Rowsafe vs SimpleBackups for PostgreSQL backups
SimpleBackups backs up servers, files, databases and SaaS apps, including managed databases such as Supabase, Neon and RDS; for PostgreSQL it takes logical backups, and it points to pgBackRest or WAL-G when you need point-in-time recovery. Rowsafe runs pgBackRest for PostgreSQL you run yourself: restore to any second with up to about a minute of writes at risk, a full restore tested every week, and health monitoring. Choose SimpleBackups for breadth and managed databases; choose Rowsafe for point-in-time recovery and tested restores on your own servers.
Checked on . Sources are listed at the end.
Rowsafe and SimpleBackups, side by side
| Feature | Rowsafe | SimpleBackups |
|---|---|---|
| How it backs up PostgreSQL | Continuous WAL archiving plus full and differential backups with pgBackRest | Logical backups on a schedule, over a direct connection, SSH, a local agent, Docker or a tunnel |
| Point-in-time recovery | Yes, to any second in the recovery window (about 1 to 2 weeks by default, adjustable), or to a Mark you saved by name | No: SimpleBackups uses logical backups and recommends pgBackRest or WAL-G for point-in-time recovery |
| Data you can lose | Up to about a minute of writes on a quiet database, less on a busy one | Everything since the last backup: daily on the free plan, down to every 5 minutes on the Max plan |
| Automatic restore tests | Yes, every week (Proof): a full restore on your server, started and checked database by database. Needs free disk of about 1.3 × the database size | No: it can remind you to test recovery and keep a log of your tests, but doesn't run the restore |
| Backups in your own bucket | Yes: any S3-compatible bucket you own, such as Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2 or MinIO | Yes, on every plan, or SimpleBackups' own storage as an add-on |
| Client-side encryption | Yes: aes-256-cbc on your server before upload. The passphrase and bucket keys never leave it | Yes: AES-256 with a private key you own. Data goes from your server straight to storage |
| Monitoring and alerts | Yes (Pulse): health score, disk forecast, slow queries, locks and WAL archiving. Alerts by email, Slack, Discord or webhook | Partial: backup monitoring, failure alerts and anomaly detection |
| AI-agent restore points (MCP) | Yes (Guard): an MCP server and a Claude Code hook save a Mark before risky changes | No MCP server documented |
| Managed databases (Supabase, Neon, RDS) | No: Rowsafe needs access to the server. Use the provider's own point-in-time recovery | Yes: one-click connections to Supabase, Neon, Amazon RDS, DigitalOcean and more |
| What it backs up | PostgreSQL 13 to 18. MySQL, MariaDB and MongoDB in beta. Redis is planned, not available | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, servers, files and SaaS apps |
| Restore | Yes, one click on the database's own server: restore a copy as it was at any second, compare it and bring back the rows you lost, or rewind the whole database with undo. Onto a new server: a documented pgBackRest restore | Yes: one-click or custom restore |
| Open-source agent | Yes: agent, CLI and installer are Apache-2.0, with signed releases and SLSA provenance. The hosted control plane is not open source | No published source that we could find |
| Free plan | Yes: 1 server, 3 databases, every feature | Yes: 1 backup job, 1 GB, daily backups |
| Price | Free for 1 server, 3 databases. Pro $39/month (5 servers), Business $149/month (25 servers). Every plan has every feature. Storage is billed by your bucket provider | Paid plans from $49/month, priced by backup jobs, storage and backup frequency |
Which one should you use?
Choose Rowsafe if
- You run PostgreSQL on your own server and need to restore to a precise moment.
- You want a full restore tested every week, not only a reminder to test.
- You want PostgreSQL health monitoring (slow queries, locks, disk forecast) with your backups.
- AI coding agents work on your database.
- You want the software that runs on your server to be open source.
Choose SimpleBackups if
- You want off-site copies of a managed database (Supabase, Neon, RDS, DigitalOcean and others). Rowsafe can't connect to those.
- You back up MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, files, servers or SaaS apps as well, and want one place for all of them.
- Logical backups on a schedule are enough, and you'd rather not change PostgreSQL's settings or restart it.
- You'd rather not manage a storage bucket: SimpleBackups can store backups for you.
The details
- Logical versus physical
- SimpleBackups is open about this: it takes logical backups, and for point-in-time recovery on self-hosted PostgreSQL it names pgBackRest or WAL-G. Rowsafe is that pgBackRest setup, run for you, plus a weekly restore test and monitoring.
- Using both
- They don't conflict. SimpleBackups can keep portable logical copies and back up your files, other databases and SaaS apps, while Rowsafe handles point-in-time recovery for the PostgreSQL servers you run.
Questions
Does SimpleBackups support PostgreSQL point-in-time recovery?
No. SimpleBackups states that it uses logical backups and recommends pgBackRest or WAL-G when you need physical backups and point-in-time recovery on self-hosted PostgreSQL.
Does SimpleBackups test restores?
It can remind you to test your recovery plan and keep a log of the tests you run. We found no automated restore test for PostgreSQL in its docs. Rowsafe restores a full copy every week and alerts you if it fails.
Can Rowsafe back up Supabase, Neon or RDS like SimpleBackups?
No. Rowsafe needs access to the server PostgreSQL runs on. Managed providers run their own backups and point-in-time recovery; SimpleBackups can add an off-site logical copy of those.
Which is cheaper?
Both have free plans. SimpleBackups' paid plans start at $49/month. Rowsafe's start at $39/month for 5 servers; storage is billed separately by your bucket provider.
Sources
Facts about other products come from their own public pages, checked on . Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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