Expert’s Rating
Professionals
- Quick imaging, file, and folder backup
- Disk cloning
- Folder sync
- Backs up remote desktops
- Cost-free variation (with adverts)
Cons
- Supports only Home windows
- Perpetual license is pricey
Our Verdict
ShadowMaker is fast, simple, responsible backup and the absolutely free edition properly will take treatment of the basic principles. A Professional variation with a lot more functions is accessible through subscription and perpetual licenses.
Price When Reviewed
$79
Ideal Selling prices Today: MiniTool Shadowmaker 3.6
MiniTool ShadowMaker, a initial-amount backup software with a competent cost-free variation has progressed pretty a little bit considering that our seem at edition 2.. It is also now available as a subscription or a with a perpetual license. A fairly pricey $79 3-seat, perpetual license is up $50 from the final time we appeared. There’s a large amount of level of competition at this selling price point. Just declaring.
Take note: This evaluation is portion of our roundup of the best Home windows backup computer software. Go there for aspects about competing products and solutions and how we examined them.
ShadowMaker 3.6: Interface and options
ShadowMaker 3.6 occupies around 225MB of disk space, and is a notably clean up set up, leaving only a solitary approach jogging in the background—its scheduler. The interface is on the dark facet and uses the squarish Zune structure metaphor of Home windows 8/10.
All significant groups of functions are accessible from the major web site, and the software is mostly intuitive if you are even relatively acquainted with the backup approach. I could argue some of the labels and language, but that would be niggling—the plan steps you as a result of most functions in a logical, pleasant method.

ShadowMaker 3.6: Free characteristics
As I hinted at, ShadowMaker is one particular of the far more qualified backup freebies out there. For primary imaging, file and folder copy, folder sync, and disk cloning it will get the work performed quickly and simply. The main omission is disaster restoration, until you rely a cloned disk that you can swap in for a unsuccessful push. That’s surely a viable alternate. Or else, you’ll need to reinstall Home windows then run ShadowMaker Free of charge to get your data back again.
To be trustworthy, on people super-exceptional occasions Home windows has gone tummy-up on me, I have often taken benefit of the opportunity to get rid of all the gathered junk with a clean install. Just a assumed.

ShadowMaker 3.6: Pay back features
There are a number of added options readily available in the $79 ($6 a thirty day period/$36 a 12 months) Pro Greatest version. Initially and foremost is the Windows PE-centered disaster recovery media. PE enables the system to run just like the mounted variation. Other additions include help for command-line backups, incremental and differential backups, automated culling, community PXE booting, as very well as SSL encryption.

But my beloved pay function is backup of remote desktops. Enter the IP deal with (see under) of the distant laptop or computer operating ShadowMaker, the system reboots, and all the disks, partitions, and files from the remote computer system are now out there as backup selections. You can access and again them up applying the exact same wizards you use to again up the community machine.

This means I can keep my lazy toukus at my main machine, and back again up any other Computer system on the community. Sweet, and perhaps the motive you’ll want to shell out for the three-seat licenses. Now if only ShadowMaker were offered for the Mac and Linux.

ShadowMaker 3.6: Performance
ShadowMaker 3.6 was exceptionally speedy at all standard functions: making photos, syncing folders, mounting visuals, and many others. It was unbelievably speedy backing up the major partition (with 75GB of things) on my examination rig. Without a doubt, I thought it was failing until finally I mounted the photos and checked the result. The compression fee was pretty superior as effectively, with the backup weighing in at a mere 18GB.
On the other hand, the clone disk purpose lacks any resizing/restore to suit capability, and even when I furnished an identically-sized SSD, it balked. The system with ShadowMaker requires a larger sized-capability disk.
To be truthful, not restoring or cloning to more compact-capacity drives is a popular concern (Windows’ possess backup won’t do it). But this was the first time I’ve observed a like-sized drive disqualified. If you want to adjust measurements of partitions in the course of backup or restore, look to the Mac daddy of imaging: R-Push Graphic.
Also, when you’re backing up an complete disk, make sure you’ve manually chosen all the partitions. ShadowMaker won’t pick all of them by default, even omitting the primary info partition in one circumstance.
The levels of competition is rigid
The no cost version of ShadowMaker is a very skilled cost-free backup method with several friends at the “price” (there are adverts). Nonetheless, when it will come to having to pay for ShadowMaker….
I can understand (if not like) subscriptions for application that is continually evolving and attaining new options. But it is difficult to fathom the logic in regular payments for backup program that’s mainly function total. If you only use it the moment a yr, a month of rental could make perception, and the free of charge edition can access the images it created ought to you require to restore in the potential. Or you could rent it once again when you need to restore.
But largely I’m remaining weighing the price of the $79 (three-seat license) ShadowMaker Pro Greatest. There is stiff competitors from products these kinds of as Acronis Cyber Guard Property Business office and the aforementioned R-Drive Picture, which cost less. I love ShadowMaker’s distant backup trick and it’s a probable deal-maker, but the system is nevertheless a hard sell at the rate.
Irrespective of monetary outlay, ShadowMaker has matured nicely considering the fact that our previous appears to be like. It was very trusted in screening and it’s pretty quickly. Download the 30-day demo of Professional Final and give it a whirl. It may possibly just accommodate your wants.