Best Data Migration Software

Acronis True Image is the go-to backup and PC migration software for users who need malware protection alongside powerful migration and backup features. 

It’s easy to see why Acronis has the most comprehensive offer on the market. The product combines both a personal backup and antimalware solution. If you’ve ever had issues with ransomware, you’ll appreciate the significance of this feature. With both cloud and external drive backup, any files that were encrypted as a result of a malicious attack can be restored with just a few clicks. 

Acronis True Image allows users to back up their information on the cloud, external drives, network drives, and NAS devices. However, cloud storage requires an Advanced or Premium subscription. Don’t worry. This data migration software’s free trial comes with all the features available with the Essential version. This includes full image backup, file-level active drive cloning, recovery options, and antimalware protection for the drive you’re using. 

The Advanced subscription includes 500 GB of cloud storage, while the Premium starts with 1 TB for free with the option to upgrade to 5 TB. Furthermore, those plans include Microsoft 365 backups, while the Premium version has blockchain certification of files and electronic signatures for further protection and privacy. Having the option to protect both Android and iOS devices is another feature that most users will find handy. 

This disk migration software has a simple and effective interface. You can select particular files and folders or the entire drive (the default choice by the software) and the backup destination. It’s up to the user to choose a backup schedule. The program includes the “nonstop” option that actively backs up new and updated files.  

Even though our team recommends using dedicated antivirus software, Acronis’ AI-enhanced behavior analysis handles malicious files superbly. Keep in mind that the Advanced and Premium subscription plans include complete malware protection, while the Essential only deals with ransomware. AV-TEST, an independent IT security institute, analyzed the antivirus features, and Acronis passed with flying colors. 

As a backup, antimalware, and migration tool, Acronis True Image provides an all-in-one package that eliminates the need for you to pay for an antivirus. However, if you’re in the market for just a migration tool or backup software, you should consider less costly options. The program also lacks any partition management features that some data migration solutions have.

Another data and OS migration software solution comes from EaseUS. The Todo PCTrans application provides users with an easy way to transfer data between Windows-based platforms.

EaseUS Todo PCTrans offers a free version. However, most users will use it to test out the program with a small file transfer since it’s limited to two programs and up to 500 MB of data in total between two PCs or local drives. Home and Business users are not limited on the amount of data or programs they can migrate. In addition to software migrate features, the EaseUS Todo PCTrans subscription includes data rescue and recovery options, scan and transfer program keys, and migrate user accounts. The business plan is suitable for a workload on multiple PCs.

EaseUS Todo PCTrans does direct PC to PC transfers, app migrations, and image transfers. You can also back up your PC on an external drive by creating an image file. 

Furthermore, the program has a system and a large file cleanup feature. Users with clogged-up drives find these features useful, especially if you’re storing many unnecessary files. 

The main limitation of this hard drive migration software is that it’s only developed for Windows. However, it does support Windows XP and above and multiple Windows Server versions from 2003 to 2019. The list of software that EaseUS Todo PCTrans supports for the application transfer feature includes Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Photoshop, and Lightroom. 

The main downside of EaseUS Todo PCTrans is the price tag for an individual user. A monthly subscription of $49.95 for a license that includes two computers is a bit steep. For a much lower price, Acronis True Image provides malware protection and cloud storage. 

Our examination of Todo PCTrans found this data migration software for Windows 10 and below to be perfectly adequate. For businesses, this software saves plenty of time for IT admins.

Migration and backup software often go hand in hand. Migrating data to a backup essentially serves the same purpose as preserving the data. Another paid and free OS migration software solution is AOMEI Backupper. The program is available for both home and business use, and depending on the subscription, you may even have more tools available. 

The Server and Technician Plus plans support Windows Server from 2003 to 2019 (including R2), while all other plans support Windows XP and newer. Home users will rarely need to use AOMEI Backupper for server-based operating systems and will do much better with the Standard freeware version, Professional, or Workstation. At the same time, it’s useful to have the option of free data migration software and the ability to try it out before you upgrade. 

As the name suggests, AOMEI Backupper can create backups of your system and data drives, then clone them, effectively migrating your information to a new drive. The software has no issues migrating data from an HDD to SSD and even backing it up on local, external, USB flash, and cloud drives. It also supports NAS devices. Paid plans include backup encryption for an extra layer of security and a compression algorithm for backed-up images. 

AOMEI Backupper interface is easy to navigate and intuitive to use. Even users who don’t have a great deal of experience will find it simple to set data migration software for SSD cloning while taking advantage of the SSD Alignment feature. You can determine the backup schedule and even sync files between folders or devices. Our DataProt team also liked seeing the option to create Windows PE bootable rescue media on a USB drive, DVD, or CD. 

AOMEI Pricing for personal and businesses isn’t based on a subscription model, rather perpetual licensing with the option to upgrade to a higher plan. For a home user, it has the best balance of extensive backup features and price. However, you might want to check out Acronis True Image or MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro if you’re looking for additional features.

If you’re looking for the best PC transfer software, you can’t go wrong with Paragon’s Hard Disk Manager Advanced. The program has excellent features, including data migration options that are worth looking into.

Whether it’s backing up your system, migrating your drive, or completely wiping your data, Hard Disk Manager Advanced can help you stay organized. If you want to upgrade your PC with a new SSD, the software is perfectly capable of supporting an HDD to SSD migration. Furthermore, you get to decide whether you want an OS migration or the complete drive. The program even includes a File Transfer Wizard that enables it to copy files between storages formatted to other operating systems like macOS or Linux. This comes as no surprise since Paragon developed dedicated software for macOS and Linux as well.

