Still Unbuilt

All 100 ideasFiles and backup

#11 of 100 · Files and backup

Time Machine for every computer

Set-and-forget encrypted backup with versions and full or single-file restore, on Linux and Windows too, without subscription price hikes.

23asks, each re-read
22separate threads
13of 19 years
3since 2024
2009first asked

Asks per year

’081’101’1221’142’165’1811’2032’221’2412’26

What the askers want

  • Would pay22%
  • Want it local or private30%
  • Object to subscriptions9%
  • Want it open source or self-hosted26%
  • Want AI to do it4%

Share of the 23 asks that say so, as judged by Jev.

What exists on Show HN

Built, still asked for2 Show HN launches do this job, and 6 more do part of it. People still ask, so the launches are missed, unknown, or not what they want. Ask what they’re missing before you build.

Instead of: Backblaze, Arq, CrashPlan, Time Machine

The idea, as matched

A set-and-forget, cross-platform backup app for computers and phones (like Time Machine or Arq on Windows and Linux) with versioning, full or single-file restore, ransomware resistance and no subscription.

Jev first matched 28 requests to this idea; a second reader kept 23 of 28.

Every ask, newest first

Each line is an AI paraphrase of what the writer wanted. The link goes to their own words on Hacker News.

Reader’s note. Clusters when CrashPlan and Backblaze changed terms.

  1. Sep 2026Wants a Carbonite alternative with unlimited storage and own encryption that shows VAT upfront. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: What vendor you'd switch out if a better option was available?”
  2. Apr 2026Would pay for Arq on Linux to get the same backup tool on all machines. Read it: a comment in “Backblaze has stopped backing up OneDrive and Dropbox folders and maybe others”
  3. Feb 2025Wants a cheaper online backup provider than CrashPlan, with a better UI and protection from accidental deletion. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: Online backup recommendations”
  4. Jun 2023Wishes for a Time Machine style tool on Windows. Read it: a comment in “ThinMachine – A $25 thin client macOS Time Machine appliance”
  5. Dec 2022Wants a company selling a NAS or Pi appliance with software wrapping restic or Borg for easy backups. Read it: a comment in “Apple Music deletes your original songs and replaces them with DRM'd versions”
  6. Nov 2022Wants a recommendation for open source software for encrypted backups. Read it: a comment in “Duplicati: Free backup software to store encrypted backups online”
  7. Sep 2021Wants a CrashPlan alternative that keeps deleted files indefinitely after retention limits were imposed. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: What are good alternatives to Crashplan for personal backups?”
  8. Jul 2021Wants a write-only, git-like journaled backup that sits between computer and disk to defeat ransomware. Read it: a post: “Best write-only backup solution to stop ransomware?”
  9. Jul 2021Wants an easy local backup for non-technical parents, with automatic backups and no cloud export. Read it: a comment in “Another 0-day looms for many Western Digital users”
  10. Feb 2020Wants Time Machine style backups to the cloud, with full metadata and system configuration, which Backblaze lacks. Read it: a comment in “Time Machine in macOS 10.15.3 is very slow on first full backup”
  11. Feb 2019Wants a better-value computer backup service than Backblaze after a steep price hike. Read it: a comment in “Backblaze: Subscription Updates for Computer Backup”
  12. Aug 2017Wants a Linux-compatible backup alternative to CrashPlan, since Backblaze does not fit. Read it: a comment in “Crashplan 'Home' plan is being discontinued”
  13. Aug 2017Would pay for a Linux front-end client for CrashPlan at the same price Mac and Windows users pay. Read it: a comment in “CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market”
  14. Aug 2017Wants a backup solution they actually like, without Backblaze's 30-day deletion policy. Read it: a comment in “CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market”
  15. Aug 2017Wants a native Linux Arq clone with dedup, client-side encryption, many cloud targets, alerts and one-time licensing. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: What problems do you have that could be solved using software?”
  16. Feb 2017Wants an iPhone-style easy iTunes backup for Android phones. Read it: a comment in “I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again”
  17. Apr 2016Wants a tool for single-file recovery plus whole-machine image backup, like discontinued Norton Ghost. Read it: a comment in “Arq 5: Massively faster backup and restore for Mac and Windows”
  18. Feb 2016Wants a cheaper backup for family photos and documents that also lets them browse the backed-up data online. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: What do you use to backup your data / family photos?”
  19. Jan 2014Wants an automated local file-history tool for Linux, like Dropbox history with a decent interface. Read it: a comment in “Ember.js is driving me crazy”
  20. Nov 2013Wants an affordable, automated, Duplicity-like backup tool for Windows servers, including SQL Server. Read it: a comment in “Duplicity + S3: Easy, cheap, encrypted, automated full-disk backups”
  21. Apr 2013Wants a tarsnap-like headless Linux backup service at about $25 yearly, replacing SpiderOak. Read it: a comment in “Amazon turns Cloud Drive into a Dropbox rival with file syncing”
  22. May 2011Wants a set-and-forget backup that copies a small store's three computers to a NAS without any attention. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: What do you use to backup your data?”
  23. Aug 2009Wants an automated, affordable offsite backup where only they hold the decryption key, including on Mac. Read it: a post: “Ask HN: What do you use for personal, offsite backup?”

Building this?

Read ten of the asks above first, because they say what the existing launches miss. If you ship it, post it as a Show HN so the next run of this list finds it.

See all 100How the counts work

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