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5 Best Alternatives to DiskWarrior
DiskWarrior has been available longer than many Mac users have been alive. Sadly, it has not aged gracefully, and the latest version of the once praised data recovery software application doesn’t even support the APFS file system, which all modern Macs use by default.
But there’s no reason to cry over DiskWarrior’s demise because many excellent alternatives have emerged over the years, offering superior usability, better data recovery performance, and a ton of extra features. Here are our favorites.
Can’t wait to see what the best DiskWarrior alternatives are? The following quick overview lists our top picks.
What Is DiskWarrior?
DiskWarrior is a well-known data recovery application for macOS. The reasons why so many Mac users have at least heard about it is simple: it has been around since 1984. That’s an astonishingly long time for a piece of software.
The application specializes in the repair of corrupted storage devices and files with broken paths, permissions, invalid plists, and more. DiskWarrior is a commercial software application, and there’s no free version for users to take for a test drive.
Why you might need an alternative to DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Price | Bad | An expensive one-time purchase. |
| 2 | FAT32 partitions scan | Not supported | DiskWarrior is unable to scan FAT32 partitions. |
| 3 | exFAT partitions scan | Not supported | exFAT partitions are not recognized. |
| 4 | APFS partitions scan | Not supported | Sadly, even APFS partitions can't be repaired and recovered using DiskWarrior. |
| 5 | Free trial | No | You can't test DiskWarrior for free. |
| 6 | Latest macOS supported | Up to macOS 11.0 | The most recent versions of macOS are not supported. |
| 7 | The number of formats supported by deep scan | Not supported | No file formats are supported. |
| 8 | Modern user-friendly interface | No | The application looks and feels terribly outdated. |
| 9 | Preview recoverable items without interrupting the scan | No | It's not possible to preview files that can be recovered during scanning. |
| 10 | Convenient file-by-file preview of recoverable items | No | DiskWarrior can't display previews of found files. |
| 11 | Update frequency | Seldom | It has been a long time since the application has received an update. |
| 12 | Live chat | No | Customer support isn't provided via live chat. |
For the above-listed reasons, DiskWarrior can no longer be recommended to Mac users who have lost important files and want to get them back. The disk-repair capabilities that contributed so much to DiskWarrior’s popularity are no longer relevant in the era of Apple silicon Macs.
Even if you have an older Mac with an HFS-formatted hard drive, you’re still better off using a true data recovery software application such as one of those described below. DiskWarrior can’t recognize and recover deleted data, which makes it next to useless in most situations that Mac users tend to experience these days.
Top 5 Best DiskWarrior Alternatives
To give you multiple DiskWarrior alternatives to choose from, we’ve selected five excellent data recovery applications and ranked them according to their review scores.
1. Disk Drill for macOS
Overview
Disk Drill is the best data recovery app we’ve ever reviewed—by a wide margin. Just take a look at the screenshots below and compare them with the DiskWarrior screenshots above. That’s the difference a team of dedicated software developers that constantly releases new updates can make.
When it comes to data recovery performance and features, Disk Drill and DiskWarrior don’t even compete in the same league. Not only does Disk Drill support all modern file systems that Mac users are likely to encounter, its one-click data recovery process allows even complete newbies to achieve excellent results.
The main differences between Disk Drill and DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | DiskWarrior | Disk Drill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting price | $119.95 / Lifetime | $89.00 / Perpetual |
| 2 | FAT32 partitions scan | ||
| 3 | APFS partitions scan | ||
| 4 | HFS partitions scan | ||
| 5 | Raw photo recovery | ||
| 6 | Video formats recovery | ||
| 7 | Document formats recovery | ||
| 8 | Latest macOS supported | ||
| 9 | Preview recoverable items without interrupting the scan | ||
| 10 | Multiple view modes in scan results | ||
| 11 | Data protection | ||
| 12 | Native deep scan of system drives on T2/M1-powered Macs | ||
| 13 | S.M.A.R.T. | ||
| 14 | Trial version available |
Disk Drill is better than DiskWarrior in basically every way, and it also costs less money. Best of all, you can download Disk Drill for free and use it to scan an unlimited number of storage devices to see how it works in practice.
