diff --git a/internal/archiver/archiver.go b/internal/archiver/archiver.go
index 247d922de..3dae576d9 100644
--- a/internal/archiver/archiver.go
+++ b/internal/archiver/archiver.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package archiver
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	"runtime"
@@ -175,17 +174,13 @@ func (arch *Archiver) error(item string, err error) error {
 
 // saveTree stores a tree in the repo. It checks the index and the known blobs
 // before saving anything.
-func (arch *Archiver) saveTree(ctx context.Context, t *restic.Tree) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
+func (arch *Archiver) saveTree(ctx context.Context, t *restic.TreeJSONBuilder) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
 	var s ItemStats
-	buf, err := json.Marshal(t)
+	buf, err := t.Finalize()
 	if err != nil {
-		return restic.ID{}, s, errors.Wrap(err, "MarshalJSON")
+		return restic.ID{}, s, err
 	}
 
-	// append a newline so that the data is always consistent (json.Encoder
-	// adds a newline after each object)
-	buf = append(buf, '\n')
-
 	b := &Buffer{Data: buf}
 	res := arch.blobSaver.Save(ctx, restic.TreeBlob, b)
 
@@ -620,7 +615,11 @@ func (arch *Archiver) SaveTree(ctx context.Context, snPath string, atree *Tree,
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		id, nodeStats, err := arch.saveTree(ctx, subtree)
+		tb, err := restic.TreeToBuilder(subtree)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		id, nodeStats, err := arch.saveTree(ctx, tb)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -834,7 +833,11 @@ func (arch *Archiver) Snapshot(ctx context.Context, targets []string, opts Snaps
 				return errors.New("snapshot is empty")
 			}
 
-			rootTreeID, stats, err = arch.saveTree(wgCtx, tree)
+			tb, err := restic.TreeToBuilder(tree)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			rootTreeID, stats, err = arch.saveTree(wgCtx, tb)
 			arch.stopWorkers()
 			return err
 		})
diff --git a/internal/archiver/tree_saver.go b/internal/archiver/tree_saver.go
index 221df85e1..5aab09b94 100644
--- a/internal/archiver/tree_saver.go
+++ b/internal/archiver/tree_saver.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import (
 
 // TreeSaver concurrently saves incoming trees to the repo.
 type TreeSaver struct {
-	saveTree func(context.Context, *restic.Tree) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error)
+	saveTree func(context.Context, *restic.TreeJSONBuilder) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error)
 	errFn    ErrorFunc
 
 	ch chan<- saveTreeJob
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ type TreeSaver struct {
 
 // NewTreeSaver returns a new tree saver. A worker pool with treeWorkers is
 // started, it is stopped when ctx is cancelled.
-func NewTreeSaver(ctx context.Context, wg *errgroup.Group, treeWorkers uint, saveTree func(context.Context, *restic.Tree) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error), errFn ErrorFunc) *TreeSaver {
+func NewTreeSaver(ctx context.Context, wg *errgroup.Group, treeWorkers uint, saveTree func(context.Context, *restic.TreeJSONBuilder) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error), errFn ErrorFunc) *TreeSaver {
 	ch := make(chan saveTreeJob)
 
 	s := &TreeSaver{
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (s *TreeSaver) save(ctx context.Context, job *saveTreeJob) (*restic.Node, I
 	// allow GC of nodes array once the loop is finished
 	job.nodes = nil
 
-	tree := restic.NewTree(len(nodes))
+	builder := restic.NewTreeJSONBuilder()
 
 	for i, fn := range nodes {
 		// fn is a copy, so clear the original value explicitly
@@ -104,13 +104,13 @@ func (s *TreeSaver) save(ctx context.Context, job *saveTreeJob) (*restic.Node, I
 		}
 
 		debug.Log("insert %v", fnr.node.Name)
-		err := tree.Insert(fnr.node)
+		err := builder.AddNode(fnr.node)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, stats, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	id, treeStats, err := s.saveTree(ctx, tree)
+	id, treeStats, err := s.saveTree(ctx, builder)
 	stats.Add(treeStats)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, stats, err
diff --git a/internal/archiver/tree_saver_test.go b/internal/archiver/tree_saver_test.go
index 7a152ff0c..36e585ae1 100644
--- a/internal/archiver/tree_saver_test.go
+++ b/internal/archiver/tree_saver_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func TestTreeSaver(t *testing.T) {
 
