Defending buyer knowledge is a steadfast precedence of each enterprise, huge or small.
Whereas exhausting drives provide a cheap solution to retailer knowledge, they will fall brief when it comes to velocity and security. Common backups are essential, but the chance of exhausting drive failures poses a extreme downside, and restoring knowledge from scratch will be time-consuming and disruptive.
Free exhausting drive cloning software program is a life-saver for small companies, providing a sensible and cost-effective answer. By creating an actual reproduction of your exhausting drive, you possibly can safeguard your knowledge and expedite system restoration in case of {hardware} failure.
To guard your enterprise from monetary loss and decrease downtime, we have put collectively an inventory of the highest 10 free exhausting drive cloning software program. Let’s assessment their options and insights from G2 person suggestions to make the only option.
10 greatest free exhausting drive cloning software program in 2024
- Acronis True Picture
- Macrium Replicate
- Energetic@Disk Picture
- O&O DiskImage
- Iperius Backup
- EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise
- Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise
- Daemon Instruments
- AOMEI Backupper
- MiniTool Partition Wizard
How did we choose and consider the very best free exhausting drive cloning software program?
At G2, we rank software program options utilizing a proprietary algorithm that considers buyer satisfaction and market presence based mostly on genuine person critiques. Our market analysis analysts and writers spend weeks testing options in opposition to a number of standards set for a software program class. We offer you unbiased software program evaluations – that is the G2 distinction! We didn’t settle for fee or alternate hyperlinks for product placements on this listing. Please learn our G2 Analysis Scoring Methodology for extra particulars.
Prime 10 greatest free exhausting drive cloning software program of 2024
The free exhausting drive cloning software program listing beneath comprises actual person critiques from the free exhausting drive cloning software program class web page. It’s vital to notice that within the context of this listing, software program that requires fee after a free trial is taken into account free.
To be included on this class, an answer should:
- Copy all knowledge from exhausting drives, together with hidden and uneditable system recordsdata
- Deploy drive photos on to exhausting drives
- Automate set up of a drive picture onto a tough drive
- Permit one drive clone to picture quite a few drives
- Remotely entry drive photos for upkeep and use
This knowledge was pulled from G2 in 2024. Some critiques might have been edited for readability.
1. Acronis True Picture
Acronis True Picture is a well-liked backup and restoration software program for each private and enterprise use. It affords complete options for knowledge safety, together with exhausting drive cloning, file backup, and cloud storage.
Execs of Acronis True Picture |
Cons of Acronis True Picture |
Wide selection of backup choices |
Demanding on system sources throughout backup and restoration operations |
Intuitive interface |
Complicated preliminary set up and configuration |
Constructed-in real-time anti-malware and ransomware safety |
Sluggish cloud backup speeds |
What customers like greatest:
“My expertise with Acronis True Picture has been extraordinarily optimistic. The instrument is user-friendly and simplifies the method of partitioning drives and creating ‘golden’ photos. This performance makes it simple to handle gadgets successfully, which is essential for environment friendly service supply administration.”
– Acronis True Picture Overview, Daniel A.
What customers dislike:
“The person interface is much less intuitive and visually interesting, and it lacks help for older {hardware}.”
– Acronis True Picture Overview, Souhail B.
2. Macrium Replicate
Macrium Replicate makes a speciality of disk imaging and backup. It affords quick and environment friendly picture creation, incremental backups, and naked metallic restoration. Identified for its simplicity and effectiveness, it is a favourite amongst small enterprise customers for system safety.
Execs of Macrium Replicate |
Cons of Macrium Replicate |
Quick and highly effective image-based backup and catastrophe restoration |
Licensing will be complicated |
Straightforward to make use of and setup |
Lack of cloud backup choices |
Effectively handles giant knowledge backups |
May be gradual throughout giant restores |
What customers like greatest:
“Macrium Replicate’s intuitive interface and step-by-step guides make it simple for inexperienced persons. You possibly can schedule backups or create them manually for recordsdata, folders, or total drives. Macrium Replicate excels at exhausting disk cloning, even when the goal disk is smaller, by reallocating free house. Out there for each properties and companies, it is a dependable solution to safe important recordsdata.”
– Macrium Replicate Overview, Ariya S.
