Redgate SQL Backup Pro vs IDERA SQL Safe Backup (2026)

Quick verdict

Short answer

Choose Redgate SQL Backup Pro if your servers run SQL Server 2022 or older (including legacy versions back to 2000 SP3a), you want scheduled test restores with DBCC CHECKDB and resilient log shipping, and a clearly published per-server subscription price matters. Choose IDERA SQL Safe Backup if you are on SQL Server 2016 or later, are moving to SQL Server 2025, want instant restore or virtual databases to shorten recovery, or want backups written straight to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage or S3-compatible storage. Both are SQL Server only and Windows based.

How we know: This comparison is research-based: supported SQL Server versions, features, storage targets, release activity and prices were checked on 7 November 2026 against Redgate's and IDERA's product pages, Redgate's SQL Backup 10 requirements and release notes, and IDERA's SQL Safe Backup 9.7 documentation. We have not run either product, so nothing here is a measured result, including compression ratios or backup speed.

SQL Backup Pro is Redgate Software's backup and restore tool for Microsoft SQL Server. A server component on each instance does the work and a Windows GUI registers and manages many servers; the same operations are available from the command line and through extended stored procedures. It writes backups in Redgate's own compressed, optionally encrypted format, and adds scheduled verification and log shipping. Redgate's requirements page lists SQL Server 2000 SP3a to 2022; the newest release note is 10.1.34 from 16 July 2025.

SQL Safe Backup is IDERA's policy-based backup and recovery product for SQL Server. A Backup Agent runs on each instance, a repository database keeps history, and a Management Console with collection, management and REST services gives central control. It compresses and encrypts backups, writes to disk, mirrored locations or cloud object storage, and offers instant restore and virtual databases. IDERA's documentation lists 9.7 as current, with SQL Server 2016 to 2025 supported.

Both sit on top of SQL Server's own backup model. Full, differential and transaction log backups and the recovery model still decide what you can restore. For the engine background, see SQL Server Standard vs Enterprise and SQL Server Express vs Standard.

Side by side

Aspect	SQL Backup Pro	SQL Safe Backup
SQL Server versions listed	SQL Server 2000 SP3a to 2022 (2016 and later 64-bit only); 2025 not listed	SQL Server 2016, 2017 CU4 or later, 2019, 2022 and 2025
Release activity	Newest release note 10.1.34 (16 July 2025)	Version 9.7 current; What's New page updated 5 November 2026
Backup types	Full, differential and transaction log	Full, differential, transaction log and file backups
Backup file format	Redgate format (restores need SQL Backup Pro tooling)	SQL Safe format or native .bak
Point-in-time recovery	Through SQL Server transaction log backups and restores	Yes, with a sliding time scale in the restore UI
Fast restore options	Not offered: standard restores, plus scheduled test restores	Instant restore and virtual databases attached from backup files
Verification	CHECKSUM, RESTORE VERIFYONLY and scheduled restores that run DBCC CHECKDB	Not a headline feature on the pages checked
Log shipping	Built in, queues and restores interrupted log transfers in order	Not described on the pages checked
Storage targets	Local disk and network shares; COPYTO_HOSTED uploads a copy to Amazon S3 or Azure hosted storage; no BACKUP TO URL	Disk, several mirror locations, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, S3-compatible storage, IBM TSM
Encryption	128-bit or 256-bit AES	128-bit or 256-bit AES
Management model	Multi-server GUI, command line, extended stored procedures	Policies across instances, central repository, console, REST service, SQLSafeCmd
Published price	666 USD per server, 1 year subscription (1-4 servers)	From 648 USD per instance; licence term not stated

Key differences

Supported versions and product momentum

The clearest difference is platform coverage. SQL Backup Pro reaches far back: Redgate lists SQL Server 2000 SP3a through 2022 on Windows 7 to Windows Server 2022, which helps teams that still run very old instances. It does not list SQL Server 2025, and the 10.1 release notes have no entry after 10.1.34 in July 2025. Redgate has not announced an end of sale, and the product page still sells subscriptions, so this is a question to raise with Redgate rather than a retirement.

