Paragon Software

What Paragon Software does

Paragon Software Group is a privately held technology company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Freiburg, Germany (Paragon Technologie GmbH), with regional operations in the United States (Irvine, CA), Japan (Tokyo), and Russia (Moscow-Dolgoprudny). The company is controlled by founder and CEO Konstantin Komarov and operates without disclosed external institutional backing beyond a $14M round in 1999. Paragon specializes in file system drivers, storage management, and data protection software, unified by its proprietary Universal File System Driver (UFSD) technology engine that enables cross-platform interoperability across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and QNX environments. Its portfolio spans consumer products (Hard Disk Manager for Windows, Microsoft NTFS for Mac, APFS for Windows, exFAT/NTFS for Android), business solutions (Hard Disk Manager Business, Backup & Recovery Business, Protect & Restore, VM Backup for ESX with VMware vSphere 6.0–8.0 support), and a technology/embedded segment that licenses drivers and SDKs to OEMs and embedded-systems developers in automotive (IVI), networking (routers), and set-top box verticals.

The company monetizes through a mix of one-time perpetual consumer licenses ($9.95–$79.95 tier), volume and site licenses for SMBs and enterprises, multi-year enterprise subscriptions, professional services, and OEM/embedded licensing royalties to hardware manufacturers. Go-to-market combines self-serve e-commerce with 30-day trials and freemium offerings (free partition manager, free Mac backup recovery), an enterprise field-sales motion in four regions, a certified reseller and partner program, and direct OEM co-development. The OEM customer base includes ASUS, Western Digital, D-Link, Belkin, Seagate, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Netgear, Nvidia, Siemens, Technicolor, Telechips, and Wyplay, with Paragon's NTFS3 driver donated to the Linux kernel in 2021. The company sells in 150+ countries with localization across 30+ languages and has accumulated 310+ industry awards. In October 2025, Paragon discontinued more than a dozen legacy products and consolidated around its Windows Hard Disk Manager flagship, signaling a portfolio rationalization rather than withdrawal.

Name

Paragon Software

Legal name

Paragon Technologie GmbH

Website

https://paragon-software.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Paragon Software Group is a privately held German-founded technology company that develops cross-platform file system drivers, storage management, and data protection software for consumers, businesses, OEMs, and embedded systems in 150+ countries since 1994.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Storage Management and File System Driver Software

NAICS

Computer Storage Device Manufacturing (334112), Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Computer Storage Devices (3572), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Storage & Fabric Adapters (Fibre Channel/FCoE/iSCSI HBAs) (HDAFAEAC)

Keywords

• File system drivers
• Storage management software
• Disk partitioning software
• Backup recovery software
• Cross-platform file interoperability

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: One-time perpetual license sales for desktop and business products. Revenue from individual product purchases with optional upgrade paths.
2. Volume and Site Licenses: Multi-seat licensing for businesses with tiered pricing based on number of installations. Includes enterprise and site licenses for unlimited deployments within location.
3. OEM Licensing: Technology licensing to OEMs for embedding file system drivers in hardware products including routers, NAS devices, smartphones, and consumer electronics.
4. Support and Maintenance: Upgrade assurance, extended support, and per-incident support services. Enterprise support with 4-hour response time and on-demand support with 2-hour response.
5. Professional Services: Technical support services including TeamViewer-assisted sessions, implementation support, and custom integration services for enterprise customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Paragon Software develops and sells proprietary file system drivers and storage management software that enable cross-platform read/write interoperability across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and embedded operating systems. The company offers consumer utilities (Hard Disk Manager, NTFS for Mac, APFS for Windows, exFAT/NTFS for Android), business backup and recovery solutions (VM Backup for ESX, Protect & Restore, Backup & Recovery Business), and licensed file system technology for OEM hardware embedding.

Product overview

Paragon Software is a technology company specializing in file system drivers, storage management, and data protection solutions. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products organized across consumer, business, and technology/embedded segments. Core consumer offerings include Hard Disk Manager for Windows and Mac, alongside file system drivers enabling cross-platform interoperability (Microsoft NTFS for Mac, APFS for Windows/Linux, Microsoft exFAT/NTFS for Android, extFS for Mac, HFS+ for Windows, Linux File Systems for Windows). Business solutions encompass Hard Disk Manager Business, Backup & Recovery Business, Protect & Restore, VM Backup for ESX (integrating with VMware vSphere/ESXi), and deployment tools. The technology/embedded segment provides UFSD (Universal File System Driver) SDKs, specialized drivers for automotive (IVI), routers, and QNX systems, plus forensic tools like Image Mounter and ReFS drivers. The portfolio is unified by the Paragon File System platform technology and delivered through the Paragon Licensing Center for license management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hard Disk Manager: Comprehensive disk management, backup and recovery solution for Windows and Mac
• NTFS for Mac
• APFS for Windows
• VM Backup
• Protect & Restore

Products and services

• Hard Disk Manager for Windows All-in-one consumer Windows utility for partitioning, boot correction, file and image backup, disk copying, secure data wiping, and recovery. Supports Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022/2025.
• Hard Disk Manager Business Business-grade version of Hard Disk Manager for corporate Windows endpoint backup, OS migration, partition management, and data sanitization with 10 industry-grade algorithms.
• Hard Disk Manager Technician License

Quantifiable outcome

• 61.5% of Android users accessing external storage use NTFS format (2018 study of 50,000 users)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ASUScoreTechnology or IntegrationASUS uses Paragon Microsoft NTFS driver in their entire line of network wireless products. ASUS engineers have verified the added value of Paragon's NTFS driver technology, considering it one of the highest performance and most reliable system driver solutions available.
• Western DigitalcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerWestern Digital leverages Paragon UFSD technology for their storage solutions and product lines. Paragon's technology creates perfect interoperability between clients' platforms and improves connectivity for WD products.
• D-LinkcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerD-Link signed agreement with Paragon Software for UFSD for Linux technology. Paragon UFSD for Linux expands storage and file sharing capabilities for D-Link product lines including ATHENA-R2 AC2600 router.
• BelkinmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBelkin is listed among global business partners using Paragon technology solutions.
• IntelmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerIntel is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft is a global business partner. Paragon holds Microsoft partnership for NTFS and exFAT technologies. Products branded as Microsoft NTFS for Mac and Microsoft exFAT/NTFS for USB.
• SeagatemajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSeagate is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions.
• HPmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHP is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions.
• NetgearmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerNetgear is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions.
• NvidiamajorTechnology or IntegrationNvidia is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions.
• SiemensmajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSiemens is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions in embedded systems.
• TechnicolormajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTechnicolor is listed among global business partners, likely for set-top box and entertainment device integration.
• TelechipsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTelechips is listed among global business partners for Paragon technology solutions in embedded systems.
• WyplayminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerWyplay is listed among global business partners, likely for set-top box integration.
• Amped WirelessminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAmped Wireless case study: Paragon UFSD for Linux expands storage and file sharing capabilities for Amped Wireless product lines including ATHENA-R2 AC2600 router with MU-MIMO.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzZaCY1hX6B2T2cP7H7V3KA
• Xx.com/paragonsoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/11681548143
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paragon-software

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paragon Software