The virtual machine backup software shown in this post aims to protect data via backup and recovery, data security, and privacy methodologies‚— all qualities of a data security-centric solution. We will focus on the ten best virtual machine backup software.

The intention behind data protection software is to backup and restore data scattered across different environments (cloud, on-prem, edge, mobile, etc). In addition, these solutions also provide a solid defense against threats, cyberattacks, and especially Ransomware.

Here's our list of the best VM Backup software:

1. Vembu BDR Suite – EDITOR’S CHOICE This on-premises backup and recovery service has an edition for protecting Hyper-V VMds and another for VMWare. Installs on Windows Server or Linux. Get a 30-day free trial.
2. Acronis Cyber Protect – FREE TRIAL A solution with a strong focus on data protection across different environments. It supports most of the VM hypervisors. Start a 30-day free trial.
3. Veeam Backup and Replication A global leader and the most popular in backup, recovery, and data protection and management solutions.
4. N-able Cove Data Protection A backup and data protection solution with a cloud-first approach. N-able performs VM backups and automated recovery tests.
5. Altaro VM Backup A developer of backup and recovery solutions for MSPs. Altaro focuses on virtual machine backup/recovery solutions.
6. Cohesity Backup and Recovery It is complete data protection and management solution that backs up VM data on-prem, cloud, or hybrid environments.
7. Rubrik A cloud-based data management and protection solution based on a zero-trust data security model.
8. Commvault Backup & Recovery It is an enterprise-grade backup and recovery solution that allows full backup of any virtual machine environment.
9. Unitrends Backup An all-in-one backup and restore solution integrated with appliances, DraaS, cloud backup, threat monitoring, and compliance management.
10. Veritas NetBackup A leader in data management and protection solutions. They provide a reliable backup and recovery solution for VMs.
11. Dell EMC Data Protect A comprehensive suite of products (appliance and software) designed to protect data in MSPs and enterprises.

The best Virtual Machine Backup Software

In this post, we’ll describe these backup/restore solutions, how their virtual machine backup solution is implemented, a few highlights, their licensing and pricing (if listed on their official site), and how to start using their products.

1. Vembu BDR Suite – FREE TRIAL

Vembu BDR Suite is an on-premises system that includes two editions for backing up and recovering virtualization – one for Hyper-V and one for VMWare. There is a SaaS version of Vembu, called Vembu Cloud BDR Suite, but that doesn’t have VM backup editions.

Key Features:

• Multi-Platform Support: Compatible with both Windows Server and Linux for versatile deployment options.
• Dual Backup System: Ensures data safety with local and remote backup solutions.
• Comprehensive VM Coverage: Protects up to 10 VMs for free, supporting both Hyper-V and VMWare.
• Data Security: Implements compression and encryption for backup files, enhancing data protection.
• Application-Aware Backup: Capable of backing up all application data along with VMs, ensuring comprehensive recovery.

Why do we recommend it?

Vembu BDR Suite stands out for its dual support for Hyper-V and VMWare, making it a flexible solution for virtualized environments. Its ability to back up and recover both application data and VMs comprehensively, without any cost for up to 10 VMs, presents a valuable tool for small to medium-sized businesses looking to secure their data.

Vembu BDR Suite for Hyper-V and Vemb u BDR Suite for VMWare are both free to use for up to 10 VMs. The system installs on Windows Server and Linux. You get a local backup repository for a fast recovery and a duplication of that store on a remote service for insurance. The Vembu BDR Suite package doesn’t include cloud storage space. However, you can subscribe to space on Vembu Cloud for an extra fee.

Who is it recommended for?

This tool is ideally suited for small to medium-sized businesses that require a robust backup and disaster recovery solution without the need for significant investment. Its support for both Windows Server and Linux, along with agentless backup technology, makes it a versatile choice for organizations with mixed IT environments.

Licensing and Pricing

The price list for Vembu BDR Suite for VMWare and also the version for Hyper-V is very complicated. In each case, the prices are the same. For both, there are three plans, two buying schemes, and two charging structures.

The Free tier for both virtualization systems operates for up to 10 VMs. Above the Free plan, there is a Standard and an Enterprise plan.

You can pay for the virtualization backup system per socket or per VM. For an annual subscription, the prices for those plans are:

Standard: $216 per socket per year or  $36 per VM per year

Enterprise: $360 per socket per year or $60 per VM per year

For a perpetual license, the prices are:

Standard: $540 per socket per year or  $90 per VM per year

Enterprise: $900 per socket per year or $150 per VM per year

How to start?

You can get a demo of any edition of Vembu BDR Suite and Vembu also offers a 30-day free trial of the backup system.

