This post will explain data recovery apps. You don’t want to lose a crucial file and not be prepared for it. Instead, you should have dependable data recovery software set up on your computer, and this article is here to assist you in choosing the finest option.
- Performance and Versatility: The rescue features in many of these recovery apps only handle a small number of file formats, which is a typical problem. You may safely restore deleted images, movies, audio files, and other file kinds when a recovery tool supports the restoration of a broad variety of file types. The majority of your products do not enable the recovery of files from external storage devices like external HDDs or USB flash drives, which is another unwelcome revelation. The majority of data loss today occurs on external or portable storage devices, thus this is highly annoying.
- Speed: These days, nobody has enough time on their hands. Users cannot be expected to wait a whole day for the scanning and recovery procedures to finish in order to access something crucial. The majority of effective data recovery programmes include choices for high-speed scanning. Some even provide tailored scanning while focusing on a particular file for recovery.
- File Preview: Viewing already-identified files in preview mode is another crucial function. The recovered files must also be in the same quality as they were originally.
- User-Friendly: Having the finest data recovery programme in the world is useless if only the creator can use it. Any software must have a straightforward user interface and be simple to use. Many recovery solutions have bright icons and ostensibly advanced functions that are actually fairly pointless. Most of the time, all the end user really needs is a clearly defined interface that works.
Top 10 Best Data Recovery Software In 2024
In this article, you can know about data recovery apps here are the details below;
1. Disk Drill Data Recovery (Windows & Mac)
Because it can easily recover lost or deleted data from all internal and external storage media, regardless of their file system, Disk Drill is one of the finest data recovery programmes for Windows and Mac.
Pros:
- Accepts many file types
- Effective recovery abilities
- Search for lost partitions
- Features for data backup and protection
- Easy-to-use user interface
- Free data recovery up to 500 MB (Windows)
- Possibility of mounting scan outcomes as a folder
Cons:
- No phone assistance
- Common scan speed
User Experience
Disk Drill, created by the CleverFiles data recovery specialists, is the greatest option for both business customers and casual home users, offering an incredibly refined user experience and best-in-class data recovery outcomes. The most recent version of the programme uses sophisticated scanning algorithms to recover data in more than 400 file types from a range of storage devices and file systems. Also check Tally Accounting Software
With Disk Drill, data recovery is a simple process that doesn’t call for specialised knowledge. Inside of Disk Drill, you may filter scan results to locate a particular file and preview it before to recovery. Simply pause the scan and continue it later if you need to turn off your computer.
Disk Drill’s free edition offers greater data safety with its Recovery Vault and Drive backup capabilities, and it can recover up to 500 MB of data (for Windows). Due to the fact that they both have the same slick user interface as Disk Drill’s data recovery function, both of these functions are equally simple to use.
Users may upgrade to Disk Drill PRO for just $89.00 and activate it on up to 3 PCs if they would want to benefit from limitless data recovery. For $29, lifetime upgrades can successfully restore data even on next Windows and macOS versions.
Disk Drill’s commercial edition is exactly as simple to use as its free counterpart, despite the term “PRO” in its name, so even naïve home users without specialised expertise shouldn’t be put off by it.
Considering using Disk Drill? then read the rest of our review.
Languages that are supported include English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Turkish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Dutch, Polish, Brazilian, Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Chinese, and Hindi.
2. PhotoRec (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
Strong file recovery capabilities and compatibility for several systems are features of PhotoRec. As long as you can calculate out how to utilise it, PhotoRec can handle both digital cameras and conventional hard drives.
Pros:
- Works with all popular OS systems
- Finds around 300 file families.
- Assistance for several file systems
Cons:
- Difficult for newcomers
- During the scan, all data are automatically recovered.
- Impossible to restore folder names and file names
User Experience
You would assume from its name that PhotoRec can only recover picture file types, however this isn’t the case at all. Actually, from hard drives, memory cards, CD-ROMs, USB flash drives, and other storage media, this open-source data recovery programme can recover more than 480 file extensions (about 300 file families).
The text-only user interface of PhotoRec is infamous for frightening away new users, yet we discovered that the data recovery procedure was mostly self-explanatory. Yes, novices might need even more guidance, but that is what the official guide is meant to provide.
PhotoRec can perform on par with many commercial data recovery software programmes in terms of performance. By using a non-destructive data recovery technique, it avoids writing to the same storage device that the user is going to recover from. In some circumstances, PhotoRec may recover even fragmented files that are dispersed all over the place.
Supported file systems: FAT, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystem, and HFS.
3. R-Studio (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
The target audience for this all-inclusive data recovery software solution is more seasoned users who may benefit from its robust features and wide range of options.
Pros:
- Professional features for data recovery
- A bootable ISO image is accessible.