SQL Safe Backup goes the other way. The 9.7 requirements start at SQL Server 2016 and include 2025, on Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2016 to 2025. Version 9.7 added SQL Server 2025 and Windows Server 2025, improved restores from S3-compatible storage such as Wasabi, allowed Azure backups to be restored to on-premises SQL Server and patched a MimeKit vulnerability (CVE-2026-30227). If you still run SQL Server 2014 or older, SQL Safe Backup 9.7 is not an option for those instances.

Restore speed versus restore assurance

SQL Safe Backup focuses on getting a database usable quickly. Instant restore brings a database online while the rest of the data streams in the background, and virtual databases let you attach a backup file and query it without a full restore, which is useful for pulling back a few rows or checking an old backup. Object-level recovery runs as a service on the Backup Agent.

SQL Backup Pro focuses on proving backups work. Besides CHECKSUM and RESTORE VERIFYONLY, you can schedule restore jobs that restore a backup to another database and run DBCC CHECKDB on it. You can script the same check with native commands, which is roughly what the scheduled job automates:

-- T-SQL (SQL Server): manual test restore and consistency check
RESTORE DATABASE Sales_Verify
  FROM DISK = N'D:\Backups\Sales_full.bak'
  WITH MOVE N'Sales' TO N'E:\Verify\Sales_Verify.mdf',
       MOVE N'Sales_log' TO N'E:\Verify\Sales_Verify.ldf',
       REPLACE, CHECKSUM;
DBCC CHECKDB (N'Sales_Verify') WITH NO_INFOMSGS;

Cloud and storage targets

SQL Backup Pro writes to local disks and network shares and does not support SQL Server's BACKUP TO URL. For off-site copies, its COPYTO_HOSTED option uploads a copy of each backup to Amazon S3 or Azure hosted storage after the local backup completes, so a local landing zone is still needed.

SQL Safe Backup treats object storage as a first-class target: Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and S3-compatible services, plus several mirror locations in one operation and IBM TSM integration. It also runs on SQL Server in Amazon EC2 and Azure virtual machines, and 9.7 allows Azure backups to be restored to on-premises servers. For teams that want backups to go straight to a bucket, this is the simpler path.

Log shipping and availability groups

SQL Backup Pro includes log shipping that integrates with SQL Server Agent and, in Redgate's description, is "self-healing": interrupted transaction log transfers are queued and restored in order, and network resilience resumes interrupted backup copies. That suits warm standby servers over unreliable links.

SQL Safe Backup does not present log shipping as a feature on the pages checked, but IDERA's product page says it can take backups from preferred Always On availability group replicas, and its policies cover scheduled log backups across many instances. If you rely on log shipping, test how each tool fits your standby design during the trial.

Pricing and licensing

SQL Backup Pro. Redgate's product page showed 666 USD per server for a 1 year subscription in the 1-4 server band, shown as 55.50 USD per server per month (the page uses "$" without naming the currency). The separate pricing page lists bands of 1-4, 5-9 and 10-19 servers with prices loading only in the cart, and 20 or more servers by quote; the product page labels its upper band 10+, so confirm your band in the cart. A 14-day free trial is offered.

SQL Safe Backup. IDERA's product page says starting at 648 USD per instance, with volume pricing through sales and a fully functional 14-day trial. The page does not say whether 648 USD is a perpetual licence or a subscription, or what maintenance it includes, so get a written quote. Note the units differ: Redgate counts servers, IDERA counts SQL Server instances, which matters on hosts with several named instances.

Pricing checked on the vendors' official pages on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.