2. Acronis Cyber Protect – FREE TRIAL

Acronis Cyber Protect is one of the ten best virtual machine backup software for many good reasons. Their data protection software is an all-in-one Cyber Protection platform designed to unify all data protection across apps and systems. Acronis is built for MSPs and enterprises but can also be used by smaller IT businesses.

Key Features:

• Unified Cyber Protection: Integrates cybersecurity and backup capabilities into a single platform to safeguard apps and systems.
• Disk-Image Backups: Enables streamlined VM protection with comprehensive disk-image backups.
• Backup Integrity Checks: Validates backups to ensure VM recoveries can be executed successfully.
• Fast Disaster Recovery: Facilitates rapid recovery with minimal downtime, essential for disaster resilience.
• Extensive Virtual Support: Offers support for a wide array of virtualization technologies, including VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.

Why do we recommend it?

Acronis Cyber Protect is distinguished for its holistic approach to cyber protection, combining cybersecurity defenses with backup and recovery solutions. Its capability to protect against threats targeting backups and to ensure the integrity of those backups for reliable recovery makes it an invaluable tool for organizations prioritizing data security and business continuity.

Acronis Cyber Protect can safeguard (backup/restore) individual files, applications, or full systems deployed on physical, virtual, cloud, mobile, or endpoints. When it comes to virtual machine software, Acronis supports VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Scale Computing HC3, Citrix XenServer, Red Hat Virtualization, Linux KVM, and Oracle VM Server.

Who is it recommended for?

This comprehensive cyber protection solution is ideally suited for managed service providers (MSPs), enterprises, and smaller IT businesses seeking a versatile, all-encompassing platform. Its user-friendly nature, without compromising on advanced functionalities, and compatibility with multiple operating systems, makes it suitable for a wide range of IT environments.

Licensing and Pricing

Acronis Cyber Protect is available with perpetual and subscription licenses. It provides different product editions for virtual backups: Standard (from $639.00), Advanced ($1069.00), and Backup Advanced ($929.00). The license is based on the number of operating environments and devices running on-premises or in the cloud.

How to start?

Register to Acronis to get a 30-day free trial of Cyber Protect.

Start a 30-day Free Trial!

3. Veeam Backup and Replication

The company (Veeam) is a global leader in backup, recovery, and data management and protection solutions. Veeam is hands down one of the best and most popular virtual machine software out there. It provides a single and central platform for any cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS and Kubernetes environments.

Key Features:

• Broad Compatibility: Supports an extensive range of environments including cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes.
• Multi-Cloud Support: Seamless backup and recovery across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
• Virtual Integration: Works effortlessly with VMware vSphere, MS Hyper-V, and Nutanix AHV.
• Ransomware Protection: Offers strong defenses against ransomware threats.
• Diverse Integration: Compatible with MS VSS, Oracle, SAP Backint, RMAN, and Kubernetes API.

Why do we recommend it? 

Veeam Backup and Replication is unparalleled in offering a unified solution for data management and protection across diverse environments. Its robust ransomware protection and broad compatibility make it a reliable choice for safeguarding your digital assets.

With the Veeam Backup and Replication v11 (the foundation of the Veeam Platform), you can easily backup to image-based, single-pass, hardware, and OS snapshots and instantly restore virtual machines. In addition, Veeam comes with native functionality to offload backups to multiple and different clouds. With Veam, you can protect virtual workloads from the most popular virtual machine software.

Who is it recommended for? 

This tool is perfect for businesses of any size that require comprehensive backup and replication solutions. It's especially beneficial for organizations leveraging a mix of cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes environments.

Licensing and Pricing

You can obtain the Veeam Backup & Replication (within the Veeam Platform) via a subscription or perpetual license. For a one-year subscription of the Veeam Backup Essentials for up to 50 workloads, the price starts at $6.67/month (or $80/year/license). The minimum purchase is a five license bundle.

How to start?

Download a free Veeam Backup and Replication 30-day trial. Veeam Backup and Replication software are not only one of the best VM backup premium solutions, but their free virtual machine software “community-edition” is also quite good.

4. N-able Cove Data Protection

N-able (former SolarWinds MSP) is one of today’s most reputed IT service management solutions focusing on empowering MSPs, IT departments, or enterprises with RMM, security, and data protection tools. Their backup tool, N-able Cove Data Protection, delivers the data protection capabilities with a cloud-first backup approach for virtual, physical apps, docs, or MS 365.

