VM Backup

Overview

VM Backup is Hornetsecurity’s server backup and replication software for Hyper-V, VMware and Proxmox environments. It is best suited to teams that need to protect virtual machines across those platforms, rather than personal computers or mobile devices. Frequent live backups and several recovery paths make it a capable fit, but Proxmox users face meaningful feature gaps.

Key features

Automatic backups can run as often as every five minutes, and live backups do not require downtime. Continuous Data Protection is also offered for Windows VMs at intervals as short as five minutes, alongside WAN-optimized replication. That frequency can narrow the exposure window for changing workloads, though Proxmox replication and CDP are unavailable in the described version.

Recovery covers full virtual machines, individual files and Exchange items. Administrators can restore to another host or boot a VM directly from backup, which gives teams options for both complete recovery and targeted retrieval. VMware backups can be restored to Hyper-V and vice versa; Proxmox is supported, but the cross-platform restore capability described applies to VMware and Hyper-V.

A single console manages Hyper-V, VMware and Proxmox, and a separate remote console can connect to remote installations. Backup destinations include Microsoft Azure, Impossible Cloud Storage, Backblaze B2, Amazon S3 and Wasabi. AES-256 encryption and immutable backup storage add protection, while Backup Health Monitor checks storage integrity and may attempt repairs in a later backup job.

Advanced users can work with a RESTful API and PowerShell cmdlets. The API is a useful integration path for teams comfortable with those tools, not a substitute for them. Proxmox LXC container backups are unsupported, so deployments relying on those containers need another approach.

Pricing

The Free Edition costs 0.00 USD per free and is free forever, capped at two VMs per host. It is a practical way to cover a small host, but the per-host cap limits its usefulness for broader estates. The 30-day fully featured trial costs 0.00 USD per free and gives teams a month to evaluate the full feature set before choosing a license.

Subscription — Unlimited Plus has custom pricing, billed per backed-up VM per month. Support, updates and version upgrades are included, and more than 75 VMs requires a custom quote. This model suits teams preferring recurring, per-VM costs with maintenance included.

Perpetual licensing also has custom pricing and is billed per host. It offers unlimited sockets and VMs per host, with Standard, Unlimited and Unlimited Plus editions; more than 10 hosts requires a custom quote. Support, updates and upgrades require a service maintenance agreement, so the upfront license is not the whole cost of keeping the product current.

Platforms

VM Backup supports Windows hosts running Hyper-V, VMware or Proxmox, with API, Linux, self-hosted and Windows platform coverage. It is server backup software, not computer or mobile backup. Cloud backup destinations and off-site replication support hybrid protection strategies; application-aware backup, instant VM recovery and point-in-time restore are also supported.

Who it's for

VM Backup fits administrators responsible for Windows-hosted virtual machines, especially where VMware and Hyper-V coexist or where several hypervisors need one management console. The free edition suits a small environment limited to two VMs per host; larger teams can choose per-VM subscription or per-host perpetual licensing. Proxmox users should assess the missing LXC backup, replication and CDP capabilities against their recovery requirements before standardizing on it.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Backups as frequent as every five minutes and live protection without downtime can reduce exposure for changing workloads.
• Pro: Full-VM, granular and cross-host recovery, plus boot-from-backup, cover several recovery scenarios.
• Pro: A common console spans three hypervisors, with multiple cloud destinations and integrity monitoring.
• Con: The free edition stops at two VMs per host, and paid plan prices are custom rather than stated figures.
• Con: Proxmox LXC backups are unsupported, and Proxmox replication and CDP are unavailable in the described version.
• Con: Perpetual customers need an SMA for support, updates and upgrades, adding an ongoing maintenance consideration.

Alternatives

For broader backup comparisons, see Backup software and Virtual Machine Backup Software. Teams specifically prioritizing frequent change capture can also compare options in Continuous Data Protection Software.

Cohesity SiteContinuity is a paid alternative with a customer-managed plan covering VMware Standard or above and physical or virtual clusters; consider it when that stated VMware and cluster scope better matches the deployment.

MSP360 Backup has a free personal workstation backup edition and paid macOS/Linux options, making it a better direction for workstation rather than VM protection needs. Veeam Agent for Mac offers a free macOS edition limited to one backup job and without direct object-storage backup, for readers whose target is a Mac workstation.

DRS Softech Microsoft 365 Backup Tool is a paid, trial- and free-plan offering for Microsoft 365 backup, while Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 is priced at 2.00 USD per month billed annually for software only, with users supplying storage and managing infrastructure. Choose these when Microsoft 365 rather than virtual machines is the backup target.

Synology Active Backup for SaaS is a free add-on for Synology NAS covering Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. MXSave is a paid email disaster recovery option at 49.00 USD per month for one domain and 25 users, with added users priced at $1.00 per user per month. GMvault is a free, open-source option. These address SaaS or email backup rather than VM recovery.

Readers evaluating email-focused products can also browse Email Backup Software and Email Security Gateways.

Verdict

Choose VM Backup if you need frequent, downtime-free protection and flexible recovery for Hyper-V, VMware or supported Proxmox VMs, particularly across a mixed-hypervisor estate. Its strongest case is the combination of short backup intervals, varied restores and cloud targets under one management console. Look elsewhere if your Proxmox workloads depend on LXC backups or Proxmox replication and CDP, or if stated paid pricing is essential to your decision.