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By: Dylan

What is SQLBackupAndFTP?

SQLBackupAndFTP is a Windows-based software application designed to automate backups for SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases.

It manages the entire backup lifecycle: connecting to your database servers, performing scheduled backups, compressing and encrypting the files, storing them in your chosen destination, and notifying the result.

SQLBackupAndFTP

Key features of SQLBackupAndFTP:

Features

Capabilities

Database Support

SQL Server (including Express, Azure SQL, Amazon RDS), MySQL, PostgreSQL

Backup Types

Full, differential, transaction log (SQL Server); full and incremental (MySQL/PostgreSQL)

Storage Destinations

Local folders, network drives, FTP/SFTP/FTPS, NAS, Amazon S3 (and S3-compatible storage), Google Drive, OneDrive (Personal & Business), Dropbox, Box, Azure Storage, Backblaze B2, Yandex.Disk

Compression

Zip and 7zip archive support

Encryption

AES-256 encryption (Professional edition and above)

Scheduling

Fully automated scheduling with flexible recurrence patterns

Retention

Automatic cleanup of old backups based on configurable policies

Notifications

Email alerts on job success or failure (with Full-Service subscription or custom SMTP)

Restore

Full, differential, and transaction log restore directly from the application interface

SQLBackupAndFTP Review: Advantages and Disadvantages

SQLBackupAndFTP has become a popular choice among small and medium-sized businesses that need a simple way to automate SQL Server backup operations without investing in complex enterprise backup infrastructure.

But like other backup solutions, it has strengths and limitations. If you have not yet decided to choose it as your backup solution, read the review we will provide: SQLBackupAndFTP, both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of SQLBackupAndFTP

1. Easy Installation and Simple Backup Management

Compared with manually configuring SQL Server backup jobs through SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server Agent, or custom scripts, SQLBackupAndFTP provides a graphical interface that simplifies backup configuration. It can be very attractive for small IT teams that need reliable backups without significant time managing complex configurations.

2. Automated SQL Server Backup Scheduling

SQLBackupAndFTP allows users to automate database backup operations at a preset time. This significantly reduces the risk of missed backups caused by human error and helps ensure databases are consistently protected.

For example, a small business running an SQL Server-based ERP system can schedule nightly full backups and frequent transaction log backups without requiring administrators to manually execute backup commands.

3. Flexible Backup Storage Options

SQLBackupAndFTP supports multiple backup destinations, allowing organizations to choose storage locations based on their infrastructure and recovery needs.

Supported storage options include:

  • Local disks
  • Network drives
  • NAS storage
  • FTP/SFTP servers
  • Cloud storage platforms

4. Affordable Licensing Model

Compared with many enterprise backup platforms, SQLBackupAndFTP offers a lower-cost approach for SQL Server backup automation. For small businesses, the lower upfront cost can make professional backup automation accessible without requiring significant infrastructure investment.

The pricing plans will be demonstrated in the next section of this article.

Disadvantages of SQLBackupAndFTP

While SQLBackupAndFTP works well for basic SQL Server backup automation, it has limitations that organizations should consider before adopting it for business-critical environments.

1. Limited Enterprise-Scale Management Capabilities

SQLBackupAndFTP is mainly designed for small and medium-sized deployments. It may not perform well in centralized backup management, multi-server administration, role-based access control, large-scale policy management.

For enterprises with complex infrastructure or managing hundreds of databases or multiple SQL Server environments, it is not the

2. Limited Protection Against Modern Ransomware Threats

Modern backup strategies increasingly require protection against ransomware attacks. If attackers gain access to backup repositories, traditional backup files may also become targets.

Although SQLBackupAndFTP provides backup-related security features such as encryption, organizations may still need additional protection mechanisms, such as immutable backup, air-gapped backup copies, etc.

3. Limited Workload Supported

Modern enterprises often operate across On-premises data centers, multiple cloud providers, virtualized environments and more, while SQLBackupAndFTP focuses primarily on database-level backup, which means companies looking for broader infrastructure protection may need additional solutions for more workloads.

