Arq Premium

Encrypted backup app bundled with cloud storage and retention

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $5/mosubscription / year $60estimated build time not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two daysreplaced by 0 people

Do not mistake the interface for the product. Arq Premium's durable value is security, infrastructure, trust, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • audited cryptography and incident response
  • global network or redundant storage infrastructure
  • identity, credit, or broker-removal operations
  • recovery guarantees and regulated trust

Why people still pay

Arq Premium: Security subscriptions buy professional operations, audits, response capacity, redundancy, and accountability when something goes wrong.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • desktop development machine
  • user-controlled storage target
  • documented threat-model limits
  • Explicit README warning that this is a consolation build, not a production replacement
01
Use exactly this stack: Go 1.24 + SQLite.
02
Model authorized targets, source observations, findings, review decisions, and exports; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this managed backup workflow: a focused managed backup input, review, and export interface.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use exactly this stack: Go 1.24 + SQLite. Model authorized targets, source observations, findings, review decisions, and exports; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

For managed backup, configure one user-owned VPN endpoint, peer identity, and permitted routes.

3

Phase 3, implement

Create or import the supported tunnel configuration and bring it up through the operating system API.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Show connected state, route, DNS resolver, and disconnect control without claiming a global VPN network.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: After disconnect, the original route and resolver must be restored; a failed handshake must never display connected state. State the practical limit: audited cryptography and incident response.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused managed backup workflow for the personal core of Arq Premium. Requirements:

- Use exactly this stack: Go 1.24 + SQLite. Model authorized targets, source observations, findings, review decisions, and exports; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Encrypted backup app bundled with cloud storage and retention. Build only this DIY scope: Build a local diagnostic or backup companion for managed backup; do not claim to replace audited security, identity, VPN, or cloud-storage infrastructure.
- For managed backup, configure one user-owned VPN endpoint, peer identity, and permitted routes.
- Create or import the supported tunnel configuration and bring it up through the operating system API.
- Show connected state, route, DNS resolver, and disconnect control without claiming a global VPN network.
- Use a focused managed backup input, review, and export interface. Required input or access: user-controlled storage target; documented threat-model limits.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: After disconnect, the original route and resolver must be restored; a failed handshake must never display connected state.
- Out of scope: audited cryptography and incident response; global network or redundant storage infrastructure. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherresticEncrypted, deduplicated backup program.↗DuplicatiEncrypted backup client for local and cloud targets.↗
share on X ↗

Arq Premium pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
arq 7——License for 1 computer; back up to storage accounts you provide$49.99 one-time license, scheduled to rise to $59.99 on 2026-09-01; cloud storage is not included.
arq premium—$5Up to 5 computers; 1 TB included cloud storage; versioned encrypted backups$59.99/year, scheduled to rise to $69.99/year on 2026-09-01.

free tierno free tier; trial available, but the official pricing page did not expose a numeric duration

billingArq 7 is a one-time purchase; Arq Premium is annual only; no monthly subscription

hidden costsArq 7 requires separately paid storage; Arq Premium charges $0.00599/GB/month above 1 TB, and both published prices are scheduled to increase on 2026-09-01

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Arq Premium

Can you build your own Arq Premium with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. Do not mistake the interface for the product. Arq Premium's durable value is security, infrastructure, trust, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

What does the Arq Premium build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build a local diagnostic or backup companion for managed backup; do not claim to replace audited security, identity, VPN, or cloud-storage infrastructure. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: audited cryptography and incident response; global network or redundant storage infrastructure; identity, credit, or broker-removal operations. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Arq Premium prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Arq Premium project take?

The catalogue estimate is not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two days for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Arq Premium?

audited cryptography and incident response; global network or redundant storage infrastructure; identity, credit, or broker-removal operations; recovery guarantees and regulated trust. Arq Premium: Security subscriptions buy professional operations, audits, response capacity, redundancy, and accountability when something goes wrong.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Premium plan is $5/mo (annual-equivalent backup plan), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Arq Premium?

The prior-art section lists restic, Duplicati as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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