Salesforce Backup: Own, OwnBackup, Gearset, or Native, Which Actually Restores?
Salesforce is not backed up by default. Half the "backup solutions" you buy cannot actually restore under pressure. Here is the honest comparison, and the restore test nobody skips.
Salesforce is not backed up by default, and Salesforce itself will remind you of that in writing. A weekly export is not a backup. A backup you have never restored is a hope. Every year, we hear the same story from a rescue call: "we bought a backup product but the restore does not do what we thought." Here is the honest 2026 comparison of the four options, and the restore test that separates the vendors that work from the ones that just charge.
The Four Options
- Salesforce Backup & Recover, the native paid product. Backs up data + metadata, granular restore.
- Own (formerly OwnBackup), the market leader for a decade. Comprehensive, mature, expensive.
- Gearset Backup, the DevOps-adjacent player, strong for teams already on Gearset.
- Weekly Data Export + custom scripts, free, brittle, do-not-rely.
Quick Verdict
| Your priority | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Single-vendor with Salesforce, procurement-simplest | Salesforce Backup & Recover |
| Comprehensive backup, sandbox seeding, compare + restore | Own |
| Already using Gearset for DevOps, want one tool | Gearset Backup |
| You have decided backup is a "when we get to it" item | Nothing. Reconsider now. |
The Restore Test That Separates Real Backups from Marketing
Once per quarter, do this:
- Pick 10 records across 5 objects.
- Delete them (in a sandbox that mirrors production).
- Ask your backup tool to restore them exactly, with relationships intact.
- Time it. Compare with your published RTO.
If any step fails, you do not have a backup, you have a data warehouse.
What Backups Do Not Cover (Even the Good Ones)
- Metadata regressions between backup and restore (fields deleted, layouts changed).
- Third-party AppExchange data stored outside your org.
- Attachments over the daily-storage cap of some tools.
- Files stored in Content Delivery Network for Files & Content.
Cost Ranges (2026)
- Salesforce Backup & Recover: ~$10/user/month, discounts at scale.
- Own: negotiated, typically $15,000–$120,000/year depending on data volume.
- Gearset Backup: mid-market pricing, similar to Own for equivalent scope.
- DIY: $0 plus your engineers' time forever.
Regional Notes
- EU: your backup must respect data residency, verify EU-only storage. See our GDPR guide.
- US & Canada: SOC 2 auditors now ask specifically for backup and tested restore evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Salesforce back up my data?
Salesforce backs up infrastructure. It does not back up your data such that you can recover from a bad Flow, a mass delete, or a corrupted integration. That is your responsibility.
How often should we test restore?
Quarterly full test, monthly sampling.
Can we roll our own backup?
Yes, and you will regret it around year 2. Backup is where DIY quality shows.
What is the biggest mistake?
Buying backup once and never testing restore. It is the definition of a false sense of security.
Get a Backup Strategy Audit
Our Salesforce audit includes a backup + restore test with a fixed-price remediation plan. Book a 30-minute call.
If this sounds like your CRM, let's look at it together.
Thirty minutes, no deck, no pitch. You leave with a diagnosis either way.