Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Rufus VS Macrium Reflect

Compare Rufus VS Macrium Reflect and see what are their differences

Rufus logo Rufus

Rufus is a piece of software that allows you to transform a portable drive, like a flash drive or other USB drives, into a bootable drive that can be used for a variety of purposes. Read more about Rufus.

Macrium Reflect logo Macrium Reflect

Macrium Software - the creators of Macrium Reflect backup, imaging and cloning software.
  • Rufus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-20
  • Macrium Reflect Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16

Rufus features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Rufus is a very lightweight application, usually requiring no significant system resources, making it swift and efficient.
  • Inexpensive
    Rufus is a free and open-source application, which makes it accessible for everyone without any financial burden.
  • User-friendly
    The interface is straightforward and easy to use, which makes the process of creating bootable USB drives simple even for less experienced users.
  • Versatile
    Rufus supports a wide range of ISO files and multiple file system options, making it suitable for different types of bootable media.
  • Portable
    It does not require installation and can be run directly from a USB drive, allowing for flexibility and mobility.
  • Speed
    Rufus is known for its speed, often outperforming other similar tools in terms of creating bootable media quickly.

Possible disadvantages of Rufus

  • Windows-only
    Rufus is only available for Windows, which means users on macOS or Linux need to use alternative tools.
  • Limited UI Customization
    While the interface is user-friendly, it offers limited customization options for advanced users looking for more control.
  • No Cloud Support
    Rufus does not support cloud storage or network drives directly, which could be a limitation for some workflows.
  • Lack of Integrated Help
    The application does not provide comprehensive integrated help or guided steps, which might require users to seek external tutorials or documentation.
  • Potential Risk of Data Loss
    As with any tool that formats drives, there is a risk of data loss if the wrong drive is selected by mistake.

Macrium Reflect features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Macrium Reflect Free offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for both novice and experienced users to backup and restore their data.
  • Fast Backup and Restoration
    The software is optimized for speed, enabling quick backups and restorations, which saves significant time, especially with large data sets.
  • Comprehensive Image Backup
    Macrium Reflect Free allows users to create detailed image backups of disks and partitions, ensuring that entire system states can be restored.
  • Incremental and Differential Backups
    The software supports incremental and differential backups, enabling users to save space and time by only backing up changes made since the last backup.
  • Free Version
    A fully functional free version is available, providing robust features without any initial cost, making it accessible for personal use.
  • Bootable Rescue Media
    Users can create bootable rescue media to restore their systems even when the OS is not bootable, offering an extra layer of reliability.

Possible disadvantages of Macrium Reflect

  • Limited Features for Free Version
    Some advanced features such as incremental backups, email notifications, and rapid delta cloning are only available in the paid versions.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic functions are straightforward, some of the more advanced features can be complex to understand and require a steeper learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software can be resource-intensive, potentially impacting system performance during backup and restore operations, especially on older hardware.
  • Limited Cloud Integration
    Compared to some competitors, Macrium Reflect Free has limited cloud storage integration options, which may be a downside for users looking for seamless cloud backups.
  • Support Options Limited for Free Users
    Free version users have limited access to customer support, primarily relying on community forums and documentation, which may not be sufficient for all users.

Analysis of Rufus

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Rufus is a highly regarded tool for creating bootable USB drives.

Why this product is good

  • Rufus is efficient, lightweight, and easy to use. It consistently receives positive reviews for its speed and reliability. It's compatible with a wide range of ISO files and supports both BIOS and UEFI boot modes.

Recommended for

  • Installing operating systems via USB
  • Creating bootable USB drives from ISO images
  • IT professionals needing a reliable bootable USB creator
  • Users who need to flash firmware or low-level utilities

Analysis of Macrium Reflect

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Macrium Reflect is a good choice for those seeking robust and reliable backup software. It is particularly praised for its efficiency in data recovery and system migration tasks.

Why this product is good

  • Macrium Reflect is generally considered a good backup solution due to its reliability and comprehensive feature set. It offers features such as disk imaging, cloning, and scheduled backups, providing users with a flexible approach to managing their data. It supports a wide range of file systems and storage options, ensuring broad compatibility. Moreover, its user-friendly interface and detailed documentation make it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Individuals and businesses looking for a reliable backup solution.
  • Users in need of disk imaging and cloning capabilities.
  • Those who require scheduled and automated backup processes.
  • Tech-savvy users who appreciate detailed control over backup parameters.

