CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 alternative and comparison 2026
CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 is a Windows application from Poland that backs up Microsoft 365 to local or network storage you provide. It is licensed as an annual subscription, one license per backed-up user.
By Lucas Flores, IT Systeme Flores UG. Last updated
CodeTwo product page and FAQ checked on 2026-10-05.
The short answer
CodeTwo fits a Windows shop that wants Microsoft 365 backup on its own disks, including SharePoint, public folders and Teams data, without a cloud service in between.
Restow fits if you want backups on your own storage that do not depend on a yearly renewal: a one-time license, Linux instead of a Windows server, IMAP mailboxes, and a weekly restore test.
At a glance
| Aspect | Restow | CodeTwo |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Community free. Business €595, Service Provider €1,950, one-time, net (pre-sale until release: €476 and €1,560). Pre-sale licenses include every 1.x update; from version 1.0, a license includes 12 months of updates, then an optional update year (Business €295, Service Provider €595 net per year). No per-user fee. | Annual subscription, one license per backed-up user. Shared mailboxes without an Exchange Online license need none. |
| Where it runs | Self-hosted: one Docker Compose stack on a Linux server or VM you control. | Self-hosted on Windows Server 2016 to 2025 or Windows 10/11 (64-bit), physical or virtual, also on an Azure VM. |
| Where backups are stored | Your choice: local disk, S3-compatible object storage or NFS, in the region you pick. Immutable backups (S3 Object Lock) can be switched on per repository. | Local or network storage you provide. No direct third-party cloud storage. |
| Microsoft 365 coverage | Exchange Online mail, calendar, contacts; OneDrive; SharePoint Online sites (document libraries and lists, new in 0.4.0); Microsoft 365 groups (calendar and conversations, opt-in, since 0.4.5); IMAP mailboxes; Linux and macOS servers and clients (file-level agent); SMB and NFS file shares without an agent; imported mail files. No Teams chats. | Exchange Online mailboxes and public folders, OneDrive, SharePoint Online; Teams through its SharePoint, OneDrive and Exchange data. |
| Restore testing | Weekly sampled check: data is read back through the restore path and verified against the recorded hashes. File shares are checked after every new restore point, Proxmox VE (preview) guests within minutes of every new restore point, and Proxmox VE can also boot-test restore points. | Not described on the pages checked. |
| Source code and exit | Apache 2.0 core, Business and Service Provider modules under the Restow license terms, open documented storage format with a standalone restore tool. | Proprietary. No open storage format found. |
Where CodeTwo is strong
- Backups stay on your own storage, with no vendor cloud.
- Covers SharePoint, public folders and Teams data.
- After the subscription ends, existing backups can still be restored.
- 30-day trial with full backup jobs.
Where Restow is different
- A one-time license instead of a yearly subscription; Community is free for one organization.
- Runs on Linux with Docker Compose, no Windows license needed.
- S3-compatible object storage as a target, with a copy target next to the primary.
- IMAP mailboxes and servers and clients (Linux, macOS) in the same product.
- A weekly restore check that reads data back and compares hashes.
What happens when you stop paying
CodeTwo states that without a renewal you can no longer run backup jobs, but you can still restore data already in your storage. A Restow license has no end date: backups keep running, and the open format means a standalone tool restores even without a running Restow server. Without an update year, every version released until then keeps running with all modules, but gets no more security fixes.
What Restow does not do (yet)
- Restow does not back up Teams chats. It backs up SharePoint Online sites since 0.4.0, without attachments of list items, site design, navigation and workflows; permissions are kept as information and never restored.
- Immutable backups (new in 0.4.0) are off until an administrator turns them on per repository. S3 Object Lock was tested against a simulated S3 service only, directories and NFS get only a deletion delay, which is not immutability, and the installation's default repository cannot be made immutable.
- In Business, the audit log viewer ships since 0.1.0 and the audit log export since 0.3.1; since 0.3.1 every edition has several administrators with roles. Sign-in with Microsoft and single sign-on (SSO) are planned, and so are four-eyes approval and a signed restore proof.
- The archive is filled by mail import with archiving and, from Business, by capture from the mailboxes (Microsoft Graph, IMAP sync), Exchange Online journal receipt and forwarded copies. Capture from the mailbox is near-time and not complete, and was tested against simulated services only.
- The automated Microsoft 365 backup and restore check against a real tenant is not active yet: check 4 of the release pipeline was skipped in every release so far; Microsoft 365 is covered by tests against a simulated Graph API.
- Licenses include no support, setup, operation or SLA.
- The server and endpoint agent runs on Linux and macOS, file-level; a Windows agent and image backup are planned.
- Restow is a beta: do not use it as your only backup.
CodeTwo: the facts, with sources
Each line is taken from CodeTwo'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 |
|---|---|---|
| "The license for the program is sold in an annual subscription model. One license is taken per each backed-up user." | CodeTwo Backup FAQ | Official source |
| Without a renewal, backup jobs no longer run, but data already saved in your storage can still be restored. | CodeTwo Backup FAQ | Official source |
| Shared mailboxes need no license if they are not assigned a Microsoft 365 license that includes Exchange Online. | CodeTwo Backup FAQ | Official source |
| Runs on a physical or virtual machine with Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019 or 2016 or Windows 11 or 10 (64-bit); can run on a cloud-hosted VM such as Azure. | CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 | Official source |
| Backups go to local or network storage you provide; direct integration with third-party cloud storage is not supported. | CodeTwo Backup FAQ | Official source |
| Protects Exchange Online mailboxes and public folders, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business; Teams data through SharePoint team sites, OneDrive and Exchange Online. | CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 | Official source |
| A list price is not shown on the product page and FAQ checked. | Same pages | Open question |
| No automated restore test was described on the pages checked. | Same pages, absence checked directly | Checked: not found |
Frequently asked
Is CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 a subscription?
Yes. CodeTwo sells it as an annual subscription with one license per backed-up user.
Can I restore CodeTwo backups after the subscription ends?
According to CodeTwo, yes: backup jobs stop, but data already saved in your storage can still be restored.
Does Restow back up SharePoint and Teams like CodeTwo?
In part. Restow has backed up SharePoint Online sites since 0.4.0 (document libraries and lists); the feature is new and so far tested against a simulated Microsoft Graph. Teams data is not covered; CodeTwo covers Teams data and Restow does not.