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Macrium Reflect vs Altaro VM Backup

Macrium Reflect logo

Macrium Reflect

Software

Award-winning disk imaging and cloning

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Altaro VM Backup logo

Altaro VM Backup

Software

Simple and powerful VM backup for SMBs

From
$595/perpetual
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: 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; Altaro VM Backup limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers
  • They diverge on capability: Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging, Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Macrium Reflect and Altaro VM Backup actually diverge.

Attributes where Macrium Reflect and Altaro VM Backup differ
AttributeMacrium ReflectAltaro VM Backup
Starting priceFree$595/perpetual
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindowsWindows Server
Founded20062009

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 Macrium Reflect

  • Disk imaging
  • Rapid delta cloning
  • Rescue Media
  • Incremental backup
  • Scheduling
  • Email notifications
  • Windows PE
  • Network shares

Only in Altaro VM Backup

  • Augmented inline dedup
  • WAN-optimized replication
  • Boot from backup
  • Granular restore
  • Cloud management
  • Continuous CDP
  • VMware
  • Azure

Both cover

  • Hyper-V
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Macrium Reflect

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Altaro VM Backup

  • Data protection
  • Disaster recovery
  • Business continuity
  • Ransomware protection
  • Compliance

Both are used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection, compliance, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Altaro VM Backup

  • Limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers
  • Perpetual license model outdated compared to modern cloud-based backup solutions
  • Lacks enterprise-grade features for large-scale deployments
  • Offsite backup to cloud requires additional setup and configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Macrium Reflect

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

Altaro VM Backup

$595/perpetual

No published plan breakdown. See the Altaro VM Backup review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Altaro VM Backup if

  • You need augmented inline dedup.
  • You work on Windows Server.
  • You also want wan-optimized replication.
Altaro VM Backup review

Questions people ask

Is Macrium Reflect or Altaro VM Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Macrium Reflect starts at Free and Altaro VM Backup at $595/perpetual, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Macrium Reflect or Altaro VM Backup?
Macrium Reflect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Macrium Reflect and $595/perpetual for Altaro VM Backup.
Does Macrium Reflect or Altaro VM Backup run on more platforms?
Macrium Reflect runs on Windows. Altaro VM Backup runs on Windows Server.
Can I use Macrium Reflect for free?
Yes. Macrium Reflect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual.
What is Macrium Reflect best used for?
Macrium Reflect is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection.
What can Macrium Reflect do that Altaro VM Backup cannot?
Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging, Rapid delta cloning, Rescue Media, Incremental backup. Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, WAN-optimized replication, Boot from backup, Granular restore. Both handle Hyper-V, Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Altaro VM Backup: What is the price per host for Altaro VM Backup?

Altaro VM Backup pricing starts at $595 per host for the Standard Edition, with the Unlimited Edition at $695 per host and Unlimited Plus at $875 per host. Pricing includes the first year of priority support and updates.

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