Softwr

Backup & Disaster Recovery · head to head

StorageCraft ShadowProtect vs AOMEI Backupper

StorageCraft ShadowProtect logo

StorageCraft ShadowProtect

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Fast and reliable image-based backup

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
AOMEI Backupper logo

AOMEI Backupper

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Complete backup and restore solution for Windows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only AOMEI Backupper has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: StorageCraft ShadowProtect host-based backup requires Windows Server 2016 or above on the Hyper-V host, and desktop, client and Pro editions are not supported; AOMEI Backupper windows only, covering Windows 7 through 11
  • They diverge on capability: StorageCraft ShadowProtect covers Image-based backup, AOMEI Backupper covers System backup.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which StorageCraft ShadowProtect and AOMEI Backupper actually diverge.

Attributes where StorageCraft ShadowProtect and AOMEI Backupper differ
AttributeStorageCraft ShadowProtectAOMEI Backupper
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebWindows
Founded20032010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup & Disaster Recovery).

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 StorageCraft ShadowProtect

  • Image-based backup
  • VirtualBoot
  • Bare metal recovery
  • Hardware-independent restore
  • Incremental imaging
  • ShadowStream replication
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in AOMEI Backupper

  • System backup
  • Disk clone
  • File sync
  • Real-time sync
  • Universal restore
  • Bootable media
  • OneDrive
  • Google Drive

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

StorageCraft ShadowProtect

  • Image based backup and bare metal recovery of Windows and Linux serversnot AOMEI Backupper
  • MSPs protecting client Hyper-V hosts and workloads from one consolenot AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper

  • Free disk and file backup on a personal Windows machinenot StorageCraft ShadowProtect
  • System image and bare metal recoverynot StorageCraft ShadowProtect
  • Cloning a drive when upgrading to a larger disk on the paid editionsnot StorageCraft ShadowProtect
  • Scheduled incremental backupsnot StorageCraft ShadowProtect

Where each one falls short

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

StorageCraft ShadowProtect

  • Host-based backup requires Windows Server 2016 or above on the Hyper-V host, and desktop, client and Pro editions are not supported
  • Host-based and agent-based backup are mutually exclusive installation modes in ShadowProtect 8.0; one machine cannot run both
  • Switching from agent-based to host-based requires a clean reinstall rather than an in-place upgrade
  • Host-based backups are not compatible with VirtualBoot
  • Granular file and folder recovery is not available for host-based backups; the whole backup must be restored to a .vhd or .vhdx first
  • Host-based backup jobs do not report status to ShadowControl
  • Advanced Verification in ImageManager 8.1 is not supported for host-based backups
  • All host-based backups go into a single folder by default, so separating them per VM means creating a separate backup job for each
  • Host-based licence keys are generated only through the Arcserve MSP portal

AOMEI Backupper

  • Windows only, covering Windows 7 through 11
  • The free Standard edition is licensed for personal use; business use requires a paid edition from $39.95
  • Differential backup, cloud backup and system cloning are all withheld from the free edition, which clones data disks only
  • The free edition reads from disk more slowly than the paid ones
  • Email notifications on Standard are limited to Gmail and Hotmail servers
  • Support on the free edition is business hours rather than 24/7

Pricing, plan by plan

StorageCraft ShadowProtect

$15/month
  • ShadowProtect SPX$15/month
    • Image-based backup
    • VirtualBoot
    • Bare metal recovery

AOMEI Backupper

Free
  • Professional$40/year
    • System clone
    • Universal restore
    • Real-time sync

Which should you pick?

Choose StorageCraft ShadowProtect if

  • You need image-based backup.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want virtualboot.
StorageCraft ShadowProtect review

Choose AOMEI Backupper if

  • You need system backup.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want disk clone.
AOMEI Backupper review

Questions people ask

Is StorageCraft ShadowProtect or AOMEI Backupper better?
Neither clearly leads. StorageCraft ShadowProtect starts at $15/month and AOMEI Backupper at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, StorageCraft ShadowProtect or AOMEI Backupper?
AOMEI Backupper has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for StorageCraft ShadowProtect and Free for AOMEI Backupper.
Does StorageCraft ShadowProtect or AOMEI Backupper run on more platforms?
StorageCraft ShadowProtect runs on Windows, Linux, Web. AOMEI Backupper runs on Windows.
Can I use AOMEI Backupper for free?
Yes. AOMEI Backupper has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. StorageCraft ShadowProtect starts at $15/month.
What is StorageCraft ShadowProtect best used for?
StorageCraft ShadowProtect is most often used for image based backup and bare metal recovery of windows and linux servers, msps protecting client hyper-v hosts and workloads from one console. Of those, image based backup and bare metal recovery of windows and linux servers and msps protecting client hyper-v hosts and workloads from one console are not what AOMEI Backupper is typically brought in for.
What can StorageCraft ShadowProtect do that AOMEI Backupper cannot?
StorageCraft ShadowProtect covers Image-based backup, VirtualBoot, Bare metal recovery, Hardware-independent restore. AOMEI Backupper covers System backup, Disk clone, File sync, Real-time sync. Both handle Windows support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on StorageCraft ShadowProtect

More on AOMEI Backupper

Keep looking

Other head to heads