What customers dislike:
“When making an attempt to carry out a system restore from the positioning supervisor web page, the web page usually instances out earlier than the method may even start. Sometimes, to begin a restore, I must entry the pc straight and use reflexct.exe or create a restoration disk. This course of is additional sophisticated as a result of person accounts lack the required passwords to entry the information backup repositories. Consequently, I usually need to both create a replica of the system backups to exterior media for restoration or quickly modify the permissions on the backup goal.”
– Macrium Replicate Overview, Greg N.
3. Energetic@Disk Picture
Though primarily a disk imaging instrument, Energetic@Disk Picture focuses on creating actual replicas of exhausting drives or partitions. It is famend for its simplicity and effectivity in backing up knowledge, with options like selective picture creation and restoration.
Execs of Energetic@Disk Picture |
Cons of Energetic@Disk Picture |
Fast to create disk photos |
Lacks cloud backup |
Permits customers to decide on particular partitions or recordsdata for backup |
Outdated person interface |
Instruments to create bootable rescue disks |
No incremental backup choices |
What customers like greatest:
“I take advantage of Energetic@ Disk Picture to create duplicate copies of my exhausting drive knowledge, permitting me to clone chosen partitions or the complete drive with out restarting my laptop. It effectively produces an actual copy in a brief period of time and lets me select to clone solely vital sectors and recordsdata, making it preferrred for PC upgrades and common backups.”
– Energetic@Disk Picture Overview, Lokender Y.
What customers dislike:
“The free model has restricted options, whereas the paid normal model affords choices present in different free backup merchandise. They should improve their choices or rethink the characteristic distribution throughout tiers.”
– Energetic@Disk Picture Overview, Dylan S.
4. O&O DiskImage
O&O DiskImage affords complete backup options, together with disk imaging, file backup, and system cloning. It’s used for its user-friendly interface and skill to carry out bare-metal restores even on totally different {hardware}.
Execs of O&O DiskImage |
Cons of O&O DiskImage |
Consumer-friendly interface |
Restricted cloud integration |
Complete backup choices |
Consumes extra system sources throughout backup and restore processes |
Can restore a system to totally different {hardware} |
Excessive prices for superior options |
What customers like greatest:
“O&O DiskImage is a necessary instrument for my workforce, enabling us to effectively again up knowledge and simply clone disks. Its clear and intuitive person interface makes it easy for everybody on the workforce to make use of, even with out in depth technical information.”
– O&O DiskImage Overview, Tommy Y.
What customers dislike:
“The principle draw back of O&O AutoBackup is that it doesn’t restore your knowledge, which I want it did. As a substitute, you need to do it manually, which will be time-consuming. Moreover, there’s no choice for a simple full backup.”
– O&O DiskImage Overview, Jasmine M.
5. Iperius Backup
As a flexible instrument, Iperius Backup stands out for its help of assorted backup locations just like the cloud, Community-Connected Storage (NAS) and File Switch Protocol (FTP). With a powerful concentrate on disk imaging and catastrophe restoration, it affords environment friendly incremental backups and bare-metal restore capabilities.
Execs of Iperius Backup |
Cons of Iperius Backup |
Helps numerous backup locations like cloud, NAS, and FT |
Steep studying curve for inexperienced persons |
Saves cupboard space by solely backing up modified knowledge |
Restricted technical help |
Can restore a system to totally different {hardware} |
Consumer interface shouldn’t be intuitive |
What customers like greatest:
“It is simple to make use of and arrange for backing up company-shared recordsdata. Including supply drives or folders and choosing the vacation spot drive, like a USB, is simple. The backup creates a password-protected zip file, making it easy to revive if wanted. If there’s an error, the log file helps determine and repair the difficulty. Plus, you get nightly e-mail alerts with the backup standing.”
– Iperius Backup Overview, Marwan M.
What customers dislike:
“The interface is not user-friendly, and a few configuration steps are unclear, leaving you unsure whether or not all the pieces is about up accurately. A backup answer ought to encourage confidence, however this one falls brief.”
– Iperius Backup Overview, José Román B.
6. EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise
EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise is a backup and restoration answer. It affords disk imaging, file backup, system restore, and catastrophe restoration options. Identified for its user-friendly interface, it is well-suited for companies requiring sturdy knowledge safety methods.