SQLBackupAndFTP Editions & Pricing: How to Choose

The available editions of SQLBackupAndFTP include Free, Lite, Standard, and Professional (Lifetime). The features and services vary in terms of different versions.

We made an edition comparison table for you to understand the differences.

Feature

Free

Lite ($39)

Standard ($89)

Professional ($129)

Scheduled databases

2

5

Unlimited

Unlimited

Full backups

Differential/transaction log backups

×

×

√ (Local SQL Server)

Incremental backups (MySQL)

×

×

Local/network/FTP storage

Dropbox, Google Drive

×

Amazon S3, Azure Storage

×

×

×

OneDrive for Business

×

×

×

AES-256 encryption

×

×

×

Email notifications (built-in)

×

Full-Service subscription

×

Optional

Optional

Optional

Note: Email notifications are available in the Free edition if you configure your own SMTP server. Paid editions include built-in email notifications only with an active Full-Service subscription.

Pricing Plans:

  • Lite Edition: $39 one-time (without Full-Service subscription) or $53 with one-year Full-Service subscription
  • Standard Edition: $89 one-time
  • Professional Edition: $129 one-time
  • Professional Lifetime: $499 one-time (includes perpetual updates)

The Free edition includes a 14-day Professional trial, allowing you to test all features before committing

How to choose:

Use Case

Recommended Edition

Single database, basic needs, budget-conscious

Free (Up to 2 scheduled databases)

Small business with 3-5 databases, needs cloud storage (Google Drive/Dropbox)

Lite

Growing business with multiple SQL Server databases, needs differential/log backups

Standard

Organization using AWS S3 or Azure Storage, requires encryption

Professional

Enterprise with unlimited databases and advanced storage needs

Professional

How to Install and Use SQLBackupAndFTP

Setting up SQLBackupAndFTP is straightforward, even for those without deep database administration experience.

How to Backup Database using SQLBackupAndFTP

Step 1. Go to the SQLBackupAndFTP website and download the Windows installer. Run it and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Step 2. Launch SQLBackupAndFTP. The Сonnect to Server form will open automatically. Select the DBMS type from the Server type list and set the connection parameters for the selected DBMS type.

Step 3. Click “Test Connection” to verify the connection. 

SQLBackupAndFTP Connect to Server

Step 4. click the plus icon or go to “Job” > “Add Backup Job”.

Step 3. Select your database type: SQL Server, MySQL, or PostgreSQL. And enter your server connection details (hostname, instance name, credentials).

Step 4. Choose a database, or use the “Backup all non-system databases” option for convenience.

SQLBackupAndFTP Select Database

Note: you can use the exclude list to skip databases like tempdb or other system databases.

Step 5. Select storage destinations for your backups.

SQLBackupAndFTP Select Backup Destination

Step 6. Configure Notifications

  • Enter email addresses for success and failure notifications
  • Free edition users: Configure your own SMTP server
  • Paid edition users with Full-Service subscription: Use built-in email notifications

Step 7. Then click “Run Now” to create and run the backup task. And check if the target storage saves the backup correctly and the Email you set receives the backup information.

SQLBackupAndFTP Run Now

Step 8. If you need, enable “Scheduled Backup” to choose a time to run the backup task automatically.

How to Restore Backup with Restore Job

Step 1. Click the plus icon and select Add Restore Job, or go to “Job” > Add “Restore Job”.

Step 2. Select the backup location (local folder or cloud storage)

Step 3. Choose the backup file to restore—SQLBackupAndFTP scans for supported file types: {DatabaseName}{YYYY}{MM}{DD}{hh}{mm}[log|diff].[sql|bacpac|7z|zip|bak]

Step 4. Select the databases to restore (multiple databases can be restored in one job)

Step 5. Configure the target database server connection

Step 6. Optionally configure scheduling and notifications for the restore job

Step 7. Click “Restore” to execute

Note: If you have full, differential, and transaction log backups, SQLBackupAndFTP handles the entire sequence automatically. When you select a recovery point, the tool restores the full backup first, then the last differential backup, and finally all transaction log backups up to the selected point.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

