Paragon NTFS alternative for Mac: Try these 7 tools
9 min read
It’s a well-known fact that Microsoft Windows and macOS sometimes just don’t get along. One of the more frustrating times this becomes apparent is when trying to mount and write to a USB flash drive or hard disk formatted with the NTFS file system.
Paragon NTFS has long been a go-to solution owing to its ease of installation, but it’s not the only option. Whether you’re looking for a free alternative to Paragon NTFS for Mac or something that works better with macOS, there are plenty of choices.
Hands up! I’ve installed and tested the best Paragon NTFS alternatives to help you find the right one, saving you the guesswork.
What is Paragon NTFS?
Paragon NTFS for Mac is a handy tool that lets you fully read and write to NTFS drives on macOS. Normally, macOS can only read these drives, which means if you try to copy a file over to an NTFS drive, it won’t work.
NTFS, which stands for New Technology File System, is a file system created by Microsoft and has been the standard for Windows since 1993. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t add any built-in support to write to NTFS drives, so you’ll need an application like Paragon to be able to do that.
While it’s not free, Paragon is a reliable and stable application for reading and writing to NTFS drives. It is also incredibly easy to install and set up.
Is there a Paragon NTFS alternative for macOS?
If you’re looking for a more lightweight, portable, or free Paragon NTFS equivalent for Mac, you have plenty of options.
Below is a quick overview I put together that gives you the best alternatives for macOS, along with their best features:
| Paragon NTFS alternative | What users love about it |
| iBoysoft NTFS for Mac | Fast and stable NTFS read/write access with disk management features accessible from the menu bar. |
| Mounty | Free and lightweight NTFS mounting tool. |
| EaseUS NTFS | One-click read and write access to NTFS drives with support for Apple Silicon M1, M2, and M3. |
| NTFSTool | An NTFS read/write tool that is officially certified by Apple. |
| Hasleo NTFS | A free NTFS tool that can be accessed and used straight from the Status bar. |
| KingShiper NTFS | Free NTFS read-and-write tool with plug-and-play features like Windows. |
| macFUSE | A powerful and open-source SDK that can mount and write to NTFS natively (along with numerous other file systems). |
Best Paragon NTFS alternatives for Mac
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at the Paragon NTFS for macOS alternatives in some more detail. Some of these tools are quite simple to install and use. Others are for more advanced users who are comfortable bypassing Apple System Integrity Protection and using Brew to install features.
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac: Work with NTFS drives easily
If you want a native-feeling macOS for NTFS write support, iBoysoft NFTS for Mac is easily the best Paragon NTFS for macOS alternative. It offers fast and reliable NTFS read/write speeds and makes your NTFS drives feel like a part of the macOS operating system.
The setup is quick and simple. After installing the app itself, you will only need to install the NTFS driver manually and grant permissions for folder access, and you’re good to go.
Support for Microsoft Bitlocker is included as default, making it the only Paragon alternative that can handle Microsoft-encrypted drives.
Pros:
✅ Bitlocker support for accessing and encrypting NTFS drives.
✅ Built-in disk management tools for formatting and repairing.
Cons:
❌ Documentation could be a little more extensive.
Mounty for NTFS: Re-mount write-protected NTFS volumes on Mac
Paragon NTFS on Mac can be resource-heavy, so if you’re looking for something lightweight, Mounty for NTFS is ideal. Mounty has been a long-time favorite, and the older versions 1.x used the native file system writing functionality of macOS. Now, with macOS Ventura and later, a third-party driver must be installed to make it work.
Essentially, this means that the installation is now more difficult as you need to install Brew and Xcode tools along with NTFS-3G to get it up and running. Once Mounty is set up, it is extremely reliable and fast.
Pros:
✅ Open-source and completely free.
✅ Extremely lightweight and reliable once set up.
Cons:
❌ Installation is complex, requiring users to be comfortable in the Terminal and installing Homebrew, Xcode, and NTFS-3G.
EaseUS NTFS: Get full read and write access to NTFS drives
If you’re looking for a simple one-click NTFS tool that’s easy to use and install, EaseUS is a good choice. It has a clean interface and has been designed for beginners who just want to use NTFS drives without the bells and whistles.
That said, the installation isn’t truly instant. You’ll still need to install the NTFS driver and perform a system restart after mounting your first drive.
There’s also no functionality on the free trial whatsoever, so make sure you’re fully committed before purchasing it.
