Best Hard Drive Cloning Software for Mac in 2022

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Best Hard Drive Cloning Software for Mac in 2022

1. Clonezilla

Easy to use: No | Performance: Great | Cloud backups: No | Plenty of features: Yes | OS Support: Intel-based Macs only | Best for: Power users

Pros:

• Very feature-packed for power users.

• Completely free Mac cloning software.

• Restore a single image to multiple devices.

Cons:

• Command-line only interface.

• Limited support.

Pricing plans:

• Open source and completely free

Free Download

Clonezilla may not be the ideal choice for every Mac user, but it stands out on this list and is an excellent option for power users.

While it’s available as free Mac cloning software, Clonezilla was originally an open-source Linux program with no graphical interface. If you’re not comfortable typing commands in the terminal, this tool may not be suitable for you.

For those willing to learn, Clonezilla is a powerful backup and restoration solution with a vast range of features. Single disk images can be restored to multiple devices simultaneously, and the server version even supports remote mass cloning via BitTorrent.

Clonezilla offers more functionality than any other Mac cloning software on this list; however, its steep learning curve and command-line interface make it best suited for power users seeking detailed control over their clones.

2. Carbon Copy Cloner

Easy to use: Yes | Performance: Fast | Cloud backups: No | Plenty of features: Yes | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Most people

Pros:

• Several useful features not found elsewhere.

• Great looking interface for all ability levels.

Cons:

• Tips can become irritating.

• No free version.

Pricing plans:

• No standalone free version.

• 30-day free trial, then $39.99.

Free Download

As its name suggests, Carbon Copy Cloner started as a simple tool for creating bootable copies of a Mac’s main drive. Over time, its feature set has grown, and it now competes with the best Mac cloning software available.

In addition to backing up an entire disk or selected files and folders—either manually or on a schedule—Carbon Copy Cloner can also run automatically when a trigger event occurs. Trigger events include actions like connecting an external drive or executing an automated script.

Beyond trigger events, the app allows task-specific backups, such as saving a particular document folder or a set of video files.

Carbon Copy Cloner features an intuitive interface that both beginners and advanced users will appreciate, along with a Cloning Coach that identifies potential issues in your backup routine. Overall, it is likely the best Mac cloning software for most users, offering a strong combination of usability and functionality.

3. EaseUS Todo Backup

Easy to use: Yes | Performance: Below average | Cloud backups: Yes | Plenty of features: Yes | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Beginners

Pros:

• Very beginner-friendly.

• Wide range of settings and features.

• Wide range of support options, including live chat.

Cons:

• Free version is very limited.

• Backup speed could be faster.

Pricing plans:

• Free.

• $29.95 to unlock extra features.

Free Download

EaseUS Todo Backup has long been popular in the Windows world and is now available for Mac users. It includes all the essential features of a cloning tool, along with advanced scheduling and backup compression to save valuable disk space.

For users needing off-site backups, EaseUS Todo Backup supports saving cloned images to network drives, as well as cloud services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

On the downside, copy speeds can be somewhat slow, and although the software is technically free, many of the most useful features require the paid version. Despite these limitations, EaseUS Todo Backup is a solid, polished, and beginner-friendly Mac cloning solution.

4. ChronoSync

Easy to use: No | Performance: Great | Cloud backups: Yes | Plenty of features: Yes | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Features and settings

Pros:

• Huge array of settings and options available.

• Able to backup to Amazon S3 and Google Cloud.

• Backups discard temporary and unnecessary files.

Cons:

• No free version, just a 15-day trial.

• Menus could be daunting for beginners.

Pricing plans:

• No standalone free version.

• 15-day free trial, then $49.95.

Free Download

ChronoSync combines the intuitive menus and ease of use of SuperDuper with the advanced cloning options and power of Clonezilla, making it our top pick for overall Mac cloning software.

ChronoSync supports manual and scheduled backups to a wide range of destinations, including network-attached storage, as well as professional off-site backups using Google Cloud and Amazon S3. It also supports SFTP and can even send backups to iPhones or iPads, though this requires the separate InterConneX app.

Backups created with ChronoSync update whenever file metadata changes, in addition to the files themselves. Cached data and unnecessary files are automatically excluded, and all files are first copied to an intermediate location before being checked for errors or corruption.

Overall, ChronoSync feels highly professional, though the interface can appear slightly cluttered due to the breadth of features. For most users, it offers the best combination of usability and functionality, though absolute beginners may prefer a simpler solution.

5. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office

Easy to use: Yes | Performance: Below average | Cloud backups: Yes | Plenty of features: Yes | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Mixed Windows and macOS use

Pros:

• Cloud backups offered by the same company.

• Comes with lots of other bundled tools.

Cons:

• Doesn’t backup Bootcamp partitions.

• Writes images in a proprietary format.

Pricing plans:

• $34.99 for a single computer, renewed yearly.

• $62.99 for a single computer, renewed yearly, with 500GB of cloud storage.

• $87.49 for a single computer, renewed yearly, with 1TB of cloud storage.

Free Download

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (CPHO) may not be as widely recognized for Mac cloning software, having historically focused on Windows. However, it is steadily gaining popularity as a reliable backup and cloning solution for macOS.

Acronis CPHO supports backups to local and network drives, as well as its own dedicated cloud server. If you have a NAS drive that isn’t compatible with Time Machine, Acronis CPHO could be a strong choice.

