Softwr

Backup · head to head

Arcserve UDP vs Clonezilla

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clonezilla logo

Clonezilla

Backup

Free disk cloning and imaging solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clonezilla has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; Clonezilla the destination partition must be equal to or larger than the source partition
  • They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and Clonezilla actually diverge.

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Clonezilla differ
AttributeArcserve UDPClonezilla
Starting price$25/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, LinuxLinux, Windows
Founded19832004

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Clonezilla

  • Disk/partition imaging
  • Disk cloning
  • Multicast deployment
  • Multiple file systems
  • Encryption support
  • Unattended mode
  • PXE boot
  • DRBL

Both cover

  • Windows support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protectionnot Clonezilla
  • Disaster recoverynot Clonezilla
  • Business continuitynot Clonezilla
  • Ransomware protectionnot Clonezilla
  • Compliancenot Clonezilla

Clonezilla

  • System backup and cloningnot Arcserve UDP
  • Disk imaging and restorationnot Arcserve UDP
  • Mass deployment scenariosnot Arcserve UDP
  • Enterprise-scale cloning operationsnot Arcserve UDP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

Clonezilla

  • The destination partition must be equal to or larger than the source partition
  • Differential and incremental backup is not implemented
  • Online imaging and cloning is not implemented; the partition being imaged or cloned has to be unmounted first
  • The image format cannot be explored or mounted, so a single file cannot be recovered from an image
  • Recovery media spanning multiple CDs or DVDs is not implemented; the recovery ISO must fit on one disc
  • Clonezilla SE requires a DRBL server to be prepared in advance and the target machine to boot from the network
  • Runs only on x86 or x86-64 processors and needs at least 196 MB of RAM

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Clonezilla

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Disk cloning
    • Multicast
    • Multiple file systems

Which should you pick?

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Choose Clonezilla if

  • You need disk/partition imaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows.
  • You also want disk cloning.
Clonezilla review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Clonezilla better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Clonezilla at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Clonezilla?
Clonezilla has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Arcserve UDP and Free for Clonezilla.
Does Arcserve UDP or Clonezilla run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Clonezilla runs on Linux, Windows.
Can I use Clonezilla for free?
Yes. Clonezilla has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month.
What is Arcserve UDP best used for?
Arcserve UDP is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Clonezilla is typically brought in for.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Clonezilla cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging, Disk cloning, Multicast deployment, Multiple file systems. Both handle Windows support, Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
Clonezilla: Is Clonezilla free?

Yes, Clonezilla is completely free and open-source software licensed under GNU General Public License version 2. There are no paid versions, premium features, or subscription costs.

Source
Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
Clonezilla: What Clonezilla editions are available at no cost?

All three editions are free: Clonezilla Live for individual machine backups, Clonezilla Lite Server for mass deployment, and Clonezilla SE for large-scale enterprise cloning operations.

Source
Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
Clonezilla: Can I use Clonezilla commercially?

Yes, Clonezilla's GPL v2 license allows free commercial use. The software is open-source and requires no licensing fees for any deployment scenario.

Share

Related pages

More on Arcserve UDP

More on Clonezilla

Keep looking

Other head to heads