Side by side
HDD Health Monitor vs Scrutiny
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
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 Monitor Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Scrutiny provides self-hosted S.M.A.R.T. monitoring with several deployment and alerting options. Check hardware compatibility and permission requirements before choosing a deployment method.
Visit ScrutinyThe facts
| HDD Health Monitor | Scrutiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | API, Linux, Mac, 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 | hddmonitor.github.io | github.com |
| On disk health monitoring software | #13 of 28 | #10 of 28 |
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.
Scrutiny: what it does well
- Free and MIT licensed
- Tracks S.M.A.R.T. history and temperature
- Supports customizable failure thresholds
- Offers multiple alert destinations
What to know first
- Docker requires drive passthrough and SYS_RAWIO
- NVMe drives may also require SYS_ADMIN
- Some RAID controllers do not expose SMART data
- Project notes it has rough edges
Alternatives to HDD Health Monitor Alternatives to Scrutiny The whole list