A lifetime alternative to Paragon NTFS and Tuxera

People searching for a Paragon NTFS alternative or Tuxera alternative usually already know they need write access on Mac. NTFSTool is the one-time option with no kernel extension and no need to lower your Mac's security.

NTFSTool Pro vs Paragon, Tuxera and iBoysoft

	NTFSTool Pro	Paragon NTFS	Tuxera NTFS	iBoysoft NTFS
1Setup and Mac security
Install	Drag to Applications No restart	Install, then restart your Mac	Install, approve the kernel extension, restart	Install, then choose one of three mounting modes
Recovery Mode needed	Never needed	Yes, on Apple silicon Macs	Yes, on Apple silicon Macs	Only for its kernel mode
Future macOS	Runs fully outside the kernel, the way Apple wants drivers to work We retired our own old kernel-extension version	Relies on kernel extensions, which Apple has deprecated since 2019	Relies on kernel extensions, which Apple has deprecated since 2019	FSKit on macOS 26 and later
2Speed and reliability
Two drivers	Driver 1 and Driver 2 Detects what your Mac supports and falls back automatically, so drives keep working	One kernel driver	One kernel driver	Three modes; you pick one by hand
Speed you can verify	Measured October 2026 on a real USB drive Driver 1: read ~90 MB/s, write ~88 MB/s Driver 2: read ~290 MB/s, write ~118 MB/s Full speed test results →	Claims up to 6× faster, based on a 2016 test	Claims speed similar to HFS+, no figures	Publishes its own test figures
3Disk tools
Pro speed test	Random read/write, cache on and off, small files and more	—	—	—
Slow USB 2.0 warning	Spots a slow USB 2.0 port, cable or enclosure	—	—	—
S.M.A.R.T. disk health	Health status for your disks	—	—	—
Format and repair NTFS	Erase as NTFS One-click First Aid	✓	✓	✓
4Price and risk
Price	US$24.99 once The lowest one-time price here	About US$29.95 per Mac	About US$28.95	US$19.95 per year, or US$49.95 lifetime
Macs per license	Every Mac in your household	One Mac	One person	One Mac
Major version upgrades	Included for life	Paid again	Included	Included while subscribed
Refund	45-day money-back guarantee 50% longer than the next best Full refund if read/write doesn't work	30 days	15 days	14 days, for technical problems only
5Trust
Your Mac's security	Never lowered No kernel extension; Apple Pay keeps working	Must be lowered to Reduced Security on Apple silicon, and Apple Pay stops working	Must be lowered to Reduced Security on Apple silicon, and Apple Pay stops working	Unchanged in FSKit mode (macOS 26+); lowered for kernel mode
Support reply time	A real person replies by email within 48 hours	—	—	—
Free edition	On the Mac App Store, reviewed by Apple	No	No	No
Open source	Free edition is open source on GitHub (4,000+ stars)	No	No	No

Data as of October 2026. Competitor details come from each company's official website; the Apple Pay note comes from Tuxera's own documentation. NTFSTool figures are our own measurements. Tell us if something is out of date.

Lifetime license

US$24.99one-time · lifetime updates

Paragon: about US$29.95 per Mac, and major versions cost extra

Buy NTFSTool Pro

Try it free on your own drive first (3 mounts)
45-day money-back, no questions asked
Can't read and write your drive? Full refund, any time
One license for every Mac in your household

Our promises

What you can count on when you choose NTFSTool.

Pay only after it works

Try 3 mounts on your own drive first. You pay only after reading and writing actually work.

Doesn't work? Full refund

If NTFSTool can't read and write your drive, you get a full refund — even after the 45 days.

45-day money-back

Changed your mind? Ask within 45 days for a full refund, no questions asked.

Pay once, lifetime updates

No subscription and no paid major upgrades. Owners of older 4.x licenses move to Pro for free.

Your Mac stays secure

No kernel extension, no Recovery Mode, no lowered security settings. Apple Pay keeps working.

Real support

Email replies within 48 hours, plus a one-click report button inside the app.