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Free Image Format ConversionCloning your computer makes an exact copy of your hard drive. People usually clone their computers to upgrade, improve performance, back up their files, or create duplicate drives. While there are many PC cloning software programs out there, only a few are reliable.
This article will compare the top five excellent PC cloning software, detailing their features to make the cloning process easier. We'll also discuss factors to consider before choosing the right PC drive cloning software or Windows cloning app for you.
This article will help you compare the best PC cloning software available on the market. We'll discuss their features, pricing, pros, and cons to assist you in choosing the most suitable one for your needs.
| Number of Tests | 20 cloning software |
| Tested Devices | HP computer with Windows 10, Lenovo computer with Windows 11, MacBook Air M2 |
| Test Duration | 10 days |
| Key Considerations | Compatibility, Features, Performance, Pros and Cons, Pricing |
| Top Recommended Tool | Disk Cloning Utility |
Tools Disk Copy stands out in the cloning apps list, and we highly recommend it to you.
How to Choose the Right PC Cloning Software
Given that cloning is a complex process and there's an abundance of PC cloning software to choose from, the next question is how to pick the right one. Before selecting a software, consider the following:
- Usability: The software should be easy to use and intuitive, even for beginners.
- Performance: Since we'll be cloning in various scenarios, the software should be able to handle them all, such as cloning a hard drive with a different size, cloning to a smaller SSD, or cloning an SSD to a larger HDD, and so on.
- Reliability: Hard disks contain all the boot.ini, NTLDR, and other system files. A reliable disk cloning software should be able to copy all these files along with data so that we can boot the device immediately.
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Top 5 Free PC Downloads for Cloning Apps
This part lists the top 5 PC cloning software that you can use to clone safely and accurately. You can learn about the details of each cloning software. Let's get into the specifics:
| Product | Compatibility | Effectiveness | Rating |
| Top 1. Tool Disk Copy | Windows | High | ★★★★★ |
| Top 2. Macrium Reflect | Windows | Moderate | ★★★★ |
| Top 3. Tool Todo Backup Home | Windows & Mac | Moderate | ★★★★★ |
| Top 4. Clonezilla | Windows, Linux, & Mac | Average | ★★★★ |
| Top 5. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office | Windows | Average | ★★★★ |
Top Tools: Disk Duplication?
?Rating: ★★★★★ 4.6 out of 5 stars
Tool Disk Copy is the best cloning application for PCs. It's very user-friendly and can clone disks quickly and efficiently. Moreover, it works on various Windows systems, including Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, and 7.
This tool can be a reliable option for cloning and image creation. It can help you replace your laptop's hard drive without losing data, handle various file systems and disk manufacturers with ease, and provide an efficient solution for all your cloning needs.
Compatibility: Windows
Pricing: Monthly plans start at $19.90.
Main features of hard disk cloning tools include:
- Clone your hard drive, either the entire system or part of an SSD.
- Facilitate data migration from one disk to another or from one system to another.
- Create a disk image for full data recovery in case of hard drive failure or emergencies.
- Transfer Windows 10 from HDD to SSD without losing data.
- Support various file systems, such as FAT12, NTFS, FAT16, and FAT32.
⭕️ Advantages:
- User-friendly interface.
- Clone a hard drive with bad sectors.
- Create a WinPE bootable disk.
- Transfer data from one SD card to another.
- Support for various disks, such as HDD, SSD, SSHD, SD cards, USB drives, and more.
Cons:
- No free version available.
Top Pick #2: Macrium Reflect
Rating: ★★★★ 4 out of 5 stars
Macrium Reflect is another powerful disk cloning software that can clone your hard drive. Apart from creating efficient clones, its unique selling point is the backup options. This tool provides advanced backup and recovery options to users. It's very straightforward and can help you upgrade HDD to SSD without reinstalling Windows on your Windows PC.
Compatibility: Windows
Price: From $70 per year.
Main features of Macrium Reflect:
- Create disk clones using modern algorithms.
- Utilize advanced backup options, such as incremental and differential backups.
- Allow for automated backups with secure measures to protect your data.
- Create rescue (bootable) media, like USB drives or CDs/DVDs.
⭕️ Advantages:
- Utilizes rapid incremental technology for creating clones and images.
- Advanced backup options with support for synchronization.
- Flexible recovery options.
- Potent technical support.
❌ Disadvantages:
- Available only for Windows users.
- Priced quite high.
- Backend knowledge is required for certain tasks.
Download CloneDrive, a Cheaper Alternative to Disk Utility for Cloning Windows
Top 3. Tool Todo Backup Home
Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5 out of 5 stars
Todo Backup Home is a comprehensive cloning, backup, imaging, and data recovery tool. It's the only one on the list with advanced backup options and cloud backup capabilities. The tool delivers various cloning options to upgrade, transfer, and back up your data.
Compatibility: Windows and Mac
Pricing: Offers both free and paid versions, starting at $39.95 per year.
Main features of Todo Backup Home include:
- Delivers award-winning cloning and backup solutions.
- Lets you create bootable media using CDs, DVDs, and drives.
