MacDrive alternative: Diskferry vs MacDrive 12
MacDrive, now sold by OWC, is the long-standing way to use Mac drives on Windows as if they were Windows drives. Diskferry does a narrower job: get the files off a Mac drive safely, without a driver. Facts about MacDrive below are from owc.com/solutions/macdrive and its release notes, checked 30 October 2026.
| Diskferry | MacDrive 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to find, browse and preview; copying US$14.99 once | $59.99; upgrade $29.99; "Switch and save from Paragon. Only $29.99"; education $41.99 |
| Trial | Not needed to look: browsing is free | "fully functional 5-day trial", 30-day money-back guarantee |
| APFS | Yes, read only, including password-encrypted volumes | Read and write, including encrypted APFS "with password authentication" |
| HFS+ | Yes, read only, including case-sensitive | Read and write; "Mac disk repair only available with HFS+ formatted disks" |
| Writes to the drive | No, never writes to the drive | Yes, "Read, write, and manage Mac disks exactly like Windows drives" |
| Drive letter in File Explorer | No, files are browsed and copied in the app | Yes, "directly in Windows Explorer" |
| Time Machine | No, not in this version | "Browse Time Machine backups and restore individual files directly to Windows" |
| Copy verification | Yes, every copy compared by SHA-256, with a report | Not stated |
| Windows | Windows 10 (2004 or later) and 11, x64 | Windows 11/10, Windows Server 2025/2022/2019; "MacDrive currently does not support ARM-based systems" |
Choose MacDrive if
- You work from Mac drives on Windows regularly and need to write to them, for example video drives shared between editing machines.
- You want the drive in File Explorer so any Windows program can open files on it directly.
- You need RAID volumes (OWC lists SoftRAID and Apple RAID) or Time Machine browsing, which Diskferry does not do.
Choose Diskferry if
- You need the files off a Mac drive once: you switched to a PC, or someone handed you a drive.
- You would rather not install a file system driver, and want a guarantee that nothing on the drive changes.
- You want proof the copies are good: every file is compared with the original by SHA-256 and the report lists anything that failed.
- You want to check the files are there before paying: finding, browsing and previewing are free.
Facts about other products were checked on 30 October 2026 on the pages linked above. Products change; check their current pages before buying. Names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to compare.
Questions
Does MacDrive have a free version?
OWC offers a "fully functional 5-day trial" and a 30-day money-back guarantee; the full version is $59.99 (checked 30 October 2026). Diskferry has no time limit on browsing and previewing; copying is a one-time US$14.99.
Does MacDrive run on Windows on ARM?
Its release notes say "MacDrive currently does not support ARM-based systems" (checked 30 October 2026). Diskferry is x64 only for now as well.
Last updated 30 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell support.
Other comparisons
- Paragon APFS and HFS+ for Windows alternativeTwo read-write drivers ($24.95 and $19.95) vs one read-only app for both formats
- TransMac alternative: Diskferry vs TransMacBoth open Mac drives in their own window; $59.00 with a 15-day trial vs free browsing
- HFSExplorer alternative for APFS: Diskferry vs HFSExplorerFree and open source for HFS+, but no APFS
- UFS Explorer alternative for Mac drives on WindowsA many-file-system read-only tool vs one made for Mac drives
- DiskInternals Linux Reader vs Diskferry for APFSA free multi-format reader; encrypted APFS is preview only unless you buy Pro
- Free ways to read APFS on Windows: 7-Zip and Linux7-Zip, a Linux USB stick with apfs-fuse, and what can go wrong
- GuidesHow to open, unlock and copy from Mac drives on Windows