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Software · head to head

Clonezilla vs Paragon Backup & Recovery

Clonezilla logo

Clonezilla

Software

Free disk cloning and imaging solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paragon Backup & Recovery logo

Paragon Backup & Recovery

Software

Professional-grade backup for Windows

From
$50/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clonezilla has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Clonezilla the destination partition must be equal to or larger than the source partition; Paragon Backup & Recovery the free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • They diverge on capability: Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging, Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clonezilla and Paragon Backup & Recovery actually diverge.

Attributes where Clonezilla and Paragon Backup & Recovery differ
AttributeClonezillaParagon Backup & Recovery
Starting priceFree$50/year
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, WindowsWindows
Founded20041994

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

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 Clonezilla

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

Only in Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk backup
  • File-level backup
  • Incremental/differential
  • Recovery media
  • Virtual disk mount
  • UEFI support
  • Windows
  • Network shares

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Clonezilla

  • Bare metal backup and restore of a whole disk or partitionnot Paragon Backup & Recovery
  • Mass deployment of a disk image to many PCs over the networknot Paragon Backup & Recovery

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • Full disk and partition backup on Windowsnot Clonezilla
  • Bare metal recovery from an imagenot Clonezilla
  • Scheduled incremental backups for a home machinenot Clonezilla
  • Migrating an installation to a new drive on the paid editionsnot Clonezilla

Where each one falls short

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

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

  • The free Community Edition is licensed for non-commercial use only
  • Windows only, and specifically Windows 10 x64 from 1809, Windows 11 x64 and Windows 11 Arm64
  • Volume and OS copying, partition management and email notifications need the Advanced edition
  • Windows Server support requires the Business edition
  • Paid edition prices are not shown on the product page

Pricing, plan by plan

Clonezilla

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

Paragon Backup & Recovery

$50/year
  • Community Edition$50/year
    • Full disk backup
    • File-level backup
    • Recovery media

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Paragon Backup & Recovery if

  • You need full disk backup.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want file-level backup.
Paragon Backup & Recovery review

Questions people ask

Is Clonezilla or Paragon Backup & Recovery better?
Neither clearly leads. Clonezilla starts at Free and Paragon Backup & Recovery at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clonezilla or Paragon Backup & Recovery?
Clonezilla has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Clonezilla and $50/year for Paragon Backup & Recovery.
Does Clonezilla or Paragon Backup & Recovery run on more platforms?
Clonezilla runs on Linux, Windows. Paragon Backup & Recovery runs on Windows.
Can I use Clonezilla for free?
Yes. Clonezilla has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paragon Backup & Recovery starts at $50/year.
What is Clonezilla best used for?
Clonezilla is most often used for bare metal backup and restore of a whole disk or partition, mass deployment of a disk image to many pcs over the network. Of those, bare metal backup and restore of a whole disk or partition and mass deployment of a disk image to many pcs over the network are not what Paragon Backup & Recovery is typically brought in for.
What can Clonezilla do that Paragon Backup & Recovery cannot?
Clonezilla covers Disk/partition imaging, Disk cloning, Multicast deployment, Multiple file systems. Paragon Backup & Recovery covers Full disk backup, File-level backup, Incremental/differential, Recovery media. Both handle Windows support.
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