DiskInternals VMFS Recovery Review 2026: Pros, Cons and Alternatives
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery can inspect damaged VMware storage, yet its $699 starting price plus narrow purpose make it hard to recommend. Disk Drill is the more practical pick for ordinary drives, disk images, plus files extracted from accessible virtual disks.
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery reads VMFS3 through VMFS6 plus handles VMDK extraction, which Disk Drill does not replace directly. Still, its $699 starting price, Windows-centered setup, plus specialist workflow make Disk Drill the better option for most recoveries involving regular disks, removable media, or accessible disk images.
Do not buy DiskInternals VMFS Recovery merely because its preview lists a VM or file, since a visible entry does not guarantee that every VMDK extent, snapshot, or recovered file will be usable.
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery at a Glance
5.4/10DiskInternals VMFS Recovery is a Windows utility for scanning damaged or deleted VMware VMFS datastores. It can locate VMDK files, inspect RAID-backed storage, plus export recoverable virtual-machine data.
Best forIT staff facing a damaged VMware datastore whose value clearly justifies a $699 specialist license
- VMFS3 through VMFS6 recovery
- VMDK extraction plus guest-file access
- Remote ESXi scanning
- RAID reconstruction
- Free scan plus preview
- Genuine native VMFS support
- Read-only source scans
- Free preview before purchase
- Starts at $699
- Windows-centered workflow
- Far too specialized for ordinary file loss
How DiskInternals VMFS Recovery Scored Across Our Review Criteria
| Category | Performance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 01 VMFS Recovery Depth | 7.8/10 | |
| 02 Recovery Workflow | 5.5/10 | |
| 03 Platform Flexibility | 4.2/10 | |
| 04 Preview Confidence | 6.1/10 | |
| 05 Cost and Licensing | 2.8/10 |
How We Evaluated DiskInternals VMFS Recovery for This 2026 Review
We reviewed the current Windows release, its documented VMFS3 to VMFS6 workflow, scan modes, preview restrictions, supported RAID layouts, remote ESXi access, plus the published $699 starting price. We also compared the purchase path with Disk Drill 6 using its current $89 annual plus $149 lifetime licenses.
We did not treat a detected filename as a successful recovery. Scores account for whether a buyer can verify data before payment, preserve the original source, understand a broken VMDK chain, plus reuse the software after the immediate incident.
When to Avoid DiskInternals VMFS Recovery
Skip this product if you deleted photos, lost files from an external drive, formatted a memory card, or can already mount the virtual disk. Disk Drill handles those broader situations through a simpler interface at a fraction of the cost.
Avoid do-it-yourself scans entirely if a RAID member clicks, drops offline, reports growing bad-sector counts, or contains the only copy of a business-critical VM. Power it down. Repeated scans can turn a recoverable hardware problem into a much worse one.
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery Features, Costs, and Limitations in Detail
01 VMFS Recovery Depth
The one area where the specialist focus pays off
7.8/10
VMFS Recovery Depth
The one area where the specialist focus pays off
DiskInternals earns its best mark for native VMware storage work. The current release supports VMFS3 through VMFS6, deleted VMDK recovery, damaged datastores, RAID reconstruction, plus remote access to an ESXi host. Few consumer recovery apps even attempt this job.
The catch is scope. DiskInternals is useful when the broken VMFS layer is the problem. If a VMDK remains accessible but files inside its Windows or Linux guest were deleted, a broader file-recovery tool may be easier, cheaper, plus more useful afterward.
- Native VMFS3 to VMFS6 scanning
- Can locate deleted or inaccessible VMDK files
- Includes RAID reconstruction features
- Read-only source scanning reduces accidental writes
- Requires knowledge of VMware storage layouts
- Cannot repair missing data that has already been overwritten
- Recovered snapshot chains may still need manual work
02 Recovery Workflow
Functional, though not friendly under pressure
5.5/10
Recovery Workflow
Functional, though not friendly under pressure
The wizard offers Fast Recovery plus Full Recovery modes, then presents detected datastores, VMDKs, folders, or individual files. That sounds simple. In practice, choosing the right physical members, RAID order, VMFS volume, snapshot chain, plus export destination still assumes a fair amount of storage knowledge.
Disk Drill has the cleaner workflow for ordinary recovery: choose a device or image, scan, filter, preview, then save elsewhere. It is not a native VMFS reconstruction utility, though its process is far less intimidating once a virtual disk or conventional volume is readable.
- Fast plus full scan choices
- Step-by-step wizard
- Can export to local or remote storage
- Maintains recognizable folder trees when metadata survives
- Dense screens can overwhelm occasional users
- RAID or snapshot mistakes may produce misleading results
- Little value outside virtualization incidents
03 Platform Flexibility
A Windows application aimed at VMware storage
4.2/10
Platform Flexibility
A Windows application aimed at VMware storage
VMFS Recovery is primarily a Windows desktop application. DiskInternals documents ways to reach storage associated with macOS or Linux setups, plus it can scan remote ESXi systems, but the core interface still runs on Windows.
Disk Drill supplies native Windows plus macOS editions under one personal license. It also covers common hard drives, SSDs, memory cards, USB devices, disk images, plus many everyday file systems. DiskInternals wins on direct VMFS access. Disk Drill wins on the range of machines or media an average owner is likely to use.
