Rubrik vs Cohesity
Written by Priya Nandakumar ·
Edited by Sebastiaan Smits ·
Fact-checked by Connor Blake ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026
Both are quote-only enterprise platforms, and the difference is emphasis. Rubrik was designed around surviving a ransomware attack, with Zero Trust controls and a logically air-gapped store. Cohesity is the broader platform, now including the former Veritas NetBackup business, and offers a 30-day trial. Security-led buyers lean to Rubrik; estate-wide consolidators lean to Cohesity.
Side by side
 Rubrik |  Cohesity | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Zero Trust Data Protection for cyber resilience at scale | Unified hybrid and multi-cloud data protection, now including NetBackup |
| Best for | Large, security-conscious enterprises prioritizing ransomware recovery | Large enterprises wanting one modern platform across a hybrid, multi-cloud estate |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Pricing model | Quote only, sales-led | Quote only (SaaS, subscription or managed service) |
| Pricing | Quote-only, enterprise sales-led with "Contact Sales" as the only path on product pages; no calculator, no published numbers and no self-serve trial found. | Quote-only for DataProtect, offered as SaaS, software subscription or managed/partner-delivered service; no published price list, with a 30-day free trial available for cloud backup, cyber vaulting and disaster recovery capabilities. |
| Free option | None | Free trial |
| Place in our backup and disaster recovery software ranking | #11 of 12 | #12 of 12 |
| Website | rubrik.com | cohesity.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Backup & Disaster Recovery Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Rubrik if
ransomware recovery is the main reason for the purchase, the security team wants investigation and threat hunting on the backup data, and a formal sales-led procurement is acceptable.
Rubrik, #11 in the ranking · Visit Rubrik →
Choose Cohesity if
you want one platform across on-premises, edge and several clouds, need choices between SaaS, subscription and managed delivery, and want to test it for 30 days first.
Cohesity, #12 in the ranking · Visit Cohesity →
Where they differ
Hands-on evaluation before procurement
Cohesity offers a 30-day free trial covering cloud backup, cyber vaulting and disaster recovery capabilities. Rubrik has no self-serve trial at all; Contact Sales is the only route on its product pages. Since the one test that matters in this category is a timed restore, being able to run it before a sales cycle starts is a real advantage.
Edge: Cohesity
How central ransomware defense is
Rubrik was built around cyber resilience from the start: logical air gaps, immutable storage, encryption, strict access control, plus ransomware investigation and threat hunting. Cohesity has immutable snapshots, Zero Trust security with RBAC and MFA, and FortKnox cyber vaulting, so it is hardly unprotected. Rubrik simply treats this as the core design and adds the investigative tooling.
Edge: Rubrik
Breadth and delivery model
Cohesity spans on-premises, edge and cloud with named coverage for Oracle, SQL, MongoDB and NAS, lists FIPS certification and data-sovereignty support, and can be bought as SaaS, a software subscription or a managed service. Rubrik covers on-premises, AWS, Azure, GCP and SaaS under one policy model. On sheer spread and ways to consume it, Cohesity goes further.
Edge: Cohesity
Predictability of the product roadmap
Cohesity completed its purchase of Veritas's data-protection business in December 2024, and two platforms are now being integrated; existing NetBackup customers in particular face real uncertainty about long-term direction. Rubrik's entry records no comparable merger to digest. A buyer who wants to know what the product will look like in three years has an easier question with Rubrik.
Edge: Rubrik
Tally: Rubrik 2, Cohesity 2, even 0.
When neither fits
Neither fits a smaller IT team that wants ransomware protection without an enterprise procurement process. Acronis Cyber Protect combines backup with anti-ransomware in a single agent, and NAKIVO Backup & Replication publishes starting prices and has a free edition.
See Acronis Cyber Protect and NAKIVO Backup & Replication among the 12 products in Best Backup & Disaster Recovery Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Do Rubrik and Cohesity publish their prices?
No. Both are quote-only. Rubrik has no calculator or published figures, and Cohesity has no price list for DataProtect despite offering SaaS, subscription and managed options. Send both the same written configuration, with workload count, retention and storage estimate, to get comparable numbers.
Which is stronger against ransomware, Rubrik or Cohesity?
Both provide immutable copies and Zero Trust access controls. Rubrik was designed around the problem and adds ransomware investigation, threat hunting and fast file-level search. Cohesity adds FortKnox cyber vaulting and instant mass recovery of virtual machines and files. Test a timed restore before deciding.
How does the NetBackup acquisition affect a choice between Cohesity and Rubrik?
It makes Cohesity the broadest platform in this comparison and brings decades of deployment history at large regulated organizations. It also means two products are being merged, with uncertainty about long-term direction for NetBackup customers. Rubrik carries no such integration question in our data.