Restow vs Acronis for Microsoft 365 backup
Acronis sells Microsoft 365 backup as part of its Cyber Protect platform, mostly to service providers, as a subscription billed per seat with storage on Acronis's cloud, or per GB on Microsoft 365 Backup Storage.
The short answer
Acronis fits service providers who already use Cyber Protect for endpoints and servers and want Microsoft 365 in the same console, with SharePoint and Teams security in the Ultimate tier.
Restow fits if you want a price you can see before talking to sales, a one-time license instead of a subscription, and backups on storage you control.
At a glance
| Aspect | Restow | Acronis |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Community free. Business €595, Service Provider €1,950, one-time, net (pre-sale until release: €476 and €1,560). No per-user fee. | Subscription, per seat (unlimited Acronis storage) or per GB (Microsoft 365 Backup Storage). No public price; quote or calculator only. |
| Where it runs | Self-hosted: one Docker Compose stack on a Linux server or VM you control. | Cloud service within Acronis Cyber Protect. |
| Where backups are stored | Your choice: local disk, S3-compatible object storage, NFS or SMB, in the region you pick. | Acronis Cloud Storage, or Microsoft 365 Backup Storage with per-GB billing. |
| Microsoft 365 coverage | Exchange Online mail, calendar, contacts; OneDrive; IMAP mailboxes; Linux and macOS servers and clients (file-level agent); imported mail files. No SharePoint or Teams in version 1. | Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams (collaboration security in M365 Ultimate). |
| Restore testing | Weekly sampled restore: data is read back through the restore path and compared byte for byte. | No automated restore verification for Microsoft 365 found. |
| Source code and exit | AGPL-3.0 core, source-available Business and Service Provider modules, open documented storage format with a standalone restore tool. | Proprietary. |
Where Acronis is strong
- One console for endpoints, servers and Microsoft 365.
- Up to six backups a day in the Ultimate tier.
- No storage overage under the per-seat option.
- Choice between Acronis storage and Microsoft 365 Backup Storage.
Where Restow is different
- A published price: Business €595, Service Provider €1,950, once.
- No subscription that has to be renewed to keep backing up.
- Storage you choose, including local disks and NFS.
- A weekly restore test per mailbox that reads data back and compares it.
What Restow does not do (yet)
- Restow does not back up SharePoint or Teams in version 1.
- The audit log, SSO and roles are in development for Business.
- Licenses include no support; setup is available on quote.
- The server and endpoint agent runs on Linux and macOS, file-level; Windows is planned.
- Restow 0.1.0 is a beta: do not use it as your only backup.
Acronis: the facts, with sources
Each line is taken from Acronis's own documentation unless the rating says otherwise. "Checked: not found" means we looked in the named sources and did not find it, which is not proof that it does not exist.
| Fact | Source | How solid |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription-based licensing, not perpetual; Acronis's own marketing describes the model in terms of "recurring revenues" for service providers. | Acronis Backup for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| Two billing options for the Microsoft 365 workload: per seat with unlimited storage on Acronis's own Cloud Storage, or per GB if you instead choose "Microsoft 365 Backup Storage" (Microsoft-hosted, geo-redundant). | Same page | Official source |
| Unlike some other Acronis workloads, the Microsoft 365 workload has no storage overage charges under the per-seat option. | Pricing and Licensing for Service Providers | Official source |
| Two Microsoft 365 tiers exist: "M365 Backup + DR" (daily backups plus email archiving) and "M365 Ultimate" (up to 6x/day advanced backup plus collaboration security for OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams). | Pricing and Licensing page | Official source |
| No exact per-seat or per-GB price in euros or dollars is published on Acronis's official pages; getting one requires contacting Acronis directly or using their calculator tool. | Same pages, absence checked directly | Checked: not found |
| No automated restore-verification feature comparable to Veeam's SureBackup was found for the Microsoft 365 workload. | Third-party technical comparison (comparisec.com), not an Acronis statement | Low |
| Not open source: proprietary commercial platform. | Absence checked across the pages above | Checked: not found |
Frequently asked
How much does Acronis Microsoft 365 backup cost?
Acronis publishes no per-seat or per-GB price on its official pages. You get a price from Acronis, a partner, or their calculator.
Does Restow replace Acronis Cyber Protect?
Only for Microsoft 365, IMAP and file-level backup of Linux and macOS servers and clients. Restow has no Windows agent yet, no disk images and no bare-metal restore; the Windows agent is planned.