Key Features:

• Virtual Machine Support: Effortlessly backs up VMware and Hyper-V environments.
• Hybrid Flexibility: Merges on-premises with cloud backups for comprehensive protection.
• Efficient Data Handling: Utilizes TrueDelta technology for backing up only changes, not entire files.
• Strong Encryption: Secures data with AES 256 or 448-bit Blowfish, both on-premises and in the cloud.
• Automated VM Care: Enables automatic virtual machine updates post-backup, enhancing reliability.

Why do we recommend it? 

N-able Cove Data Protection stands out for its cloud-first approach to backup, providing flexible and efficient data protection for both virtual and physical environments. Its strong encryption and efficient data handling make it a top choice for comprehensive data security.

N-able Cove Data Protection is one of the best VM backup software, as it performs full virtual machine backups and automated recovery testing. You can restore to an existing or alternative virtual environment. Aside from backup & restore, N-able can also (with RMM capabilities) automatically update a virtual machine after each backup.

Who is it recommended for? 

Ideal for IT departments, enterprises, and MSPs seeking robust data protection tools that can handle the complexities of both virtual and physical environments, especially in larger networks.

Licensing and Pricing

Obtain N-able via RMM or Backup and Data Protection. For more information on its licensing and pricing, contact N-able sales.

How to start?

Register to start a 30-days free trial of N-able Cove Data Protection.

5. Altaro VM Backup

Altaro is a fast-growing backup and recovery solutions developer for MSPs, IT departments, and enterprises. They specialize in virtual machine software, including robust backup solutions for VMware VM and Microsoft Hyper-V, but also provide backup solutions for physical servers or cloud environments like MS O365.

Key Features:

• Centralized Management: Streamlines backup, restore, and replication tasks from a single console.
• Host Monitoring: Offers comprehensive monitoring of all virtual machine hosts.
• Diverse Storage Locations: Enables backups to multiple offsite locations for added security.
• GFS Archiving: Implements Grandfather-Father-Son archiving for efficient data retention.
• Advanced Deduplication: Utilizes augmented inline deduplication to optimize storage use.

Why do we recommend it? 

Altaro VM Backup shines with its user-friendly interface and robust performance in backing up and replicating VMware and Hyper-V environments. Its advanced features like augmented inline deduplication make it a standout choice for efficient and reliable virtual machine management.

Altaro is one of the best Virtual machine software, thanks to their flagship solution: Altaro VM Backup. This solution has gained popularity, especially for its high performance on Hyper-V and VMware backup and replication. With Altaro VM Backup, you can control all your backups and access popular award-winning support from a single central console.

Who is it recommended for?

This tool is perfect for MSPs, IT departments, and enterprises looking for a high-performing backup solution that simplifies virtual machine software management and offers exceptional support.

Licensing and Pricing

There are four types of licenses paid on a subscription or perpetual basis: Free (​​VM backup for 2 VMs/host, forever), Standard (perpetual license), Unlimited (perpetual license), or Unlimited Plus Edition ($115.80/VM/year, subscription-based pricing for a minimum of 5 VMs).

How to start?

Download Altaro’s free virtual machine software, or get a fully functional 30-day trial of Altaro VM Backup (Unlimited Plus Edition).

6. Cohesity Backup and Recovery

Cohesity develops data protection and management solutions that allow sysadmins to backup, restore, manage, and get insights from data scattered across multiple environments. Their solution provides a unified view and central access to all backups and analytics data. Cohesity was named a leader in Gartner 2021’s MQ for Enterprise Backup and Recovery Solution.

Key Features:

• VM Instant Restore: Search any VM and instantly restore it from full backup snapshots.
• VMware Integration: Supports VMware vSphere, vSAN, Cloud Foundation, and VMware Cloud on AWS.
• Hyper-V Compatibility: Offers support for Microsoft Hyper-V environments.
• Nutanix Backup: Simplifies the backup and recovery of Nutanix AHV, AOS, and Prism.
• Kubernetes Integration: Natively integrates with Kubernetes for modern application environments.

Why do we recommend it?

Cohesity Backup and Recovery provides a comprehensive BDR platform that excellently supports a wide range of environments, making it a top choice for organizations looking for reliable, scalable data protection solutions.

Cohesity Backup and Recovery is one of the best VM backup software because it focuses on data protection. The software allows backup and recovery on-premises, in the public cloud, at the edge, and in a SaaS. In addition, it also offers the Backup as a Service (BasS) model, which allows users to switch from an on-premise-based backup to a cloud-based backup.

Who is it recommended for?

Ideal for large companies and enterprises with complex virtual environments that require a versatile backup and recovery solution capable of managing data across on-site, cloud, and hybrid configurations.

