Top 6 Best Free SSD Cloning Software 2024 [Pros & Cons]🔥

Tracy King updated on Aug 30, 2024 to Partition Master | How-to Articles

Are you looking for the best free SSD cloning software? Do you want to clone HDD to SSD easily? Find all you need to know in this top 6 free SSD cloning software comparison.

Question: what are the best options for free disk cloning software? -reddit.com
 Answer: 100% free, support cloning SSD or HDD to another drive, clone data/OS drive, easy to use, etc.

What is the best free SSD cloning software for Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7? Scroll down and see the list of the top 6 free SSD cloning software. Let's get started by selecting a reliable free cloning tool to clone HDD to SSD for free for a smoother gaming experience and better computer performance.

Top Disk Cloning Factors You Could Be Interested In

The reasons why people need SSD cloning software could be various, such as, to upgrade a slow HDD to a faster SSD, replace a failing or dying HDD/SSD, or transfer OS and data to SSD, etc.

So, what factors do people consider the most? Check this list here provided by the EaseUS Partition Master tech support team, and you'll how many people are in demand for SSD cloning or HDD to SSD cloning:

Disk Cloning Factors Detailed Information
How Many People Need to Clone Disk in 1000 Users: 120 people/month
The percentage of people don't know disk cloning: 10% or so
The percentage of people come across disk cloning error: 30% or so
Key factors to consider in selecting disk cloning software:
  • The speed of disk or partition cloning
  • The integrity of cloned data
  • The success rate of disk/partition cloning
  • Whether cloning will cause damage to the source disk/partition data

If you are one of them, move on and follow to learn how to select reliable SSD cloning software for free. Also, feel free to share this selection checklist below online to help more of your friends get reliable tool to upgrade their disk drives:

 

Best Free SSD Cloning Software Selection List

According to the accurate tests, we conclude that EaseUS Partition Master is the safest free SSD cloning software. With rich cloning features, it is easy to use for beginners. And during our tests, it never lets us down.  What impresses us most is that , it clones the boot SSD drive and automatically changes the boot order. Users don't need to enter BIOS for further settings.

EaseUS Criteria for Selecting Free SSD Cloning Software

We embarked on an extensive three-week journey to review and select the best free SSD cloning software from a pool of 30 similar tools. Our objective was to identify reliable tools that would facilitate smooth data migration and cloning processes for users upgrading to SSDs:

01

EaseUS free SSD cloning software selecting criteria

  • Price: free, $0
  • Stability: software must be reliable, secure, and efficient to run
  • Interface: GUI, user-friendly, beginners' level
  • Update & Support: frequent updates, instant technical support response
02

EaseUS free SSD cloning software test details

  1. ⏳Duration: 3 weeks
  2. 🔢Number of tested free SSD cloning software: 30
  3. 💵How much we spent: $1000 (some are free trial that actually charges for payment)
  4. 💽SSD types we tested: SATA SSD, PICe SSD, M.2/NVMe SSDs, U.2 SSD
  5. 🔎Occasions we tested: upgrade HDD to SSD, OS migration, back up SSD data,
    back up OS, data transfer, clone SSD to new PC
  6. 🏅Tested SSD brands: Samsung, WD, Seagate, Maxtor, Sony, Toshiba, ADTA, Crucial,
    SanDisk, Kingston, etc.

Throughout our rigorous testing process, we assessed various factors, including performance, ease of use, compatibility, and reliability.

What Famed Free SSD Cloning Applications We Tested? Here is a checklist:

Free Disk Cloning Software Free Partition Cloning Software
  • Clonezilla Live
  • DiskGenius
  • Samsung Magician (Previous: Samsung Data Migration)
  • Linux DD
  • Hasleo Disk Clone
  • Rescuezilla
  • DriveImage XML
  • Acronis Cyper Protect Home Office (Previous True Image)
  • HDClone

6 Best Free SSD Cloning Software 2024 Recommend [Pros & Cons] + Free Download 

Before we dive into the review of the top 6 best free SSD cloning software, alongside the above-provided SSD selection criteria, take the following factors into consideration to define whether the software you selected is qualified for your needs:

  • 🎯Features: Ensure that the software is specifically designed for SSD cloning tasks and provides all the necessary functionalities for a smooth cloning process, such as cloning large SSD to smaller one, ensuring proper boot after clone, clone speed, and adjusting the boot order after cloning.
  • 💻OS Compatibility: Verify that the software supports your current operating system (e.g., Windows, macOS, Linux) to avoid any compatibility issues.
  • ⌨️Complexity Level: Consider the software's ease of use and user-friendliness, especially if you are not tech-savvy and prefer a simple and straightforward cloning process.

