Side by side
HD Tune Pro vs SMART Utility
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 trial Windows
HD Tune Pro covers performance testing, diagnostics, health reporting, monitoring, and secure erasure in one Windows utility. Buyers should note the trial, the conflicting listed billing descriptions, and the maker’s refund terms.
Visit HD Tune Pro Free trial Mac
SMART Utility provides detailed SMART monitoring, alerts, self-tests, and reporting on macOS. External-drive compatibility varies, and its warning algorithm can occasionally report a false positive.
Visit SMART UtilityThe facts
| HD Tune Pro | SMART Utility | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | Mac |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Personal license: $25, paid once |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | hdtune.com | volitans-software.com |
| On disk health monitoring software | #24 of 30 | #28 of 30 |
HD Tune Pro: what it does well
- Low-level read and write benchmarks
- S.M.A.R.T. health and self-tests
- Secure erase and disk monitoring
- Command-line parameters available
- Supports external-drive health checks
What to know first
- Windows-only software
- No free plan
- Some drives may lack full function support
- Refunds generally unavailable after activation
SMART Utility: what it does well
- Reads HDD and SSD SMART attributes
- Runs built-in drive self-tests
- Background scanning and menu-bar information
- Supports reports, logging, and printing
- Failure-warning algorithm checks early signs
What to know first
- External-drive support is limited
- Some drives require the optional SAT SMART driver
- False positives can occur
- macOS only
Alternatives to HD Tune Pro Alternatives to SMART Utility The whole list