- Works with local VMware storage
- Remote ESXi recovery is supported
- Recognizes many guest file systems inside virtual disks
- No equivalent native macOS interface
- Overkill for SD cards or ordinary external drives
- Specialized around VMware rather than mixed-device recovery
04 Preview Confidence
Helpful before purchase, not a recovery guarantee
6.1/10
Preview Confidence
Helpful before purchase, not a recovery guarantee
The free download can scan storage plus preview recoverable content before checkout. That is essential with a starting price of $699. Folder names, VM configuration files, plus viewable documents give you some evidence that useful data remains.
A preview cannot fully validate a large virtual machine. A VMDK may depend on a missing descriptor, flat extent, delta file, or snapshot parent. Bootability is another question entirely. Inspect several important files, verify their sizes, plus check every component of the VM chain before paying.
- Free scanning before purchase
- File previews can confirm some readable content
- Folder structure may survive when metadata is intact
- Listed entries may still be incomplete
- Previewing a few guest files does not prove the VM will boot
- Large VMDK chains are difficult to verify thoroughly
05 Cost and Licensing
The main reason we would skip it
2.8/10
Cost and Licensing
The main reason we would skip it
DiskInternals lists VMFS Recovery at prices from $699. The free build scans plus previews, but saving recovered data requires a paid license. That may be reasonable for a company restoring a business-critical ESXi datastore. It is rough for a home lab, freelancer, or small office trying to rescue one VM.
Disk Drill Basic costs $0 for scans plus previews, with up to 100 MB of free recovery on Windows. Disk Drill PRO is $89 per year or $149 for a lifetime license. It does not offer native VMFS datastore reconstruction, yet it is plainly better value for deleted files, damaged removable media, accessible images, plus general disk recovery.
- Free scan plus preview
- One purchase may be defensible for a valuable production datastore
- No payment needed to inspect initial results
- $699 starting price is difficult for home labs
- Specialized license has little day-to-day reuse
- Complex cases may still require professional service
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery vs Disk Drill: Head to Head
We compared the tools by the storage problems they actually address, their verification options, platform support, safety features, plus current personal pricing. Disk Drill is the stronger general recovery purchase, while DiskInternals keeps one clear advantage: direct VMFS datastore reconstruction.
| Metric | DiskInternals VMFS Recovery | Disk Drill |
|---|---|---|
| Native VMFS datastore recovery | VMFS3 to VMFS6, VMDK plus ESXi support | No native VMFS reconstruction |
| Everyday storage recovery | Possible, though the product is built around VMware | Hard drives, SSDs, USB media, memory cards plus disk images |
| Desktop platforms | Windows application | Native Windows plus macOS apps |
| Source protection | Read-only VMFS scanning | Byte-to-byte image creation plus image scanning |
| Free evaluation | Scan plus preview, no recovered-data export | Scan plus preview, with 100 MB free recovery on Windows |
| Personal license price | From $699 | $89 yearly or $149 lifetime |
| Ease of use | Specialist workflow with VMware storage decisions | Simpler device, scan, preview, recover flow |
| Overall score | 5.4 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
What to Use Instead
Choose Disk Drill for normal hard drives, SSDs, memory cards, accessible disk images, or deleted files inside readable volumes. Its lower price plus simpler workflow make more sense for most people, though damaged native VMFS storage remains a specialist case.
01 Disk Drill
A better buy for general file recovery
8.8/10
Disk Drill
A better buy for general file recovery
Disk Drill is our preferred option for most personal recovery jobs. Its interface is easier to follow, it creates byte-to-byte disk images, previews discovered files, plus handles common disks, memory cards, USB storage, or accessible image files. The $89 annual plan costs far less than DiskInternals VMFS Recovery, while the $149 lifetime license includes future upgrades.
There is one nontrivial limit: Disk Drill is not a direct VMFS datastore repair tool. Use it when the affected device is a normal drive, when a VMDK or disk image is already accessible, or when files were lost inside a guest volume. For a broken multi-disk ESXi datastore, preserve the source first, then consult a virtualization recovery specialist before experimenting.
- Much lower $89 annual or $149 lifetime price
- Native apps for Windows plus macOS
- Straightforward previews, filters, recovery chances plus search
- Byte-to-byte backups let you scan a copy
- Useful for many storage devices after the immediate emergency
- No native VMFS datastore reconstruction
- Windows free recovery is limited to 100 MB
- A preview does not guarantee every recovered file will open
What Users Report About DiskInternals and Disk Drill
A VMFS Recovery user said the program found accidentally deleted VMDK files on a VMFS6 volume, after which the VM was restored. The user described the steps as logical for someone familiar with virtual machines.
Another reviewer called the $699 VMFS product useless for their case, claiming it only listed recoverable information. DiskInternals replied that support had supplied recovery instructions.
The linked Disk Drill reviewer recovered photos from an inaccessible RAW memory card after other utilities failed to recognize it. They especially liked previews, filtering, plus Advanced Camera Recovery.
A later commenter in the same thread reported a poor Disk Drill purchase experience after files could not be recovered, which is a useful reminder to preview crucial files before paying.
Should You Buy DiskInternals VMFS Recovery in 2026?
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery is capable specialist software, but we do not recommend it for most buyers. Native VMFS support is useful during a genuine ESXi datastore failure, yet the $699 starting cost, Windows dependency, plus technical workflow leave little room for casual use. Download Disk Drill instead for ordinary drives, removable media, or accessible images. If the actual VMFS datastore is broken, stop writes plus involve someone experienced with VMware storage before buying either tool.
Create a sector-by-sector image or clone before scanning, then confirm that several critical files preview correctly from the copy rather than repeatedly reading a failing source disk.