- The disc sanitization function.
Cons:
- Inappropriate for non-technical users
- Does not show results while scanning
- Only a few file types may be previewed
User Experience
R-Studio is primarily designed for experts who are already familiar with data recovery, as opposed to the majority of data recovery programmes on the market that are aimed at everyday home users. It supports all widely used file systems and partitioning models and can handle damaged or lost partitions.
R-Studio allows users the ability to launch numerous data recovery operations concurrently in different tabs rather than walking them through the recovery procedure step by step. The extensions, creation, modification, access times, and other factors of recovered files may all be sorted. To evaluate a file’s integrity or carry out partial recovery, you may inspect files using the built-in hex editor or preview a variety of supported file formats.
Make sure you purchase the correct version of R-Studio when you purchase it. Only the FAT, exFAT, and Ext2/3/4 file systems are supported by R-$49.99 Studio’s entry-level edition, which can recover data from them. You must buy the $79.99 version if you want to recover data from NTFS, ReFS, HFS+, APFS, HFS, and UFS as well.
Supported Languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and Japanese.
4. Recuva (Windows)
You may recover any type of file from your hard drive, memory cards, floppy discs, iPod or MP3 player, USB sticks, or any other storage device with the little shareware application Recuva.
Pros:
- Low cost
- Free version is accessible
- Clearly designed interface
- Preview window
Cons:
- Cannot restore as many data as more expensive competitors
User Experience
Recuva is popular because of its inexpensive price, simple interface, and convenience of use, but on my test drive, it only recovered two-thirds of the lost data, and that level of performance might not be adequate in an emergency. Recuva doesn’t support a wide variety of file types, which is the main reason why it performs worse than the top 3 software programmes mentioned in this article.
If all you like to do is retrieve files that were saved in a format that Recuva supports, the file format support may not matter to you. The tool’s usability, which is rather strong due to its clear interface design and an integrated preview screen, will be important to you in any situation.
Recuva’s user interface, however, is obviously from the Windows XP era (Recuva was released during the transition period from Windows XP to Windows Vista). Rucuva’s most recent significant version (v1.53) was issued in 2016, and since then, the programme has only seen minor enhancements. Fortunately, it continues to function flawlessly on all current Windows versions.
Supported file systems: FAT, exFAT, and NTFS.
5. Data Recovery (Windows & Mac)
Data Rescue is all about simplicity, but because to its high cost, most home users, who, paradoxically, would most benefit from its clear and straightforward user interface, are unable to afford it.
Pros:
- An easy-to-use interface
- Can copy a possibly damaged drive onto a sound drive.
- Selects a number of RAID setups automatically
Cons:
- An unnecessary multi-step recovery procedure that is difficult.
- Expensive
User Experience
Data Rescue is a somewhat perplexing data recovery software programme because its clear and uncomplicated user interface (the main screen has just three sizable buttons with vivid icons and thorough descriptions) leads one to believe that it is designed with the average home user in mind, but its high price and confusing pricing structure tell a completely different tale.
A single licence costs $399.00 per year and can be used by one user on an infinite number of computers. When compared to what the majority of other data recovery software programmes in competition charge for a lifetime licence, that is more than twice as expensive.
If you can afford to spend this much money on Data Rescue, you may anticipate quick scan and recovery times, better RAID recovery, and more disc utilities for safe file deletion and byte-to-byte disc duplicates.
Wondershare is among the top data recovery software packages in its price range and functions flawlessly with a variety of storage devices, including USB flash drives, hard discs, memory sticks, and camcorders. Also check hvac business software
Pros:
- Accepts a variety of file types
- Sleek appearance and excellent usability
- Compatibility with Mac and Windows file systems
Cons:
- Can retrieve only up to 100 MB of data
- Only a few file types are supported by the preview feature.
- A lot of duplicate findings from scans
User Experience
The organisation that created this data recovery software has been in business for a long time and has been able to gain the confidence of millions of home users as well as several significant corporations. With support for over 1,000 file types and all widely used file systems, including NTFS, FAT, HFS+, and APFS, Recoverit, the company’s flagship data recovery solution, is a standout.
Recoverit is very user-friendly, much like all other Wondershare software programmes, and we just needed to follow three straightforward steps to restore our files. We were able to evaluate recovered files throughout the last process before reclaiming them with a single click.
The only issue is that Wondershare Recoverit’s free edition can only restore up to 100 MB of data. Given that a single high-resolution photo shot with a current smartphone might easily be approximately 5 MB, it isn’t much.
7. DiskGenius (Windows)
DiskGenius is a comprehensive partition management and data recovery programme geared for both business and personal users. You may use it to fix a variety of annoying disc issues and test it out without spending any money before purchasing one of the two premium editions.
