Best Free Disk Cloning Software 2026: 6 Options Compared

Cloning copies an entire disk to another one so the new drive boots and behaves like the old, which is what you want when you swap an HDD for an SSD. Free tools do this in two ways. Bootable tools such as Clonezilla and Rescuezilla run from a USB stick, so they can copy a disk that is not in use; Clonezilla is the more powerful and Rescuezilla puts a graphical front end on the same family of tools. Windows programs such as AOMEI Backupper Standard and the partition managers from AOMEI and EaseUS clone from inside Windows, with the catch that vendors often keep system-disk cloning for paid editions, so check what the free edition includes before you start. Veeam Agent for Windows is not a cloner but images a disk that you can restore onto a new drive. The trade-off is learning curve versus convenience. Clonezilla is free and capable but unforgiving: choosing the wrong source and target can wipe the wrong drive. Whatever you use, disconnect other disks, check twice which is which, keep the old drive untouched until the new one boots, and make a backup first.

Clonezilla

GPL-2.0 bootable disk imaging and cloning for x86 and x86-64 from USB, DVD or PXE. Very capable and free, but text menus and the risk of picking the wrong target make it unforgiving.

Price: Free (Free and open source disk imaging and cloning) (Clonezilla pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Bootable live media (x86/x86-64). GPL-2.0 (open source).

Best for: Experienced users cloning whole disks.

Worth knowing: Site names GNU General Public License version 2. Boots from USB, CD/DVD or PXE; images disks and partitions rather than running scheduled file backups.

Rescuezilla

GPL-3.0 live USB with a graphical interface built on partclone, and it restores Clonezilla images. Easier to follow than Clonezilla, with an Image Explorer that is still beta.

Price: Free (Free and open source) (Rescuezilla pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Bootable live USB (PC and Mac). GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 2.8k GitHub stars · latest release 2.6.2 (May 16, 2026) · last commit May 16, 2026

Best for: A friendlier bootable cloner.

AOMEI Backupper

Standard edition is free on Windows and lists clone among its functions, plus backup and bootable media. Paid editions exist, and the page showed no prices.

Price: Free (Standard edition: OS, disk, file backup, sync, clone and bootable media) (AOMEI Backupper pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.

Best for: Cloning from inside Windows.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

Standard edition is free for personal use and clones data disks and partitions; the page says disk clone is for data disks, not system disks, so check before an OS move.

Price: Free (Standard edition is free for personal and home use: resize, move, create, merge, format, copy and clone data partitions, MBR/GPT and NTFS/FAT32 conversion); paid from $49.95 per one license for 2 PCs, Professional (AOMEI Partition Assistant pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows 7-11, Windows ARM64. Proprietary freeware (Standard) with paid editions.

Best for: Copying data disks and partitions.

EaseUS Partition Master

Free edition lists partition cloning among its functions; check the vendor's edition comparison for system-disk cloning. Pro is listed at $19.95.

Price: Free (Free edition ('free forever'): resize, move, extend, create, delete, merge, format and wipe partitions, partition clone, MBR/GPT and NTFS/FAT32 conversion); paid from $19.95 per Pro, shown as a 'Hot Sale' price (billing period not stated) (EaseUS Partition Master pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows 7-11, Windows Vista. Proprietary freemium.

Best for: Partition clones with a simple wizard.

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free

Free Windows agent making image and volume backups with bootable recovery and bare-metal restore. Not a direct clone tool, but restoring an image to a new drive achieves a similar result.

Price: Free (Free standalone agent for desktops, laptops and tablets; not meant for servers or multi-user business setups) (Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary (free edition).

Best for: Imaging then restoring to a new disk.

Which one to pick

• You are moving to an SSD and are comfortable booting from USB: Clonezilla
• You want the same job with a graphical tool: Rescuezilla
• You prefer to stay inside Windows: AOMEI Backupper
• You only need to copy a data drive: AOMEI Partition Assistant
• You want an image you can keep and restore later: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free