If you’re looking for a way to back up your system data, which is vital to protect against data loss, you can’t go wrong with Acronis Cyber Protect. It is a powerful and feature-rich software that allows you to backup your data to multiple locations including external drives and the cloud.
However, Acronis Cyber Protect does more than just backup data. It also includes anti-malware technology, on-demand antivirus scans, web filtering, video conferencing security, and more.
You can either subscribe to Acronis Cyber Protect or purchase a more limited version through a perpetual license. So which one to choose? Let’s explore.
What is Acronis Cyber Protect?
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (to give it its full name) is a data backup and cybersecurity tool available for Windows, Mac and mobile operating systems.
You might know it better as Acronis True Image, a name the product carried for nearly two decades. In September 2021, the company announced the move to Acronis Cyber Protect.
As detailed on the Acronis blog, the name change means the software now does more than just back up your files. It also protects you against the growing number of cyber threats such as ransomware and malware.
Acronis Cyber Protect: subscription or perpetual license
When the product was known as Acronis True Image, it was released every year. You would buy a single license and could use it indefinitely. You can upgrade to the latest version if you want, or you can stick with what you had. The latest version of it was Acronis True Image 2021, which the company stopped selling directly in March 2021.
With the switch to Acronis Cyber Protect, it is now an annual subscription. This means that you have to pay a cost each year; if you don’t, you lose access to the software (although your backups will remain accessible). Acronis never plans to sell the software as a one-time purchase again – it’s now subscription-based.
However, at the time of writing this does not mean that you cannot get a perpetual license for Acronis True Image 2021. Retailers like Amazon are still selling it in a physical box containing a download link or CD -ROM and an activation code. .
There are, however, important differences between a subscription and a perpetual license.
Perpetual License Features
A perpetual license allows you to back up your computer and your mobile. You can customize the backup plan with options like encryption, scheduling, remote control, and automatic archive cleanup. You can recover data, clone disks and get anti-ransomware protection.
There are several things that a perpetual license does not include. This is primarily Acronis Cloud support, which means you can only back up to your storage devices and not to Acronis servers. You also don’t get on-demand virus scans or real-time malware protection.
You can get a perpetual license for around $50.
Subscription Features
A subscription comes in three tiers: Essential, Advanced, and Premium. These cost $49.99/year, $89.99/year, and $124.99/year respectively. Costs scale if you want to install on multiple computers.
All tiers come with free upgrades to the latest version, plus phone, email, and chat support.
- Essential is basically the same as the perpetual license as it does not include cloud storage support, real-time malware protection, or virus scans.
- Advanced includes additional features such as 500 GB cloud storage, Microsoft 365 backup and web filtering.
- Premium the plan includes all of that plus 1TB of cloud storage (expandable to 5TB), e-signatures, and blockchain notarization.
Ultimately, the main difference between these plans is the support for Acronis Cloud.
You can see a detailed comparison of subscription plans on the Acronis Cyber Protect comparison page. You can also compare the features of an Acronis True Image 2021 perpetual license to an Acronis Cyber Protect subscription on the Acronis Knowledge Base.
Is paying for an Acronis Cyber Protect subscription worth it?
The answer to this question depends on what you want Acronis Cyber Protect to do for you.
Acronis True Image 2021 is an excellent backup software. We’ve covered how to use Acronis to back up your PC, and you’ll see how intuitive and easy to use it is. You can create a backup plan in minutes, set a schedule, and let the software run quietly in the background forever. It even compresses and encrypts backups. You can backup to a remote drive, network location, server, etc. For personal backup protection, it probably does everything you need.
Acronis True Image 2021 won’t receive updates like Acronis Cyber Protect does, although that’s not as problematic as it sounds. Acronis True Image has been refined for years and is a complete backup tool.
But if you want to back up your computer to the cloud, you will need to purchase an Advanced or Premium license of Acronis Cyber Protect. In an ideal world, you would back up your data following the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, two different types of media, one offsite. Using Acronis Cloud helps you achieve this goal, but at a significant cost.
You should also consider whether you want to use cybersecurity features. While all of the features are useful and work well, you probably already have an existing solution that does the job. Windows Security, for example, comes with Windows 10/11 and offers excellent protection for the average user. Most people will probably view Acronis’ cybersecurity as an added bonus rather than a selling point.
If you’re concerned about ransomware, all versions of Acronis are great because they not only protect your system in real time, but also your backups. Even if ransomware encrypts your files, Acronis can effortlessly identify them and restore from your backups. If you are a professional user, this is going to be invaluable.
Ultimately, if you want a powerful backup tool with added security features, Acronis True Image 2021 (via perpetual license) is a great choice for standard home use. Paying an annual subscription for a backup tool is a difficult task. But, if you decide you want cloud storage or the missing cybersecurity tools, Acronis lets you upgrade directly to an Acronis Cyber Protect subscription.
Whatever you decide, don’t forget to save
Even if you decide that Acronis is not for you, either as a perpetual license or as a subscription, never forget to back up your data. Data loss can happen to anyone. It’s only a matter of time before your external drive gets stolen or you accidentally delete an important file. Save yourself the headache and create a data backup plan today.
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