1. Problem: “Authorization failed” or “The user name or password is incorrect”

Solution:

  • Verify you can connect to the database using the same credentials via SQL Server Management Studio
  • Enable Trust Server Certificate in advanced connection settings for SSL-related errors

2. Permission Issues: Backup jobs fail with permission errors

Solution:

  • Ensure the SQL Server service account has write permissions to the backup folder
  • For network drives, verify the service account has network access

3. Cloud Authentication Failures: Cloud storage authentication fails

Solution:

  • Re-authorize the cloud storage connection (tokens expire periodically)
  • Check that the cloud storage account has sufficient permissions

4. Scheduled Jobs Not Running: Scheduled backups don’t execute

Solution:

  • Verify the Windows Task Scheduler is running
  • Check that the SQLBackupAndFTP service (if installed as a service) is running
  • Review the job log for specific errors

5. Backup File Corruption: Backup verification fails

Solution:

  • Enable backup verification in job settings
  • Check disk health using CHKDSK utility if SQLite database errors occur

6. Storage Full: Backup destination runs out of space

Solution:

  • Review and adjust retention policy
  • Consider adding additional storage destinations

7. Email Notifications Not Received: No email notifications

Solution:

  • Free edition: Configure your own SMTP server
  • Paid edition: Ensure Full-Service subscription is active
  • Check SPF/DKIM records if using custom domains

8. Problem: New databases are automatically included in backups

Solution: Use the exclude list to explicitly exclude databases you don’t want to back up. The “Backup all non-system databases” option automatically includes any new databases created on the server.

9. Problem: Can’t schedule more than 2 databases

Solution: The Free edition limits scheduled backups to 2 databases. For more than 2 databases, upgrade to Lite or higher. Manual (ad-hoc) backups are unlimited in the Free edition.

How to Troubleshoot

  1. Open SQLBackupAndFTP
  2. Click the three dots next to the failed job
  3. Select Open Log from the dropdown list
  4. Review the error message to identify the cause
  5. Search the error message online—most errors are generated by the DBMS or destination, not SQLBackupAndFTP itself

SQLBackupAndFTP Alternative for large-scale environment

As organizations grow, backup requirements often become more complex than simply creating scheduled database copies. For organizations looking for enterprise-grade backup and disaster recovery capabilities, Info2soft i2Backup provides a scalable alternative designed to protect mission-critical workloads in complex IT environments.

i2Backup is a robust enterprise backup solution that supports backing up all critical data across different workloads, including databases (MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, and more), VMs (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM-based VMs, and more), NAS, servers, etc.

And it comes with many advantages to meet enterprises of all sizes.

  • Centralized backup management: Offers an intuitive interface to run and manage all backups.
  • Immutable Backup: Once your backups are created, they can’t be deleted, modified, or moved. Even if an attack gains full administrative access or malware breaches the network, your backups remain locked as a read-only pristine restore point.
  • Role-based Access Control: Assign specific permissions to roles like administrator, editor, and view to your team members.
  • Scalable for the Future: Support horizontal scaling to accommodate large volumes of your data growth easily.
  • Instant VM Recovery: i2Backup can instantly recover from a failure by remotely mounting VM backup to a target platform.

You can just click the button below to request a 60-day free trial of i2Backup

FREE Trial for 60-Day

Conclusion

SQLBackupAndFTP offers exceptional value for its price point. The Free edition is capable for small deployments, while the paid editions provide many features at a fraction of the cost of alternatives like Redgate or Idera.

The tool’s ease of use, broad database support, and extensive cloud storage options make it a compelling choice for organizations that need reliable automated backups without the complexity or cost of enterprise solutions.

However, if you are looking for a solution that can handle a large-scale environment, Info2soft’s i2Backup is much more recommended.

Dylan has 8+ years of experience in enterprise data management, server optimization, and disaster recovery. He specializes in translating complex technical concepts into actionable guides for IT administrators and DevOps teams, with a focus on data security, cloud migration, and business continuity.

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