Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect is a backup and disk imaging software providing reliable data protection, system cloning, and disaster recovery solutions for personal computers and enterprise-level server environments to ensure business continuity.
pCloud
pCloud is a secure cloud storage solution providing client-side encryption and media management tools to help you store, share, and access your files from any device anywhere.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Macrium Reflect | pCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Website | macrium.com | pcloud.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $4.16/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✘ No product demo | ✘ No product demo |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2006 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Manchester, UK | Baar, Switzerland |
Overview
Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect provides you with a reliable way to protect your data through advanced disk imaging and cloning technology. You can create accurate images of your hard disk partitions, allowing you to recover your entire system, individual folders, or specific files in the event of hardware failure or data corruption. It simplifies the process of upgrading your storage by enabling direct disk-to-disk cloning for seamless transitions to new drives.
The software serves everyone from home users protecting personal photos to large enterprises managing fleet-wide backups. You can automate your protection using flexible templates and retention policies that manage your storage space efficiently. Whether you need to restore a crashed Windows system to different hardware or simply mount a backup as a virtual drive to grab a single file, the platform provides the tools to keep your digital life secure.
pCloud
pCloud provides a secure home for your digital life, allowing you to store and access your files across all your devices. Unlike traditional sync tools, it offers a virtual drive that expands your computer's storage without taking up physical space on your hard drive. You can automatically back up your photos from social media or your phone, ensuring your memories are always safe and reachable.
The platform stands out by offering both monthly subscriptions and unique lifetime plans that eliminate recurring fees. You can collaborate with others through shared folders and branded download links, making it a practical choice for both personal use and professional file delivery. It focuses on high-level security with optional client-side encryption to keep your sensitive data private.
Overview
Macrium Reflect Features
- Rapid Delta Restore Recover your systems in a fraction of the time by only restoring the data blocks that have changed since the last backup.
- Direct Disk Cloning Copy your entire operating system and data directly to a new drive to make hardware upgrades fast and painless.
- viBoot Technology Create and manage Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines instantly from your backup images for immediate disaster recovery testing.
- Ransomware Protection Prevent unauthorized modification of your backup files with Macrium Image Guardian, ensuring your recovery points stay safe from malware.
- Incremental Backups Save storage space and time by only backing up the specific changes made to your files since your previous save.
- Bare Metal Recovery Restore your entire system to completely different hardware or a brand new disk even if the operating system won't boot.
pCloud Features
- pCloud Drive. Access your files through a virtual drive that expands your computer's capacity without using any actual disk space.
- Automatic Upload. Back up your mobile photos and videos automatically to the cloud so you never lose a memory again.
- Branded Links. Create custom download pages with your own images and descriptions to give your shared files a professional look.
- Built-in Media Player. Stream your music and videos directly from the cloud with integrated players for all your favorite media formats.
- File Versioning. Track changes made to your files and restore previous versions from up to 30 days ago with ease.
- Selective Offline Access. Mark specific files as favorites to keep them available on your device even when you don't have internet.
- Block-Level Sync. Update only the parts of a file that have changed to ensure your uploads are fast and efficient.
- Public Folder. Host static HTML websites or direct links to images by using your storage as a simple web server.
Pricing Comparison
Macrium Reflect Pricing
- Annual subscription for 1 PC
- Full disk imaging and cloning
- Rapid Delta Restore
- Macrium Image Guardian
- Direct email support
- Free version upgrades
- Everything in Home, plus:
- Designed for commercial use
- Centralized management via Site Manager
- Logging to Windows Event Tile
- Advanced backup scheduling
- Priority technical support
pCloud Pricing
- Up to 10GB of storage
- 50GB of download link traffic
- 30 days of trash history
- File sharing and collaboration
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Everything in Free, plus:
- 500GB of storage space
- 500GB of download link traffic
- Custom branded sharing links
- Priority support access
Pros & Cons
Macrium Reflect
Pros
- Extremely reliable imaging and restoration process
- Fast backup speeds compared to competitors
- Excellent bootable rescue media creation tool
- Effective protection against ransomware targeting backups
Cons
- Interface feels dated and slightly technical
- No longer offers a forever-free version
- Steep learning curve for casual users
pCloud
Pros
- Lifetime payment options eliminate annoying monthly subscription fees
- Virtual drive saves significant space on your local hard drive
- Fast upload and download speeds even for large media files
- Integrated media player works smoothly for music and video streaming
Cons
- Zero-knowledge encryption requires an additional paid add-on
- Customer support is primarily limited to email communication
- Collaboration tools are less advanced than Google Workspace or Microsoft