Is the OWC Mercury Pro LTO still sold?
Under a new name. OWC now sells the Thunderbolt LTO drive as the Archive Pro, and its manual covers both Archive Pro and Mercury Pro LTO. LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9 versions are listed.
The range
OWC's LTO drives today
OWC (Other World Computing) sells LTO tape drives in desktop enclosures, aimed mainly at Mac users and video teams. There are two current product lines:
- OWC Archive Pro: a desktop LTO-7, LTO-8 or LTO-9 drive that connects over Thunderbolt, with an optional built-in SSD of 4 or 8 TB for staging data.
- OWC Archive Pro Ethernet: the same idea as a network appliance, sharing the drive over 10 gigabit Ethernet (iSCSI), launched in April 2025.
The Mercury Pro LTO is the earlier name of the Thunderbolt drive. OWC's current manual is titled "Archive Pro LTO | Mercury Pro LTO" and calls Mercury Pro owners legacy users, so the Mercury Pro LTO-9 and LTO-7 models people search for are, in practice, sold today as Archive Pro. We found no OWC LTO-10 product as of 17 October 2026.
History
From Mercury Pro LTO to Archive Pro
| When | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 2020 | Mercury Pro LTO launched: LTO-8 with an IBM drive, Thunderbolt 3, myLTO software, $4,499 including a tape and a cleaning cartridge | OWC |
| August 2021 | Units ship with ArGest Backup Desktop Edition | Trade press |
| 2022 | LTO-9 version reviewed at $6,299 direct from OWC | TechRadar |
| January 2025 | OWC and Hedge partner; kits with an "H" in the part number include Hedge Canister | OWC store |
| April 2025 | Archive Pro Ethernet launched, LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9, from $7,799 | OWC |
| 17 October 2026 | Archive Pro Thunderbolt sold in LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9; versions without Canister sold out or no longer for sale | OWC store |
Specifications
Archive Pro and Archive Pro Ethernet compared
| Archive Pro (Thunderbolt) | Archive Pro Ethernet | |
|---|---|---|
| Generations | LTO-7, LTO-8, LTO-9 | LTO-8, LTO-9 (LTO-7 no longer for sale) |
| Drive inside | IBM LTO Ultrium drive (IBM Ultrium 9 in the LTO-9 model) | IBM LTO drive (IBM Ultrium 9 in the LTO-9 model) |
| Connection | Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C, up to 40 Gb/s); the drive is SAS inside and needs the ATTO SAS driver | Two 10 GbE ports for iSCSI plus a 1 GbE management port |
| Speed OWC quotes (LTO-9) | Up to 300 MB/s native | Up to 400 MB/s native |
| Extra | Optional 4 or 8 TB onboard SSD, extra Thunderbolt port, Mini-SAS HD port | Shared by several workstations |
| Software included | Hedge Canister on "H" kits | Hedge Canister and ATTO Xtend SAN iSCSI initiator for Mac |
| Operating systems | macOS 11 to macOS 26, Windows 10 and 11, Windows Server 2022, Linux | macOS 13 to macOS 26, Windows 10 and 11, Windows Server 2022, Linux |
| Tape format | LTFS | LTFS |
| Warranty | 3 years (OWC limited warranty) | See OWC |
Prices
OWC LTO drive prices
US list prices on OWC's own store on 17 October 2026. Every current kit includes Hedge Canister.
| Part number | Generation | Onboard SSD | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
OWCTBLTMP70000H | LTO-7 | None | $5,999.99 |
OWCTBLTMP70N04H | LTO-7 | 4 TB | $7,149.99 |
OWCTBLTMP70N08H | LTO-7 | 8 TB | $8,749.99 |
OWCTBLTMP80000H | LTO-8 | None | $8,799.99 |
OWCTBLTMP80N04H | LTO-8 | 4 TB | $9,949.99 |
OWCTBLTMP80N08H | LTO-8 | 8 TB | $11,199.99 |
OWCTBLTMP90000H | LTO-9 | None | $12,499.99 |
OWCTBLTMP90N04H | LTO-9 | 4 TB | $13,649.99 |
OWCTBLTMP90N08H | LTO-9 | 8 TB | $14,899.99 |
| Part number | Generation | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
OWC10GLTMP08H | LTO-8 | $11,499.99 | In stock |
OWC10GLTMP09H | LTO-9 | $14,999.99 | Ships: pending |
For comparison, external LTO-9 drives from other brands are listed at $9,199 to $15,225 in our LTO-9 price tracker. OWC's LTO-9 kit is inside that range, and it also includes the Thunderbolt enclosure and Hedge Canister. Resellers have listed the LTO-9 model without software for less, so compare the full kit before you buy.
