Side by side
ELX-HealthMonitor 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 LinuxSelf-hostedWeb
ELX-HealthMonitor combines system metrics, disk and RAID views, alerts, and systemd controls in a free web interface. Its listed operating systems and default history retention are worth checking against your setup.
Visit ELX-HealthMonitor
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
| ELX-HealthMonitor | HDD Health Monitor | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted, Web | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | elxsoftware.com | hddmonitor.github.io |
| On disk health monitoring software | #7 of 28 | #13 of 28 |
ELX-HealthMonitor: what it does well
- Reads system data without a separate collector.
- Reports SMART details and SSD wear.
- Shows RAID state and resync progress.
- Systemd controls include start, stop, and boot behavior.
- Free for private and commercial use.
What to know first
- Listed for Debian and Ubuntu with systemd.
- smartmontools is needed for SMART readings.
- History is deleted after a month by default.
- Provided without warranty.
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 ELX-HealthMonitor Alternatives to HDD Health Monitor The whole list