#KopiaLens vs restic

restic is one of the most trusted open-source backup tools: a fast, deduplicating CLI with a large ecosystem and a reputation for reliability. KopiaLens is a backup app on a different engine, Kopia, built around seeing inside the repository and cleaning it up.

	KopiaLens	restic
What it is	A backup app with a GUI, browser UI and API	A deduplicating backup CLI
Works with	Kopia repositories	restic repositories
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker and NAS, Home Assistant, browser	Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD
Scheduled backups	Built in, per policy	No built-in scheduler; use cron, Task Scheduler or a GUI such as Backrest
Browse and restore	Yes, in the app	CLI, or a GUI such as Backrest
Per-folder size after dedup	Yes	No
Reclaimable space and removal previews	Yes	No
Remove files from old snapshots	Pro, guided with previews	restic rewrite --exclude, then prune
Price (November 2026)	Free; Pro $20/year or $50 lifetime at launch pricing	Free

#What KopiaLens adds

• Where the space goes. Per-folder physical size after deduplication, reclaimable space, churn and a retention simulation, without writing scripts or parsing JSON.
• Guided removal. restic can rewrite snapshots, but you choose the filters, run the command, verify the result and prune. KopiaLens shows the snapshots that hold a file, previews the removal, and reports what it frees (Pro).
• Search across every snapshot. Find every version of a file in one view.
• Built-in scheduling and alerts. No separate cron entry or GUI layer to wire together.

#What restic does well

• A long, strong track record. restic is mature, widely used, and trusted for backups that matter.
• Object storage first. S3, B2, Azure, Google Cloud, SFTP, rclone and many more are first-class.
• Scriptable and portable. One binary, every desktop and server platform, no GUI required.
• Real removal support. restic rewrite --exclude creates new snapshots without the chosen files, and prune frees the space. The original snapshots stay unless you add --forget.
• A GUI if you want one. Backrest gives restic a web UI with schedules, notifications, hooks and multi-repo support. See KopiaLens vs Backrest.

If you already run restic well, it is a good place to stay.

#Who should pick which

Pick restic for a scripted or server-first setup, an existing restic repository, or if you want the removal path to stay in the CLI with rewrite and prune under your control. Add Backrest if you want a web UI.

Pick KopiaLens for a desktop or home-server backup where the problem is understanding and cleaning up what is already there. It is not a restic front end: it reads Kopia repositories only.

#Switching

KopiaLens cannot open a restic repository. Moving means a new Kopia repository and keeping restic (or Backrest) for the old snapshots until they expire. There is no conversion tool.

The backup app is free. Pro, for cleanup, costs $20 a year or $50 lifetime at launch pricing. Download KopiaLens or see the plans.

Prices and product facts checked November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email support@kopialens.com and we'll fix it.