Our verdict: Acronis True Image is a full-featured backup suite: disk images, active disk cloning, a rescue drive and anti-ransomware in every plan. It is subscription-only, the installer is very large, and cloud backup and anti-malware are reserved for the pricier plans.
About Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image, sold for a few years as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office, backs up whole disks, partitions or individual files and folders on a schedule with incremental and differential backups. It clones the running system disk to a new drive, restores to similar or different hardware and builds an all-in-one recovery drive, the Acronis Survival Kit.
There is no free edition, only a 30-day free trial. Plans are yearly subscriptions: Essentials from $49.99 a year for one computer covers local backup, cloning and ransomware protection, while Advanced and Premium add Acronis cloud storage, Microsoft 365 backup and real-time anti-malware. Activation uses an Acronis account or product key and needs an internet connection.
What it does well
- Full image backup. Back up the whole PC, disks, partitions or chosen files and folders.
- Active disk cloning. Clone the running Windows disk to a new drive.
- Acronis Survival Kit. One external drive that holds both the backup and the bootable recovery tools.
- Anti-ransomware. Detects ransomware and cryptojacking and protects backup files.
- Cloud backup. Advanced and Premium plans include 50 GB or 1 TB of Acronis cloud storage.
Who it is for
Good fit
Users who want imaging, cloning and optional cloud backup from one vendor with support.
Look elsewhere
Anyone who wants a free or one-time-purchase backup tool, or a lightweight app.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Clones the running system disk
- Restores to different hardware
- Rescue drive with backup in one
- Cloud storage options up to several terabytes
Cons
- No free edition; yearly subscription after the 30-day trial
- Very large installer, about 780 MB
- Cloud backup and anti-malware cost extra over the base plan
How to install Acronis True Image
The trial installer is a large download, around 780 MB. Activation uses an Acronis account or product key and needs internet access. If you already run another antivirus, review the real-time protection settings after installing so the two do not overlap.
Questions about Acronis True Image
Is Acronis True Image free?
No. It has a 30-day free trial; after that you need a yearly subscription, from $49.99 for one computer with the Essentials plan. Activation uses an Acronis account or product key.
Is Acronis True Image the same as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office?
Yes. Acronis renamed Cyber Protect Home Office back to Acronis True Image; it is the same home backup product.
