Updated on:Jul 5, 2022
Disk Drill for Windows is a reliable and user-friendly data recovery software that gets your data back in a few clicks. This upgraded application offers users the ability to preview and recover up to 500 MB of data with the free trial version.
This feature-rich data recovery tool employs sophisticated scanning algorithms and allows users to perform multiple types of scans. The Quick Scan locates files that were recently deleted and usually recovers them exactly as they were before deletion. When more robust recovery capabilities are required, a Deep Scan can reconstruct lost files from bits and pieces left on the storage media. In some cases, you may need to rename the files after recovery from Deep Scan.
Disk Drill has an intuitive interface that allows users with just a general knowledge of computers to quickly recover their lost files. Its recovery capabilities will also appeal to more experienced computer users. The tool provides additional data protection tools for free that can help you recover recently deleted files quickly. The Recovery Vault feature allows you to designate folders and files for enhanced protection. You can also create a byte-level backup of a drive that can be used for the recovery of failing storage devices.
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Price:
| Disk Drill Basic | Free |
| Disk Drill PRO | $89.00 |
| Disk Drill Enterprise | $499 |
| Competitive Upgrade | 50% OFF |
Limitations on the free/trial version: 500 MB of free recovery.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.11.6 - 12.0 / Windows 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, 10, 11.
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, NTFS, NTFS5, exFAT, HFS, HFS+, APFS, ext2/3/4, RAW.
Recuva is a lightweight freeware data recovery solution for Windows. It can recover many types of files from your hard drive, memory cards, and other storage devices.
Recuva has a user-friendly interface that sets it apart from many other freeware programs. It can get back your lost photos, music files, and documents from a wide variety of storage devices including external hard drives, memory cards, and USB sticks. The tool also can recover data from damaged or formatted drives.
The freeware solution includes a deep scanning feature to search for traces of deleted files. A nice feature is the ability to securely delete files from your computer, making impossible for them to be recovered with other software tools.
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Price:
| Recuva Free | Available without Professional features |
| Recuva Professional | $19.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: Unlimited free recovery.
System requirements: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7, Vista and XP.
Supported file systems: FAT, exFAT and NTFS.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a data recovery solution that offers users a simple method of recovering lost and deleted files. The free trial version of the tool enables Windows users to recover up to 2 GB of data.
This tool is a comprehensive data recovery application that features a streamlined user interface that recovers deleted files with just a few clicks. Recoverable items can be previewed before recovery to ensure that the right files will be restored. Filters allow you to control the scanning process to only search for the type of files you want to retrieve.
EaseUS addresses many data loss scenarios such as accidentally formatting a partition, inadvertently deleting files, or being hit with a malware infection. The tool supports the recovery of hundreds of different file types and is compatible with all disk-based storage devices. The clear interface makes all features of the tool easily accessible, and this data recovery solution is suitable for users with average computer skills.
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Price:
| Free trial | Can recover up to 2GB of data |
| Monthly subscription | $69.95 |
| Annual subscription | $99.95 |
| Lifetime Upgrades | $149.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: Recover up to 2 GB with the trial version.
System requirements: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP / macOS 11.0 ~ 10.9.
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3, HFS+, ReFS.
Uneraser is a lightweight data recovery program by developer DiskInternals that offers top-notch retrieval capabilities. This includes deep scans from an impressive array of storage media and file systems, while supporting a wide range of file extensions, whether it’s images, audio, video, or other types of documents. It utilizes a wizard-like recovery system that might not suit everyone, but it's sure to be appealing to novices on account of how easy the process is to follow.
Recovery aside, DiskInternals Uneraser comes with incredibly handy extra features, such as a forensic disk imaging feature that allows you to create perfect copies of your storage media so that you can recover files in place of your physical drive to avoid further data loss. It also includes a preview feature that you can use to take a peek at the contents of files before committing to recovery and it’s available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
It’s not without its faults, however. For starters, Uneraser’s free version doesn’t allow you to actually recover any files and only gets you to the point of previewing recoverable data. Furthermore, its user interface is a bit on the outdated side and could use a nice update. But if you can get past its minor missteps, DiskInternals Uneraser remains one of the better data recovery offerings in the market today.
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Price:
| Free version | Preview only |
| Personal | $39.95 |
| Business | $79.95 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: You can only preview recoverable data with the free version.
System requirements: Windows 2000+.
Supported file systems: NTFS, exFAT, FAT12/16/32, HFS, HFS+, ZFS, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, Reiser, Reiser4, UFS.
R-Studio is a commercial data recovery software tool originally designed for use by data recovery professionals. Over time it has become more user-friendly and can now be used by anyone. The tool has versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
R-Studio has extensive recovery options and is a true cross-platform solution. Files can be recovered from any supported operating system regardless of the OS hosting the tool. This feature offers flexibility and eliminates the need to purchase multiple versions of the software. R-Studio recovers data from local and removable disks and machines connected to a LAN or the Internet.
The tool has many advanced features that may not be necessary for the majority of data loss scenarios due to its design for an original audience of data recovery professionals. The company also offers R-Undelete providing a simplified and wizard-driven recovery experience suitable for inexperienced users. Purchasing R-Undelete enables you to upgrade to R-Studio within a year while only paying the difference in price between the two solutions. Some of the application’s advanced features include the ability to create disk images, a multi-language GUI, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring technology.
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Price:
| Free version | Can only recover files less than 256 KB in size |
| FAT | $39.99 |
| NTFS | $47.99 |
| R-Studio | $63.99 |
| Network | $143.99 |
| Technician | $719.20 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: Can only recover files less than 256 KB in size.
