MigrationMerlin vs Super Grate

MigrationMerlin is a free Windows tool for moving user state between PCs, aimed at sysadmins and power users. It wraps Microsoft’s User State Migration Tool, including scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe, and provides an arrow-key-driven text interface plus numbered batch wrappers for step-by-step migration. Both source and destination PCs must run Windows 10 or Windows 11, have administrator privileges, and be reachable on the same network with SMB port 445 open. The tool can configure an SMB transfer share on the destination PC, including a firewall rule. IncludeUsers and ExcludeUsers options let users select profiles. ExtraData can include taskbar pins, Wi-Fi profiles, power plans, and items covered by custom migration XML. Migration stores can be encrypted with AES-256, but the README says there is no recovery path if the key is lost. During capture and restore, the tool displays progress, file counts, and throughput. It writes transcript logs to the migration folder’s Logs directory and masks credentials in those logs. The project is MIT-licensed and distributes downloadable ZIP artifacts through rolling GitHub releases.

Super Grate is a free, open-source Windows utility for backing up and migrating user profiles through a graphical interface to Microsoft's User State Migration Tool (USMT). It supports local use on non-domain PCs and remote operations on computers joined to an Active Directory domain. For remote work, operators can select computers through Active Directory filters for hostname, description, or organizational unit. Profiles can be saved to a backup store and restored to a destination computer, with an option to set a different destination username. The maker says it accounts for files, media, contacts, emails, Windows settings, program data, and internet settings. It can run from a network share with shared backup storage, configuration, and logging, or from an external drive or thumb drive. The quick start guide says to run the downloaded executable; installation is not required. The product lists compatibility from Windows 7 through Windows 11 and is licensed under GPL-3.0. Remote operations rely on WMI, and the remote computer must be online while the operator has administrator access.