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Mac backup with restore probes · public beta
Backups you can see working.
Lifeboat backs up your home folder to a disk, a NAS or your own cloud storage. Once a week it restores random files from the newest backup and compares them with your Mac, byte for byte. You see the result, not a guess.
14 days of everything free, then 1 disk free for good, or Pro for €39 once. No account.
macOS 26 or later. Your backup is stored in the open restic format, readable without Lifeboat.
Your backup worksBacked up 12 minutes ago · verified 2 days ago
Restore probe: 200 of 200 files matchrestored from the newest backup, compared byte for byte
Data check: 5% of stored data read, no errorsmonthly, on every destination
verifiedBackup Disk · 9 backups over 14 days
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How it works
Back up, prove, check, explain.
1Back up
On schedule, hourly or daily, restic saves what changed since the last time. Encrypted with AES-256 before anything leaves your Mac.
2Prove
Once a week Lifeboat restores 200 random unchanged files and compares each one with your Mac using SHA-256.
3Check
Once a month it reads 5% of the stored data and checks it, so damage on the disk shows up early.
4Explain
Problems arrive as plain sentences with one fix, like “The backup disk is full”. Green only when a probe passed in the last 14 days.
Features
A clear status, a timeline, and your files back in seconds.
One status you can trust
The overview says what is true: when the last backup ran, when it was last verified, and what the probe found. If something needs you, it says what and offers one button to fix it.
- Green only after a passed restore probe
- Runs with unreadable files are shown as “with gaps”, never as ok
- Notifications at most once per destination and day
Drag back in time, look, restore
The restore page shows your backups on a timeline. Pick a day, browse folders as they were, preview with Quick Look, or search a file name across all backups.
- Restores into a new folder on your Desktop, never over your files
- Search in every backup at once
- Shows times in the zone each backup was taken
A disk, a NAS, or your own cloud
Add a disk, a network share over SMB or S3-compatible storage like Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Amazon S3 or Hetzner. Lifeboat tests the connection and estimates the size before the first upload.
- Several destinations at once for the 3-2-1 rule (Pro)
- Finds disks by their ID, even under a new name
- An emergency sheet (PDF) with password and restore steps
A plan you can read
Back up the home folder or the folders you pick. Lifeboat leaves out caches, the Trash and files apps marked “do not back up”, like Time Machine does. Choose hourly or daily and how long old versions stay.
- Pauses on battery below 20% if you want
- Waits for the disk or network instead of failing
- Your own rules for old versions (Pro)
Command palette
Press ⌘K to back up, run a probe, find a file or open any page.
History
Every run and probe with its result, files added and data stored.
Compared with Time Machine
Time Machine is built in. Lifeboat shows you it works.
| Time Machine | Lifeboat | |
|---|---|---|
| Destinations | Disk, network share, Time Capsule | Disk, network share (SMB), S3-compatible cloud storage |
| Proof | No regular test restores | Weekly restore probe, monthly data check |
| Format | Apple's format, read with macOS | Open restic format, readable on Mac, Linux and Windows |
| Encryption | Optional | Always, AES-256, key from your password |
| Whole Mac | Restores apps and system with Migration Assistant | Files only, no bootable copy |
| Price | Included in macOS | Free for 1 disk, Pro €39 one-time |
Time Machine details from Apple's public documentation, as of November 2026. Using both is a good idea: Time Machine on a disk next to your Mac, Lifeboat to a NAS or the cloud.
Open and private
Your backup belongs to you.
Readable without Lifeboat
Lifeboat runs restic 0.19.1 inside. Any restic on any computer can read your backup with your password. How it works.
Encrypted on your Mac
restic encrypts with AES-256 before data leaves your Mac. I never see your files or your password.
Every connection named
Your destination, Dodo Payments for the license check (key and Mac name), and this website for updates. No account, no tracking.
Pricing
Free for one disk. Pro once.
14 days of everything free. No account, no card.
Free
€0 for good
- 1 disk on schedule
- Weekly restore probes
- Monthly data checks
- Restore from every destination
- Emergency sheet
Pro
€39 one-time
- Network shares (SMB)
- S3-compatible cloud storage
- Several destinations at once
- Your own rules for old versions
- 2 Macs, all 1.x updates
Prices include tax. [PLATZHALTER: Steuerhinweis zum Preis] Sold by Dodo Payments as merchant of record. 14-day right of withdrawal, even after download: details · license terms
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What happens if Lifeboat stops existing?
Your backups stay readable. Lifeboat stores them in the open restic format, and restic is free open source software for Mac, Linux and Windows. With the password from your emergency sheet you can list and restore every backup in Terminal, without Lifeboat. Step by step guide.
Do I still need Time Machine?
Lifeboat backs up your files: the home folder with documents, photos, mail and settings. It does not make a bootable copy and does not restore a whole Mac with apps and system in one step. Many people keep Time Machine on a second disk and use Lifeboat for an offsite copy on a NAS or in the cloud. Two independent backups are better than one (the 3-2-1 rule).
Where is my data?
Only where you choose: on your disk, your NAS or in your own cloud storage bucket (for example Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Amazon S3 or Hetzner). I do not run a backup server and never see your files. restic encrypts everything with AES-256 before it leaves your Mac. The key comes from your password, which only you know.
What does cloud storage cost?
You pay your provider directly. Prices change, so please check the provider's site. As an example: Cloudflare lists R2 at $0.015 per GB and month with the first 10 GB free and no fees for downloading. A 200 GB backup would cost about $2.85 a month. Before the first upload, Lifeboat shows the estimated size of your backup.
What exactly is a restore probe?
Once a week Lifeboat picks 200 random files that have not changed on your Mac since the newest backup, restores them from that backup into a temporary folder, and compares each one byte for byte (SHA-256) with the original. The result lands on the overview: “verified 2 days ago, 200 of 200 match”. Once a month it also reads 5% of the stored data and checks it. The status is green only if a probe passed in the last 14 days.
What if I forget the password?
Then nobody can read the backup, not even me. That is how the encryption works. During setup Lifeboat creates an emergency sheet (PDF) with the password and the steps to restore. Print it and keep it away from your Mac.
What happens after the 14 days?
Lifeboat stays free with 1 disk on schedule, restore probes, data checks and restoring from every destination. Pro unlocks network shares, cloud storage, several destinations at once and your own rules for old versions, for €39 once, on 2 Macs. Restoring is never locked.
Why is it a beta?
Backups are about trust, so Lifeboat starts as a public beta (version 0.9) for at least four weeks before 1.0. During the beta, please keep your current backup running alongside Lifeboat. Feedback is very welcome.
More answers in Support.