Compatibility
Which tapes each model reads
| Model | Reads | Writes |
|---|---|---|
| Archive Pro LTO-9 | LTO-8, LTO-9 | LTO-8, LTO-9 |
| Archive Pro LTO-8 | LTO-7, LTO-8 | LTO-7, LTO-8 |
| Archive Pro LTO-7 | LTO-5 to LTO-7 | LTO-6, LTO-7 |
The LTO rules are the same whatever the enclosure: an LTO-9 drive reads and writes LTO-8 and LTO-9 cartridges and nothing older. If your archive is on LTO-6 or LTO-7, check which model can still read it before you choose. LTO-7 is now three generations old, so the LTO-7 kit mainly makes sense for reading or extending an existing LTO-7 archive.
Reviews
What reviewers said
- TechRadar Pro reviewed the Mercury Pro LTO-9 in 2022: tape economics look good, but managing an archive spread over many 18 TB tapes is harder than it looks, and the $6,299 price then did not include the ArGest licence.
- Larry Jordan, a video editing trainer, tested a Mercury Pro LTO-8 loaner unit in 2021 and recommended it for media archiving despite the upfront cost.
We found no independent review of the current Archive Pro or Archive Pro Ethernet as of 17 October 2026. We have not tested these drives ourselves.
Who it suits
When an OWC drive makes sense
Good fit: a Mac-based video or photo studio that wants one box to plug in over Thunderbolt, with archiving software included and nothing to install inside a computer. Archive Pro Ethernet suits a small team that wants several editors to share one drive.
Look elsewhere: if you already have a server with a SAS port, a bare external SAS drive from HPE, IBM or Quantum costs less; if you need LTO-10, OWC does not offer it yet; if you need a library for many cartridges, see LTO tape libraries. Other desktop Thunderbolt brands are covered in the LTO drive buying guide, and other archive software, including YoYotta and Archiware P5, in the tape archive advisor.
More guides
Other LTO guides
What is LTO tapeThe format in one pageLTO storageHow tape storage works and costsLTO capacity chartLTO-1 to LTO-14LTO tape drive buying guideWhich drive to buyLTO tape librariesAutoloaders and librariesLTO tape lifespanHow long tapes lastLTFS explainedTape as a file systemLTO tape data recoveryReading old tapesCleaning tapes and labelsSupplies and handlingLTO tape newsWhat changed this month
Pricebook
Get the LTO pricebook
Request current LTO media and drive pricing before you budget a migration or a refresh.
Which drive is inside the OWC Archive Pro?
An IBM LTO Ultrium drive; the LTO-9 model uses an IBM Ultrium 9 mechanism. The original 2020 Mercury Pro LTO used an IBM LTO-8 drive.
How much does the OWC Archive Pro LTO-9 cost?
$12,499.99 on OWC's US store on 17 October 2026 for the kit with Hedge Canister, or up to $14,899.99 with an 8 TB onboard SSD. The Archive Pro Ethernet LTO-9 is listed at $14,999.99.
Does the OWC Archive Pro work with Windows?
Yes. OWC lists Windows 10 and 11 and Windows Server 2022 as well as macOS and Linux. It connects over Thunderbolt, so the PC needs a Thunderbolt port.
Does OWC make an LTO-10 drive?
Not as of 17 October 2026. The Archive Pro and Archive Pro Ethernet are sold with LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9 drives.
What is the difference between Archive Pro and Archive Pro Ethernet?
Archive Pro connects to one computer over Thunderbolt. Archive Pro Ethernet sits on the network and shares the drive with several workstations over 10 gigabit iSCSI.