Backup · head to head
Macrium Reflect vs Unitrends Backup
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.
| Attribute | Macrium Reflect | Unitrends Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $55/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows | On-premises, Cloud, Hybrid |
| Founded | 2006 | 1989 |
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.
SourceUnitrends 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.
SourceUnitrends 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.
SourceRelated pages
More on Macrium Reflect
More on Unitrends Backup
Other head to heads
- Macrium Reflect vs Backupify
- Macrium Reflect vs Acronis Cyber Protect
- Macrium Reflect vs Spanning Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs CloudAlly
- Macrium Reflect vs EaseUS Todo Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Windows Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Clonezilla
- Macrium Reflect vs StorageCraft ShadowProtect
- Macrium Reflect vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication
- Macrium Reflect vs AOMEI Backupper
- Macrium Reflect vs Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Macrium Reflect vs UrBackup
- Macrium Reflect vs Altaro VM Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Bacula
- Macrium Reflect vs Comet Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Portworx Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Rewind
- Macrium Reflect vs HPE StoreOnce
- Macrium Reflect vs Rubrik Cloud Data Management
- Macrium Reflect vs Borg Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Datto SIRIS
- Macrium Reflect vs Datto Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs N-able Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Apple Time Machine
- Macrium Reflect vs Amanda Enterprise
- Macrium Reflect vs Arcserve UDP
- Macrium Reflect vs AvePoint Cloud Backup
- Macrium Reflect vs Axcient x360Recover
- Unitrends Backup vs Backupify
- Unitrends Backup vs Acronis Cyber Protect
- Unitrends Backup vs Spanning Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs CloudAlly
- Unitrends Backup vs EaseUS Todo Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Windows Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Clonezilla
- Unitrends Backup vs StorageCraft ShadowProtect
- Unitrends Backup vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication
- Unitrends Backup vs AOMEI Backupper
- Unitrends Backup vs Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Unitrends Backup vs UrBackup
- Unitrends Backup vs Altaro VM Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Bacula
- Unitrends Backup vs Comet Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Portworx Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Rewind
- Unitrends Backup vs HPE StoreOnce
- Unitrends Backup vs Rubrik Cloud Data Management
- Unitrends Backup vs Borg Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Datto SIRIS
- Unitrends Backup vs Datto Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs N-able Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Apple Time Machine
- Unitrends Backup vs Amanda Enterprise
- Unitrends Backup vs Arcserve UDP
- Unitrends Backup vs AvePoint Cloud Backup
- Unitrends Backup vs Axcient x360Recover


