Arsenal Image Mounter vs ExpanDrive

Arsenal Image Mounter mounts disk image contents as complete disks in Windows, making disk-specific features accessible. Free Mode includes temporary write support, command-line executables, PowerShell modules, and tools to identify, unlock, decrypt, disable, or suspend BitLocker-protected volumes. Professional Mode can start virtual machines from disk images, physical disks, or remotely connected disks. It adds Recon Reports for triage and can expose NTFS metadata, slack, and unallocated space through file system driver bypass mode. Listed formats include raw and DMG; support for AFF4, E01, limited Ex01, and S01 depends on available libraries, alongside several virtual machine disk formats. Professional Mode connects to remote disks over a network using AIM Remote Agent. Arsenal recommends Windows 10 version 1703 or later, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016/2019 x64 with.NET 10 on bare metal for full functionality. Linux support is described for a CLI and offline license activation. Free Mode costs nothing; paid plans start at $907 a year.

ExpanDrive mounts cloud storage and protocol endpoints as desktop drives, letting you access files through Finder, Explorer, and other applications. Files stream on demand rather than syncing folders, with local caching and an option to pin files for offline access. Listed connections include Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Nextcloud, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and others. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Server Edition can operate as a headless service on Windows Server and Linux, expose mounted storage as a Windows SMB share, and includes a command line for managing mounts and connections. ExpanDrive says connections use TLS and credentials are kept in the local operating system credential store. Plain FTP sends credentials and file contents in the clear; FTPS or SFTP is recommended for sensitive connections. The Free plan is free, billed forever. Business is $29 a month, billed monthly; Enterprise pricing is custom.