Execs of EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise |
Cons of EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise |
Helps numerous backup sorts (picture, file, disk, system) |
Occasional errors throughout backup or restore processes |
Catastrophe restoration options |
Restricted disk administration options |
Helps Alternate and SQL backups |
Sluggish backup and reload speeds |
What customers like greatest:
“I’ve configured EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise to carry out month-to-month backups on my Home windows system, and I’ve solely encountered a minor situation that buyer help promptly resolved. Their fast and environment friendly buyer help minimizes downtime, which is actually reassuring. Acronis covers all the pieces—system recordsdata, applications, and even emails. Having used it for over three years, I can confidently say it’s the very best backup program I’ve used.”
– EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise Overview, Keith A.
What customers dislike:
“The principle situation with this software program is that the licensing secret’s tied to particular variations. In the event you set up the flawed model, it may be tough to take away earlier than reinstalling the proper one.”
– EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise Overview, Jason W.
7. Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise
Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise holds its mark amongst system directors and IT professionals for its disk administration and knowledge safety abilities. It helps disk cloning, partitioning, knowledge restoration, and backup.
Execs of Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise |
Cons of Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise |
Complete disk administration |
Demanding on system sources throughout giant scale backups |
Works nicely with numerous working programs and {hardware} configurations |
Restricted backup options |
Efficient storage administration |
Restricted buyer help choices |
What customers like greatest:
“For certainly one of my consulting gigs, I assisted a startup in demonstrating their capacity to take care of enterprise continuity within the occasion of a catastrophe, guaranteeing they might securely switch knowledge to an offsite location. Paragon’s efficiency was spectacular, and in consequence, I helped the startup safe a authorities contract, giving them a major increase in the direction of enterprise success.”
– Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise Overview, Brad E.
What customers dislike:
“Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise has a number of drawbacks. The shopper help shouldn’t be very dependable, and the software program will be buggy, displaying glitches at instances. Moreover, it affords restricted help for outdated working programs and will be expensive for small enterprises.”
– Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise Overview, Tarun M.
8. Daemon Instruments
Daemon Instruments is primarily a digital drive software program, permitting customers to mount disc photos as digital drives. Whereas in a roundabout way associated to disk cloning, it may be used not directly to again up or switch knowledge by creating disc photos. It stands out for its capacity to emulate numerous disc codecs.
Execs of Daemon Instruments |
Cons of Daemon Instruments |
Wonderful digital drive emulation |
No disk administration or backup options |
Helps numerous picture codecs |
Potential compatibility points |
Consumer-friendly interface |
Can embrace undesirable bundled software program |
What customers like greatest:
“Utilizing Daemon Instruments, I can simply create disk clones and take a look at ISO photos. I’m very glad with this system and would advocate it for normal use. It’s my favourite disk emulation instrument for Home windows, working flawlessly practically each time. Creating digital disks has by no means been simpler, and regardless of just a few minor hiccups, I have been utilizing this software program reliably since 2006.”
– Daemon Instruments Overview, Godfrey C.
What customers dislike:
“Daemon Instruments can wrestle with broken ISO recordsdata, usually failing to open them if there is a small dangerous sector. The extreme banners within the software will be visually overwhelming and tiresome.”
– Daemon Instruments Overview, Haydar S.
9. AOMEI Backupper
AOMEI Backupper is a backup and restore software program catered in the direction of small enterprise homeowners. Praised for its feature-set and aggressive pricing, AOMEI Backupper helps system, disk, file, and partition backup, in addition to disk cloning and restoration.
Execs of AOMEI Backupper |
Cons of AOMEI Backupper |
Helps numerous backup sorts and restore choices |
Restricted disk administration options |
Sturdy knowledge safety capabilities |
Restricted cloud backup choices |
Consumer-friendly interface |
Steep studying curve for inexperienced persons |
What customers like greatest:
“AOMEI Backupper affords low licensing prices in comparison with opponents and incorporates a easy setup with intuitive notifications.”
– AOMEI Backupper Overview, Matthew W.
What customers dislike:
“AOMEI Backupper takes an unusually very long time to course of paperwork and affords restricted flexibility. You possibly can solely use backups inside their system and can’t convert them to common codecs like .zip, .rom, or .iso. The settings menu lacks in depth management and choices, which might be useful. Whereas this system works nicely for my wants, extra decisions and settings might enhance its usefulness in numerous conditions.”
– AOMEI Backupper Overview, Lucia O.
10. MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a partition administration instrument with disk cloning capabilities. It affords options like resizing, merging, and creating partitions. Past a major focus, it offers dependable disk cloning performance for customers needing fundamental partition administration duties.
