Restow vs N-able Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection is N-able's cloud backup for MSPs. It protects servers, workstations and Microsoft 365 in one console, prices Microsoft 365 per protected user and includes storage in N-able's own data centres.
The short answer
Cove fits MSPs who want one vendor for server, workstation and Microsoft 365 backup, with frequent backups, 7-year retention and storage in N-able's data centres included.
Restow fits MSPs who want a one-time Service Provider license for any number of tenants, backups on storage they control, and a weekly restore test per mailbox. Restow has an agent for Linux and macOS servers and clients, file-level; a Windows agent is planned.
At a glance
| Aspect | Restow | N-able Cove |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Per unique protected user, recurring, storage included and pooled per tenant. No public price; quote or trial. |
| Where it runs | Self-hosted: one Docker Compose stack on a Linux server or VM you control. | Cloud service; management console by N-able. No self-hosted option. |
| Where backups are stored | Your choice: local disk, S3-compatible object storage, NFS or SMB, in the region you pick. | N-able's private data centres, region of your choice. No own-storage option found. |
| 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 and Teams up to 6 times a day, OneDrive and SharePoint up to 4 times a day. |
| Restore testing | Weekly sampled restore: data is read back through the restore path and compared byte for byte. | Not described for Microsoft 365 on the pages checked. |
| 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. Export format not described on the pages checked. |
Where N-able Cove is strong
- Servers, workstations and Microsoft 365 in one console.
- Up to six Exchange and Teams backups a day.
- Retention of Microsoft 365 data for up to seven years.
- Storage included, pooled across the users of a tenant.
Where Restow is different
- One Service Provider license (€1,950 once) instead of a per-user price for every mailbox.
- Backups on storage you pick, not a vendor data centre.
- A weekly restore test per mailbox and OneDrive, shown per tenant.
- Open source core and an open storage format; no lock-in on exit.
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.
N-able Cove: the facts, with sources
Each line is taken from N-able Cove'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 |
|---|---|---|
| Priced per unique protected user for Microsoft 365, with cloud storage in N-able data centres included and pooled across users within each tenant. No price is published; quote or free trial. | N-able: Cove pricing | Official source |
| Covers Exchange and Teams up to 6 times a day, OneDrive and SharePoint up to 4 times a day. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| Microsoft 365 data can be kept for up to 7 years. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| Backups are stored in N-able's private network of data centres, in a region you choose. No self-hosted or own-storage option was found. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| Server, workstation and Microsoft 365 backups are managed in the same console. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| Data centres are certified for SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and PCI DSS, and HIPAA is listed. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Official source |
| No automated restore verification and no export format for Microsoft 365 were described on the pages checked. | N-able: Cove for Microsoft 365 | Checked: not found |
Frequently asked
How much does Cove cost for Microsoft 365?
N-able publishes no price. Microsoft 365 is billed per unique protected user with storage included; you get a price through a quote or trial.
Can Restow replace Cove entirely?
Not today. Restow protects Microsoft 365, IMAP and, with its agent, Linux and macOS servers and clients at file level. A Windows agent is planned, not built, and Restow makes no disk images.