- Disaster recovery software side by side
- Eleven disaster recovery tools worth a look
- Which tool suits which setup
- Decide your recovery time before you shop
- Backup and disaster recovery aren't the same
- Questions to ask before you choose
- Signs you need more than backup
- My plain advice on choosing disaster recovery software
- Frequently asked questions
The best disaster recovery software gets your servers, apps and data running again quickly after an outage, ransomware attack or mistake, not just restores files. The main choices are cloud recovery services from the big providers, backup and recovery appliances often run by an MSP, and platforms that replicate systems continuously. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
A backup tells you your data still exists. Disaster recovery tells you how long it'll take to get the business working again, which is the number your customers care about.
The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website, read this week. If you haven't written a plan yet, my guide to a small business continuity plan comes first.
Disaster recovery software side by side
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site names a free plan, a free version, a free tier or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery | Cloud disaster recovery service | Recovering servers into AWS | Not stated |
| Axcient | Backup and disaster recovery for MSPs | Managed service providers | Trial only |
| Azure Site Recovery | Cloud disaster recovery service | Microsoft-centred IT teams | Trial only |
| Cove Data Protection | Cloud data protection service | Lean IT teams and MSPs | Not stated |
| Datto SIRIS | Backup and disaster recovery appliance | Local appliance plus cloud copies | Not stated |
| Druva | SaaS resilience platform | Fully managed protection with no hardware | Trial only |
| Infrascale | Backup and disaster recovery | Mid-sized firms wanting one vendor | Not stated |
| Quorum | Instant recovery solutions | Spinning up systems in minutes | Not stated |
| Unitrends | Data backup and recovery | Production and supply chain systems | Not stated |
| Veeam | Data resilience platform | Larger mixed estates | Not stated |
| Zerto | Data protection and mobility | Near-continuous replication | Not stated |
Eleven disaster recovery tools worth a look
AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery
Best for: Teams with servers on premises or in AWS who want to recover them into AWS quickly when something fails.
Axcient
Best for: Managed service providers who want backup, disaster recovery and business continuity built for hybrid cloud, with a free trial.
Azure Site Recovery
Best for: Microsoft-centred IT teams who want replication and failover in Azure, with each protected instance free for the first 31 days.
Cove Data Protection
Best for: Lean IT teams and MSPs who want cloud-first data protection delivered as a service rather than kit in the server room.
Datto SIRIS
Best for: Small businesses served by an MSP who want a backup and disaster recovery appliance on site with cloud copies.
Druva
Best for: Organisations who want a fully managed SaaS platform for recovery, so there's no backup hardware to look after.
Infrascale
Best for: Mid-sized companies who want backup and disaster recovery from one vendor covering servers, endpoints and cloud apps.
Quorum
Best for: Firms that can't afford long outages and want instant recovery and disaster recovery for critical servers.
Unitrends
Best for: Businesses with production and supply chain systems who want backup and recovery that fits their own setup.
Veeam
Best for: Larger organisations with mixed on-premises and cloud estates who want recovery with data portability and no lock-in.
Zerto
Best for: Enterprises who want data protection and mobility across on-premises and cloud, with the option to try it before buying.
Which tool suits which setup
- Recovering into the cloud you already use: AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery or Azure Site Recovery.
- Managed service providers: Axcient, Datto SIRIS or Cove Data Protection.
- No backup hardware to manage: Druva.
- Near-continuous replication: Zerto.
- Spinning up critical servers fast: Quorum.
- Mid-sized firms wanting one vendor: Infrascale or Unitrends.
- Larger mixed estates: Veeam.
Decide your recovery time before you shop
Ready.gov, from the US Department of Homeland Security, says priorities and recovery time objectives for information technology should be developed during the business impact analysis.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
That's the step most small businesses skip. Work out how long each system can be down before it hurts, then pick a tool that meets that target, rather than buying a tool and hoping it's fast enough.
Backup and disaster recovery aren't the same
Backup keeps copies of your data. Disaster recovery adds the ability to start systems again somewhere else, such as in the cloud or on a spare appliance, while the main site is down.
If your business can live without a system for a few days, good backups may be enough. If an hour offline loses you customers, you need recovery that's been tested.
Recovery steps can be scripted, and our round-up of SOAR platforms looks at platforms that run those playbooks automatically.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How long can each system be down before it hurts the business?
- How much data can I afford to lose?
- Where will systems run during a disaster?
- Can I test recovery without affecting live systems?
- Does it protect against ransomware, such as with locked copies?
- Who runs the recovery: my team, my MSP or the vendor?
Knowing exactly what changed makes recovery faster, and our list of file integrity monitoring tools compares tools that track it.
Signs you need more than backup
- An hour offline loses you sales. Plan for fast recovery.
- You've never timed a restore. Run a drill.
- All your copies sit on one site. Add an offsite copy.
- Ransomware worries you. Keep locked copies.
Do you make disaster recovery or backup software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing disaster recovery software
Test before you trust. Whatever you buy, run a real recovery drill on a quiet day and time it, because a plan that's never been tested is only a hope.
Keep at least one copy of your data out of reach of attackers, and write down who does what when systems go down. Ransomware is the disaster most small businesses meet, so read my explainer on what ransomware is and check your tool's protection against it.
Frequently asked questions
What is disaster recovery software?
It's software that gets your systems and data running again after an outage, attack or mistake, often by starting them in another location.
Is disaster recovery the same as backup?
No. Backup keeps copies of data, while disaster recovery restores whole systems so the business can keep working.
What is a recovery time objective?
It's how quickly a system must be back after a disruption. Ready.gov says these should be set during the business impact analysis.
Can I recover into the cloud?
Yes. Some services in this list recover servers into the big cloud platforms when your own site is down.
Do small businesses need disaster recovery?
If an outage would lose you customers or money quickly, yes, even if it's a simple cloud-based setup.
How often should I test disaster recovery?
Test regularly and after big changes, and time the recovery so you know whether it meets your target.