System requirements: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP/2000 or Windows Server 2019/2016/2012/2008/2003 / Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or newer / Any kernel 2.6+ Linux distribution capable of installing .rpm or .deb packages.
Supported file systems: NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, HFS/HFS+ and APFS (Macintosh), Little and Big Endian variants of UFS1/UFS2 (FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD/Solaris) and Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 FS (Linux) partitions.
In addition to recovering individual files, MiniTool specializes in complete partition recovery. It is easy to use, making it ideal for users with little experience in data recovery.
The interface of Minitool Photo Recovery provides a three-step data restoration process designed for use by any user. It recovers deleted files from many types of storage devices including hard drives and SD cards. The tool organizes found files by extension type, making it easier to find the items you want.
The "Previous Recovery Result” feature enables multiple recoveries to be performed based on a single full scan of a device. You can scan once and then perform an organized recovery of specific file types at your convenience. Minitool offers recovery of many different file types including all popular image formats. One drawback to the tool is the inability to minimize the window while the program is operating.
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Price:
For Personal Users:
| Trial version | Recover up to 1 GB data |
| Personal Monthly Subscription | $69.00 |
| Personal Annual Subscription | $89.00 |
| Personal Ultimate | $99.00 |
For Business Users:
| Business Standard | $119.00 |
| Business Deluxe | $199.00 |
| Business Enterprise | $399.00 |
| Business Technician | $499.00 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: 1 GB recovery possible with the free version.
System requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 / macOS 10.11 - 11.0.
Supported file systems: FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2/3/4, HFS+, ISO9660, Joliet, UDF.
This tool is often referred to as DMDE and can be used to recover files from any type of storage media. It is designed to resolve problems with complex cases of data loss that other tools may not be able to handle.
This commercial product comes bundled with several freeware components such as a disk editor, partition manager, and a RAID constructor. It is a powerful tool that is meant to be used by individuals with extensive technical data recovery experience. The tool provides satisfactory recovery performance and can recover lost partitions for your Windows machine.
Recovery can be done by file system or file signature when the systems are damaged. NTFS utilities are included that enable you to work with files and directories while bypassing the NTFS driver. While DMDE may not be the easiest tool to use, in the hands of users with technical expertise it is a powerful data recovery solution.
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Price:
| Trial version | Only preview |
| 1-Year Express | $20.00 |
| Unlimited Standard | $48.00 |
| Unlimited Professional | $95.00 |
Limitations on the free/trial version: Only allows a preview of recoverable files.
System requirements: Windows 2K, XP, Vista, 7 and higher / macOS 10.12+ / Latest Linux distributions with libc library.
Supported file systems: NTFS, FAT12/16, FAT32, exFAT, Ext2/3/4, HFS+/HFSX, ReFS, APFS.
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| Recovery Results | |||||||
| Price | $89 | Freeware | $69.95 monthly subscription | $39.95 | $49.99 | $69.00 monthly subscription | $20.00 annual subscription |
| Contract Length | Lifetime upgrades | Freeware, 1 year premium license | Monthly, yearly, lifetime subscriptions | 1 year of free upgrades | Lifetime upgrades | Monthly, yearly, personal ultimate subscriptions | 1 year or unlimited license |
| Latest Update | April 8, 2022 | June 22, 2022 | May 23, 2022 | March 9, 2022 | July 12, 2022 | May 17, 2022 | March 6, 2022 |
| File Preview | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| File Formats | Supports over 400 file formats | Supports only basic file formats | Supports over 1,000 file formats | Most standard file formats | Several hundred file formats | Supports over 100 file types | Supports only basic file formats |
| Additional tools | Drive backup, SMART monitoring, files recovery chances prediction, data protection tools, virtual hard drive support, mount scanning results as a disk | Files recovery chances prediction | ✘ | FTP Export, boot CD, recover deleted files remotely over the network, RAID support, drive backup | Drive backup, SMART monitoring, files recovery chances prediction | Recovery drive | Disk editor, drive backup |
| Product Name | Disk Drill | Recuva | EaseUS | Uneraser | R-Studio | MiniTool | DMDE |
| Scanning Time | 30min | 42min | 25min | 32min | 20min | 39min | 33min |
| Files Found | 450,021 files | 19,358 files | 437,256 files | 290,761 files | 458,001 files | 405,475 files | 202,484 files |
| Found Files Size | 100,65 Gb | 8,12 Gb | 85,04 Gb | 31,79 Gb | 102,01 Gb | 81,31 Gb | 49,99 Gb |
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Prosoft Data Rescue 6 features perhaps the most unique pricing system out of all data recovery apps. You can opt to pay for only the files that you want to recover, ranging from single file retrieval to a batch of a hundred, or an entire drive. Pricing aside, it’s also a very straightforward app with some nifty extra features. The pricing may work against you, however, particularly if you need to use the app often and the demo version doesn’t let you test out the recovery feature. |
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Systools Data Recovery Systools is a capable data recovery solution that does a respectable job of locating and retrieving your lost or compromised information. It scans quickly enough, the app itself is fairly easy to navigate, and the price tag is quite attractive. Problem is, the free version won’t let you recover any information and the program’s UI looks a bit dated compared to a lot of its competitors. Moreover, the preview feature doesn’t seem to work properly when aimed at picture files. |
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Ontrack EasyRecovery Ontrack EasyRecovery has quite a few things going for it. It offers speedy scans, strong recovery results, lots of handy features, and a free version that allows you to recover up to a gigabyte’s worth of lost data, though it’s worth noting that the recovered files need to be smaller than 25MB in size. It has its negatives though, including the fairly expensive price tags across the boards, the not-so intuitive interface, and a preview feature that needs to be enabled first before you can use it. |
