BleachBit vs Disk Drill (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BleachBit grades higher than Disk Drill: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BleachBit grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Disk Drill grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Disk Drill
Data recovery app for Mac and Windows with free disk tools
Which one is for you
Pick BleachBit if
- Fits if you're on Windows or Linux and want disk space back at no cost
- Works for administrators who script clean-ups across many machines from the command line
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac, as macOS support is experimental with limited features
- Not for you if you want updates to install themselves, since you download each one by hand
- Tight if you're on Linux and want the winapp2.ini cleaners, because that import is Windows only
- Watch out: the current installer is for Windows 10 and 11; XP, Vista, 7 and 8 need the older 4.7.0 release
- Not for you if you want it on a phone or in a browser, as it's a desktop program only
Pick Disk Drill if
- Fits if you need one recovery after a deleted folder or a formatted card
- Works for people who want to see what is recoverable before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to recover files without paying, as free is scan and preview on Mac and capped at 100 MB on Windows
- Watch out: every PRO purchase is non-refundable except where consumer law says otherwise
- Tight if you need more than 3 devices, as a PRO licence covers one user on up to 3
- Watch out: deep scans of Mac system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs
- Pricey if you only need it once, since a year is $49
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABleachBitVery good | 2.6GPADisk DrillGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing, and the site calls it free forever. A plain download, no registration, no license activation, no ads and no upsells. The code is open source under GPLv3, and donations are optional. | BPRO Lifetime is $69 once, under two years of what the category's middle subscription costs. The yearly option is $49, which is mid-range for the category. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free. The features page says every user has the "Pro" version, so there's nothing to unlock. | CThe free edition scans and previews but, on Mac, does not recover; the Windows page says up to 100 MB. The disk health, cleanup and duplicate tools are free. |
| Features | CClearing out junk is one job and BleachBit covers it: cleaners for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, VLC and dozens more, a preview of every file first, shredding, free-space wiping, a command line and cleaners you can write. It's that one chore, and the winapp2 import is Windows only. | BRecovers from drives, cards, cameras and RAID, reads Time Machine, and adds disk health, cleanup, duplicates and backups. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record, but nothing needs setting up: tick what to clean, hit preview, delete only what you want, so nothing vanishes by surprise. Updates aren't automatic, mind. The app can tell you there's a new version, then you download it by hand. | BNo rating on record. You install it and run a scan, though deep scans on Macs need a kernel extension it installs. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA program for computers and nothing else: Windows and Linux, no web version, no phone apps, and macOS listed as experimental with limited features. It brings a command line for scripting and cleaners for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, VLC and LibreOffice. | CMac and Windows desktop only. No phone app, web version or published integrations. |
| Best for | free disk cleaning on Windows and Linux | getting back deleted files on a Mac or PC |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BleachBit and Disk Drill. How we grade
Price against what you get
BleachBit has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Disk Drill starts at $4.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Disk Drill scores higher, and starts $4.08 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than BleachBit for less, and 1 scores higher than Disk Drill for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BleachBit is open source, according to its own site.
- Disk Drill can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Disk Drill also covers file management.
At a glance
| BleachBit | Disk Drill | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $49 per year, or $69 one-time |
| Free plan | Every feature is free, with no registration, license activation, ads or upsells; the site describes it as free forever. Donations are optional. | Disk Drill Basic scans storage and previews every recoverable file; the Windows page says it recovers up to 100 MB for free. Disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools are included in the free edition. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Andrew Ziem | CleverFiles Inc. |
| Price read from | bleachbit.org | cleverfiles.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BleachBit
- There is no regular macOS version: the download page lists Mac OS X support as experimental with limited features.
- The current Windows installer is for Windows 10 and 11; Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 need the older 4.7.0 release.
- Importing winapp2.ini, which adds thousands of extra cleaners, is available on Windows only.
- New versions are not installed automatically; the app can notify you, and updates are downloaded from the website by hand.
Disk Drill
- Unlimited recovery needs PRO; the Mac page describes the free edition as scan and preview only.
- All PRO purchases are non-refundable except where consumer law requires a refund, according to the vendor's FAQ.
- A PRO license covers 1 user on up to 3 devices; business use is allowed, and larger teams get a custom Enterprise quote.
- On Macs, deep scans of system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs.
Key features
BleachBit
- Junk and cache cleaning
- Removes temporary files, browser caches, logs and other junk, using built-in cleaners for Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, VLC, system logs and many other targets.
- Privacy cleaning
- Erases browsing history, cookies, saved passwords and application traces across several browsers in one step. A cookie manager for keeping chosen cookies is new in the 5.1.0 beta.
- Preview before deleting
- You tick the items to clean, click preview to see every file that would be removed, and then delete only what you want.
- Shredding and free-space wiping
- Shreds sensitive files so their contents cannot be read, and overwrites free disk space to hide files that were deleted earlier.
- Command line and custom cleaners
- A command line interface supports scripting and automation, advanced users can write cleaners in CleanerML, and Windows users can import winapp2.ini for thousands more.
- Linux system cleaners
- On Linux it can clear memory and swap, delete unused localizations and broken shortcuts, and clean the APT, Pacman, Snap, Yum and DNF package managers.
Disk Drill
- File and partition recovery
- Scans drives, SSDs, memory cards, USB sticks, cameras and RAID arrays for deleted files and lost partitions, and previews results before recovery.
- Time Machine and snapshots
- On Mac it reads Time Machine backup disks and local snapshots as extra places to find overwritten files.
- Disk health monitoring
- Free S.M.A.R.T. monitoring watches connected disks for signs of trouble.
- Cleanup and duplicate finder
- Shows what is using disk space and finds duplicate files in several locations.
- Byte-to-byte backups and recovery drive
- Creates disk and partition images and a bootable USB drive for recovery.
- Data protection
- With protection enabled, recovery of protected files is free, according to the vendor.
Plans
BleachBit
BleachBit$0
The complete cleaner for Windows and Linux, open source under GPLv3. The features page says every user has the "Pro" version.
Disk Drill
Basic$0
Scan and preview recoverable files, plus the free disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools.
PRO One-Year Subscription$49
per year, renews yearly
Unlimited recovery on Mac and Windows, all updates while subscribed, 1 user on up to 3 devices.
PRO Lifetime License$69
one-time
Same as the subscription, with updates included permanently. Shown as $69 against a crossed-out $119 with no end date given.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BleachBit or Disk Drill?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BleachBit is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.08 a month when paid by the year for Disk Drill. BleachBit is free, and Disk Drill starts at $49 per year, or $69 one-time.
Which has a free plan, BleachBit or Disk Drill?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both BleachBit and Disk Drill have a free plan.
Which platforms do BleachBit and Disk Drill run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only BleachBit lists a Linux app and only Disk Drill lists a macOS app. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.