Side by side
Active@ Hard Disk Monitor vs HDD Health Monitor
Both stand on disk health monitoring software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Windows
Choose Active@ Hard Disk Monitor for Windows-based disk health checks, temperature tracking, and automatic alerts. Personal users can start with Freeware; businesses needing remote monitoring should consider Professional, which supports up to 3 remote PCs.
Visit Active@ Hard Disk Monitor
Free plan Windows
HDD Health Monitor brings drive health indicators, alerts, and retained history into a standalone Windows utility. Its ability to read S.M.A.R.T. data depends on drive and controller support, and it requires administrator privileges.
Visit HDD Health MonitorThe facts
| Active@ Hard Disk Monitor | HDD Health Monitor | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Professional - General license: $49.95, paid once | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | disk-monitor.com | hddmonitor.github.io |
| On disk health monitoring software | #5 of 28 | #13 of 28 |
Active@ Hard Disk Monitor: what it does well
- Monitors disk health with S.M.A.R.T. and scans for bad sectors.
- Runs in the background, including at Windows startup.
- Tracks temperature history and shows current temperature in the system tray.
- Sends email or popup alerts for critical conditions.
- Creates event logs and S.M.A.R.T. reports over time.
What to know first
- Available for Windows only.
- Freeware is for personal use only.
- Professional remote monitoring is limited to 3 PCs.
HDD Health Monitor: what it does well
- Monitors multiple physical drives automatically.
- Records selected health data every five seconds while running.
- Provides several drive-health and failure alerts.
- Runs without an installer or dependencies.
- Free, MIT-licensed, and requires no registration.
What to know first
- Administrator privileges are needed to read S.M.A.R.T. data.
- USB bridge support can prevent S.M.A.R.T. access.
- S.M.A.R.T. data usually cannot be read from unofficial flash drives, memory cards, or eMMC products.
- Some Windows antivirus products may incorrectly flag it as malware.
Alternatives to Active@ Hard Disk Monitor Alternatives to HDD Health Monitor The whole list