Unlike most other apps on this list, Acronis CPHO is marketed as a complete suite, including malware scanners, file syncing, and full backups of Microsoft 365 accounts. While these features may not be essential for everyone, they can be especially useful if you also use Windows devices alongside your Mac.

There are some limitations: Acronis CPHO doesn’t support Boot Camp backups or allow you to choose different drive partitions. Additionally, the backup images it creates are only readable by Acronis software, meaning you remain dependent on the app to access your backups.

Despite these drawbacks, Acronis CPHO is a solid cloning and backup solution, offering an easy-to-use interface, secure network options, and a suite of useful tools to help keep your data safe.

6. SuperDuper

Easy to use: Yes | Performance: Great | Cloud backups: No | Plenty of features: Only in the paid version | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Time Machine users

Pros:

• User friendly.

• Handy incremental backups.

Cons:

• The best features require a paid upgrade.

• Lacks fine control over backups.

Pricing plans:

• Free.

• $27.95 to unlock extra features.

Free Download

SuperDuper is one of the most popular cloning apps for macOS. Beyond its standard features, such as creating bootable clones of your hard drive, it offers a Smart Updates option. When enabled, Smart Updates automatically applies changes to your cloned image, so you never need to remember to update your backups manually.

SuperDuper also allows you to clone Time Machine backups for added security. Additionally, it can view, clone, and restore automatic snapshots created by macOS, making it easy to recover your system if an update causes a problem.

While SuperDuper may not be the absolute best cloning software for Mac on this list, it comes very close. For users seeking free Mac cloning software without any trial limitations, it’s an excellent choice.

7. Backblaze

Easy to use: Yes | Performance: Slow on the first run | Cloud backups: Yes | Plenty of features: No | OS Support: macOS 10.10 or later | Best for: Cloud-focused users

Pros:

• Very easy to use, with a set and forget interface.

• Unlimited cloud storage for a single computer.

Cons:

• Can be slow on the first backup.

• Doesn’t offer true cloning of a whole disk.

Pricing plans:

• $7 per month, paid monthly.

• $70 per year, paid annually.

• $130 for two years.

Free Download

Backblaze differs from most Mac cloning software on this list. Instead of providing a full suite of tools, its primary purpose is to back up and store your data in the cloud.

Backblaze is straightforward to use. After downloading the app and selecting a few preferences, it automatically begins backing up your files. By default, it ignores apps and system files, focusing only on your Documents, Movies, Pictures, and Music folders. While you can adjust some settings, disk image files are still excluded.

For large amounts of data, the initial backup may take a long time. Once completed, incremental changes are quickly updated in the background and securely uploaded to Backblaze’s servers.

Cloud Storage & Security: Backblaze keeps incremental versions of backups for 30 days and can also back up data from attached USB drives and external storage. All data is encrypted before leaving your Mac, with optional passcodes and two-factor authentication for added security. If you need to restore files, you can download them via the web interface or have them shipped on a USB stick or hard drive, depending on your location.

While Backblaze doesn’t offer the full features of traditional cloning software, it excels in simplicity, providing an easy-to-use off-site backup solution at an affordable price.

How to Choose the Best Cloning Software for Mac?

So what should you look out for when choosing cloning software for macOS?

• Ease of use: A couple of the apps on our list are angled squarely at power users. If you’re likely to feel daunted by dozens of settings or a complex interface, look for a beginner-friendly app.

• Performance: Disk cloning can be a tedious process. Check that your software of choice has decent copying speeds. It’s also a good idea to check how resource-intensive an app might be while it runs in the background.

• OS Support: With the new Apple Silicone machines and the arrival of macOS Monterey, the Apple platform is going through a fairly radical overhaul. Make sure your app of choice is supported on newer computers and that older versions are still receiving updates from the developers.

• Price: A couple of the apps on our list are entirely free, whereas others only offer a free trial. Think carefully about whether you’ll need to splash out on extra features that you may never use.

• Cloud backups: Some cloning apps offer an integrated cloud backup service, storing your files on a secure remote server.

• Security: You may want to make encrypted clones of your drives for added protection or store your backups on a third-party cloud service, like Dropbox or Google Drive. Remote backups can often be safer than keeping your files at home, but you’ll need to check the developer’s security credentials first.

How Do You Clone a Mac?

Cloning a Mac is a relatively straightforward process these days, and you can do it using the built-in Disk Utility app that comes pre-installed on every macOS computer:

1. Select the drive that will become a clone from the list in the left column.

2. Click the light gray Restore tab on the top menu.

3. Choose the drive that you’d like to clone from the drop-down menu.

4. Click the Restore button.

   

You may have noticed a button labeled “Image” in the Restore window. As the name suggests, a disk image is an exact copy of a hard drive or SSD, saved as a single file.

Disk images act as snapshots of a drive. Once created, they can be restored to multiple computers, producing identical copies of a system, or used to return a Mac to a previous state if a drive fails or is accidentally wiped.

So if macOS Disk Utility can already create disk images and clones, why consider a dedicated cloning app?

The best Mac cloning software is generally far more intuitive than Disk Utility. Most third-party apps offer greater control over backups, a broader feature set, and enhanced ease of use, making them ideal for both beginners and power users.

Conclusion

So there you have it — the best Mac cloning software in 2022. From highly technical, command-line-only tools to simple, cloud-based solutions perfect for beginners, this guide provides a solid selection of options to ensure your important files are safely backed up and easily recoverable in any situation.