 	wg, ctx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 
-	saveFn := func(context.Context, *restic.Tree) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
+	saveFn := func(context.Context, *restic.TreeJSONBuilder) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
 		return restic.NewRandomID(), ItemStats{TreeBlobs: 1, TreeSize: 123}, nil
 	}
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestTreeSaverError(t *testing.T) {
 			wg, ctx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 
 			var num int32
-			saveFn := func(context.Context, *restic.Tree) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
+			saveFn := func(context.Context, *restic.TreeJSONBuilder) (restic.ID, ItemStats, error) {
 				val := atomic.AddInt32(&num, 1)
 				if val == test.failAt {
 					t.Logf("sending error for request %v\n", test.failAt)
diff --git a/internal/restic/tree.go b/internal/restic/tree.go
index 33d1ec577..d1264074c 100644
--- a/internal/restic/tree.go
+++ b/internal/restic/tree.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package restic
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
@@ -143,3 +144,52 @@ func SaveTree(ctx context.Context, r BlobSaver, t *Tree) (ID, error) {
 	id, _, _, err := r.SaveBlob(ctx, TreeBlob, buf, ID{}, false)
 	return id, err
 }
+
+type TreeJSONBuilder struct {
+	buf      bytes.Buffer
+	lastName string
+}
+
+func NewTreeJSONBuilder() *TreeJSONBuilder {
+	tb := &TreeJSONBuilder{}
+	_, _ = tb.buf.WriteString(`{"nodes":[`)
+	return tb
+}
+
+func (builder *TreeJSONBuilder) AddNode(node *Node) error {
+	if node.Name <= builder.lastName {
+		return errors.Errorf("nodes are not ordered got %q, last %q", node.Name, builder.lastName)
+	}
+	if builder.lastName != "" {
+		_ = builder.buf.WriteByte(',')
+	}
+	builder.lastName = node.Name
+
+	val, err := json.Marshal(node)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	_, _ = builder.buf.Write(val)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (builder *TreeJSONBuilder) Finalize() ([]byte, error) {
+	// append a newline so that the data is always consistent (json.Encoder
+	// adds a newline after each object)
+	_, _ = builder.buf.WriteString("]}\n")
+	buf := builder.buf.Bytes()
+	// drop reference to buffer
+	builder.buf = bytes.Buffer{}
+	return buf, nil
+}
+
+func TreeToBuilder(t *Tree) (*TreeJSONBuilder, error) {
+	builder := NewTreeJSONBuilder()
+	for _, node := range t.Nodes {
+		err := builder.AddNode(node)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return builder, nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/restic/tree_test.go b/internal/restic/tree_test.go
index 3ed3e7938..811f0c6c6 100644
--- a/internal/restic/tree_test.go
+++ b/internal/restic/tree_test.go
@@ -119,6 +119,37 @@ func TestEmptyLoadTree(t *testing.T) {
 		tree, tree2)
 }
 
+func TestTreeEqualSerialization(t *testing.T) {
+	files := []string{"node.go", "tree.go", "tree_test.go"}
+	for i := 1; i <= len(files); i++ {
+		tree := restic.NewTree(i)
+		builder := restic.NewTreeJSONBuilder()
+
+		for _, fn := range files[:i] {
+			fi, err := os.Lstat(fn)
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
+			node, err := restic.NodeFromFileInfo(fn, fi)
+			rtest.OK(t, err)
+
+			rtest.OK(t, tree.Insert(node))
+			rtest.OK(t, builder.AddNode(node))
+
+			rtest.Assert(t, tree.Insert(node) != nil, "no error on duplicate node")
+			rtest.Assert(t, builder.AddNode(node) != nil, "no error on duplicate node")
+		}
+
+		treeBytes, err := json.Marshal(tree)
+		treeBytes = append(treeBytes, '\n')
+		rtest.OK(t, err)
+
+		stiBytes, err := builder.Finalize()
+		rtest.OK(t, err)
+
+		// compare serialization of an individual node and the SaveTreeIterator
+		rtest.Equals(t, treeBytes, stiBytes)
+	}
+}
+
 func BenchmarkBuildTree(b *testing.B) {
 	const size = 100 // Directories of this size are not uncommon.