Like Acronis True Image, Paragon has recovery tools in the form of its Recovery Media Builder. Users can choose to restore data from virtual backup containers like pVHD, VHD, VHDX, VMDK, and PBF images while having the option to encrypt their backup and compress it.

Most users will appreciate the software’s ability to change partition sizes, delete, split, merge, format, and even reformat them to different drive formats like FAT32, NTFS, and HSF.

Windows migration software from Paragon also includes comprehensive data deletion tools with multiple algorithms to remove your data thoroughly.

Furthermore, the Recovery Media Builder add-on allows for restoring your computer in the WinPE (Windows Preinstallation Environment). It provides an excellent solution for emergencies when you can’t boot up your drive. And if that’s not enough, Paragon Hard Disk Manager Advanced even includes email notifications to let you know if the migration or other processes were successful.

The cost is another strong suit. Most software migration programs we reviewed include a subscription-based payment plan, whereas with Paragon Hard Disk Manager Advanced, home users usually pay a flat fee. With business versions, there are subscription and perpetual licensing models on offer and a 30-day free trial to see if the program is right for you.

MiniTool Partition Wizard comes with both free and paid versions. To use it as an HDD or SSD migration software, you’ll need the paid Pro option. 

Primarily MiniTool Partition Wizard is a disk management tool. However, the program does include an impressive amount of features that most demanding users will find helpful. The software has tools to migrate OS to an SSD or HDD, create bootable media, data, and partition recovery tools. Furthermore, users can run diagnostics on their disk drives, analyze read and write speed, find bad sectors,  and fix file system errors.

Unfortunately, MiniTool Partition Wizard is a Windows-only software. Thankfully, it still supports older versions of Windows, which even Microsoft doesn’t support anymore. Therefore, this hard drive migration software will help you move essential data from older OS versions like Windows XP, Windows 7, and above. 

MiniTool Partition Wizard has a nicely designed and user-friendly interface. Main program functions are sorted in the top tabs, with each subsection having multiple options and tools. You can queue up different operations and make changes or prioritize other tasks. If you’re not experienced with disk management features, each task launches a wizard that will guide you through the process. 

MiniTool Partition Wizard has free, Pro, Pro Platinum, and Pro Ultimate versions. There is a considerable annual subscription cost but with licenses for fewer PCs than with Paragon Hard Disk Manager Advanced or Acronis True Image. The best offer for this HDD and SSD data migration software is the Pro Ultimate version with the perpetual license for up to five PCs and a somewhat reasonable price tag. Having a partition management tool is convenient, and MiniTool Partition Wizard offers users even more.

Moving data from an old PC to a new one can be a long and arduous process. Laplink enables you to transfer software to a new PC without a hitch, including all your data, profile, and settings.

PCmover Professional is a Windows-only solution that works on Windows XP up to Windows 10. The software analyzes the files, and you can choose what to migrate based on the software’s recommendations.

PCmover doesn’t recommend migrating programs that may be incompatible with the new PC. That includes system-oriented tools like firewalls, anti-spyware tools, and even Windows antivirus solutions. Furthermore, it’s advisable not to transfer software related to your old hardware.

The data transfer software could undo changes made by the migration on the new device if any issues interrupt or corrupt the process. The source system is never affected by the transfer, so you can simply start the process again.

There is no free trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to test things out without any real risk. To assist users and enhance the offer, Laplink’s customer support team is standing by 24/7 to assist you with the migration.

When it comes to data migration tools, PCmover doesn’t offer an impressive list of additional features. For a similar cost, you can get an Acronis True Image yearly subscription with cloud backup and antimalware. Alternatively, Paragon’s Hard Disk Manager and MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro include disk partition management, recovery, and Windows PE bootable environment.

However, PCmover Professional offers streamlined migration, which delivers the fastest transfer available for a flat fee. If your primary focus is saving time, Laplink has you covered.

O&O DiskImage is widely regarded as one of the top data migration tools on the market. O&O Software is a German company with more than 20 years of experience. This military-grade system is an official Microsoft Partner and a NATO supplier. 

O&O DiskImage is a valuable tool for Windows users that enables you to backup complete computer drives or create more selective backups. Since we live in an era where digital assets are as important as physical ones, having an option to restore your personal computer with one click is important. O&O DiskImage is among the best PC migration software solutions. By creating a disk image, you can quickly migrate your data to a new drive, and DiskaImage works smoothly with HDDs and SSDs. 

O&O DiskImage has an option to create a bootable USB or a CD/DVD to restore your Windows system. Furthermore, you can establish an O&O DiskImage RecoveryPartition, which will restore the last system image directly from it. This recovery partition provides an additional layer of security in case you misplace the external recovery medium. 

Users can set up an external recovery drive, allowing for plug-and-play backups. The O&O DiskImage To Go function serves as data migration software by creating a boot medium from any external drives you choose as a backup. Each time you plug in the selected drive, the software will automatically back up your system, and if required, restore it back with just one click. 

Unlike the other software solutions we tested, O&O DiskImage doesn’t support earlier versions of Windows, focusing more on Windows 10, 8.1, and 8. However, Windows 7 backups created with DiskImage can still be restored. If you prefer to give free data migration software for Windows 10 a try, AOMEI Backupper is a better option.