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.
Rockstor
Rockstor is an open-source NAS and private cloud storage solution built on BTRFS that provides advanced data integrity and management for your home or business.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Macrium Reflect | Rockstor |
|---|---|---|
| Website | macrium.com | rockstor.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 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Manchester, UK | Houston, USA |
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.
Rockstor
Rockstor gives you a powerful, open-source platform to build your own Network Attached Storage (NAS) and private cloud. Built on the advanced BTRFS file system, it focuses on protecting your data while giving you the flexibility to manage storage across various hardware configurations. You can easily create shares, manage snapshots, and expand your capacity without the complexity of traditional enterprise storage systems.
You can transform your commodity hardware into a sophisticated storage server that you control entirely. Whether you are looking to centralize your family photos or manage business-critical backups, the platform provides a web-based interface to handle everything from disk management to file sharing. It bridges the gap between DIY Linux setups and expensive proprietary hardware, giving you professional-grade features at a fraction of the cost.
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.
Rockstor Features
- BTRFS File System. Protect your data from silent corruption with advanced checksums and copy-on-write technology that ensures file integrity.
- Instant Snapshots. Create point-in-time copies of your data instantly so you can recover deleted files or revert changes in seconds.
- Rock-ons (Apps). Extend your server's functionality by installing Docker-based applications like Plex, Nextcloud, and Transmission with just a few clicks.
- Online Capacity Expansion. Add new drives to your storage pools on the fly without taking your system offline or interrupting your work.
- Dashboard Monitoring. Track your CPU usage, memory, and disk health in real-time through a clean, intuitive web-based management interface.
- Asynchronous Replication. Send your snapshots to another Rockstor instance over the network to create a robust off-site disaster recovery plan.
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
Rockstor Pricing
- Completely free to use
- Access to latest features
- Community-based support
- Frequent update cycle
- Open-source source code
- Everything in Testing, plus:
- Tested stable updates
- Security patches
- Bug fixes
- Annual subscription model
- Support for project development
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
Rockstor
Pros
- Modern BTRFS features provide excellent data protection
- User-friendly web interface simplifies complex Linux tasks
- Docker-based app system makes service deployment easy
- Low hardware requirements for older computer reuse
- Active community forum for troubleshooting and advice
Cons
- Stable updates require a paid annual subscription
- Smaller app ecosystem compared to some competitors
- Requires basic knowledge of PC hardware setup