Rufus videos

RUFUS Create USB Drive BOOTABLE the easy way

More videos:

  • Review - Okeechobee Music Festival 2020 Lineup Reaction & Review | Bassnectar, Tipper, Rufus du Sol
  • Review - Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus - Esoteric Book Review
  • Tutorial - How to create bootable vicidial disk using rufus

Macrium Reflect videos

Product Review - Macrium Reflect 7

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Clone Windows With Macrium Reflect 7 Free | 2020 Working Tutorial
  • Tutorial - Webinar: How to image a disk with Macrium Reflect - Part 1 The Basics
  • Review - Macrium Reflect Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rufus and Macrium Reflect)
Utilities
100 100%
0% 0
Backup & Restore
0 0%
100% 100
Bootable USB
100 100%
0% 0
Cyber Security
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Rufus and Macrium Reflect

Rufus Reviews

7 Best Rufus Alternatives To Create Bootable USB In 2022
One of the first steps of trying out an operating system is installing the image of the same on a USB drive. Rufus is one of the most widely used tools to create bootable USBs, but you might not like it due to its UI or slow on your computer. Hence, in this article, let’s look at some of the best Rufus alternatives to create bootable USBs.
Source: fossbytes.com
10 Best Rufus Alternatives in 2022 (USB Bootable Tools)
So, to make things a little bit easy, you can always use the best Rufus Alternatives. This article will share some of the best Rufus alternatives that can be used to create a bootable media drive. So, let’s explore the list of best Rufus Alternatives for Windows 10 computers.
Source: techviral.net
14 Rufus alternatives for Linux, Mac, and windows
As you now know, there are a lot of Rufus alternatives out there. Some may work as well as Rufus. Others may break or even fail to create a bootable USB drive. Some applications also provide features that Rufus does not have. Omit, your choice of application should depend on what you are trying to achieve. All the boot tools listed above are free with paid editions in some....
Rufus Alternatives – 8 Best USB Bootable Software For Linux
Rufus is a popular app to create a USB Bootable flash drive for Windows but unfortunately, it doesn’t exist for Linux. So, I had to go through tons of GitHub repositories and Reddit pages to find the ideal Rufus Alternative. And turn out, you can make a bootable USB drive with the command line, or even use a third-party tool which offers extra features such boot multiple...
Source: techwiser.com
8 Free USB Bootable Software For Windows
When it comes to creating bootable USB drives in Windows, Rufus is the best, free, open-source, and easy-to-use software. Rufus not only lets you create bootable USB for different kinds of operating systems but you can also use it to flash BIOS, firmware, and run low-level utilities. Add to that, Rufus is much faster than the other apps when it comes to creating bootable...
Source: techwiser.com

Macrium Reflect Reviews

Non-Subscription Alternatives to Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
Macrium Reflect is a leading piece of disk imaging software which features many of the image-based backup and recovery functionalities found within Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office, minus the need to buy the software on a subscription basis. This excellent set of imaging features includes tools for both backup and cloning of disks as well as tools for more specialist tasks...
The Best Free Backup Software and Why it is Difficult to Find One
Macrium Reflect 8 and its free version are not the most conventional backup solutions out there, with the ability of imaging and cloning being the main capability of the software and the inability to backup anything smaller than a disk partition. However, it is still considered a personal backup solution that offer backup scheduling, different backup storage locations, and...
Source: www.bacula.org
15 Best Acronis Alternatives 2022
With Macrium, you also get several scheduling settings and retention preferences (about how long you’d like to keep some files and what to remove when the space is insufficient). With the paid version, you also get notifications for email and password protection.
Windows 11 Recovery USB Software - Create Recovery USB in Easy Way
Rescue Media Builder is a part of Macrium Reflect free, a top-notch disk backup and restore software. This feature allows you to create a Windows recovery USB for data backup and restore. This could be an ideal solution if there were very important data sitting on the problematic device.
Source: www.uubyte.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rufus seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Rufus mentions (6)

  • Truly Wiping an HDD for resell?
    For HDDs, you'll want to use a program called DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) to wipe it. It's included in the Ultimate Boot CD, and you can make that a bootable USB instead by using Rufus. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Both usb drives are not working even tho they're formatted in Fat32
    Someone below commented to use rufus. That tool is meant for flashing OS install images, but just using the format section should work fine. I use GParted's livecd, although that might be a bit overkill for a quick format. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Windows 11 Installation Assistant vs ISO file
    I would just download the ISO by itself. You don't really need the "assistant". Just mount the ISO with Rufus. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Uninstalling Windows for Linux
    Maybe download the installers for Fedora & Tumbleweed and boot to the USB Drive you install the .iso file on to 'try' a distro first instead of destroying you current setup for the totally unknown world of linux. Use Rufus to create the bootable USB drive and HashTab to check the .iso files checksum. https://rufus.akeo.ie/. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Data sanitization - DBAN, Powershell or other?
    For HDDs, you'll want to use a program called DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) to wipe it. It's included in the Ultimate Boot CD, and you can make that a bootable USB instead by using Rufus. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

Macrium Reflect mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Macrium Reflect yet. Tracking of Macrium Reflect recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Rufus and Macrium Reflect, you can also consider the following products

Balena Etcher - Flash OS images to SD cards & USB drives, safely and easily.

Acronis True Image - (Formerly Acronis True Image) Complete protection for your digital life

YUMI - YUMI (Your USB Multiboot Installer), is a tool that allows you to boot multiple ISO files from one USB drive.

Clonezilla - Clonezilla is a suite of software that's designed to allow you to back-up and image new hard drives with your data.

UNetbootin - UNetbootin is a utility for creating live bootable USB drives. The name of the software is short for Universal Netboot Installer, and its most prevalent use has been to create bootable versions of Linux distributions on a USB drive.

AOMEI Backupper - AOMEI Backupper is a software created to help a person backup, restore, clone, and sync their entire Windows system.