What is included in Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard?

VM Backup – Backs up VMware ESXi and Hyper-V virtual machines.
Hot Backups – Live backups of running VMs with zero downtime.
Flexible Restore – Restore single files or whole VMs to any host.
Sandbox Verification – Sandbox verification confirms each backup can actually restore.
Core Capacity – Protects up to five VMs per host.
Important – Immutable storage, CDP and replication require Unlimited Plus.

What are the main benefits of Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard?

Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard is a host-based backup tool for VMware ESXi and Hyper-V environments, built for small sites that need dependable scheduled backups. It protects up to five VMs per host with hot backups, flexible restores, and AES-encrypted offsite copies.

Quick Setup – First VM backup running in under fifteen minutes.
Drag-and-Drop – Assign VMs to backup schedules using simple drag-and-drop.
Hot Backups – Protect running VMs without taking them offline.
Verified Restores – Sandbox testing confirms backups will actually restore.
Offsite Copies – Send AES-encrypted backups to remote or cloud storage.
Single Console – Manage VMware and Hyper-V hosts from one interface.

What does Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard do?

Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard creates and restores backups of VMware ESXi virtual machines, and it also supports Hyper-V hosts from the same console. The Standard edition protects up to five VMs per host and runs live (hot) backups so guests stay online during the job. You can recover an individual file, a full VM, or restore a VM to a different host, and the Sandbox Restore feature lets you verify a backup boots before you rely on it. Most setups have their first backup running in under fifteen minutes after installation.

Who is the Standard edition best suited for?

The Standard edition fits small VMware or Hyper-V sites that run only a handful of critical VMs per host and need reliable scheduled backups rather than continuous disaster recovery. Because it caps at five VMs per host and omits Continuous Data Protection and replication, it suits environments where a daily or hourly recovery point is acceptable, not ones that must recover within minutes. A single-server office backing up a domain controller, a file server, and one application VM is a typical fit. Teams that expect minute-level recovery or ransomware-proof immutable storage should look at Unlimited Plus instead.

How does the Standard edition compare to Unlimited and Unlimited Plus?

The three paid editions share the same core backup engine but differ in scale and disaster-recovery depth. Standard backs up to five VMs per host and leaves out Augmented Inline Deduplication, Boot from Backup, VMware vCenter and Hyper-V cluster support, and Exchange item-level restore. Unlimited removes the per-host VM limit and adds those four capabilities. Unlimited Plus is the only edition with Continuous Data Protection, WAN-optimized replication, immutable ransomware-resistant cloud storage, and the cloud management console.

Does the Standard edition include immutable backups and Continuous Data Protection?

No. Immutable cloud storage, Continuous Data Protection (CDP), and WAN-optimized replication are exclusive to the Unlimited Plus edition and are not part of Standard. In practice this means Standard cannot keep ransomware-proof WORM copies in Amazon S3 or Wasabi, and its lowest recovery point is set by your backup schedule rather than CDP's five-minute interval. Standard still encrypts offsite copies with AES and can send them to a remote location or a supported cloud target. If protecting backups against ransomware tampering is a priority, Unlimited Plus is the edition that adds that layer.

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Does it back up VMware only, or Hyper-V as well?

It backs up both VMware ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines, and you manage every host from one console regardless of hypervisor. The five-VM-per-host limit in Standard applies to whichever platform the host runs. Support for VMware vCenter and Hyper-V failover clusters (CSV) is reserved for the Unlimited and Unlimited Plus editions, so Standard connects to standalone hosts. Backups can be written to local disk, a network share, or an offsite location for a second copy.

Frequently asked questions about Altaro VM Backup for VMware Standard

Is Altaro VM Backup now Hornetsecurity VM Backup?

Yes. Hornetsecurity acquired Altaro in 2021, and the product is now sold as Hornetsecurity VM Backup, though the Altaro name still appears on many retail listings. The software and edition structure are the same, so a Standard license covers the same VMware and Hyper-V backup features under either name.

Can I upgrade from Standard to a higher edition later?

Yes. Hornetsecurity offers upgrade paths from Standard to Unlimited or Unlimited Plus, so you can start small and add the per-host VM headroom or advanced features such as CDP and immutable storage when your environment grows. This lets you scale the edition to your needs without rebuilding your backup setup from scratch.