Gillware
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy Gillware if a physically dead drive holds irreplaceable data and DIY software failed.
New check
Comparison
Gillware vs DriveSavers
Gillware and DriveSavers both land on Depends.
DriveSavers
Depends
Confidence: Medium
DriveSavers is a legit, capable lab for data you truly cannot replace . pay the premium when the drive holds your business or life's work.
| Compare | Gillware | DriveSavers |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Physically dead HDDs and RAIDs | Irreplaceable business data on dead drives |
| Who it's not for | Anyone with current backups . restore instead | Anyone with current backups . just restore |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁶ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Client advocates exist; warranty snafu reported | Mixed reports; loyal IT fans and detractors |
| Public sentiment | MSP forums treat Gillware as a reputable lab alongside DriveSavers, but Reddit threads gripe about high quotes. | Across Reddit, Trustpilot, and Yelp, users call DriveSavers legit and skilled but repeatedly flag it as expensive, with genuinely mixed IT-community opinions.14 |
| Biggest gotcha | Quote-based pricing with no flat rates; Reddit example: $2,000 for one 3TB drive.¹ | Get a written estimate before shipping; reported quotes exceed $3,000 per device11 |
Pick Gillware when
- Physically dead HDDs and RAIDs
- Failed NAS arrays (QNAP, WD, TerraMaster)
- Encrypted Mac (FileVault) drives
- MSPs reselling recovery to clients
When Gillware is not a fit
- Anyone with current backups . restore instead
- Drives that still mount . use software first
- Tight budgets . one quote hit $2,000
- DIYers wanting flat, published pricing
Pick DriveSavers when
- Irreplaceable business data on dead drives
- Ransomware and encrypted-server incidents
- Compliance-sensitive orgs needing certified handling
When DriveSavers is not a fit
- Anyone with current backups . just restore
- Budget-conscious consumers; quotes hit $3,000+
- Simple logical failures fixable with DIY software
- Users unwilling to ship drives to a lab
Sources
review
- Gillware vs. DriveSavers (Enterprise Storage Forum)enterprisestorageforum.comreview
- Seagate/Gillware warranty snafu (Reddit)reddit.comreview
news
- Gillware Security and Privacy Centergillware.comsecurity
- QNAP NAS Data Recovery (Gillware)gillware.comofficial
- Remote Data Recovery Services (Gillware)gillware.comofficial
review
- DriveSavers Data Recovery Reviews (Trustpilot)trustpilot.comreview
- Is DriveSavers Data Recovery Legit? (Rossmann Group)rossmanngroup.comreview
- DriveSavers Alternative (Rossmann Group)rossmanngroup.comreview