Macrium Reflect is a disk imaging software developed by Paramount Software UK that allows users to create full backups of their system and restore their computer from those images. It was first released in 2006 and has since become a popular free alternative to commercial imaging solutions like Acronis True Image.
As a disk imaging tool, Macrium Reflect creates an exact copy of a hard drive or individual partitions that can be used to restore the system in case of data loss or hard drive failure. Images can be scheduled for regular automated backups and stored locally or in the cloud.
History of Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect was originally created in 2006 by Nick Mexborough as a free disk imaging and cloning utility for Windows. According to the Wikipedia article on Macrium Reflect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrium_Reflect, the first version was released in 2006 and allowed disk imaging and disk cloning. Over the years, Macrium Reflect has added more features like file and folder backup, disaster recovery tools, and support for backing up virtual machines.
Macrium Reflect was initially offered as a free tool for personal use. Later versions added paid options with more advanced features aimed at businesses and IT professionals. However, Macrium has continued to offer a free version of Reflect, making it a popular backup solution for home users.
Key Features
One of the standout features of Macrium Reflect is its ability to create full disk images and clones. Disk imaging allows users to make an exact copy of an entire hard drive or partition, including the operating system, applications, settings, and files. This image can then be used to restore the disk to the exact same state in case of data loss or migration to new hardware.
According to the Feature List on the Macrium website, Reflect utilizes proprietary “Rapid Delta Restore” technology for fast imaging and cloning. When restoring a disk image, it only needs to copy the changed blocks rather than the entire image, significantly reducing restore times. Users can schedule full and incremental images to maximize backup efficiency.
Macrium Reflect also enables cloning drives or partitions for tasks like migrating to a larger disk or SSD. The clone process makes an identical copy of the source drive which can seamlessly replace the original with the same operating system installation and data.
Pricing History
Macrium Reflect was first released in 2006 by UK-based software company Paramount Software. For over a decade, Macrium Reflect was offered as a completely free backup and recovery tool for personal and non-commercial use.
In 2017, Macrium introduced paid licensing options for businesses and organizations, officially launching Macrium Reflect 7 Server and Workstation editions. However, Macrium continued offering the free version for home and non-commercial use, now called Macrium Reflect Home (Macrium Standalone Business Products).
The addition of paid licensing was largely welcomed by IT professionals and businesses who relied on Macrium Reflect, providing additional features and support options. However, home users could continue using the reliable functionality of the free version (Macrium – Price increase).
Current Free Version
Macrium Reflect currently offers a free version that has a more limited feature set compared to the paid versions, but still provides core functionality. According to the Macrium Reflect Free download page at https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree, the free version includes disk imaging for full and incremental backups, disk cloning, scheduled backups, backup verification, and backup restoration. However, it lacks some advanced features like centralized management, instant virtualization, file and folder backup, encryption, and CBT (Changed Block Tracking) support.
The free version allows imaging partitions and entire disks, and creating incremental images, but does not support file or folder level backup. It allows creating a bootable rescue media for recovery, but does not include the ability to run a virtual machine directly from the backup image in case of system failure. Encryption and compression levels are also limited compared to paid options.
So in summary, the free version covers basic imaging and backup needs but excludes more advanced enterprise-oriented capabilities. Power users or companies needing features like centralized monitoring, encryption, or virtualization would need to upgrade to a paid license.
Paid Versions
Macrium Reflect offers paid versions with additional features beyond the free version. There are multiple tiers based on the features included:
The Home version starts at $49.99 per year and adds encryption, incremental backups, backup to local NAS devices, and Microsoft Exchange mailbox backups. It is suited for personal and home office use.
The Workstation version at $99.99 per year builds on the Home version and adds centralized monitoring and management of multiple systems, as well as support for MS SQL and MS Sharepoint. It is ideal for small businesses.
The Server Plus version at $135 per year has everything in Workstation plus features like backup of system state and Active Directory, instant virtualization to run backups as VMs, and support for Oracle and Exchange cluster backups. It is designed for enterprise use.
The top tier Server version at $449 per year further adds incremental and differential Exchange backups. It is meant for large organizations with complex Exchange environments.
So in summary, the paid versions scale from personal use up to large enterprise deployments, with prices increasing based on the number of advanced features included. But the core imaging and backup capabilities remain consistent.
Licensing Model
Macrium Reflect still offers a free version for personal and non-commercial use. This includes use by home users as well as evaluation use by businesses. However, the free version has limited features compared to the paid versions.
According to Macrium’s website, the free version of Macrium Reflect is limited to disk-image backups and file and folder backups. It does not include features like Exchange backup, SQL backup, incremental forever backups, or centralized management and reporting.
For commercial and business use, Macrium offers paid licenses. These include standalone licenses for businesses as well as technician’s licenses for IT professionals. The paid versions include additional features, priority support, and the ability to use the software commercially. However, Macrium still allows the core imaging functionality to be used for free non-commercially.
Alternative Free Tools
Macrium Reflect faces competition from other free disk imaging solutions like Clonezilla. Clonezilla is an open source disk imaging program that allows you to clone drives or partitions. It supports a wide range of file systems and can save images to local disks, SSH servers, Samba servers, and NFS shares. Clonezilla is available for both Windows and Linux.
Some other popular free disk imaging options include GParted, Partclone, Redo Rescue, and Mondo Rescue. These tools provide functionality for partitioning, cloning, disaster recovery, and more. While they may not offer all the features of Macrium Reflect, they provide free alternatives for basic disk imaging needs.
When evaluating free disk imaging software, it’s worth considering factors like ease of use, platform support, compression levels, image formats, bare metal restore capabilities, scheduling options, and integration with tools like VSS for Windows. Macrium Reflect stands out for its user-friendly interface, flexible restore options, and integration with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service.
Pros and Cons
The free version of Macrium Reflect provides several key benefits:
- It allows full system imaging for backup and recovery purposes, enabling users to restore their entire system in case of failure or data loss. This is a crucial feature for protecting PCs.
- Images can be scheduled daily, weekly or monthly for automated backups. This ensures backups happen consistently without manual intervention.
- Backup images can be stored locally or to external drives, providing flexible storage options.
- The imaging process is relatively fast compared to competitors.
- It supports incremental and differential backups to save storage space.
However, there are some downsides to the free version:
- Limited to imaging just one PC. The paid Home version extends this to cover 5 PCs.
- No centralized monitoring or management capabilities. The paid versions add a management console.
- No support for physical-to-virtual conversion or virtualization.
- No encryption for backups.
- Lacks some advanced backup capabilities like CBT (changed block tracking).
Overall, the free version of Macrium Reflect provides very capable imaging and backup for a single PC. Users who need multi-PC coverage, encryption, or more advanced features would benefit from upgrading to a paid version.
Conclusion
To recap, Macrium Reflect still offers a free version of its popular disk imaging and backup solution. The free version allows for full system backups and disk imaging for personal use, while the paid versions add features for incremental backups, backing up to network locations, central management for multiple computers, and support.
So if you just need to image your PC or perform regular backups for home use, Macrium Reflect Free has you covered. The free version gives home users core backup functionality without any limitations on disk space or number of computers. For more advanced features geared towards businesses and IT professionals, Macrium sells affordable paid upgrades with per-PC or per-technician licensing.
Overall, Macrium continues its long-standing commitment to offer robust, enterprise-grade backup tools to regular consumers at no cost. For personal backups and disaster recovery, Macrium Reflect remains an excellent free choice.