This is the best backup software for Windows

Your storage memory is prone to errors and does not last forever. If the inevitable takes place, you better have a backup, so that not all of your data is lost. It would be nice if Microsoft delivered something in Windows if Apple does with Time Machine, a backup solution that requires little interaction and seems to do almost everything by itself.

Instead, Windows has a colorful mix of restore points, recovery discs, system backup, and file history. Online backup services are also an option, but as a rule PC software offers more flexibility. There are several suppliers who offer their own alternative and although nothing is as glorious as Time Machine, a few come very close. We believe these are the best choices.

Best for everything: Acronis True Image 2020

Acronis has added a number of new features to True Image 2020, such as better malware protection, more user-friendly login screens, system tray notifications and dual protection (local and cloud with the same task). I find the latter interesting, because it solves one of my biggest complaints of most backup software – the lack of multiple storage locations for one backup task (local, removable media, network, etc.).

Features and features

True Image offers Acronis Cloud as a second storage destination and that is fine if you use this subscription service, but it does not add anything for all other users. You can of course still clone the backup task and change the destination.

The program backs up partitions, entire disks and files – and does so with incremental versions (all subsequent backups only contain the changes since the previous backup), differential versions (all subsequent backups contain all the changes since the previous backup first backup) or as a one-off event.

You can set which versions are saved, how and when older backups are deleted and more. You can of course schedule a schedule, give pre- and post-process commands, there are email notifications, file exceptions, data validation and backup splitting settings, performance throttling for slower systems and virtually any other option you could find in a backup program.

You can also synchronize with other PCs running True Image. You can set almost any type of medium or location, including removable, optical and FTP. Tape is not supported, but I am guessing that not many people use this storage medium outside of professional IT.

Security is also interesting: 256-bit AES encryption, file verification via the Acronis Notary blockchain network and digital signature via Asign. These last two options are only available in the Premium version, which costs 99 euros 99 per year. The standard version, one-time 49.99 euros, has Active Protection, which stops ransomware and crypto-mining.

There is also a clean-up utility that clears history and clears protected free space on your disk. In addition, the software creates a recovery partition and there is a feature called Try & Decide, which creates a restore point before you install new software, so that if you don’t like it, you can easily roll back to the state before installation. True Image supports restore to different types of hardware (bare metal restore) although this is a minor issue with Windows 10’s more robust driver functionality and infrastructure.

Performance

If you think: “all those features will be at the expense of system resources”, then you are right. The download is already 600 MB, so is the installation and six separate background processes are running at all times. The main program, which you admittedly need to run little, also starts up slowly – probably because it checks the account and update status and the state of the various True Image functionalities.

There are two things that I would like True Image to support: the aforementioned multiple destinations and non-proprietary container formats such as ISO, VHD or even Zip. Not that True Image has issues with restoring data, but if you want to see an old backup in 20 years, it would be nice if you don’t have to look for an antique program to do that.

Interface and design

Once you know the GUI of the program, it is very efficient, but there is an occasional “what do we get” moment. Even after a few years, because the scroll bar has light pull buttons in a dark bar, I often use the wrong part of the bar – it is usually the other way around. Small noticeable plus signs are there to unfold trees and small organizational issues in the interface sometimes make it more inefficient. But the look is also modern, attractive and a little better in every version.

price

The standard version is a one-time purchase without cloud storage. This version costs 50 euros and it is the variant that I use myself. Advanced costs 50 euros per year and you get 250 GB cloud storage and Office 365 backup. The subscription structure ensures that everything except the recovery functionality expires if you do not renew after a year and the recovery option disappears 30 days later. That is important: if you want to archive, Standard with ‘perpetual license’ may be the best choice.

The Premium version of 100 euros per year uses the same model as Advanced, including the loss of functionality after the subscription expires, but also includes the blockchain and digital drawing functionality. Additional user licenses receive a discount and the program is also available for Macs and various (Linux-based) NAS cabinets. These options are sufficient for most people, but it would be nice if Acronis put the recovery media on the market on its own, or a Lite version without all the trimmings (only backup and recovery) for an entry price.

Conclusion: Good program, small upgrade with 2020

If you already have a subscription, True Image 2020 is only good new. If you have an earlier version of the program, I don’t see many reasons to spend another 50 euros for a new version, but especially compare the new features with your edition to determine whether an upgrade is worth it.

For people who don’t use True Image: it’s the fastest, most comprehensive, and most reliable backup program there is. If you also store sensitive data, active security is a big advantage. I use this program myself since the first iteration around 2003 and together with the classic R-Drive Image it has not disappointed me yet.

Best free option: Aomei Backupper Standard

Do you prefer a free version than one for which you have to pay 50 euros? Aomei Backupper Standard costs nothing and works more than just fine. Backupper even supports real-time synchronization: freezing files to an external folder when changes are made.

