JKSV and Checkpoint are the two names every Switch owner meets when looking for a save manager, and both are actively developed, capable tools. Checkpoint’s current release is v5.3.0, dated October 13, 2026, from the BernardoGiordano/Checkpoint repository, so any comparison calling it abandoned is simply out of date. This page compares the current versions fairly, by scenario. Both require a modded Switch 1; get JKSV from our download page. More comparisons live on the comparisons hub.
Platforms and scope
The clearest difference is scope. Checkpoint serves two platforms, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, from one project, which is a real advantage if you manage saves on both consoles. JKSV is Switch-only and goes deeper there: it covers the full range of Switch save types, including Account, System, BCAT, Device-Shared, Temporary, Cache and System BCAT data. If your world is only the Switch, JKSV’s coverage is the broader of the two; if you also keep a 3DS library, Checkpoint speaks to both machines.
Both are homebrew for Switch 1 with CFW such as Atmosphère. Neither runs on an unmodified console or on Switch 2, and neither is a Nintendo product.
Cloud and sharing features
Here the tools genuinely diverge. JKSV integrates cloud backup directly: Google Drive through its Limited Input sign-in, and any WebDAV server, with optional automatic upload after a backup. Checkpoint has no native Google Drive or WebDAV auto-upload. What Checkpoint offers instead is sharing saves over FTP and WiFi, which is a convenient way to move files to a PC on your local network without removing the SD card. Different philosophies: JKSV pushes backups to remote storage automatically, Checkpoint makes local-network transfer easy.
Players who want off-device protection without manual steps will lean JKSV, especially combined with the setups in our cloud backup hub. Players who mainly shuttle saves to a PC for editing may find Checkpoint’s FTP and WiFi sharing perfectly sufficient.
Batch work and save handling
JKSV is built for scale: it can back up every save on the system, or every save belonging to one user, in a single batch operation, create save data for titles without launching them first, import save archives for uninstalled titles via SVI files, and resize save data when a game needs more room. Those features matter most to users with large libraries or specific workflows, such as preparing a save before a game is even installed.
Checkpoint covers the core backup and restore workflow cleanly and is a comfortable choice for straightforward per-game backups. The honest summary is depth versus breadth: JKSV does more Switch-specific save operations, Checkpoint covers two consoles and network sharing.
Which one should you use?
Use JKSV if you want automatic cloud backups, whole-system batch backups, the full range of Switch save types, or advanced options like resizing and creating save data in advance. Use Checkpoint if you also manage a 3DS with the same tool, or if FTP and WiFi sharing to your PC is the feature you will actually use weekly. There is no rule against having both installed; many users keep JKSV as the backup system and Checkpoint for its sharing and 3DS side.
For a wider shortlist, read best Switch save managers, and for the minimal alternative see JKSV vs Neumann. Whichever you choose, verify your first restore before you need it urgently.
A note on honesty
Older comparison pages, including earlier versions of coverage on many sites, describe Checkpoint as if it stopped years ago. That is no longer true: v5.3.0 shipped in October 2026 and development is active. Good tools deserve current comparisons, and your choice should rest on features you will use, not on which page was written most recently. Both projects are free, community-built, and worth the small effort of learning properly.
Pick by scenario, test your restores, and either tool will serve you far better than no backup habit at all.