shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Bareos?

Open-source backup software for Linux, Windows, macOS and more. Enterprise-grade encryption, GDPR-compliant, RBAC, tape/WORM. - bareos.org

Depends. Buy if you run Linux-heavy servers and have a sysadmin to own Director, catalog, and patching — it is deep, free, and compliance-ready. Skip if you want turnkey or point-and-click backup; setup and ongoing administration are real work.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources: vendor pages, docs, Reddit/sysadmin threads, CVE databases, G2, and company profiles.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityPaid subscriptions exist; no user support reviews found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Open Source

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
SubscriptionQuote-based; price list PDF available

Best for

  • Linux-heavy server fleets
  • Compliance-driven orgs (GDPR, NIS2, PCI DSS)
  • Tape and WORM archive shops
  • Teams with dedicated sysadmins

Not for

  • Non-technical teams wanting point-and-click backup
  • Solo users backing up a laptop or two
  • Anyone without admin capacity to run Director and catalog
  • Buyers needing vendor-managed SaaS backup

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Self-managed security: recurring Director CVEs mean prompt patching is on you

medium

Free core, but plugins and enterprise features are gated behind subscriptions

medium

PostgreSQL catalog and Director tuning required; budget real admin time before go-live

low

Guess: Bacula-to-Bareos migration is mostly compatible but config conversion needs testing

Pros and cons

Pros

  • No license fees; open-source core with optional paid subscriptions
  • GDPR, PCI DSS, SOX and NIS2 compliance support built in
  • Ransomware protection via immutable backups and WORM tape
  • Cross-platform: Linux, Windows, macOS and FreeBSD clients
  • Kubernetes and application-aware container backups

Cons

  • Multiple Director CVEs across years, including high-severity ones
  • Steep setup: Director daemon, PostgreSQL catalog, text configs
  • Tiny vendor (~$880K ARR) behind critical infrastructure
  • Bacula fork — inherits config complexity; users still seek best-practice advice

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/22/2026 - 14 sources - Encryption, RBAC, and GDPR/PCI DSS/SOX/NIS2 compliance claims; recurring Director CVEs from 2020–2024, addressed in releases.

official x6review x4security x2news x2
  • CVE-2022-24756, High-severity issue affecting Bareos Director versions including 21.1.0.
  • CVE-2024-45044, Improper authorization in Bareos; fixed by upgrading.
  • CVE-2020-11061, Stack overflow in Bareos Director, CVSS 7.4, affecting versions below a patched release.
  • CVE-2020-4042, CVSS 6.8 issue where a malicious client could exploit the Director before 19.2.8.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. No license fees; open-source core
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Console-first; Director, catalog, text configs
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Tape, WORM, Kubernetes, immutability, compliance
  • Support quality. Paid subscriptions exist; no user support reviews found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Strong features; several patched Director CVEs
  • 4.0/5 G2 rating G2 seller rating
  • €0 License cost No license fees; subscriptions optional
  • Yes Free tier Open-source community edition
  • ~$880K ARR Vendor size Est. $2.6M valuation (GetLatka)

Pricing

Open Source

Free

  • Full backup and recovery core
  • Community support via lists and GitHub
  • Self-managed

Subscription

Quote-based; price list PDF available

  • Vendor support and services
  • Plugins and enterprise features
  • Compliance-oriented offerings

Security

Encryption, RBAC, and GDPR/PCI DSS/SOX/NIS2 compliance claims; recurring Director CVEs from 2020–2024, addressed in releases.

  • CVE-2022-24756High-severity issue affecting Bareos Director versions including 21.1.0.11
  • CVE-2024-45044Improper authorization in Bareos; fixed by upgrading.12
  • CVE-2020-11061Stack overflow in Bareos Director, CVSS 7.4, affecting versions below a patched release.
  • CVE-2020-4042CVSS 6.8 issue where a malicious client could exploit the Director before 19.2.8.

What users say

Sysadmins on Reddit call Bareos a capable, mature choice that does a great job, but threads are full of setup, best-practice, and Bacula-comparison questions.

“BareOS does a great job”
Reddit, r/linuxadmin
“I use bareos personally”
Reddit, r/selfhosted
“I settled on bareos”
Reddit, r/homelab

Alternatives

Compare Bareos with each alternative.

  • Druva

    Vendor-managed SaaS backup if you want zero ops

Companies that use it

  • Webdock
  • Cartika
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources: vendor pages, docs, Reddit/sysadmin threads, CVE databases, G2, and company profiles.

Free Bacula-fork backup: deep, compliance-ready, but config-heavy. Great for Linux server fleets with a sysadmin.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources: vendor pages, docs, Reddit/sysadmin threads, CVE databases, G2, and company profiles.

Sources

  1. Bareos Pricing | Subscription, Support and Servicesbareos.com
    official
  2. Bareos — Open-Source Enterprise Backup Softwarebareos.com
    official
  3. Ransomware Protection – Immutable Backupsbareos.com
    official
  4. Compliance: GDPR, PCI DSS, SOX, NIS2bareos.com
    official
  5. Kubernetes Data Protectionbareos.com
    official
  6. What is Bareos? — Documentationdocs.bareos.org
    official
  7. Bareos on FreeBSD: Open Source Backup Reviewfreebsdsoftware.org
    review
  8. G2 — Bareos seller reviewsg2.com
    review
  9. Reddit — centralized backup solutionreddit.com
    review
  10. Reddit — Understanding Bareos, best practicesreddit.com
    review
  11. NVD — CVE-2022-24756nvd.nist.gov
    security
  12. Snyk — CVE-2024-45044security.snyk.io
    security
  13. GetLatka — Bareos revenuegetlatka.com
    news
  14. Crunchbase — Bareos GmbH & Co. KGcrunchbase.com
    news

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