Updated on:Jul 5, 2022
Disk Drill is a complete data recovery package designed to quickly and painlessly recover deleted partitions or deleted files from your Mac’s internal drives as well as various peripherals, including iOS and Android devices.
Overall Experience:
There are many file recovery software solutions for Mac, but only a few feel like true Mac apps. And out of those that are designed in accordance with Apple’s GUI guidelines, a small fraction delivers satisfactory results. Disk Drill is the best free file recovery software for Mac because it offers professional data recovery features in a sleek package.
With Disk Drill, it doesn’t matter what type of file you want to recover and from which device. This file recovery software supports hundreds of file formats and all commonly used storage devices, including Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
Regardless of whether you need to recover a single document from your system drive or thousands of pictures from a memory card, it always takes just one click on the Recover button to get the job done. To reassure you that you’re recovering the right files, Disk Drill can preview the same file formats as your Mac.
Included for free in the basic version of Disk Drill are Recovery Vault and Guaranteed Recovery, two handy data protection features that allow Disk Drill to monitor your file deletion activity and retain metadata so that you can quickly and easily recover any deleted file with 100% success rate.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.6 and newer.
Supported Languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish.
Price: Free version allows only preview files.
| Disk Drill PRO | $89.00 |
| Disk Drill Enterprise | $499 |
| Upgrade | 50% OFF |
| Education | 20% OFF |
TestDisk is a free and open-source file recovery software application created by Christophe Grenier. While its main purpose is to recover lost partitions and fix boot issues, it can also be used to recover deleted files.
Overall Experience:
TestDisk is an open-source, freeware file recovery software application licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. It runs on many operating systems, including the newest versions of macOS (the users of macOS Catalina can install TestDisk via Homebrew, but there are some known issues). It was originally intended to recover lost partitions and fix boot issues, but its developers have gradually turned it into the multi-purpose file recovery software it is today.
Despite being completely free, TestDisk supports most file formats and file systems, including FAT16 and FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS, HFS+, ext2/3/4, LVM and LVM2, ReiserFS, and others. Unfortunately, not all file systems are supported equally well, so some can be repaired and recovered, while others can only be scanned for lost partitions.
But the biggest limitation of TestDisk, at least for regular users, is its command-line user interface. Not that the interface is unreasonably complicated or unintuitive, but less experienced users tend to feel intimidated by it. If you’re among those who are afraid of command-line applications, we recommend you read the official documentation before you throw in the towel.
Advantages:
Open-source and free
Reliable recovery results
Runs on many platforms
Disadvantages:
Command-line user interface
Geared toward experienced users and professionals
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.6 and newer.
Supported Languages: English.
Price: Free
iBoysoft Data Recovery is a comprehensive and easy-to-use data recovery tool with versions available for Mac and Windows machines.
Overall Experience:
Recovering data with iBoysoft is a simple activity that can easily be performed by any Mac user. It involves an intuitive three-step process where you scan a selected device, preview its recoverable data, and choose what you want to recover. Scan results can be saved and reloaded, allowing you to complete data recovery at your leisure. A free download of the tool allows users to recover 1 GB of data and see how they like the product.
The tool supports over 1000 different file types for recovery covering virtually any data found on your Mac. It is compatible with just about all disk-based storage devices including external hard drives, removable USB storage devices, and SD cards. iBoysoft can help users recover from multiple data loss scenarios including accidentally formatting a disk, inadvertently deleting files, or emptying the Trash. It enables speedy data recovery on the newest Macs and MacBooks. iBoysoft provides professional-grade recovery capabilities in a tool designed to be easy enough for beginners to use.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.9 and newer.
Supported Languages: English, French.
Price: Free version allows 1 GB recovery.
| 1-month license | $89.95 |
| 1-year license | $99.95 |
| Lifetime license | $169.95 |
File recovery is a complicated process, but iSkysoft Data Recovery makes it simple with its user-friendly interface and three-step recovery process.
Overall Experience:
iSkysoft Data Recovery supports any type of storage device that uses a common Mac, Windows, or Linux file system. It runs on Mac OS X 10.6 and newer and can be used to recover photos, documents, music files, and just about any other type of file found on your Mac.
One of the main goals of its developers is to make iSkysoft Data Recovery so intuitive that even users who have never recovered files before can launch it and instantly figure it out. We can say that this goal has been accomplished nearly perfectly. File recovery with iSkysoft Data Recovery requires just three simple steps, and the application makes it abundantly clear where you need to click next to get your files back.
With the free version of iSkysoft Data Recovery, you can recover up to 1 GB of data. To unlock unlimited recovery, you need to purchase one of the three available licenses, which start at $79.95.
Advantages:
Sleek user interface
Recovers hundreds of file formats
Translated into a dozen of languages
Disadvantages:
Can recover only 1 GB of data for free
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.6 - macOS 10.14.
Supported Languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Dutch.
Price: Free version allows 1 GB recovery.
| Essential | $79.95 |
| Standard | $99.95 |
| Advanced | $119.95 |
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an incredibly capable file recovery program that excels at being easy to use for both tech-savvy users and newcomers. It’s chock-full of features, looks good, and gets the job done with minimal effort on your part.
Overall Experience:
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an excellent data recovery option for Mac machines, offering a user interface that’s both aesthetically pleasing and accessible to both novices and veterans alike. It’s not all looks either. The app is capable of retrieving files from a healthy range of Mac-based storage devices and file systems, including fusion drives and even Time Machine backups.
