FOG Project vs Relax-and-Recover
FOG Project
fogproject.orgRelax-and-Recover
relax-and-recover.orgSide by side
| Figure | FOG Project | Relax-and-Recover |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Disk Imaging Software | 8.8 (#5) | 8.1 (#13) |
| License | The main project and its public repositories use GNU GPL version 3.0. | The security page states ReaR is licensed under GNU General Public License version 3 or later. |
| Purpose | FOG Project is a free, open-source network computer cloning and management solution. | ReaR creates bootable disaster recovery images for bare-metal recovery with data restore on physical or virtual replacement hardware. |
| Release | The download page lists version 1.6.0-RC-3 as released October 02, 2026. | The download page says ReaR v2.9 was released in January 2025 and packages are available through GitHub Releases. |
| Security | The FOG Client documentation says client-server communications use public-key infrastructure and AES-256 encryption after an RSA-4096 key exchange. | ReaR exposes no network services or ports and must run as root; its rescue media omits secrets by default, though secrets can be configured into it. |
| Support | Support is provided through a public forum, documentation, Discord and community resources. | Community support is offered through GitHub issues; the site also lists contributors offering professional services and says 24x7 contracts can be arranged through IT3 Consultants. |
Plans
In their own words
FOG Project
FOG Project is a free, open-source system for cloning and managing networked computers. It captures and deploys Windows, Mac OSX and Linux distributions, including hardware-independent images that can be used across different computer models. The project also lists multi-site installations and remote management, provided the FOG server is publicly reachable. That server must run on Linux; recommended options include server-oriented LTS distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux. FOG recommends configuring client machines to PXE boot first so imaging tasks can be sent without visiting each computer. The FOG Client supports host registration, hostname changes, scheduled power management, snapin installation and user tracking, with client installation described for Windows, Linux and OSX. Client-server communications use public-key infrastructure and AES-256 encryption after an RSA-4096 key exchange. The security guide recommends firewall rules and protecting the MySQL database and captured image directory. Community support is available through forums, a wiki and IRC. The Linux client lacks the FOG Tray, Active Directory joining and PrinterManager. FOG Project is free for commercial use; community support is free.
Relax-and-Recover
Relax-and-Recover (ReaR) is a free, GPL-licensed Linux disaster-recovery framework from Relax-and-Recover, founded in 2006. It creates bootable recovery images for restoring systems to replacement physical or virtual hardware. The workflow rebuilds storage layouts, restores data through a backup program, and installs a boot loader. Recovery can be guided or fully unattended, including physical-to-virtual, virtual-to-physical, physical-to-physical, and virtual-to-virtual moves. Boot media includes ISO, USB, eSATA, bootable tape, and PXE. Built-in backup methods include tar and rsync, with integrations such as Bacula, Borg, Commvault, NetBackup, and Veeam. Supported storage technologies include RAID, LVM, multipathing, DRBD, iSCSI, and LUKS. ReaR is written in Bash with a modular design for extensions, and Disaster Recovery Linux Manager can centrally manage deployments. It must run as root, exposes no network services or ports, and version 2.9 was released in January 2025.