Hard Disk Sentinel vs Piston
Hard Disk Sentinel
hdsentinel.comPiston
piston.appSide by side
| Figure | Hard Disk Sentinel | Piston |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 2 |
| Spec score · Hardware Diagnostic Software | 8.3 (#3) | 7.2 (#19) |
| Integrations | Professional can provide drive status to developers through WMI or XML, while Professional and Enterprise support file transfer by FTP or email. | The app uses Firebase services for crash reporting, performance monitoring, analytics, remote configuration, authentication, and cloud data storage. |
| Purpose | Hard Disk Sentinel monitors, diagnoses, tests, and reports on hard disk and SSD health, performance degradation, and failures. | Piston turns an Android mobile device into a car scanner for reading diagnostic trouble codes and Freeze Frame data. |
| Support | Registration includes free life-of-product technical support and help. | Support is available by email at [email protected]. |
Plans
Hard Disk Sentinel
- DOSFree
- LinuxFree
- TrialFree
- Standard$22, paid once
- Professional$33, paid once
- Professional Family$59, paid once
- Enterprise$219.50, paid once
In their own words
Hard Disk Sentinel
Hard Disk Sentinel has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Piston
Piston is an Android app that turns a phone into a scanner for vehicle diagnostics. It works with OBD-II and EOBD vehicles through a separate ELM327 adapter connected by Bluetooth or WiFi. The free plan costs nothing and includes reading and clearing diagnostic trouble codes, viewing Freeze Frame data, and reading real-time sensor data. Access is limited to information the vehicle provides through OBD2. Premium adds sensor charts, CSV export, Readiness Monitors, fault history, cloud sync, and VIN reading. Some older vehicles may not support VIN readout. Piston uses Firebase services for crash reporting, monitoring, analytics, authentication, remote configuration, and cloud storage. Settings provide opt-outs for several data services, and account deletion permanently removes associated data.