Best Free SSD Cloning Software Partition Clone Disk Clone Sector Level Clone Dynamic Volume Clone VHD/VMDK Clone

#1. EaseUS Partition Master Free🏆

✔️ ✔️(Pro edition) ✔️(Pro edition) ✔️(Pro edition) ✔️(Pro edition)
#2. Clonzilla ✔️ ✔️
#3. DiskGenius ✔️ ✔️ ✔️(Pro edition)
#4. Samsung Data Migration ✔️Samsung SSD only
#5. Hasleo Disk Clone ✔️ ✔️
#6. HDClone Free  ✔️

From the comparison table, you can clearly know which cloning software is more powerful in disk and partition cloning. If your friends are looking for reliable SSD cloning software, share this page to help them get one of the most reliable tools for SSD cloning and upgrade instantly:

 

#1. EaseUS Partition Master Free

  • 🔢Complexity: Easiest ⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: Powerful cloning features with multiple cloning modes
  • 🖥️Supported OS: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, and all Windows Servers

EaseUS Partition Master Free is developed by EaseUS, a reputable software producer known for its data management solutions. This best free SSD cloning software aims to provide comprehensive disk management capabilities, including disk cloning, partition resizing, and data migration. The SSD cloning feature enables users to clone their SSD disks efficiently and seamlessly.

#Free SSD Cloning Software#Free SSD Partition Cloning#Clone HDD to SSD#Free

Key Features of EaseUS Partition Master:

  • Disk Cloning - clone SSD, HDD, and external storage devices
  • Partition Management - create, delete, extend, shrink, merge, split, format, and wipe partitions
  • Disk Conversion - convert disk between MBR/GPT, convert disk between Dynamic/Basic, Primary/Logical
  • Disk Optimization - 4K align SSD, check disk speed health, and analyze disk space, check file system, change cluster size

Pros and Cons in EaseUS Partition Master:

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • Clone large SSD to smaller one  
  • Automatic booting from the destination SSD after the clone
  • Fast cloning speed
  • No need to reinstall programs and OS
  • Regular software updates for bug fixes

👎🏻 Cons

  • Available only for Windows  (Mac version is coming soon)
  • Disk cloning option only available in Pro edition

What Professionals Say

EaseUS Partition Master is an easy to use disk and partition management suite, ideal for many of the more advanced disk maintenance, partitioning, cloning and migration tasks which are not covered by the default disk management tools found within popular operating systems in-use as of today. - by BestBackupReviews

Personal Thought

EaseUS Partition Master Free is a user-friendly and reliable SSD cloning software suitable for both beginners and experienced users. Its wide range of disk management tools makes it a valuable option for anyone seeking a comprehensive disk solution.

Download EaseUS Partition Master

If you have any doubts about EaseUS Partition Master, click the link below to get help.

EaseUS experts are available to provide you with one-on-one manual services (24*7) and help solve system or disk cloning startup issues. Our experts will offer you free evaluation services and efficiently diagnose and resolve disk cloning or system disk boot problems using their decades of experiences.

  • 1. Target disk becomes unbootable or SSD won't boot after clone.
  • 2. Target disk is unable to boot after performing customized partition operations.
  • 3. To seamlessly clone OS disk to new drive and boot PC without any issues.

#2. Clonezilla

  • 🔢Complexity: Complex ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: Extensive cloning and imaging capabilities
  • 🖥️Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Clonezilla is an open-source disk imaging and cloning software designed for system deployment and disk backup tasks, including SSD cloning. It provides disk-to-disk cloning capabilities, allowing users to clone their SSDs to another SSD or different storage media. Moreover, It enables users to create images of their disks or partitions and store them on external media or network storage. However, its online imaging/cloning has not yet been implemented, and the partition to be imaged/cloned has to be unmounted.