Licensing and Pricing

Cohesity offers perpetual and consumption-based subscription licenses. Subscriptions are limited to the number of nodes contained in a Cohesity cluster

How to start?

Sign up to get a free Cohesity’s Backup as a Service trial for 30 days.

7. Rubrik

Rubrik is a cloud-based data management and backup solutions developer. They use the zero-trust data security model on their software, which helps protect your VM backups from being easily discovered or encrypted. Rubrik was named Leader in 2021 Gartner MQ for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive VM Support: Compatible with VMware vSphere (ESXi), Microsoft Hyper-V, and Nutanix AHV.
• Continuous Data Protection: Provides natively integrated continuous data protection for VM environments.
• Instant Recovery: Ensures instant recovery with a near-zero Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
• Policy Automation: Features an intelligent policy engine for automated compliance generation.
• Ransomware Defense: Offers robust protection against ransomware threats.

Why do we recommend it? 

Rubrik stands out for its comprehensive approach to data management, combining ease of use with powerful features such as instant recovery and robust ransomware defense, making it a leading choice for modern data protection needs.

Rubrik allows you to consolidate all your backup and recovery data regardless of where it comes from (hardware, software, cloud, or virtual) into a central management console. In addition, you can also set up the policies for data backup, archival, DR, analytics, or replication from the same single console.

Who is it recommended for? 

Ideal for organizations of all sizes that require a unified and secure platform for managing the full lifecycle of their data across physical, virtual, and hybrid environments.

Licensing and Pricing

You can buy Rubrick from a subscription-based license (SaaS). Rubrik Go comes with different plans: Foundation, Business, and Enterprise. For information on pricing, contact sales.

How to start?

Sign up to request a Rubrik's Cloud Data Management platform trial or a Rubrik Live demo.

8. Commvault Backup & Recovery

Commvault provides an enterprise-grade data services platform for data that resides on-premises, in the cloud, in hybrid or multi-cloud environments, SaaS-delivered, or in an integrated appliance. Its intelligent data services include data protection, a solution that lets you back up and quickly recover data at any scale and from/to the cloud.

Key Features:

• Policy Compatibility: Aligns backup and recovery plans with your existing policies and VM tags.
• Data Repurposing: Utilizes copy data management to repurpose backup data efficiently.
• Snapshot Management: Incorporates a robust framework for managing snapshots effectively.
• Cloud Flexibility: Facilitates easy backup, recovery, and movement of VM data between clouds.
• Ransomware Defense: Comes with built-in protection against ransomware threats.

Why do we recommend it? 

Commvault Backup & Recovery excels in providing a comprehensive and centralized backup solution, offering complete workload portability and visibility into virtual workloads, making it ideal for complex environments.

Commvault Backup and Recovery provides complete workload portability across all your virtual machine environments (regardless of location). You can also get full visibility into your virtual workloads from the Commvault command center, a centralized and intuitive web-based management console.

Who is it recommended for? 

Best suited for large enterprises or MSPs that manage multiple sites and require a robust solution for backing up to and from cloud services across a range of data sources.

Licensing and Pricing

Comvault is known to be on the enterprise-range pricing. For more information, contact Commvault sales.

How to start?

Register to start a Commvault Complete Data Protection 30-day trial.

9. Unitrends Backup

Unitrends (by Kaseya) is an all-in-one backup and restore solution designed for the enterprise, MSPs, and IT departments. It integrates backup appliances (+ software), cloud backup (+ DRaaS), threat monitoring, and compliance (HIPAA and GDRP) management. Unitrends Backup is known for its virtual backup appliances for VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or Citrix XenServer.

Key Features:

• Hypervisor-Level Protection: Offers protection for VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, and XenServer environments.
• Flexible Recovery Options: Enables instant, full, or file-level VM recovery to suit various scenarios.
• Ransomware Defense: Incorporates robust measures to defend against ransomware attacks.
• Intuitive Control: Provides granular backup and recovery options through an intuitive user interface.
• Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrates with Unitrends Cloud for efficient archiving and disaster recovery.

Why do we recommend it? 

Unitrends Backup delivers an effective all-in-one backup and restore solution, combining simplicity with powerful features like hypervisor-level protection and ransomware defense, ideal for enterprises, MSPs, and IT departments.

Unitrends Backup can run as a virtual backup appliance on any hardware deployed on-premises or cloud. It protects your virtual machines and integrates with Unitrends Cloud for archiving and DR. You can run the virtual appliances on vSphere, Hyper-V, or Citrix XenServer for the on-premises backup solution. But when it comes to cloud environments, Unitrends Backup is supported on Microsoft Azure and AWS S3 public clouds.