Pros:
- Combines partition management and data recovery
- Has the capability of converting Windows into a VMware virtual machine.
- Disk cloning capabilities
- Money-back guarantee for 30 days
- Free version is accessible
Cons:
- The user interface is not the multiple user-friendly.
- Master of none, but a jack of all crafts
User Experience
DiskGenius’ developers realised that partition and data loss problems frequently go hand in hand, so they decided to develop an all-in-one data recovery and partition management solution that enables you to recover lost data from deletion, formatting, RAW drive, partition loss, OS crash, and numerous other data loss scenarios.
While DiskGenius’ user interface isn’t very impressive, the actual data recovery procedure is straightforward and only requires three steps. You first choose a disc or partition, then you scan for lost data, and then you preview all of the identified files and choose the ones you wish to recover.
DiskGenius has a number of added capabilities that even systems that are many times more expensive don’t have, such the capacity to immediately recover data from VMware, Virtual Box, or Microsoft Virtual PC images. It also has a hex editor that makes it easier to analyse raw disc data, but typical users are unlikely to ever utilise this capability.
Supported languages: Japanese and English.
8. Stellar Data Recovery (Windows & Mac)
Professional-grade data retrieval software for Windows and Mac, Stellar Data Recovery, can handle entirely failed and unbootable systems, which many lesser apps of its sort would declare unrecoverable.
Pros:
- Assistance with a variety of storage devices
- Simple to use
- Practical preview function
Cons:
- Relatively pricey
- Slow recovery and scan times
- Unresponsive storage device selection
User Experience
This data recovery programme, which was formerly known as Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery, supports NTFS, exFAT, and FAT (FAT16/FAT32) formatted hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, memory cards (including SD cards, MicroSD cards, CF cards, etc.), and other widely used storage media.
Professional ($79.99 for one year or $99 for a lifetime licence) and Premium ($99.99 for one year or $149 for a lifetime licence) are the two versions available for professional use. Because it doesn’t have any video or photo recovery features, the earlier version is a little less expensive.
The two versions are similar and equally user-friendly, with the exception of the missing recovery functionality. Recovered files can be arranged by type or shown in a tree view, which is helpful for finding a particular folder.
Languages that are supported: English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish
NTFS, exFAT, FAT(FAT16/FAT32), HFS, HFS+, ext2, ext3, and ext4 are supported file systems.
9. TestDisk (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
TestDisk is a great tool for many urgent data loss situations since it can recover deleted partitions and make non-booting drives bootable once more, however many people aren’t able to use it because of its text-only user interface.
Pros:
- Able to restore a wide variety of filesystems and partitioning techniques
- Wide operating system compatibility
Free and open-source software
Cons:
- Is command-line only and lacks a clear graphical user interface.
- Fixes corrupt file systems and partitions but not files.
User Experience
TestDisk is not the best option if you accidently and irrevocably destroyed a crucial file and you are eager to recover it. Instead of concentrating on specific files, this open-source data recovery tool concentrates on whole file systems and partitions. To regain access to deleted files, it can correct boot sectors, partition tables, and a variety of other things.
True, TestDisk has the ability to recover deleted data from the FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and xt2/ext3/ext4 file systems, but this feature is hidden in the advanced menu, where the majority of normal users never go. Additionally, since you can’t inspect data before recovery, restoring individual files using TestDisk is rather laborious.
TestDisk is still among the top data recovery software options for Windows, Mac, Linux, and a number of other operating systems, despite its drawbacks, such as the absence of a simple graphical user interface.
Supported languages: English, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
Supported file systems include NTFS, xt2/ext3/ext4, exFAT, and FAT.
10. EaseUS Data Recovery (Windows & Mac)
Because of the numerous favourable reviews that EaseUS has received from a variety of customers and the positive results we’ve had using its data recovery capabilities, it warrants a spot on this list.
Pros:
- Reliable performance for data recovery
- Enables users to filter and sort deleted files
- enables everyone to access data recovery
Cons:
- Comprises both recoverable and irrecoverable files
- Only displays previews for files under 100 MB.
- Inaccurately displays the amount of remaining scan time
User Experience
A tried-and-true data recovery programme for Windows and Mac is EaseUS Data Recovery. The challenging data recovery method has been made easy and available to everyone by its creators. There are no menus with several levels and choices that need to be explained in great detail in a long manual.
You must first choose a place to scan before you start data recovery with this software programme, such as your hard disc or a USB flash drive. The Recycle Bin is one of the individual folders that you might choose. After that, you just need to wait while EaseUS Data Recovery looks for your data by clicking the Scan button.
You may get EaseUS Data Recovery for just one month if money is tight. However, in order to take advantage of limitless free upgrades, we advise purchasing a lifetime subscription for $149.95. File systems that are supported include FAT (FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32), exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/ext3, and HFS+.
