Active@ KillDisk vs HDShredder

Active@ KillDisk permanently erases data from HDDs, SSDs, NVMe disks, USB drives and other storage media. It is available for Windows, Linux and macOS, with bootable media for Windows PE, Linux and console environments. The product lists more than 25 sanitization standards, including NIST 800-88 and DoD 5220.22-M. The freeware edition uses only the One Pass Zeros method, allows two parallel erases and lacks batch scripting and post-erase verification. Paid editions list erase verification, resuming interrupted erases, PDF certificates and XML reports; professional editions also list batch scripting that can run without user interaction. Some editions include low-level ATA Secure Erase for SSDs. The comparison also lists remote monitoring and HTTP process control through a Web Service, plus export of operation journals to external databases. Personal Professional costs $64.95, paid once; Personal Suite costs $79.95, paid once. Commercial and site licenses have separate listed prices. The maker describes the tool for home users, businesses, IT departments, recyclers, refurbishers, government and healthcare organizations, among others.

HDShredder erases hard disks and other mass-storage contents at the physical level, independently of partition layout, file system, and operating system. It can wipe a whole drive, individual partitions, or selected areas, and supports SSDs and removable media. Each package includes a Windows program and a self-booting version with the same interface. SCSI, FireWire, and USB 3.0 are supported in Windows and in the bootable version. The Free Edition securely erases media at up to 6 GB/min and can display supported and recognized drives, though some drives require a higher edition. Standard Edition supports 15 international data-deletion standards, while Professional Edition and higher create detailed deletion reports. A pattern editor allows custom deletion procedures. Professional Edition Portable targets service providers and IT departments using arbitrary PCs, and Enterprise editions offer parallel mass deletion. Prices range from free for Free Edition to €799, paid once for Enterprise Edition 16x. Free-version users are directed to the forum; commercial-product users can open technical-support tickets.