I use it for my VM (Virtual Machine) backups. I logged into it, created myself an account, and then I created my backup jobs. Then I can run the jobs to do the backups when I want. I can schedule it to run when it is convenient — say at 10 o'clock at night — or I can say run it right now, or whatever. It is pretty intuitive in that sense. Pretty easy to set up and use.
Senior Software Manager/Chief at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to setup and use, this is a flexible, viable, and inexpensive alternative to familiar solutions
Pros and Cons
- "It is flexible."
- "It is affordable."
- "It is easy-to-use."
- "The interface might be improved, but the interface of every product might be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
What I like most about it is their solution runs either on Windows or Linux or even on something like Synology. Nakivo is versatile and able to work with other systems.
The lack of that capability is one of the big reasons that I do not like Veeam. Veeam is strictly a Windows solution. That is a big negative in my opinion. Plus Veeam is good — it is not that it is not good, it works great — but it is also expensive.
What needs improvement?
I do not know that I see a lot that needs to be improved with Nakivo. It seems maybe that the interface could be a little bit better, but it is what it is. You can always improve on the interface on anything.
For me, I just work with the product in a simple way. For instance, I have not even looked into whether you can hook it up with Active Directory which may be helpful if you are going to add different users and give them the capability to back up or do certain other tasks. You might be able to do that already now. I just have not had the need or opportunity to look into it. If it is not there it is the type of thing that might be added.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Nakivo for a couple of years on-and-off.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability and performance can depend on how many VMs you have and the volume of what you are backing up. I think I set it up for one customer in their lab and they had 50 or 60 VMs running and set it up to kickoff at say at 10 o'clock at night and do the backup. Nakivo just does its thing on schedule. Here when I back it up, when I back up my Atlassian tools, I will back up three of those VMs at one time.
So it is pretty stable when it comes to carrying out what it is supposed to do. Again, it depends on how fast your network is, how many transporters you have, and where you are backing it up to. Although I do not do it myself, Nakivo has the capability to back up directly to Amazon S3 if you choose to do that. The flexibility for working in various environments is really valuable, and in my case it saves money.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think the scalability of the product is good. All you have to do is basically just install more transporters. If you only got one transporter installed and you are trying to back up 100 VMs at the same time, you are pushing everything through one little teeny pipe, but if you have more transporters, then it will actually use all of those and the backups and restores can happen faster.
How are customer service and support?
I have not really used technical support because I have not had any issues or problems with the product. It is very easy to set up and very straightforward to use. I can not vouch for that fact on Windows because I have never tried it on Windows. I choose not to do that. I run everything on Linux and I like that better.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions and I wound up sticking with Nakivo because it is more versatile and it is able to work with systems other than Microsoft. You can get it running in many different ways. I am just running the previous build VM, but I also have a 12 terabytes Synology NAS unit here. I can actually install it directly on that and not even have to create a virtual machine. It runs great without any extra setup. So I am using Nakivo for versatility, mostly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and installation are very straightforward. It depends on how many transporters you want to install. You can install more than one transporter. If you are doing lots of backups, multiple transporters will make it go faster. In my case, I do not need that. I have actually tried using multiple transporters at customer sites and it is a functional solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I just use the free version — if you will — it is kind of free. You can buy a one-time perpetual license, or you can do subscription-based leasing, or you can do it based on how many VMs you want to back up. If you want to only buy it for 50 VMs, then you only buy it for 50 VMs. You have a lot of different options when it comes to pricing and the pricing models are pretty flexible and affordable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have tried Veeam and I have tried a few others. I forget their names. Nakivo just seems simpler to me. It is simple to use. I like the fact that I do not have to have a Windows license to run it like I would with other products like Veeam. That is just another something that I have to pay for and maintain on top of what I already have. Nakivo is a work-around for that situation.
What other advice do I have?
I like the product because it is doing exactly what I need it to do, and that is reliably backing up my VM. I have actually had to restore some VMs. Sometimes the power just goes off here and something will get corrupted and it works well for that. It has been reliable in restoring exactly what I needed to restore.
Based on my experience, the advice I would give to people considering it is to go for it. I think it is a great product. But there is a problem with customers — especially government customers — resisting adopting anything new. They get hung up on one thing and they like to stick with it. They buy a license and they just have it set in their minds that they do not want to try anything else, even though the solution they have might be costing them a fortune. Getting them to adopt a change can be difficult.
