Macrium Reflect 8 Home To Be Retired

Licensed versions of Macrium Reflect 8 are due to be retired and replaced by an all-new version dubbed “Reflect X.”

Paramount Software retired Macrium Reflect’s free version in January 2024 and now Macrium Reflect Home is also set to be retired.

Reflect X is now Paramount Software’s flagship imaging backup software and, according to a recent blog post, the following are the key new features:

• 2X Faster Performance: Reflect X performs backups twice as fast as our previous version. This significant speed boost means less time waiting for backups to complete and quicker recovery when you need it most
• Resumable Imaging: Reflect X introduces a game-changing feature that allows backups to resume seamlessly after interruptions, including power outages and system interruptions
• Open-Source Accessibility: We’ve made our .mrimg and .mrbak file formats open-source, a move that brings numerous benefits including opening up possibilities for community-developed tools and add-ons
• ARM Hardware Support: If you’re an early adopter of new technology, Reflect X is leading the way with groundbreaking support for ARM-based Windows CoPilot+ devices
• Enhanced Backup Filtering: Reflect X introduces advanced filtering options allowing smarter, more efficient backups. You can easily exclude large files you don’t need to back up or set rules to ignore temporary files automatically

Options For Macrium Reflect 8 Users

Paramount Software has provided multiple upgrade options for current Macrium Reflect 8 users, depending on the license type (annual or one-time). There is too much to explain here, visit Reflect X to view all available options. That said, here are several pertinent points:

• Home users have six months from the launch of Reflect X (approximately six months from now) to decide which option suits them best
• System-critical updates and fixes will no longer be supported for Macrium Reflect 8 after October 2025 (one year after Macrium X’s release)
• One-time (perpetual) licenses have been discontinued with Reflect X. Your only option now is a one-year license which is renewable annually

*NOTE: According to the Reflect X FAQ page, they are working on developing multi-year plans for home users soon.

Reflect X is currently (at the time of writing) selling for $49.99 US per one-year license covering one PC, or a one-year license covering 4 PCs at $99.98 US per year (50% discount).

I’m guessing many users will be disappointed with the decision to do away with one-time licenses which provided excellent value and subsequently played a large part in Macrium Reflect’s popularity. It seems the annual subscription model is fast becoming the norm with lifetime licensing becoming as scarce as rocking horse manure.

• You also might like: More & More Software Moving to Annual Subscriptions

Are you a Macrium Reflect 8 licensed user? What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know in the comments.

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