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Backup · head to head

AvePoint Cloud Backup vs Macrium Reflect

AvePoint Cloud Backup logo

AvePoint Cloud Backup

Backup

Microsoft 365, Dynamics and Salesforce backup from a long-standing Microsoft partner

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Macrium Reflect logo

Macrium Reflect

Backup

Award-winning disk imaging and cloning

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Macrium Reflect has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AvePoint Cloud Backup no pricing is published, so the per-user cost has to be established through sales, and it varies with data volume rather than being a flat seat rate.; Macrium Reflect business editions (Workstation, Site Backup) publish named tiers but no self-serve figure on their own product pages; only a free trial of the management console is offered directly
  • They diverge on capability: AvePoint Cloud Backup covers Microsoft 365 backup, Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AvePoint Cloud Backup and Macrium Reflect actually diverge.

Attributes where AvePoint Cloud Backup and Macrium Reflect differ
AttributeAvePoint Cloud BackupMacrium Reflect
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows
FoundedUnknown2006

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 AvePoint Cloud Backup

  • Microsoft 365 backup
  • Granular restore
  • Entra ID backup
  • Salesforce and Dynamics backup
  • Bring your own storage
  • Multiple daily backups
  • Governance portfolio

Only in Macrium Reflect

  • Disk imaging
  • Rapid delta cloning
  • Rescue Media
  • Incremental backup
  • Scheduling
  • Email notifications
  • Windows PE
  • Hyper-V

What people use each for

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

AvePoint Cloud Backup

  • A tenant consolidation after an acquisition where backup, migration and governance are needed against the same Microsoft 365 estatenot Macrium Reflect
  • An organisation that has discovered Microsoft 365 native retention does not restore a deleted SharePoint site after the recycle bin windownot Macrium Reflect
  • Backing up Entra ID configuration so an accidental conditional access or group change can be reversednot Macrium Reflect
  • A regulated organisation that must hold backup data in its own storage account under its own encryption keysnot Macrium Reflect

Macrium Reflect

  • Data protectionnot AvePoint Cloud Backup
  • Disaster recoverynot AvePoint Cloud Backup
  • Business continuitynot AvePoint Cloud Backup
  • Ransomware protectionnot AvePoint Cloud Backup
  • Compliancenot AvePoint Cloud Backup

Where each one falls short

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

AvePoint Cloud Backup

  • No pricing is published, so the per-user cost has to be established through sales, and it varies with data volume rather than being a flat seat rate.
  • Whether AvePoint or your organisation holds the storage account and encryption keys is a configuration decision that is expensive to reverse later, and buyers often accept the vendor-managed default without considering it.
  • Per-user pricing means organisations with many low-activity accounts, such as education institutions with dormant student mailboxes, pay for seats with almost no data.
  • Restore of very large SharePoint sites and Teams structures is slow and API-throttled by Microsoft rather than by the product, so recovery time objectives set on paper often cannot be met in practice.
  • The breadth of the AvePoint portfolio means sales conversations quickly widen into governance and migration products, and buyers who wanted only backup should expect to defend that scope.

Macrium Reflect

  • Business editions (Workstation, Site Backup) publish named tiers but no self-serve figure on their own product pages; only a free trial of the management console is offered directly

Pricing, plan by plan

AvePoint Cloud Backup

On request
  • AvePoint Cloud Backup$undefined/year
    • Priced per user, with variation by protected data volume
    • AvePoint-managed or bring your own storage
    • Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Dynamics, Salesforce and Google Workspace

Macrium Reflect

Free
  • Home$70/year
    • Disk imaging
    • Rescue Media
    • Rapid delta

Which should you pick?

Choose AvePoint Cloud Backup if

  • You need microsoft 365 backup.
  • You also want granular restore.
AvePoint Cloud Backup review

Choose Macrium Reflect if

  • You need disk imaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want rapid delta cloning.
Macrium Reflect review

Questions people ask

Is AvePoint Cloud Backup or Macrium Reflect better?
Neither clearly leads. AvePoint Cloud Backup starts at On request and Macrium Reflect at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AvePoint Cloud Backup or Macrium Reflect?
Macrium Reflect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for AvePoint Cloud Backup and Free for Macrium Reflect.
Does AvePoint Cloud Backup or Macrium Reflect run on more platforms?
AvePoint Cloud Backup runs on Web. Macrium Reflect runs on Windows.
Can I use Macrium Reflect for free?
Yes. Macrium Reflect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AvePoint Cloud Backup starts at On request.
What is AvePoint Cloud Backup best used for?
AvePoint Cloud Backup is most often used for a tenant consolidation after an acquisition where backup, migration and governance are needed against the same microsoft 365 estate, an organisation that has discovered microsoft 365 native retention does not restore a deleted sharepoint site after the recycle bin window, backing up entra id configuration so an accidental conditional access or group change can be reversed, a regulated organisation that must hold backup data in its own storage account under its own encryption keys. Of those, a tenant consolidation after an acquisition where backup, migration and governance are needed against the same microsoft 365 estate and an organisation that has discovered microsoft 365 native retention does not restore a deleted sharepoint site after the recycle bin window are not what Macrium Reflect is typically brought in for.
What can AvePoint Cloud Backup do that Macrium Reflect cannot?
AvePoint Cloud Backup covers Microsoft 365 backup, Granular restore, Entra ID backup, Salesforce and Dynamics backup. Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging, Rapid delta cloning, Rescue Media, Incremental backup.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AvePoint Cloud Backup: Can we keep backups in our own storage?

Yes, bring your own Azure or Amazon S3 storage is supported. Decide this before rollout, because moving to it afterwards is a migration.

AvePoint Cloud Backup: Is Microsoft 365 native retention not enough?

No. Native retention covers deletion within limited windows and does not provide point-in-time restore of arbitrary items after those windows expire.

AvePoint Cloud Backup: How is it priced?

Per user, varying by protected data volume, quoted rather than published. Ask for the volume assumption behind the per-user figure.

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