#Free Disk Cloner#SSD Cloning Software#Open-Source#Windows

Key Features of Clonzilla:

  • Clone entire disks, including SSDs, to other disks.
  • Clone specific partitions to target partitions.
  • Compress and split large images for storage efficiency.
  • Compatible with NTFS, FAT, ext2/3/4, and more.

Download Link:

https://clonezilla.org/

Pros and Cons in Clonezilla:

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • Powerful and flexible cloning options. 
  • Open-source and free software.
  • Supports multiple file systems and disk types
  • Efficient compression and splitting of disk images

👎🏻 Cons

  • Steep learning curve for beginners
  • No graphical user interface (GUI), complex for beginners to use
  • Can't recover single file from the image

What Professionals Say

Clonezilla is a decent software that enables you to keep frequent backups of your hard disk without paying a dime. But, it has a noticeably difficult interface that makes it unideal for most computer users, and it offers pretty limited features compared to the competition. - by TechRadar

Personal Thought

Clonezilla is an excellent choice for users familiar with command-line interfaces requiring advanced disk imaging and cloning capabilities. IT professionals and experienced users will find it particularly valuable for complex cloning tasks. However, it's not for beginners.

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#3. DiskGenius

  • 🔢Complexity: Complex ⭐⭐⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: It once was free to clone disks. However, it's no longer available now.
  • Supported OS: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server 2022

DiskGenius is an all-in-one tool that combines partition management, data backup/recovery, and disk utility. It can safely clone disks or partitions or migrate Windows operating systems to storage devices such as HDD/SSD/USB. It runs on the latest Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 and is suitable for all users.

Key Features of DiskGenus

  • Easily back up all system-related partitions
  • Create a Win-PE-based bootable disk
  • Provide various backup strategies - full/incremental /sector-by-sector backup

Download Link

https://www.diskgenius.com/

Pros and Cons in DiskGenus

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • Easy-to-use and powerful disk backup program

  • Clone disk including  OS, user files, and partition scheme

  • Clone disk with Bad Sectors

👎🏻 Cons

  • The user interface is more functional than attractive
  • Not frequent update

What Professionals Say

While the user interface is lacking and leads to some confusion, the functionality on offer in Eassos DiskGenius is considerable. The free version of DiskGenius is largely unrestricted, making it ideal for home users and small businesses. - by TechRadar

Personal Thought

The tool is actually completely free. While some advanced features for uncommon media and Ext file tables are available for a fee, the main functionality is free and unlimited.

#4. Samsung Magician (For Samsung SSD Cloning only)

  • 🔢Complexity: Moderate ⭐⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: Samsung SSD built-in tool cloning SSDs to SSDs, free.
  • Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Android

Samsung has launched Magician software to replace Samsung Data Migratin tool, designed to support Samsung's memory products, to upgrade and clone Samsung SSDs. The latest generation of Magician software integrates data migration software, which is capable of migrating data, operating systems, etc., to new SSDs or HDDs. With its intuitive interface and extensive customization capabilities, it makes data migration and cloning easier.

Key Feature of Samsung Magician

  • Access real-time information on your drive anytime, anywhere.
  • Migrate current OS, apps, and important files from the HDD to the Samsung SSD
  • Hassle-free protection with an astonishingly simple setup

Download Link

https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/magician/

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • Easy to install and use
  • Safe and bug-free
  • Supports all kinds of Samsung SSDs

👎🏻 Cons

  • Only for the Windows system
  • Can't configure OS cloning settings
  • Doesn't support other brands of SSDs. Samsung SSDs only

What Professionals Say

It's nice knowing the status of the drive and the S.M.A.R.T feature does actually optimize your drive to operate more efficiently. It's not necessary, but it's useful and does make a difference, so I don't see why you wouldn't install it. It's not bloatware and doesn't open on startup if you don't want it to. - by Reddit

Personal Thought

Samsung Magician is the perfect solution if you want to migrate your operating system, application software, and user data between Samsung SSDs. However, if you want to clone other brands of SSDs or HDDs, you need to take another disk cloning software for help.

