Guide · Comparison
Proxmox Backup Server or AegisGrid? An honest comparison
In short: for a pure Proxmox environment, Proxmox Backup Server is an obvious open-source choice – deeply integrated, with live restore and containers. AegisGrid fits when Windows computers, Hyper-V, Xen or Microsoft 365 are to be backed up alongside Proxmox VE, with one method, immutable storage with retention lock, check restores and signed evidence. The two can also be run side by side.
The main differences
The information on Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) comes from the manufacturer's documentation (sources below), as of November 2026, version 4.2.
| Feature | AegisGrid | Proxmox Backup Server |
|---|---|---|
| Provider / headquarters | MSD Computersysteme GmbH, Germany | Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, Vienna, Austria |
| Licence | Commercial | Open source (AGPLv3), support subscriptions |
| Proxmox VMs | Whole VMs with all disks, EFI disk, vTPM and configuration; LVM, LVM-thin, ZFS, Ceph RBD, qcow2; restore in place as well | Whole VMs, integrated into the Proxmox VE interface |
| Fast follow-up backups of running VMs | Yes, through QEMU dirty bitmaps; read in full once after a restart of the VM | Yes, through QEMU dirty bitmaps |
| Proxmox containers (LXC) | No | Yes |
| Other platforms | Windows and Linux with VSS or LVM snapshot, Hyper-V, Xen, Microsoft 365 | Linux computers via the command-line client; no Windows client from Proxmox |
| Starting a VM before the restore has finished | No; restore parallelised and in the background | Yes (live restore) |
| Single files from VM backups | Yes, on Windows and Linux: provide a disk read-only and fetch files without restoring it | Yes, in the Proxmox VE interface |
| Immutable backups | WORM with retention lock | Protection flag for individual backups; tapes as WORM |
| Verification | Check of all objects, repair from a second copy, check restore with VM start, virus scan | Verify jobs over the checksums of all chunks |
| Further copies | Up to eight targets in one run, including S3-compatible object storage; mirroring to a second site, export for tape or USB disk | Sync to a second PBS, tape libraries, S3-compatible object storage, removable datastores |
| Evidence | Chained, signed log, monthly report as PDF, copy via syslog | n/a |
n/a = no clearly documented vendor information found.
Both have in common: deduplication across all backups of a store, encryption before transfer with AES-256-GCM (AegisGrid optionally ChaCha20-Poly1305), compression with zstd and a web interface or console for management. Further solutions are compared on the Comparison page.
When Proxmox Backup Server is the better choice
- A pure Proxmox environment without Windows computers outside VMs, without Hyper-V and without Microsoft 365.
- Containers (LXC) are to be backed up – AegisGrid currently backs up VMs only.
- Live restore matters: the VM should start while the data is still coming back.
- Tape libraries are to be driven directly.
- Open source without licence costs is a requirement, and the team runs the server itself.
- Disks on iSCSI or large raw and vmdk files are in use – AegisGrid rejects such VMs instead of backing them up incompletely.
When AegisGrid is a good fit
- Mixed environments: Proxmox VE alongside Windows servers and workstations, Hyper-V, Xen and Microsoft 365 – with one method and into the same stores, deduplicated across everything.
- Immutable with a deadline: WORM with retention lock on your own backup server: until the period expires, a backup cannot be deleted via AegisGrid; the lock of individual backups can be extended selectively.
- Check instead of hope: the backup server starts backed-up VMs on a trial basis in an isolated environment, checks file systems and scans for viruses – see Testing restores.
- Evidence for NIS2 and the BSI: a chained, signed evidence log with a monthly report and SIEM connection.
- Several targets in one run: local, NAS, your own backup server at a second site and cloud storage at the same time.
- Support from a single source: if you wish, Managed Backup with a personal contact in Germany.
Both together
The two tools are not mutually exclusive. Some environments back up containers with Proxmox Backup Server and VMs, Windows computers and Microsoft 365 with AegisGrid. The only important thing is that both do not back up the same VM at the same time – both work with snapshots of the same disks.
How AegisGrid backs up Proxmox VMs in detail is described in the guide Backing up Proxmox VE.
Sources
- Proxmox: Proxmox Backup Server – introduction, Datastores, Technical overview, Roadmap and release notes, Proxmox VE – backup and restore, Legal notice
Proxmox, Proxmox VE, Proxmox Backup Server, Hyper-V, Microsoft 365 and other product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. They are mentioned solely for the purpose of a factual comparison; there is no business relationship. We welcome any notes on outdated information.
Frequently asked questions
Can AegisGrid read Proxmox Backup Server backups?
No. Existing backups remain readable with Proxmox Backup Server until they expire at the end of their retention period. New backups are made with AegisGrid.
Does AegisGrid need the QEMU guest agent?
No, but it is recommended. With the guest agent, AegisGrid briefly freezes the file systems of all disks together; without it, it backs up crash-consistently and notes this in the log.
Can I restore a Proxmox VM on a different host?
Yes. The backup contains the configuration of the VM; it is restored as a new VM, optionally with a different VMID, different storage and new or the original MAC addresses.
Is AegisGrid right for your Proxmox environment?
In a pilot project we check in advance whether all your VMs and storage types are covered.