Tool profile
Disk Drill: cost, fit and limits
Disk Drill is a data recovery application made by CleverFiles Inc. that scans Mac and Windows drives, Time Machine backups and phones for lost files, and bundles free utilities for disk health, duplicates and backups.
What to know first
Disk Drill leans on the Mac: the vendor page lists deep scanning for T2 and M1 to M6 machines, recovery from Time Machine backups and local snapshots, and device recovery for iOS and Android. A free tier scans and previews, and the PRO upgrade is needed to recover everything unless data protection was switched on beforehand. The page prints no PRO price.
Disk Drill at a glance
| Maker | CleverFiles Inc., United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Data Recovery Software in 2026, rank 9 of 13 |
| Website | cleverfiles.com |
Who Disk Drill is best for
Mac owners with a Time Machine history
Recovery from Time Machine backups and local snapshots is listed, which gives a Mac user a second chance when a plain scan of the drive finds nothing.
People who enabled data protection early
Protected file recovery on Mac is free when data protection is enabled, so a user who sets it up in advance can restore files without buying PRO.
Users with phones and arrays
The page lists recovery from iOS and Android devices, RAID arrays and disk images, which puts several rescue jobs inside one application.
Disk Drill plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Scanning and preview, plus protected file recovery on Mac when data protection is enabled beforehand. |
| PRO | Not published on the vendor page | Needed to recover all deleted files unless data protection is enabled. The opened page links to an upgrade page and shows no amount. |
| Free extra tools | Free | FreeDisk Health, FreeMac Cleanup, FreeDuplicate Finder, FreeRecovery Drive, FreeData Protection and FreeData Backup, listed as free utilities beside the recovery app. |
Checked November 2026.
What Disk Drill does
- Deep scan for modern Macs
- The page names T2 and M1 to M6 Macs for deep scanning, which is relevant because Apple silicon and T2 machines handle storage and encryption differently from older Macs.
- Time Machine and snapshot recovery
- Disk Drill reads Time Machine backups and local snapshots, so a file removed from the live disk may still be rescued from an earlier state.
- 400+ file formats
- A Recover All File Formats option covers more than 400 file types, which helps when a scan finds fragments that need signature recognition, though the page does not name the formats or say which are most reliable.
- Lost partition recovery
- Partition recovery is listed, so a disk that no longer mounts can be searched for a previous layout before individual files are carved out, which keeps folder structure when it works.
- Mobile and RAID sources
- The page lists iOS and Android devices, RAID arrays and disk images as sources, which extends the tool beyond a single internal drive, although the page does not say which editions include each source or what limits apply.
How Disk Drill handles your data
The CleverFiles pages describe the company and its address in New Castle, Delaware. The privacy policy page linked from the site returned a 404 when we opened it, so retention, hosting region and AI training could not be confirmed and the vendor's policy was not checked for this. No security certification is stated, and the accessibility report mentioned on the site is VPAT based. The app scans locally, so recovered files are not described as being uploaded.
Where Disk Drill falls short in practice
- PRO price unpublished. The opened vendor page shows no PRO price and only links to an upgrade page, so the cost of recovering everything cannot be compared from the page.
- Free tier recovers little. Recovering all deleted files needs PRO unless data protection was enabled beforehand, so the free tier works as a scan and preview but rarely as a rescue.
- Broken policy link. A privacy policy link on the site returned an error when opened, which leaves buyers without a readable statement on data handling and means any privacy question has to go to the vendor directly.
Works with
Alternatives to Disk Drill
Disk Drill: common questions
Can Disk Drill recover files for free?
Partly. The free tier scans and previews, and protected file recovery on Mac is free when data protection was enabled before the loss. Recovering all deleted files otherwise needs the PRO upgrade, whose price is not shown on the vendor page we opened.
Does Disk Drill support the newest Macs?
The vendor page lists deep scanning for T2 and M1 to M6 Macs. It does not say which macOS versions are supported, so check the system requirements on the vendor site before relying on it with a machine running a recent release.
What is Disk Drill data protection?
Data protection is a free extra tool listed on the vendor page. Protected file recovery on Mac is free when it is enabled, so it must be switched on before files are lost. The page gives no further technical detail about how it works.
Can Disk Drill recover from a phone or a RAID?
The page lists recovery from iOS and Android devices, RAID arrays and disk images. It does not say which editions include each source or what limits apply, so confirm with CleverFiles before relying on it for a phone or an array.
Where is CleverFiles based?
The site lists a New Castle, Delaware address for CleverFiles Inc. The privacy policy page linked from the site returned a 404 when we opened it, so we could not confirm hosting, retention or data use from the vendor, and a buyer would need to ask CleverFiles directly.