Softwr

Backup · head to head

Macrium Reflect vs Unitrends Backup

Macrium Reflect logo

Macrium Reflect

Backup

Award-winning disk imaging and cloning

From
Free
Rated
-
Unitrends Backup logo

Unitrends Backup

Backup

All-in-one backup and recovery appliance

From
$55/month
Rated
-

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; Unitrends Backup pricing is not transparent and requires contacting the company directly for a custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging, Unitrends Backup covers Predictive analytics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Macrium Reflect and Unitrends Backup differ
AttributeMacrium ReflectUnitrends Backup
Starting priceFree$55/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindowsOn-premises, Cloud, Hybrid
Founded20061989

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 Macrium Reflect

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

Only in Unitrends Backup

  • Predictive analytics
  • Automated recovery testing
  • Instant recovery
  • Ransomware detection
  • Adaptive deduplication
  • Cloud integration
  • VMware
  • Microsoft 365

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

Unitrends 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

Unitrends Backup

  • Pricing is not transparent and requires contacting the company directly for a custom quote
  • Minimum pricing starts at approximately $995, limiting accessibility for very small deployments
  • Unified pricing approach means less flexibility for scaling individual components

Pricing, plan by plan

Macrium Reflect

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

Unitrends Backup

$55/month
  • Recovery Series$55/month
    • Predictive analytics
    • Instant recovery
    • Ransomware detection

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.

Choose Unitrends Backup if

  • You need predictive analytics.
  • You work on On-premises, Cloud, Hybrid.
  • You also want automated recovery testing.

Questions people ask

Is Macrium Reflect or Unitrends Backup better?
Neither clearly leads. Macrium Reflect starts at Free and Unitrends Backup at $55/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Macrium Reflect or Unitrends Backup?
Macrium Reflect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Macrium Reflect and $55/month for Unitrends Backup.
Does Macrium Reflect or Unitrends Backup run on more platforms?
Macrium Reflect runs on Windows. Unitrends Backup runs on On-premises, Cloud, Hybrid.
Can I use Macrium Reflect for free?
Yes. Macrium Reflect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unitrends Backup starts at $55/month.
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 Unitrends Backup cannot?
Macrium Reflect covers Disk imaging, Rapid delta cloning, Rescue Media, Incremental backup. Unitrends Backup covers Predictive analytics, Automated recovery testing, Instant recovery, Ransomware detection. Both handle Hyper-V, Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Unitrends Backup: What does Unitrends Backup include in its pricing?

Unitrends offers all-in-one backup and disaster recovery with a single flat rate including installation, storage, VIP support, and recoveries, plus two DR tests per year and a 5-year warranty.

Source
Unitrends Backup: What are Unitrends' key disaster recovery features?

Unitrends provides instant recovery, automated recovery assurance, automatic testing capabilities to measure recovery time and points, ransomware protection with behavioral analysis, and bare metal recovery to dissimilar hardware.

Source
Unitrends Backup: How long has Unitrends been in the backup market?

Unitrends was founded in 1989 and has over three decades of experience in backup and disaster recovery solutions, pioneering the first hardware-based backup appliance in 2002.

Source
Share

Related pages

Other head to heads