Who is it recommended for? 

This solution is particularly suitable for enterprises, MSPs, and IT departments that need a versatile backup solution for both on-premises and cloud environments, with a focus on ease of use and efficient recovery options.

Licensing and Pricing

Software editions: Unitrends Essentials and Standard. Software+Hardware Editions: Enterprise and Enterprise Plus. Unitrends prices are based on a subscription-based OPEX model (except hardware). Use the Unitrends Backup price calculator.

How to start?

Try Unitrends Backup Software free for 30 days.

10. Veritas NetBackup

Veritas is one of the oldest data management companies, founded in 1983. The company has maintained leadership in enterprise data protection and management solutions. Their modern software lets you manage and protect all your data and apps from the on-premises to the cloud at any scale. Veritas has been named 15x a leader in Gartner’s MQ for Enterprise Information Archiving.

Key Features:

• Wide VM Support: Compatible with VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, and Red Hat OpenShift.
• Versatile Recovery Options: Allows recovery from individual files or folders to entire VMs or VMDKs.
• Instant VM Recovery: Enables booting directly from backup disk storage for swift VM recovery.
• Granular Restore: Offers granular restore capabilities for single files and folders without restoring the full VM.

Why do we recommend it? 

Veritas NetBackup excels in delivering robust VM backup and recovery solutions tailored for enterprises. Its combination of scalability, automation, AI, and elastic architecture ensures secure and efficient data management across any virtual machine environment.

Veritas NetBackup is one of the best VM backup and recovery solutions for the enterprise. The solution delivers a reliable backup and granular data recovery capable of scaling with any virtual machine environment. It combines automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and an elastic architecture to secure data anywhere at any scale.

Who is it recommended for? 

Perfect for enterprises in need of a comprehensive on-premise solution for backup and recovery, capable of mirroring cloud storage environments locally and scaling alongside the business.

Licensing and Pricing

Veritas is known to be on the enterprise-range pricing. Contact the Veritas sales team.

How to start?

NetBackup is designed for the enterprise (no free trial available). But you can download a free 60-day trial of Veritas Backup Exec, a VM backup software designed for SMBs.

11. Dell EMC Data Protection

Dell EMC Data Protection is a leading data protection solution (appliance and software) designed for MSPs, enterprises, or IT departments. It works using cloud data backup automation and robust data protection from cyberattacks and ransomware to safeguard workloads in on-premises, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments. Dell EMC has been recognized 16x as a Leader in Gartner’s MQ for Enterprise Backup and Recovery Software.

Key Features:

• Automated VMware Backups: Provides automated data backups specifically for VMware hybrid cloud environments.
• VMware and Hyper-V Protection: Safeguards VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V virtual environments effectively.
• Transparent Snapshots: Generates transparent snapshots to maintain VM availability.
• Granular VM Recovery: Allows for the granular recovery of VMware virtual machines.
• Local and Remote Replication: Facilitates replication of VMs (VMDK and RDM) both locally and remotely.

Why do we recommend it?

Dell EMC Data Protection is recognized for its comprehensive approach to safeguarding workloads across various environments. Its suite offers a robust set of tools for backup/recovery, replication, and cloud-based disaster recovery, making it a prime choice for enterprises seeking reliable data protection solutions.

The Dell EMC Data Protection Suite offers next-generation data management and backup tools to meet the demands of any business size. The Data Protection Suite provides comprehensive backup/recovery, replication, cloud-based DR, and a solid VMware integration solution. For instance, the suite includes Dell EMC RecoverPoint, a virtual machine data protection software that provides continuous data protection for operational recovery and disaster recovery.

Who is it recommended for? 

This solution is best suited for MSPs, enterprises, and IT departments that require a sophisticated platform capable of managing and protecting data in on-premises, hybrid, or multi-cloud settings.

Licensing and Pricing

Contact a Dell EMC’s sales representative.

How to start?

Start with a free 60-days trial of Dell EMC Data Protection Advisor, and learn insights into your data protection environment.

Final Verdict

The ten best virtual machine backup software shown in this post will provide you with reliable backup and restore. Solutions targeting MSPs and enterprises tend to be much pricier than those with SMB licenses. In addition, free virtual machine software such as Veeam’s Community Edition can be all you need if you intend to protect a couple of VMs.

Our top choices are Vembu BDR Suite, Altaro VM Backup, Veeam Backup and Replication, and N-able Cove Data Protection. They all have a free trial, so there is no excuse to start protecting your VMs today!

Virtual Machine Backup Software FAQs