It is like when someone is committed to Cisco. I tell government customers not to buy Cisco under any circumstances. I tell them just to never get involved with it. Then they will complain and say that Cisco is all that they know. Arista beats the hell out of Cisco and it uses the same interface. Guys who know how to use Cisco already will not have to go to school at all to learn how to use Arista, and it ends up being half the price. My complaint about Cisco is not that it does not work. It depends on what you are doing. But in my opinion, Cisco solutions just do not have the necessary throughput for certain situations.
I have tried to get a lot of clients to buy this and show them the advantages. Some of them just say they already have a license for something else and they want to stick with it. People need to be open to the advantages of considering other products and how that can make a change in their efficiency and their bottom line.
On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I would rate Nakivo as a nine-out-of-ten. I would never give anything a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Pre-sale and Post-sale Engineer at a reseller with 201-500 employees
Inexpensive with an easy deployment and good replication capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The virtual appliance for VMware vSphere is easy to deploy, easy to manage, and we have no need for additional Windows licenses."
- "They need a better knowledge base with more information about support issues."
What is our primary use case?
We have a new VMware vSphere Cluster with several Virtual Machines (Windows-based and Linux-based). We needed a new backup solution for those new workloads. I deployed in a second site, a new backup server with a storage SAN directly attached. I deploy NAKIVO B&R in a virtual appliance and with it, I protect all of the inventory of the VMs and save the backups and data in a backup repository with an immutability feature.
At the moment, we don't use Replication, however, I studied this feature. Maybe I will deploy this feature in the future on some new vSphere hosts in a DRP site.
How has it helped my organization?
Nakivo's replication feature can permit configuration replicas in a different hardware platform with VMware vSphere. We protect all of our virtual machines in VMware vSphere and secure our data with the immutability feature; our virtual machines are Windows-based and Linux-based. We have SQL Server, IIS, Active Directory Instances, PACS, and File Servers.
What is most valuable?
The virtual appliance for VMware vSphere is easy to deploy, easy to manage, and we have no need for additional Windows licenses. NAKIVO has an immutability feature that protects our backup data. Nakivo is a backup solution good for the first steps in backup and replication uses cases. It offers low license costs and is very easy to deploy.
I recommend the Virtual Machine Appliance for all VMware vSphere Infrastructures.
I deployed it to a second site with a new backup server with a storage SAN directly attached. I deploy edNAKIVO B&R in a virtual appliance and with it, I protect all the inventory of the VMs.
What needs improvement?
They need a better knowledge base with more information about support issues.
I would like new recovery methods for my VM and live full VM restore overwriting and the ability to restore individual files on the VM (like VMDK, VMX).
I would like it if Nakivo could protect virtual machines with WSFC deployed on VMware (usually SQL Server clusters virtualized).
I would like to restore my data on a cloud site. I would like a new replication method with zero RTO (better than snapshot replication).
I would like new features for the backup agent for physical machines.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for one year.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did previously use a different solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Nakivo is good for the first steps in backup and replication. If comes at a low license cost and is very easy to deploy.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other options.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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NAKIVO Backup & Replication
January 2026
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Administrator
Easy-to-use, robust and cost-effective
Pros and Cons
- "Nakivo is an easy-to-use, robust and cost-effective backup solution. I highly recommend it."
- "Compression and data deduplication are okay, but they could be improved."
Our company has been using Nakivo for five years as a backup solution for a small vSphere cluster. Although newer versions have many other features, we only use them for on-premises VM backup.
Nakivo acts as a safety net for our data. Among other things, the ability to quickly recover information when needed gives us the peace of mind that comes from knowing that business continuity is in place.
Personally, I appreciate the following two aspects:
- Flash VM boot cuts downtime to minutes by starting the VM directly from the backup repository
- The backup repository folder contains all the information needed to restore data. In case of disaster recovery, just install Nakivo on any new Windows machine, add the existing repository and you have access to all backups, no further configuration is required.
The overall impression is very good. However, some aspects could be improved:
- Tape backup is somewhat rudimentary.
- Compression and data deduplication are okay, but they could be improved. For the same set of VMs, the vSphere Data Protection repository is half the size of the Nakivo repository.
Nakivo is an easy-to-use, robust and cost-effective backup solution. I highly recommend it.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
manager at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
Low-cost, easy to use, and good web-based management
Pros and Cons
- "This product provides cost-efficient and reliable backups."