Where each one leads

SQL Backup Pro strengths

Supports very old SQL Server versions, from 2000 SP3a to 2022
Scheduled test restores with DBCC CHECKDB built into the product
Resilient log shipping that queues and replays interrupted log transfers
Published per-server subscription price on the product page
Backups readable by other Redgate tools such as SQL Compare Pro and SQL Data Compare Pro

SQL Safe Backup strengths

Current platform support, including SQL Server 2025 and Windows Server 2025 in 9.7
Instant restore and virtual databases shorten time to first access
Native targets for Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and S3-compatible storage
Policy-based management with a central repository and REST service
Can write native .bak files as well as its own format

Limitations

SQL Backup Pro limitations

SQL Server 2025 is not in the published requirements
No release note newer than July 2025, so confirm the roadmap with Redgate
No BACKUP TO URL; cloud copies are uploaded after a local backup
Redgate backup format means restores depend on its tooling

SQL Safe Backup limitations

SQL Server 2014 and older are not listed in the 9.7 requirements
Licence term and maintenance are not stated next to the starting price
More components to install and patch: agent, repository and management services
Log shipping is not described as a feature on the pages checked

When to choose each

Choose SQL Backup Pro if

You run SQL Server 2022 or older, including legacy versions
Automated restore testing with DBCC CHECKDB is a priority
You run log shipping to warm standbys over unreliable networks
You already use Redgate tools and want backups they can read

Choose SQL Safe Backup if

You are on SQL Server 2016 or later and planning for 2025
Recovery time matters and instant restore or virtual databases would help
You want backups written directly to S3, Azure Blob or S3-compatible storage
You manage dozens of instances and want policies and central history

When neither is right

You only need scheduled backups of a few databases, including SQL Server Express, sent to cloud storage: SQLBackupAndFTP is cheaper and simpler.
You protect whole servers or many engines and want SQL Server as one workload among many: see Veeam vs Commvault.
Native SQL Server backups with compression, encryption and BACKUP TO URL already meet your needs, scheduled by SQL Server Agent: no third-party tool is required.
Your SQL Server runs as a managed service such as Amazon RDS or Azure SQL Database, where the provider runs backups: see AWS RDS vs Azure SQL Database.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

The decision usually comes down to your SQL Server versions and what you value at restore time. SQL Backup Pro fits estates on SQL Server 2022 or older that want verified backups and robust log shipping at a published price, provided you are comfortable with its quiet release history and confirm Redgate's plans for 2025. SQL Safe Backup fits teams on 2016 to 2025 that want faster paths back to a usable database and direct cloud targets, provided you get the licence term in writing. Run both 14-day trials against the same databases and compare restore workflows, not only backup size.

Frequently asked questions

Does Redgate SQL Backup Pro support SQL Server 2025?

Not according to Redgate's published requirements on 7 November 2026, which list SQL Server 2000 SP3a to 2022. The newest release note is 10.1.34 from July 2025. Ask Redgate before upgrading servers to 2025.

Does IDERA SQL Safe Backup support SQL Server 2025?

Yes. SQL Safe Backup 9.7 lists SQL Server 2016, 2017 CU4 or later, 2019, 2022 and 2025, all editions including Express, and adds Windows Server 2025.

Which is cheaper?

The published starting prices are close: 666 USD per server per year for SQL Backup Pro (1-4 servers) and from 648 USD per instance for SQL Safe Backup. IDERA does not state the licence term, and the two count different units (servers versus instances), so compare written quotes.

Can either tool back up directly to the cloud?

SQL Safe Backup writes to Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage and S3-compatible storage. SQL Backup Pro writes locally or to a network share and can upload a copy to Amazon S3 or Azure hosted storage with COPYTO_HOSTED; it does not support BACKUP TO URL.

Can I restore their backups with native SQL Server tools?

SQL Backup Pro uses Redgate's own format, so restores go through its tooling. SQL Safe Backup can write either its own format or native .bak files, which native RESTORE can read.

Sources

Checked November 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.