Honorable Mentions
Are you still hankering after additional software for data recovery? Then, check over our list of worthwhile programmes to try that weren’t included in the top 10.
- Windows File Recovery is a command-line utility developed by Microsoft for their Windows operating system that enables the recovery of permanently deleted files that are no longer visible in the Recycle Bin. We only wish it had an optional graphical user interface and produced better recovery results.
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery: If you don’t mind a dated user interface and a constrained feature set, you should download the free edition of MiniTool Power Data Recovery because it performs well in all data loss scenarios.
- Undelete 360: A dated data recovery programme that hasn’t yet been superseded, Undelete 360 was last updated for Windows 7 in 2017. With only a rare clicks, you can use it to recover data from any storage media that Windows supports, and it even allows you to preview files before recovery.
- Wise Data Recovery: Wise Data Recovery is a good option if you need to recover data from an earlier version of Windows. Just be aware that if you use it on Windows 10 or later, you can have significant problems.
- SysTools Data Recovery Program: You should be able to tell that this software isn’t the most user-friendly in the world based on the lengthy list of functions and the highly technical language used to explain them on the official website of this data recovery software.
- Remo Data Recovery Software: Due to Remo Data Recovery Software’s dependability, both expert reviewers and actual users have given it very high ratings. We just found the Windows programme to be more well-designed.
- Zero Assumption Recovery, sometimes known as ZAR Data Recovery, is a free Windows programme that works with the FAT, NTFS, Linux ext/2/3/4, and XFS file systems. It may be downloaded from the company’s website.
- TogetherShare Data Recovery Pro: Thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee, you may test the full edition of TogetherShare Data Recovery Pro without taking any risks. The most recent version of the programme even works with Windows 11.
- Lazesoft Windows Data Recovery: Lazesoft Windows Data Recovery has a superb free pricing, which is fantastic. Its severely out-of-date user interface and restricted file system and file format capabilities are not very excellent.
- iBoysoft Data Recovery: While it doesn’t provide any ground-breaking features, design, or performance, iBoysoft Data Recovery isn’t necessarily a negative thing. This programme is worth checking at if you’re seeking for an instantly identifiable substitute to well-known data recovery solutions.
Data Recovery Software Picker
We’ve developed an interactive data recovery software selector so you can choose the best option depending on your needs and save time. Alternatively, you may choose to read the complete article from beginning to end.
This form’s goal is to assist you in choosing the finest data recovery programme for your particular data loss scenario. Please do your best to respond to each question. Once you’ve completed all the necessary fields, the suggested programme will be automatically presented at the bottom.
What kind of device are you trying to recover? *
- device for internal storage (HDD, SSD, etc.)
- Device for external storage (USB flash drive, memory card, etc.)
- mobile device (smartphone or tablet running Android or iOS)
Which operating system do you use? *
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
How tech-savvy are you?
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
How much money would you like spend? *
- minimally possible
- I have a flexible budget.
- I have no problems with money.
What to Expect From Data Recovery Software
A dependable way to handle an unanticipated data loss issue is by using software to restore erased files. Hard disc recovery software will frequently recover all or the majority of the lost files. However, you must have reasonable expectations and be aware of the factors that contribute to the success and dependability of data recovery software. Here are a few things to remember while using disc recovery software.
- OS Compatibility – Your operating system must be supported by any disc recovery software you use. For a solution that keeps up with new operating system updates and features, look for one that is updated often.
The last thing you want to do while recovering from data loss is to add new issues. Tool safety and dependability. Before installing any software programme on your computer, make sure to obtain it from a reputable website and run a virus scan on it. In order to access a user’s computer during a difficult period, dishonest individuals may install malware to recovery software. It is often safer to download software from the developer’s website rather than through the websites of independent distributors.
- Technical Assistance – If you run into issues while using the product, you should be able to contact technical support. There must be a mechanism to contact someone in a timely manner if you are having problems retrieving your lost data, whether that contact is made by phone, email, or problem ticket.
- Recovery Expectations – The likelihood of recovering deleted files from a disk-based storage device using software is strongly correlated with how much use the device has had since the data was lost. If the device is used, there is a chance that it will overwrite any logically erased files that can be retrieved using reputable disc recovery software. As soon as you notice you’ve lost data, you should ideally cease using the device, but sometimes this isn’t possible. When assessing a data recovery tool’s performance, bear this information in mind.
Software restrictions – It is impossible to recover overwritten data using currently sold-out software products. If you have backed up the data before they were erased, you might be able to recover them. It is highly advised that you routinely backup your computer and all of its crucial data. Physically damaged discs can’t be recovered by data recovery software, although they could be recovered by a data recovery service.