Execs of MiniTool Partition Wizard |
Cons of MiniTool Partition Wizard |
Highly effective disk partitioning |
Restricted backup and restoration options |
Consumer-friendly interface |
Lacks superior options for enterprise use |
Sturdy characteristic set for a free instrument |
Velocity will be affected by disk dimension |
What customers like greatest:
“One of the best model for organizing disks in Home windows lets you merge and resize partitions, handle knowledge, and management reminiscence effectively. It additionally helps migrating knowledge and producing bootable drives for Home windows, making it preferrred for managing numerous software program installations in your PC.”
– MiniTool Partition Wizard Overview, Maria U.
What customers dislike:
“I dislike the shortage of advantageous calibration for house task, corresponding to resizing partitions by only a few megabytes. The software program doesn’t settle for actual house values when entered textually, forcing me to regulate the partition margins manually with the mouse, which isn’t very exact.”
– MiniTool Partition Wizard Overview, Andrea L.
Comparability of the very best free exhausting drive cloning software program
In the event you really feel overwhelmed by the wealth of details about free exhausting drive cloning software program, this comparability desk will assist you to with all of the vital facets:
Software program |
G2 ranking |
Free plan |
Paid plan |
Acronis True Picture |
4.4/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $49.99 per 12 months |
Macrium Replicate |
4.3/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $65 per 12 months |
Energetic@Disk Picture |
4.3/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $39.99 per 12 months |
O&O DiskImage |
4.1/5 |
Free obtain obtainable |
Beginning at $49.95 for lifetime entry |
Iperius Backup |
4.5/5 |
Free obtain obtainable |
Beginning at $77 for lifetime entry |
EaseUS Todo Backup Enterprise |
4.8/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $49 per 12 months |
Paragon Exhausting Disk Supervisor Enterprise |
4.6/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $99 per 12 months |
Daemon Instruments |
4.6/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $2.99 monthly |
AOMEI Backupper |
4.6/5 |
Free trial obtainable |
Beginning at $39.95 per 12 months |
MiniTool Partition Wizard |
4.5/5 |
Free plan obtainable |
Beginning at $59 per 12 months |
Regularly requested questions on free exhausting drive cloning software program
Q. What options ought to I search for in free disk cloning software program?
Prioritize options that assist you to clone each your working system and knowledge to a brand new drive. Search for help for various drive sizes and kinds (HDD, SSD), sector-by-sector cloning for actual copies, and choices for resizing partitions through the cloning course of.
Q. Are there any limitations to free exhausting drive cloning software program?
Free disk cloning software program usually have limitations in comparison with paid software program. These can embrace restrictions on drive dimension, restricted technical help, lack of superior options like dynamic disk help, or watermarks on the cloned system. Discover paid exhausting drive cloning software program for superior options.
Q. How do I select the suitable free exhausting drive cloning software program?
It is dependent upon your particular wants. Take note of person interface simplicity, compatibility together with your {hardware}, and the software program’s repute for reliability. Testing the software program on a non-critical partition will help you assess its efficiency and ease of use earlier than cloning your total system.
Q. Can I clone a bigger exhausting drive to a smaller one utilizing free software program?
Sure, nevertheless it’s vital to make sure the goal drive has sufficient house for all important knowledge and the working system. You would possibly must manually choose partitions or use the software program’s built-in resizing choices.
Q. Is it protected to make use of free exhausting disk cloning software program?
One of the best free disk cloning software program choices mentioned on this article are protected to make use of. Nevertheless, as with all software program, it’s important to again up your vital knowledge earlier than initiating the cloning course of.
Q. What occurs if the cloning course of fails?
If the cloning course of fails, your knowledge may be in danger. That is why backing up vital knowledge beforehand is essential. Some cloning software program affords rollback or restoration choices in case of failures.
Mirror, mirror on my drive!
Safeguarding your enterprise’s important knowledge is important for its success. A tough drive failure can disrupt operations and result in potential losses. Through the use of free exhausting drive cloning software program, you possibly can create a replica of your exhausting drive, defending your knowledge and minimizing downtime in case of sudden points.
Whereas cloning is a worthwhile instrument, it is vital to keep in mind that it isn’t an alternative to common backups. By investing a small period of time in organising a cloning answer, you possibly can considerably scale back the chance of information loss.
Improve your knowledge safety technique with dependable backup software program.
Edited by Monishka Agrawal