Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 is an approachable Windows backup tool for protecting files, folders, partitions, and entire drives. Its simpler plan workflow and unified restore browser make everyday backup tasks easier to manage, but it lacks differential images and reliable clarity around real-time backup; its rescue media can restore an existing backup but cannot create one. It is best suited to home users who value an accessible all-in-one interface over the deepest scheduling and recovery options.
What Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 backs up
Backup Pro 27 combines file-and-folder backups with drive or partition imaging. You can direct a plan to local storage, network locations, or supported cloud services. PCWorld’s reviewer reports full and incremental drive images and versioned file backups; differential imaging is not supported. The reviewer also notes that Amazon S3 and S3-compatible destinations are missing. PCWorld’s September 30, 2026 review describes its tests with local and online destinations.
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Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 [PC Download] | $30.99 | Buy on Amazon |
For files and folders, versioning gives you a way to recover an earlier backed-up copy rather than only the newest one. For whole-drive protection, an image is the route to preserve a partition or drive for recovery. These serve different needs: file backup is more targeted for retrieving individual documents, while an image is intended for broader system or disk recovery.
What has changed in the interface
Ashampoo describes version 27 as a redesign centered on simpler plan creation and unified plan management, with a dashboard for backup statistics and SMART status, and a Backup Explorer for browsing backups and extracting individual files. The company also lists a new rescue-system interface, drive checking and repair, dark mode, and improved BitLocker support. These are vendor-described features, not independent performance findings. Ashampoo’s product page presents the feature list.
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The practical benefit is a clearer route from setting up a plan to finding a backed-up file. In its review, PCWorld’s Jon L. Jacobi reports successfully completing file and image backup and restoration tasks in the tested configurations, while describing speed only as broadly in line with the destination media used—not as a controlled benchmark.
Backup plans and storage formats
The Backup Pro 27 manual describes plans that can select files, folders, or drives; choose a local or cloud destination; and set compression, password protection, and storage format.
| Format | What it offers | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| More accessible format | Can be browsed in Windows Explorer | Uses more storage and does not include extended file attributes |
| More efficient format | Uses less storage and retains extended attributes such as permissions and symlinks | Must be opened through Backup Pro |
PCWorld notes that drive images use .vmdk containers and that encrypted images require Backup Pro to browse or restore. Consider format and encryption together: the space-saving and protection choices can affect how easily you can get at archived data later.
Real-time backup is unresolved
There is a material discrepancy between the available product documentation and the independent review. PCWorld says continuous or real-time backup has been removed, while Ashampoo’s November 18, 2025 manual still describes a “Realtime Backup” option. The available information does not establish whether that option remains functional in every current build, or how its behavior compares with continuous change capture. If you need new or changed files copied immediately, verify the option and test it in your installed version before trusting it as your only protection.
The Tool Desk
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Recovery works best when prepared in advance
Backup Pro can create bootable rescue media on a USB drive or CD/DVD. Ashampoo’s manual says creating the media uses Microsoft’s Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK), and that restoring a system requires a backup previously made with Backup Pro. PCWorld reports that the rescue environment is restore-only: it cannot create a fresh backup if you need to preserve a failing system before troubleshooting.
- Make a backup first. Create the system or drive backup with Backup Pro; the rescue environment is not a substitute for that initial copy.
- Create bootable media. Use the program’s rescue-media workflow to make a USB or CD/DVD recovery medium. The manual identifies Microsoft’s ADK as a prerequisite for creation.
- Keep the media and backup accessible. Store them where they will be available if Windows will not start, and ensure the backup destination can be reached from the recovery environment.
- Test your recovery route. Confirm the computer can boot from the medium and that you can locate the saved backup before an emergency.
For a long-term archive made under a subscription, PCWorld cautions that expiry may affect restoring compressed or encrypted backups through the installed program; it reports that rescue media still restores backups after expiry. Treat this as a review finding, and confirm current license and recovery terms before relying on a subscription for archives you may need years later.
Compatibility and limits
Ashampoo’s requirements page lists Windows 11 and x64 Windows 10 support. It excludes ARM processors and Windows Server, and says partitions or storage devices of 8 TB or more are unsupported. Installation requires 500 MB of free disk space, internet access for activation, periodic license checks, and full administrative rights.
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One-time license or subscription?
The prices below are distinct dated snapshots for different license configurations, not permanent price guarantees.
| Source and date | License shown | Price and devices |
|---|---|---|
| PCWorld review, September 30, 2026 | One-time license | $25, discounted from $66; device count not stated in the review |
| PCWorld review, September 30, 2026 | Annual subscription | $16 per year; device count not stated in the review |
| Ashampoo US license chooser, captured October 3, 2026 | One-time license | $30 for one device, shown against $60 |
| Ashampoo US license chooser, captured October 3, 2026 | Annual subscription | $16 per year for three devices; upgrades included, cancellation at will |
The one-time license avoids an ongoing subscription, while the currently displayed US subscription covers more devices and includes upgrades. The right choice depends on how many PCs you need to protect and whether subscription terms suit your archive and recovery plans. Confirm the current device count, price, upgrade terms, and post-expiry restore access at checkout.
Who should choose it?
- A good fit: Home users seeking one Windows interface for file versioning, drive images, local or network backups, and individual-file recovery.
- Consider another tool: Users who need differential images, continuous change capture that is clearly documented, backup creation from rescue media, S3 destinations, or support for ARM, Windows Server, or storage at the stated 8 TB threshold.
- Before depending on it: Make a backup, build rescue media, and test that the recovery path can reach the backup.
PCWorld’s reviewer summarized the balance this way: “Backup Pro 27’s friendly interface helps new users through imaging, versioned file backup, and disaster recovery. However, some features that would render it truly ‘Pro’ aren’t included.”
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