There are more differences to discover.
Read full Disk Drill versus DiskWarrior comparisonDisk Drill is a good alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Compatible with the latest version of macOS
Supports modern file systems and file formats
Easy-to-use interface
Affordably priced
Actively developed
Disk Drill is a poor alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Disk Drill doesn't specialize in hard drive repair
2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
Overview
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is widely regarded as one of the most straightforward apps of its kind. The free version of this software can recover up to 2 GB of data, so you may be able to get all your files back without paying.
One of the biggest downsides of DiskWarrior is the lack of support for APFS partitions. In this regard, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard fares better but not as well as Disk Drill. While APFS partitions are supported, the results you get are often mixed. Still, the overall performance is miles ahead of DiskWarrior.
The main differences between EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | DiskWarrior | EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting price | $119.95 / Lifetime | $89.95 / 1 month |
| 2 | APFS partitions scan | ||
| 3 | HFS+ partitions scan | ||
| 4 | Raw photo recovery | ||
| 5 | Partial file recovery | ||
| 6 | Modern user-friendly interface | ||
| 7 | Easy-to-locate features | ||
| 8 | Built-in updater | ||
| 9 | Live chat | ||
| 10 | HFS+ directory rebuild | ||
| 11 | Overall non-intrusive read-only algorithms | ||
| 12 | Mount recoverable items as disk |
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is better than DiskWarrior in most ways. The few areas in which it lags behind are not that important—perhaps with the exception of its lack of non-intrusive read-only algorithms.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a good alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Modern user interface
Recovers a large number of file formats
Supports the APFS file system
Great raw photo recovery performance
More affordable
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a poor alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Intrusive algorithms
Can't mount recoverable items as disk
Lacks disk repair features
3. R-Studio for Mac
Overview
R-Studio for Mac appeals to the same group of users as DiskWarrior: Mac power users who can appreciate advanced features and plenty of control over the recovery process. The difference is that R-Studio is actively developed and constantly improved while DiskWarrior isn’t.
R-Studio isn’t much easier to use than DiskWarrior, but for very different reasons. Whereas DiskWarrior is outdated and unintuitive, R-Studio is packed with so many advanced features that regular Mac users can easily be confused by them. Those who can take advantage of them, however, should be able to solve just about any data recovery scenario.
The main differences between R-Studio and DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | DiskWarrior | R-Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting price | $119.95 / Lifetime | $79.99 / Permanent |
| 2 | APFS partitions scan | ||
| 3 | HFS+ partitions scan | ||
| 4 | Scan for lost partitions | ||
| 5 | The number of formats supported by deep scan | ||
| 6 | Recovery from RAID1, 0, JBOD | ||
| 7 | RAID reconstructor | ||
| 8 | Network recovery | ||
| 9 | Forensic features | ||
| 10 | HFS+ directory rebuild | ||
| 11 | Overall non-intrusive read-only algorithms | ||
| 12 | Convenient source selection on start | ||
| 13 | Mount recoverable items as disk | ||
| 14 | Simple deployment |
You would be hard-pressed to find a better RAID recovery and reconstruction tool than R-Studio. The software can also deliver great results when it comes to more common data loss cases, such as those involving USB flash drives and internal hard drives.
R-Studio is a good alternative to DiskWarrior because:
APFS partition recovery
Recovers lost partitions
Can recover and repair RAID arrays
Comes with forensic features
More affordable
R-Studio is a poor alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Can't rebuild HFS+ directories
Intrusive scan process
Not simple to deploy
Can't mount recoverable items as disk
4. PhotoRec for macOS
Overview
The Mac version of PhotoRec may not be the most appealing DiskWarrior alternative out there, but don’t let its command-line user interface discourage you from giving it a try. This data recovery software is completely free, and the results it can deliver are impressive.
Once you have PhotoRec for macOS installed, using it to recover data is not that difficult because the entire data recovery process boils down to a series of relatively simple steps. Should you run into any issues, then you can seek help on the official discussion board. Unfortunately, PhotoRec doesn’t provide professional customer support.