#5. Hasleo Disk Clone

  • 🔢Complexity: Moderate ⭐⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: Free for cloning disk and partitions, designed for older systems.
  • Supported OS: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server

Hasleo Disk Clone, released by EasyUEFI, is a free all-in-one disk cloning software for Windows Vista/Server 2008 or later (64 & 32 bits), which can help you quickly and effectively migrate your operating system to another SSD, clone one disk to another, or clone one partition to another.
It provides different disk alignment modes and supports sector-by-sector cloning of disks and partitions. With its help, you can adjust the location and size of the target partition.

Key Features of Hasleo Disk Clone

  • Easily migrate Windows from one disk to another
  • Clone the entire disk to another disk, including the OS
  • Clone the entire disk to another disk

Download Link

https://www.easyuefi.com/disk-clone/disk-clone-home.html

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • Compatible with Windows Vista/Server 2008 or later
  • Extremely fast cloning speed and multi-language support
  • Support HDD, SSD, External HDD, Thunderbolt, Dynamic disk, etc

👎🏻 Cons

  • Only for Windows
  • No more further features

What Professionals Say

This is a completely free program that features multi-language support, including English, German, French, Italian, etc. It is a more affordable alternative to similar cloning solutions. - by Softonic

Personal Thought

Hasleo Disk Clone is a professional Windows cloning software that is completely free. If you are in a hurry to clone your SSD, this is a completely affordable option.

#6. HDClone Free

  • 🔢Complexity: Moderate ⭐⭐
  • 🔖Why Choose It: Simple and free cloning solution.
  • 🖥️Supported OS: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

HDClone Free is known as a classic disk cloning software that enables users to clone disk drives for free. It enables users to execute up to 30MB/s disk cloning operation on SATA hard disk drives.

#HDD Cloning Software#SSD Clone#Windows

Key Features of HDClone Free:

  • Clone entire disks, partitions
  • Clone IDE/SATA hard disk devices
  • Clone dynamic to a single disk

Download Link

https://www.miray-software.com/products/applications/hdclone.html

Pros and Cons in HDClone Free:

Expert's Rating:

👍🏻 Pros

  • clear interface
  • Support disk backup and file image
  • Support mose Windows systems

👎🏻 Cons

  • Doesn't support macOS
  • Limited features available in the Free edition

What Professionals Say

HDClone Free Edition makes it easy to clone, create images, or back up drives and data. - by CNETDownload

Personal Thought

HDClone is a pure free tool for cloning hard disk drives. If you prefer cloning a disk only, it can fulfill your demand.

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That's all the top 6 best free SSD cloning software we select among 30 disk and partition cloning software. If you like our recommendation list, feel free to share online and help more people upgrade their disk by cloning:

 

Clone (Data or OS) Disk to a New SSD [Complete Guide]

Once you've got the favored free SSD cloning software, you can start the process to clone HDD or clone Windows to SSD for free. So, how can I clone my SSD for free?

#1. Preparation for Disk Clone

Check the list first to get everything ready for cloning a disk for free:

  • ✔️A set of screwdrivers
  • ✔️New SSD
  • ✔️SATA connection cable
  • ✔️Free SSD cloning software
  • ✔️Health PC with source disk for cloning
  • ✔️Power supply cable

#2. Steps to Clone a Disk to SSD for Free

Now, try the following complete procedure, and you will be able to master the technical skill to upgrade your disk to another one with success

1. Back up your data (on the source disk) to a local external device or a cloud drive.

2. Install the SSD: SATA SSD - Plug in SATA Cable between the SSD and PC motherboard; NVMe/M.2 - Insert SSD into the SSD slot and fasten the drive.

3. Charge PC or leave 50% or more battery left in the PC: To ensure a successful cloning on your disk, you need to leave at least 50% or more battery in the computer. We suggest you plug the power charge cable into your PC so to avoid unexpected shutdown errors.

4. Run free SSD cloning software to clone disk: Select the source disk to clone, choose the new SSD as target, and confirm to start the cloning process.