- Enables you to make an exact copy of your system for backups and upgrades.
- Transfer Windows 10 to another computer.
- Offers a secure zone to protect your data from ransomware attacks.
⭕️ Pros:
- User-friendly for beginners.
- Ability to back up multiple hard drives simultaneously.
- Offers 250GB of free cloud storage for secure data safety.
- A comprehensive tool with cloning, imaging, backup, and recovery features.
Disadvantages:
- The free version is limited in functionality.
Get a dedicated disk cloning app for PC – Tool Disk Copy
Fourth place: Clonezilla
?Rating: ★★★★ 4 out of 5
Clonezilla is a powerful open-source disk cloning tool. But is Clonezilla safe to use? The software offers device-to-device and device-to-image cloning modes. It's very user-friendly and a great choice for cloning, imaging, migration, and partitioning.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux, and Mac
Price: Free
Main features of Clonezilla:
- Encryption and compression capabilities.
- Create a bootable clone of a Windows disk.
- You can create system clones and images of entire disks or partitions.
- Offers two cloning modes: device-to-device and device-to-image.
- Supports multiple file systems, such as FAT, NTFS, XFS, ext2, ext3, ext4, and more.
⭕️Advantages:
- The application is open-source and free.
- It supports various file systems and devices, ensuring great compatibility.
- The community frequently provides updates.
- It offers flexible cloning, backup, and imaging options.
❌Disadvantages:
- Complicated user interface.
- Operated through text interfaces, which are visually unappealing and difficult to use.
- Lack of direct download options.
Get Disk Copy, a user-friendly PC cloning software.
Top 5: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
Rating: ★★★★ 4 out of 5
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is a popular data safety and disk cloning tool that combines cloning capabilities with some advanced features. It might be one of the few backup and sync tools that offer both local and cloud backup synchronization. In addition to its Acronis cloning software, you get security features and anti-malware services to keep your system safe.
Compatibility: Windows
Pricing: Starts at $49.99 per year.
The main features of Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office include:
- Advanced backup and recovery options, including cloning and imaging tools.
- Possibility to provide advanced security solutions to protect data.
- Cloud backup and sync capabilities for automated cloning.
- Web protection and URL filtering against external threats.
⭕️ Pros:
- User-friendly interface.
- Potent disk cloning, backup, and recovery capabilities.
- Supports backing up data to both local storage and cloud backup.
- Delivers advanced backup solutions and malware protection.
❌Cons:
- Consumes a lot of system resources.
Software crashes occasionally.
Get the best PC cloning software here
When Do You Need to Clone a Computer Hard Drive?
As we discussed, the cloning process involves copying the contents of one hard drive or disk to another. Cloning is not just a simple copy and paste of files; it's an exact replica of all components on the source disk, including the operating system and hidden files.
But why and when would you need to clone a PC's hard drive? Here are some reasons people do it.
- Create a backup: With the prevalent threat of data loss, we create backups to prevent such occurrences. Backups come in handy when your hard drive fails, there's a virus attack, or any unforeseen emergency.
- Replace the hard drive: If your current hard drive is small or running out of space, you might want to clone it to a new one.
- Boost performance: Since SSDs can run processes and functions quickly, people often clone their data to an SSD to enhance overall system performance.
- Upgrade: If you wish to upgrade to a larger hard drive while retaining the same contents as the old one, cloning is useful.
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In short
Cloning your system, hard drive, or disk can be beneficial in many ways. To clone your system or hard drive efficiently, you need professional PC cloning software to get the job done quickly and accurately. We've tried numerous tools and narrowed down the top 5 PC cloning software options available on the market.
Aside from cloning, backup, imaging, and security, you also need to keep up with the evolving technology and threats. A disk duplication tool is an all-in-one solution that can cater to all your needs. Download this PC cloning software now and try it out as soon as possible. If you liked this article, please share it with your friends.
Frequently Asked Questions About PC Cloning Software
Here are some of the most common FAQs about PC cloning software. Hopefully, they address any questions you might have.
1. Is it safe to clone Windows from HDD to SSD?
Yes, it is safe to clone Windows from an HDD to an SSD. In fact, many people do this because SSDs are faster, and transferring the data to the SSD will make your system run more efficiently.
2. Should I clone my hard drive or make an image of it?
Disk cloning is better than [creating a disk image](/backup-recovery/how-to-image-a-hard-drive-windows-10.html). Cloning creates a copy of the disk, while imaging creates an archive to precisely replicate the source drive.
3. Does Windows 11 Have Cloning Software?
No, the Windows operating system itself does not come with a built-in cloning tool. To clone Windows 11, you can use disk cloning software to create a clone or an image of your hard drive, system, or partitions.
4. Why won't Windows 10 boot after cloning?
If the SSD clone won't boot, it could be a boot issue. The operating system's boot files are by default on the primary partition, which should be marked as active. If not, Windows 10 won't boot after the clone. You can try using the cloning app best suited for Windows 10 – Disk Copy tool – to help you clone your hard drive or migrate your system to another drive.