Disk Drill review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Data recovery app for Mac and Windows with free disk tools
Black Friday: is there a Disk Drill sale?
Disk Drill report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for getting back deleted files on a Mac or PC
Disk Drill recovers deleted files and lost partitions on Mac and Windows, and it also checks disk health and finds duplicates. Free only scans and previews what it finds, so the actual recovery needs PRO, and PRO purchases are non-refundable.
Who Disk Drill is for
- 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
Who Disk Drill is not for
- 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
Why Disk Drill gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyPRO 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.
- CFree plan and trialThe 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.
- BFeaturesRecovers 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.
- BEase of useNo rating on record. You install it and run a scan, though deep scans on Macs need a kernel extension it installs.
- CPlatforms and integrationsMac and Windows desktop only. No phone app, web version or published integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CleverFiles's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Disk Drill? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/disk-drill#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/disk-drill.svg" alt="Disk Drill: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Disk Drill stands among desktop utilities
Disk Drill's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 96 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 25.
It stands best on features (B, above 69 of 96) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 4).
Its paid plans start at $4.08 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $2.97 for the category: 13 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 97 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Disk Drill’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 10 of 96, level with 13
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 96, level with 37
- BFeaturesAbove 69 of 96, level with 26
- BEase of useAbove 34 of 96, level with 62
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 62 of 96, level with 25
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 desktop utilities. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Disk Drill, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing Disk Drill does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
It costs $49 a year.
What you could not
- Deleting system files without breaking anything.
- A file manager working directly on your disk.
- A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Disk Drill’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Disk Drill?
Disk Drill scans internal and external drives, memory cards and other storage for deleted or lost files and lists what can be restored. The free Basic edition scans and previews; the PRO edition lifts the recovery limit. It also bundles disk health monitoring, a duplicate finder, space analysis and backup tools.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Disk Drill pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Disk Drill has a free plan, and paid plans start at $49 per year, or $69 one-time.
- Starts at
- $49 per year, or $69 one-time
- Free plan
- 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
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | Scan and preview recoverable files, plus the free disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools. |
| PRO One-Year Subscription | $49per year, renews yearly | Unlimited recovery on Mac and Windows, all updates while subscribed, 1 user on up to 3 devices. |
| PRO Lifetime License | $69one-time | Same as the subscription, with updates included permanently. Shown as $69 against a crossed-out $119 with no end date given. |
Read from cleverfiles.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Disk Drill before you buy.
Disk Drill alternatives
- Disk Drill vs DaisyDisk
Free trial · from $9.99 one-time
- Disk Drill vs CleanMyMac
Free trial · from $39.99/yr
- Disk Drill vs WizTree
Free plan · from $25 one-time
Common questions
Does Disk Drill have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Disk Drill is listed for macOS and Windows.
Does Disk Drill have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Disk Drill is listed for macOS and Windows.
Is Disk Drill open source?
Disk Drill is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Disk Drill work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.