🔖Note: Wait patiently, don't interrupt the process, and let the cloning software to accomplish the task.  If you simply cloned a data disk, skip Step 4 and continue with Step 5.

5. Change boot order and configure SSD as a boot drive (optional): Restart PC and press F2/F8/Del key to enter BIOS, select the new SSD as the first boot drive in the boot priority section, and press F10 to save the changes. Then, reboot PC.

6. Reboot the PC, log in, and check if everything's all good (optional)Reboot the computer and log in with your admin account and password, then run SFC or DISM to check if the new OS disk contains a corrupted file system error and fix it in the meantime. 

This will secure your computer from critical errors or unexpected boot issues.

7. Extend the C partition (optional): This will keep sufficient free space to keep the computer performance at a high peak. See also: How to Extend C drive.

🔖Highlight: Leaving at least 30$-50% free space in the C drive can ultimately improve the computer speed and disk performance.

8. Clean the old disk for new usage - reselling or reuse. See also: Completely Wipe a Hard Drive.

You can also repartition the cleaned hard drive or SSD if you want to reuse it for data storage on your computer.

#3. Key Factors to Guarantee a Successful Disk Cloning

It also matters to know well what factors may block you from successful disk cloning and how to ensure the process is a success with the help of free SSD cloning software. Check the factors we've found listed below:

🤔Reasons for Disk Clone Failure:

  • Disk contains physical damage
  • Disk connection problem
  • The source or target disk contains bad sectors
  • File system corruption error in the source or target disk

🎈Tips to Ensure a Successful Disk Clone:

  • Check and fix corrupted file system on old and new disks
  • Scan and repair bad sectors on source and target disks
  • Check disk health, and ensure the source and new disks are healthy
  • Install the SSD, or connect the new disk to the target PC 

Why Do You Need a Free SSD Cloning Software

Solid-state drives are a new generation of computer data storage devices that use flash memory and are faster than traditional mechanical hard drives. We need free SSD cloning software when we have the following needs:

  1. 🔥1. Back up important files.
  2. 🔔2. Upgrade the hard drive to a larger hard drive.
  3. 💡3 Start the computer from the second disk, migrate OS to new SSD.
  4. ⭐4. Optimize gaming PC performance, improve gaming disk speed

We tested over 30 popular free SSD cloning software, like EasyUEFI, Diskgenus, Paragon, Active@ Disk, Clonezilla, Acronis, EaseUS Partition Master, EaseUS Todo Backup, and so on through a set of standard criteria. Finally, the six best free SSD cloning software mentioned above stood out during our tests. You can choose according to your needs.  Our recommendation is to use EaseUS Partition Master Free. Multiple cloning modes can meet your needs.

Conclusion

After thoroughly testing and reviewing the top 6 best free SSD cloning software, it is evident that each software offers unique features and capabilities.

  • EaseUS Partition Master Free is 100% free for SSD cloning at a partition cloning level. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive disk management tools make it an ideal option for beginners and users looking for more than SSD cloning software.
  • Samsung Magician overwins in Samsung SSD upgrading and cloning.
  • Clonezilla is the go-to option for users who prefer open-source software and cross-platform technical disk cloning experience. It's suitable for advanced users and IT professionals.

FAQs About SSD Cloning

Are you looking for a free program to clone an old SSD to a new SSD? Read the following questions and their answer to learn more about cloning software:

1. Will the clone erase the data on the destination disk?

Yes, cloning a disk will copy the OS, program, related boot files, and important personal files to another SSD or HDD; all data on the destination disk will be erased.

2. What must I notice when selecting a new SSD for cloning?

  • Select the right SSD type: SATA or NVMe/M.2, the computer must have the same interface for installing the SSD.
  • Motherboard compatibility: The SSD should fit the PC's interface (SATA/NVMe) and form factor (2.5", M.2, etc.). 
  • Capacity: It's recommended you choose 500GB - 1TB.
  • Speed: SATA is cheaper, but NVMe is the fastest SSD.
  • Reliability: Buy an SSD from well-known brands for their duration, like Samsung/Crucial/Western Digital.