Features

The feature set of Backupper Standard lacks little, despite the fact that it is a free program. You have imaging, file backup, disk cloning, and file synchronization. There are a lot of options for scheduling and synchronization, including the real-time synchronization that we just mentioned. Synchronization is not a real backup – it retains a mirror of your most important data in a different location – which is an outcome to ensure that you do not lose recent files.

Backupper Standard images entire drives or partitions, verifies them and then mounts them so that you can grab files from them. The paid version (€ 49.99 for lifetime updates, € 39.99 for the current version only) adds dynamic volume imaging and image merging – tasks that most end users don’t need. Cloning the system or booting from the paid version of the network can be useful, but that is also especially for IT people.

There are bootimages for both Linux and Windows, which you can burn to CD or install on USB sticks.

Performance

The performances had pros and cons. In our tests of a lot of different backup software in recent years, Backup Standard emerged as the fastest when backing up disks and partitions, but with ease the very best in backing up sets of files. On the other hand, the CPU load was very light and speed is not very important if a task is running in the background.

With regard to the placement of background processes, Backupper Standard is reasonably present: three services are started: the core, shadow copy and a scheduler. (We often wonder why companies don’t just use the Windows Task Scheduler, because it already runs in the background anyway.) But to be honest: Acronis True Image uses six background processes.

Interface and design

This program had a retro bitmap interface – which, by the way, was clear and intuitive, even though it had some minor flaws – but in version 5 released earlier this year, the program has a new interface. The old-school GUI has been replaced by a sleek and modern graphical interface that looks a bit like Acronis, but is easier to use. A welcome change.

Conclusion: Excellent option to try first

It is special that a program for both the best value for money and virtually the best for everything, but that is Backupper Standard. We therefore heartily advise you to try this before you pay your hard-earned money for something else. It is most likely the only program you need.

Alternatives: You should pay attention to this

As with most things, it is especially important that you do not purchase too much that you will not need. That only increases the complexity of your software and possibly slows down your system. In addition, if you want to back up to a new external drive, it is wise to review the software that comes with it. Manufacturers such as Seagate and Western Digital provide tools that are great for the average user.

Backup of files: If you only want to back up data (not the entire operating system and applications), a program that only copies the files to a backup is all you need. This is fast too. Some programs automatically select the files if you use standard Windows folders (Documents, Images, Videos, etc.).

Imaging: Images are full recordings of your entire hard drive (normally without the blank sectors then) or partition and these are used to store both the operating system and data. Imaging is extremely useful in the event of a major system crash and it ensures that you do not miss anything important.

Boot media: If your system crashes completely, you need an alternative way to start up and run the recovery software. Each backup program should include the option to create a bootable disk or USB stick. Some also create a recovery partition on your hard drive, which you can use if the hardware is ok and you have a software problem.

Schedule: If you want to back up effectively then you have to do that on a regular basis. A backup program that understands its course must have the option to schedule backups.

Version management: If you overwrite previous files it is not a backup but a one-time synchronization. Backup software must have the ability to retain different previous versions, or if it is file backup, previous versions of the files. Better software looks critically at older backups to remove them according to the criteria that you set up yourself.

Optical drive support: Every backup software supports hard disks, but even if it seems outdated: DVDs and BlueRay’s are great archive media. If you are concerned about the reliability of optical media, M-Disc claims that its discs are reliable for 1000 years and that claim is confirmed by tests from the US Department of Defense.

Online support: A copy at an external location is an option if you are afraid of a calamity such as a flood, a fire in the house or a lightning strike. Online storage services are a great way to save an external copy. Backing up to something like Dropbox, Google Drive, or something completely different are useful features.

FTP and SMB / AFP: Saving to other computers or NAS cabinets on your network or a secondary location (for example with your parents) is another way to ensure that your data survives an emergency. You can use FTP for a remote location, and SMB (Windows and more) and AFP (Mac) are good for other computers or NAS on your local network.

Real-time: Real-time backup means that files are backed up immediately as they are changed, for example when a new file is created or an existing file is saved. Mirroring is also useful to have a copy of fast-changing datasets available immediately. For data that changes less quickly, it is probably not worth the load on your system resources and it is better to look at scheduled backups.

Continuous backup: In this case, ‘continuous’ simply means a very tight schedule, usually every 5 to 15 minutes instead of daily or weekly. Use this for fast-changing data sets where transfer rates are low or system resources are too expensive for real-time backup.

Performance: Most backups work in the background if you do nothing, so performance is usually not a big issue for consumer use. But if you back up to multiple machines or to multiple destinations, or use very large data sets, speed is a consideration.

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