But not all freeware disk imaging tools are created equal. This article aims to find out which free disk imaging software is the best . To answer this question we conducted head-to-head tests on four of the best free disk imaging programs that are available on the internet: Paragon Backup & Recovery 2012, DriveImage XML, Easeus Todo Backup, and Macrium Reflect. See the results below.
- Paragon Backup & Recovery 2012 (Advanced) Free (v 10.1.19.15786 / 28.05.12 )
- Easeus Todo Backup (v 5.0)
- Macrium Reflect (v 5.0 build 5167)
- DriveImage XML (v 2.44)
Note: if you would like you can skip the analysis below and jump straight to our results section (download links are under the results section).
The criteria:
- Imaging and compression performance: which program is the best in both speed and compression. This was the most important factor we looked at.
- Restoration speed: we measured this, which may be important for users who need to restore images frequently.
- Feature comparison: we considered a handful of functions that we think to be important.
The Test:
We installed all four programs on a Windows 7 64 bit OS. Next, we imaged that partition with each program across all compression settings (i.e. 3 or 4 times for each program). Next, we restored these images back one after the other, to gauge restoration speed. Here are the results.The Data:
Click here to see the data1. Imaging and compression performance:
The pink box above shows the best performance: the fastest image creation and the smallest file size. Easeus ‘normal’ profile is the best bet (small file size and very fast imaging speed).
Generally speaking, Easeus comes out on top IMHO, but if you are looking for the smallest image size then Paragon is your best bet (i.e. Paragon’s best compression mode). Macrium Reflect also does well generally speaking, but if you are using Macrium Reflect because you think it is the fastest, as I was, our test shows Easeus is fastest, and Paragon does more or less just as well on speed. DriveImage XML did not fare so well (all of the datapoints outside the pink box).
2. Restoration speed
Three things to say about this chart:
- Restoration time = the red bars, the smaller they are the better. The grey bars are imaging times, just for reference.
- Restoration time is roughly similar for Paragon, Easeus, and Macrium Reflect. DriveImageXML stands out for taking way longer
- Easeus ‘normal’ compression profile (my favorite profile from the imaging performance section above) is one of the fastest to restore, which pretty much confirms Easeus as my favorite free disk imaging program.
3. Features:
Note: we are discussing the FREE versions here. The paid versions typically have more features. This is not an exhaustive list of features but rather a list of what we thought most noteworthy.| EaseUs | Paragon | Macrium Reflect | DriveImage XML | |
| Support for hot processing: i.e. the ability to create images of the system partition without a reboot. | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Selective restore: i.e. the option to or restore specific files from an image | Yes (also allows mounting images) | Yes (also allows mounting images) | No | Yes (also allows mounting images) |
| Option to backup and restore system files only | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ease of bootable Media Creation: whether on CD or USB | Easy (from within the application) | Easy (from within the application) | Difficult. You have to download a 1.67 Gig file and burn it as bootable media. | Difficult. You have to download WinPE, add a plugin to it, and make a live CD. |
| Incremental / selective backup: i.e. to change an existing image to only reflect changes in the source. | Yes. | No. Not in the free version | No. Not in the free version | No. Not in the free version |
| The ability to restore an image to a different size hard drive | No. (Reverts your partition to it’s previous size) | No. (Reverts your partition to it’s previous size) | No. (Reverts your partition to it’s previous size) | Yes |
Excluded programs:
We excluded CloneZilla because we found it too complicated and not user friendly. Seagate Discwizard was excluded because it only supported hard drives made by Seagate and Maxtor, and Redo Backup was excluded because we experienced problems with the live CD (including slowness) and we gave up on it.Results:
[+] is a pro, [-] is a con
Our FIRST choice: EaseUs ToDo Backup Free
- [+] Easy to use and friendly
- [+] Excellent performance for both imaging speed and recovery speed, as well as compression
- [+] Easy creation of bootable media
- [+] A good set of features overall
Our close SECOND choice: Paragon Backup & Recovery 2012 (Advanced) Free - [+] Easy to use and friendly
- [+] Excellent performance for both imaging speed and recovery speed, as well as compression (although EaseUs above might have a slight edge)
- [+] Easy creation of bootable media
- [+] A good set of features overall
- [-] You need to register the program with a valid email (for free).
Our THIRD choice: Macrium Reflect - [+] Easy to use and friendly
- [+] Excellent performance for both imaging speed and recovery speed, as well as compression
- [-] Provides a comparatively small set of features in the free version, creation of bootable media requires a gigantic download.
Our FOURTH choice: DriveImage XML- [+] The only free imaging program that would restore to a partition of a changed size
- [-] Lags the others on every other front: Performance, ease of use, and creation of bootable media, etc.
Download links
- EaseUs Todo Backup Free.
- Paragon Backup & Recovery 2012 Free(requires registration with a valid email).
- Macrium Reflect Free.
- DriveImage XML.