Pros:
✅ Straightforward setup and simple but reliable functionality.
✅ Works with NTFS drives formatted by both Linux and Windows without adding hidden folders.
Cons:
❌ Documentation claims there is no support for macOS Catalina or later. However, I got working just fine on Monterey.
NTFSTool: Read and write disks quickly
NTFSTool is a powerful and open-source tool that is a good alternative to Paragon NTFS, but it has a catch. While it offers NTFS compression and repair tools, the other alternatives don’t. It requires you to disable the System Integrity Protection (SIP) and macOS’s malicious software check to install it despite claiming it’s Apple Certified.
Most users aren’t going to be comfortable doing this, making it a riskier option. Once installed, it’s fully functional and easy to use, but proceed with caution — macOS security measures exist for a reason. If you’re comfortable and don’t mind a bit of tinkering, NTFSTool gets the job done, but for most users, there are safer alternatives.
Pros:
✅ Comes with powerful drive management tools.
✅ Works with NTFS compression.
Cons:
❌ Stability issues on later versions of macOS.
Hasleo NTFS: Read and write NTFS drives securely
Hasleo NTFS is an affordable and very simple NTFS file system tool. Installation is simple, only requiring one system permission to mount an external volume, and it doesn’t even require a restart.
The application runs only in the menu bar and is otherwise non-obtrusive. It simply waits for an NTFS drive to become available. Drives do have to be unmounted and remounted using the application, but once done, it works flawlessly.
Pros:
✅ Automatically mounts NTFS drives when connected.
✅ Native-feeling app that acts like the macOS Finder.
Cons:
❌ User interface could be more polished and include a dedicated GUI.
Kingshiper NTFS: Get quick access to read and write NTFS disks
Kingshiper is as straightforward as it comes. It focuses on ease of use without any unnecessary extras that require driver installation and restarts. It installs fast, requires no restarts, and just started working.
For users who just want simplicity, Kingshiper is ideal but will require you to sign up for an account and pay to have even basic functionality.
Pros:
✅ 100% plug-and-play, no driver installation required.
✅ Just simple NTFS support and basic drive repair utility, no extras, no fuss.
Cons:
❌ It’s missing a lot of the drive management features of other Paragon NTFS Mac alternatives.
macFUSE: Get a file integration easily
For developers and advanced users, macFUSE is a powerful and open-source tool that actually serves as the underlying technology behind most of the Paragon NTFS alternatives listed here.
Setting up macFUSE is a time-consuming process (it took me over an hour). It requires multiple restarts, as well as installation of the package manager HomeBrew and dependencies Xcode, tap, and NTFS-3G-Mac.
Once installed, NTFS drives can only be mounted via the Terminal with the NTFS mount command sudo mount -t ntfs -o rw,auto /dev/
Pros:
✅ Powerful, open-source, and free—ideal for developers.
✅ Extends macOS with advanced file system capabilities, including FUSE-based file systems.
Cons:
❌ Not for beginners. To use macFUSE with a GUI, a tool like Mounty also needs to be installed.
How to Choose the Best Paragon NTFS Equivalent for Mac
With several Paragon NTFS on macOS alternatives out there, picking the right one comes down to what you need the most. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s how you can narrow it down:
- Your top priority: Are you looking for just basic NTFS write support, or do you need the extra functionality like disk management tools? Do you want something that just works out of the box? Or are you comfortable with a more technical setup?
- Ease of installation: Does the software require you to disable the macOS security features just to get it running? Will the installation require command-line work or modifications to your system?
- macOS compatibility: Some NTFS tools require earlier versions of macOS to work and don’t support the latest versions. Check if the software actively maintains compatibility with new macOS releases.
- Free trial or demo: Can you actually test if the tool works before having to pay for it? Does the free version limit functionality, or can you guarantee full NTFS write functionality before entering your credit card number?
Finding the best Paragon NTFS alternative for Mac
As you can see, Paragon NTFS for Mac isn’t the only NTFS write tool out there. Whether you’re looking for an open-source solution, an advanced tool, or just need a plug-and-play solution, there’s something that fits your needs.
Some options require a lot of technical setup, while others just work right out of the box. So, choosing the right one comes down to what matters to you the most.
Suppose you want a reliable and easy-to-use solution. In that case, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is available through Setapp, along with 250+ other macOS and iOS apps that you can use under a single subscription plan. Try it for free for 7 days and see how easily it fits into your workflow.
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