the CLI is free. My setup is pretty simple, Syncthing and Duplicacy (GUI version) run in a docker container on my home server. Everything... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Your privacy is optional
    Having all your data in one place isn't wise though, so I am planning on storing encrypted backups on Dropbox and Backblaze B2 using Duplicity so that I am following the 3-2-1 backup rule. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Time Machine and Duplicacy, you can also consider the following products

Acronis True Image - (Formerly Acronis True Image) Complete protection for your digital life

Restic - Easy: Doing backups should be a frictionless process, otherwise you are tempted to skip it.

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

Clonezilla - Clonezilla is a suite of software that's designed to allow you to back-up and image new hard drives with your data.

UrBackup - UrBackup is a open source client/server backup system, that through a combination of image and file...

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.