The main differences between PhotoRec and DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | DiskWarrior | PhotoRec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting price | $119.95 / Lifetime | Free |
| 2 | Start file recovery without interrupting the scan | ||
| 3 | Raw photo recovery | ||
| 4 | Video formats recovery | ||
| 5 | HFS+ directory rebuild | ||
| 6 | Bootable recovery drive creation | ||
| 7 | Mount recoverable items as disk | ||
| 8 | Helpdesk support | ||
| 9 | Phone support |
PhotoRec is a fantastic alternative to DiskWarrior because it's completely free and open source. Its command-line nature does leave a lot to be desired in terms of usability, but its recovery performance makes up for it.
PhotoRec is a good alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Open source
Completely free
Great photo and video recovery performance
PhotoRec is a poor alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Lacks GUI
Limited disk repair capabilities
Can't create bootable recovery drives
No professional support
5. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac
Overview
Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is one of several available data recovery tools that promise simplicity without sacrificing performance. The tool is especially easy to recommend to people who want to recover videos and photos because it can repair those that have become corrupted.
As far as premium data recovery products go, Stellar is fairly affordable, costing just $59.99. In comparison, DiskWarrior costs twice as much, or $119.95 to be exact. A free version of Stellar is available, so you can test the software before you purchase a license.
The main differences between Stellar Data Recovery and DiskWarrior
| # | Feature | DiskWarrior | Stellar Data Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starting price | $119.95 / Lifetime | $69.99 / 1 year |
| 2 | Raw photo recovery | ||
| 3 | Scan for lost partitions | ||
| 4 | Modern user-friendly interface | ||
| 5 | Multiple view modes in scan results | ||
| 6 | Convenient scan session management | ||
| 7 | Corrupted video repair tool | ||
| 8 | Corrupted photo repair tool | ||
| 9 | Unmountable partitions | ||
| 10 | HFS+ directory rebuild | ||
| 11 | Automatic implementation of multiple appropriate scanning methods without user interaction | ||
| 12 | Mount recoverable items as disk |
Stellar Data Recovery isn't perfect, but it does deliver better performance than DiskWarrior across the board. With slightly more polish, it could rank even higher on this list of data recovery software alternatives.
Stellar Data Recovery is a good alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Great usability
Scan sessions are easy to manage
Repairs videos and photos
More affordable
Stellar Data Recovery is a poor alternative to DiskWarrior because:
Can't rebuild HFS+ directories
Can't mount recoverable items as disk
Extra user interaction sometimes required
Wrapping Up
2.26
4.79 111%
3.81 68%
3.70 63%
3.31 46%
3.30 46%
Excellent DiskWarrior alternatives are not difficult to find because the software no longer has much to offer. Disk Drill for Mac and other market leaders are better in basically every way, and they're often more affordable as well.
4.79 • Fantastic – Disk Drill for macOS is the best data recovery software application that Mac users can download to recover lost files.
5.1.1112
31st Jan, 2023
macOS
macOS 10.15-12.x
While Disk Drill is the best DiskWarrior alternative by a wide margin, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, R-Studio, PhotoRec, and Stellar Data Recovery are all worth trying as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer some commonly asked questions about DiskWarrior and its alternatives.
Based on our reviews, the best DiskWarrior alternative is Disk Drill for macOS.
The most affordable DiskWarrior alternative is PhotoRec, an open-source data recovery software application that doesn’t cost anything at all to download and use.
Yes, DiskWarrior no longer supports the latest version of macOS, and it doesn’t recognize the APFS file system, which all modern Macs use.
No, DiskWarrior only supports macOS Big Sur (11.0) and older.
David Morelo is a professional content writer with a specialization in data recovery. He spends his days helping users from around the world recover from data loss and address the numerous issues associated with it.
When not writing about data recovery techniques and solutions, he enjoys tinkering with new technology, working on personal projects, exploring the world on his bike, and, above all else, spending time with his family.
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Houston, Texas, United States
Nikolay Lankevich has over 15 years of strong experience in various fields and platform includes Disaster Recovery, Windows XP/7. System analysis, design, application (Inter/Intranet) development, and testing. Provided technical supports on desktop and laptops on Win-XP and Macintosh for about 2000 employees.