Acronis True Image for Mac review

Although there is no shortage of good backup utilities for Mac, sometimes a product's promises are greater than what is actually delivered. For example, Acronis True Image for Mac, which functions as both a customizable backup utility as well as an antiviral/anti-malware software.

True Image, which requires macOS 11 (El Capitan) or later to be installed and running, is available as a free 30-day trial without having to enter your credit or debit card, and costs $49. $99/£42.99 per year for a computer with local backup and anti-ransomware as part of the Essentials package, $72.99/£62.99 for a year for a computer with 250 GB Acronis cloud storage as part of the Advanced package (there are (there are also options for 50 GB and 500 GB), there is also a Premium plan with up to 1 TB to 5 TB of Acronis cloud storage, subscriptions renewing automatically, unless you indicate otherwise.

Take a look at our other recommendations for backing up your Mac and other cloud-based Mac backup options.

When it comes to features, True Image is prepared. The software installs easily and has been configured for hassle-free full disk access. It is centered around its Backup, Protection, Disk Clone and Archive modules – the Protection module offers a good degree of antivirus protection and detects as many as 23 potential threats from a sample. archive from the start. (For more antivirus options for Mac, take a look at our roundup of the best Mac antivirus software).

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As expected, the Backup module allows you to designate source and destination volumes as well as choose which files are backed up and where. It's easy to create exclusion lists indicating which files can be bypassed when backing up, and the scheduling feature worked like a charm.

The backup module also leads to True Image's Acronis Survival Kit, which creates a bootable backup drive from which your Mac can boot and install a new operating system. Additionally, backup modules save the archive in Acronis' proprietary .itbx file format. So you will need a copy of True Image to restore your data.

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The backup module also uses Acronis cloud functionality and you can easily backup designated files, folders and volumes to your cloud space. The disk cloning module works well and makes quick copies of volumes as needed, offering perhaps the best value going forward.

Finally, the Archive module allows you to offload local data to the Acronis cloud structure, which is convenient for freeing up local space, but the cloud structure and web-based dashboard have their own caveats, such as the absence of a clearly defined parameter. Delete button to clear files from your cloud space if you want to free up that space as well.

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However, there is room for improvement. While True Image offers a good suite and things appear consistent on the surface, there were bugs that couldn't be avoided and elements of the user interface that were either clunky or required complete globalization. The lack of a full percentage display next to the progress bar became annoying, with the estimated time remaining for a long test copy stuck at 20 minutes for hours, raising eyebrows.

Following a Disk Clone function, the volumes appeared hidden on the Mac, requiring a reboot to mount and display everything again. When it comes to Acronis' cloud architecture, the product seems stuck on the name “Cyber ​​Protect Home Office” when connected to the dashboard and “True Image” on the client side, which shows that a Full migration to the new product has not yet been carried out. take place at one end.

While it's easy to add encryption to an archive, things like targeting a specific volume to scan in the Protection module's antivirus mode seem impossible to find. If there is a service for sale, Acronis will kindly encourage you to do so, as the software provides simple links to subscribe to its identity protection service as well as additional cloud storage capacity, and I have the It feels like the focus is on offering what's available rather than making True Image stylish and functional.

Should you buy Acronis True Image?

Acronis True Image has always been a silent competitor on the Mac side, and has never spent huge amounts of money on marketing to appear in your Facebook or YouTube ad feed, instead going after the enterprise and large enterprise markets via its dozens of products and services. .

You can't blame them, but it still takes away from what the True Image app for Mac could be. What's present here has its good points, like admirable antivirus protection, good copy speeds, and a bootable module creation tool that works as well as you could want (which is no mean feat). nowadays, considering how Apple has made this more difficult for developers on Macs based on Apple Silicon), but clunky interface elements, a few errors when creating archives in the cloud and an array of Web edge with fewer controls than expected make things frustrating.

Yes, it might be worth trying the free 30-day demo, but there are more focused backup clients for Mac that don't try to do everything at once, still offer a range of features, are more reliable and might be more worthy of your attention.