Ariolic Disk Scanner vs SMARTHDD
Ariolic Disk Scanner
ariolic.comSMARTHDD
smarthdd.comSide by side
| Figure | Ariolic Disk Scanner | SMARTHDD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Disk Diagnostic Software | 7.8 (#10) | 7.5 (#15) |
| Purpose | Disk Scanner checks hard disks for read errors that may signal drive degradation. | SMARTHDD diagnoses and optimizes hard disk drives and solid-state drives. |
Plans
In their own words
Ariolic Disk Scanner
Ariolic Disk Scanner is a free Windows utility for checking disks for read errors that may indicate drive degradation. It scans every sector on supported media in read-only mode, shows bad clusters as an image, and lists files located on unreadable sectors. The program supports all FAT variants and NTFS. It can scan internal and external disks visible in Windows, including USB sticks, Micro SD cards, CDs, and DVDs. No installation is required, so it can run from a flash drive or another disk. Ariolic says the checks do not alter data. The utility is intended as an early warning for drives showing failure signs, rather than a repair tool. Its knowledge base says scanning does not guarantee that an underlying issue will be fixed. The product page links to a free CNET download.