- "We'd like to see a legacy environment backup, like AIX, etc."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution as a VM backup with our VMware and Hyper-V environments.
How has it helped my organization?
We can back up our file server with an extra layer of security due to the ransomware protection that Nakivo offers.
What is most valuable?
The solution is low-cost, easy to use, and has web-based management. These are some of the major advantages. The addition of apps for NAS (like Synology and QNAP) has made it much easier to back up and protect the servers.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see a legacy environment backup, like AIX, etc.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not previously use a different solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product provides cost-efficient and reliable backups.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing this solution, we also evaluated Veeam, Altaro, Vembu, and Acronis.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Security Solutions department at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
User-friendly, simplified backup solution
Pros and Cons
- "This is a user-friendly solution that has a lot of certifications and documentation for the Microsoft Hyper-V infrastructure."
- "I would like to see some additional models in the next release to make backups more functional."
What is our primary use case?
We had a customer that had a Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure and wanted the most simplified solution that can be immediately installed, configured, and backed up. So, we installed Nakivo and trained their administrators on the solution.
What is most valuable?
This is a user-friendly solution that has a lot of certifications and documentation for the Microsoft Hyper-V infrastructure.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see some additional models in the next release to make backups more functional.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nakivo is stable, we have not had any issues for one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Nakivo's infrastructure is very scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quick and easy. It took us about a week to install and configure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Nakivo is cheaper per machine and per backup.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Acronis has more functionalities but is also more expensive.
What other advice do I have?
The central console is very native making it easy for the end user to understand.
I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Founder at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
User-friendly backup solution with a good price
Pros and Cons
- "The features that I have found most valuable are that it is a cheaper price and user-friendly."
- "In terms of what could be improved for the next release, I would probably answer better documentation and licensing models."
What is our primary use case?
I use it for backup purposes - virtualization backup and virtual service backup.
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are that it is a cheaper price and user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
They have improved some documentation to simplify technical issues. But still some licenses are not clear. For example, when you are reading the Pro Essential license features they don't identify the differences between Pro and the Pro Essential license types, or between Enterprise and Enterprise Essential license types. This is important.
In terms of what could be improved for the next release, I would probably answer better documentation and licensing models.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Nakivo for nearly one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nakivo is reliable and stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I didn't try it but I think it's scalable. I can add some storage for backup, so it is scalable in that way.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Veeam from about four or five years ago when I used it. These two backup solutions are working well and there is no problem between them. I don't know the differences.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy.
What about the implementation team?
I am a Nakivo partner. I buy it for my customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing depends on the competition because some competitors are cheaper and some are not. I can say Nakivo is cheap.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I also have experience with other backup solutions, but I implemented Nakivo for my customers and I didn't look at other solutions. I just researched Veeam, Acronis and Commvault a little.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Nakivo a 9. Generally I'm satisfied.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
IT Engineer at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Responsive technical support, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support responds very quickly."
- "The backup speed needs improvement."
What needs improvement?
The backup speed needs improvement.
In the next release, I would like to see more functionalities.
The interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Nakivo for six months.
I am working with version 10.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nakivo is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution.
In our company, we have 10 people using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support responds very quickly.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we did not work with similar products.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be lower.
What other advice do I have?
I don't use any special features. I just use the standard feature.
I would rate Nakivo an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Founder & CEO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Excellent support with great product licenses and well-performing software
Pros and Cons
- "The product license and support delivery have been great!"
- "Their product is good and it meets our requirements, however, new features are also most welcome and we never hesitated to try new features."
What is our primary use case?
With VMware ESXi with Vcenter setup including HP SAN, we are using this backup and replication solution for local and cloud backup including offsite backups.
In this software, they give an option to copy the backup to another NAS. Wasabi is the cheapest option for cloud backup and we are using it as a cloud backup since their support is good and they are ready to listen to our requirements and give better use suggestions.
The software has been working since 2018. After a few months of testing, it looks like the solution is solid.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate the management that really does respond quickly. They reply immediately to any query raised from us as a technician or consultant and they know the pulse of the market and keep updating the features in such a big way. Kudos to the team.
I appreciate the motivation and confidence. It helps to sell Nakivo products when outstanding support is provided and its well-performing software easily beats competitors.
The product license and support delivery have been great!
What needs improvement?
I'm okay with the solutions they are providing. Their product is good and it meets our requirements, however, new features are also most welcome and we never hesitated to try new features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for more than three years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: January 2026
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