Hi — I'm Vlad, and I build small, focused Windows apps. Today I want to introduce the newest one: BackupKit, a backup app that copies anything on your PC to anywhere you want it — encrypted, on a schedule, to storage you own. It launches in August 2026, and if you join the waitlist now, you'll get 20% off at launch.
This post is the “who, what, and why.” What BackupKit is, where it came from, and why I think it's worth building in a category that already has plenty of names.
What BackupKit is
BackupKit is a Windows-native backup app with one job: keep safe, restorable copies of your important files, automatically. You point it at the folders you care about, choose a destination, and it runs unattended — encrypting every backup with AES-256 before it leaves your machine, on whatever schedule you set, keeping the version history you choose.
The core idea is bring your own storage. BackupKit doesn't sell you a cloud. It backs up to storage you already have or choose:
- Cloud drives — Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, MEGA, pCloud
- Your own servers — FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV
- A NAS — Synology, QNAP, Unraid, TrueNAS
- Local and network drives, including external/USB
- Self-hosted clouds — Nextcloud, ownCloud, Seafile
Native object storage — Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob — is coming shortly after launch. The point is the same either way: your data goes to storage you control, encrypted with a key only you hold, with no vendor able to read it and no lock-in if you ever want to leave.
It's also designed to be an appliance, not a chore: a green/yellow/red health dashboard so you can open the app, see everything is fine, and close it. One-click restore when you actually need it. And a real automation layer — get pinged on email, Telegram, a webhook, or an in-app popup the moment a backup fails.
Where it came from: the FTPie story
BackupKit didn't start from scratch. It grew out of FTPie, my Windows file manager for FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and cloud storage. FTPie has an Auto Backup module — schedule a job, compress it, encrypt it, send it to any connected storage — and over time it became clear that this one feature deserved to be its own product.
People backing up their data don't want a dual-pane file explorer, remote editing, or a tabbed transfer queue. They want the backup part, done really well, with the things FTPie's module didn't fully cover: point-in-time versioning, retention policies, a proper health view, one-click restore, and a serious notification system. So I pulled the backup engine out of FTPie, rebuilt it as a standalone, single-purpose app, and gave it the focus the job deserves. That's BackupKit.
Who's behind it
It's me — an independent developer who likes building polished, native Windows software that does one thing well, respects your privacy, and doesn't nickel-and-dime you. BackupKit is part of a small family of apps I build and maintain:
- FTPie — a modern Windows file manager for FTP/SFTP/FTPS/WebDAV and cloud storage, with a tabbed, dual-pane interface. BackupKit's direct ancestor.
- Snoq — a native Windows notes app with AES-256 encryption, rich text editing, and PDF export, working 100% offline with zero cloud sync.
- RSSly — a free, native Windows RSS reader with built-in ad blocking, curated feeds, and an embedded browser — offline, no telemetry.
- TabChart — a TradingView-powered crypto charting app for Windows traders.
- UpWatchr — local-first uptime monitoring for Windows that pings you the moment a site goes down. No accounts, no cloud, free.
There's a through-line in all of them: native, focused, privacy-respecting tools for people who'd rather own their software than rent a web app. BackupKit is the same philosophy applied to the most important thing on your computer — your data.
Pricing and the early-bird deal
BackupKit will be a paid app with a 30-day full-feature trial — no crippled free tier, because backups are infrastructure and infrastructure should just work. Pricing at launch:
- $6/month
- $50/year (two months free)
- $149 lifetime
One license covers three of your personal devices, with unlimited backups and unlimited accounts per storage provider. And the early-bird offer: join the waitlist before launch and you get 20% off.
Coming August 2026 — join the waitlist
BackupKit ships in August 2026. Between now and then I'll be sharing progress, backup guides, and behind-the-scenes notes right here on the blog. If “encrypted, scheduled, bring-your-own-storage backup for Windows” sounds like what you've been missing, join the waitlist — you'll be first to know when it's live, and you'll lock in the 20% early-bird discount.
Thanks for reading, and for being early. Let's keep your data safe — on your terms.