It also comes with some excellent features, including a file filter that helps you easily narrow down results, a bootable media option that helps you get back files even if your operating system won’t start up, and a “Recover to Cloud” feature that allows you to save retrieved files directly to Cloud storage.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard may be too pricey for some and its scans are slower than much of the competition, but these are minor tradeoffs to an otherwise fantastic data recovery app.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.9 and newer.
Supported Languages: 20 different languages.
Price:
| Monthly | $89.95 |
| Annual | $119.95 |
| Lifetime Upgrades | $169.95 |
R-Studio is a more technical offering for Mac systems that’s geared towards advanced users looking for a robust and feature-filled data recovery program. In the right hands, it has all the tools you’d need to recover lost information.
Overall Experience:
R-Studio is by no means a simple data recovery solution and requires tech-savvy hands to fully take advantage of the app. But if you know what you’re doing, this program offers a top-tier list of excellent tools and features, including advanced recovery algorithms, a built-in hex editor, imaging capabilities, network recovery, and more.
It also boasts superb recovery rates and speedy scans. Unfortunately, the overly complicated user interface may be a detriment to newbie users looking for a straightforward experience and the scarcity of available documentation makes the learning curve even steeper.
But if you think you have the technical know-how to fully utilize the app, then R-Studio will prove to be one of the best data recovery solutions in the business.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.5 and newer.
Supported Languages: 9 different languages.
Price:
| R-Studio for Mac | $79.99 |
| R-Studio Technician | $899.00 |
| R-Studio T80+ for Mac | $80.00 |
| R-Studio Corporate for Mac | $179.99 |
Exif Untrasher is a free Mac file recovery software tool that was developed with a single purpose in mind: to recover JPEG images from physical storage devices and disk images.
Overall Experience:
Developed by software developer Carsten Blüm, Exif Untrasher is the most straightforward free file recovery software that we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to all Mac users. It’s designed to painlessly recover JPEG images from physical storage devices and disk images. Yes, this file recovery software doesn’t support any other image file formats, so you better look elsewhere if you need to recover documents or videos.
Because Exif Untrasher does just one thing, it can do it exceptionally well. To recover images with it, you simply select a physical storage device or disk image, specify the destination folder, and start the recovery process.
Exif Untrasher runs on Mac OS X 10.10 or higher and is localized in English, German, French, and Italian. You can download it directly from the developer’s website and install it just like you would any other third-party Mac application.
Advantages:
Freeware
Extremely easy to use
Disadvantages:
It can only recover JPEG files
Supported Mac OSs: Mac OS X 10.10 - macOS 10.15.
Supported Languages: English.
Price: Free
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| Recovery Results | |||||||
| Price | $89 | Freeware | $89.95 | $79.95 annual subscription | $89.95 monthly subscription | $79.99 | Freeware |
| Mac OS support | Mac OS X 10.5 - macOS 12 | Mac OS X 10.5 - macOS 10.14 | Mac OS X 10.9 - macOS 11 | Mac OS X 10.6 - macOS 10.15 | Mac OS X 10.9 and newer | Mac OS X 10.5 and newer | Mac OS X 10.10 and newer |
| Demo avaiable | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Modern interface | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Data Protection Tools | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Payment Options | PayPal, Credit Card, Wire Transfer | ✘ | PayPal, Credit Card | PayPal, Credit Card | PayPal, Credit Card, Wire Transfer | PayPal, Credit Card | ✘ |
We considered multiple characteristics of the data recovery solutions chosen for our list. Examining a single factor may not be enough to determine which solution is the right one for your data loss situation. Following are the attributes of the competing software solutions that influenced our decision and may steer you toward a specific application.
How to Recover the Emptied Trash on your Mac without Much Effort
3 Proven Techniques to Recover Deleted Videos on Mac
How to Easily Recover Data From a Deleted Partition on Mac
How to Recover Replaced Files on Mac (Best 4 Methods)
How to Recover Deleted Files from an SD Card on Mac
3 Great Methods to Recover Deleted Folder on a Mac
Here’s How to Recover Data from a Flash Drive on Mac
How to Recover Deleted Emails on Mac: an Ultimate Guide
The amount of money it will cost to recover data from a Mac varies widely based on the method and product used to perform the recovery. Assuming that you do not have a backup of the data and the lost files are not in the Trash, you essentially have three options.
Freeware - You might be able to recover your lost data for free using a freeware solution. If you choose this route, be prepared for inconsistent recovery results and the possibility that you will be using a very basic or command-line interface.
Commercial software - Reliable commercial data recovery products can be obtained for under $100 and offer a much more intuitive and consistent recovery experience compared to freeware alternatives.
Data recovery service - When data recovery software fails, the professionals at a data recovery service may be able to restore your data. This is the most expensive method and can cost several hundred or thousands of dollars.
To recover files using Mac terminal:
Apple has included a built-in data backup and recovery program called Time Machine in all modern Mac operating systems. Using this app allows you to create regular backups of all the files in your machine, which you can later use to restore any data that may have been accidentally deleted or lost. The catch, of course, is that you need to consistently create backups on a designated driver to ensure that you have a source to recover files from.
You can enlist the help of a free data retrieval software or one that has a generous trial version. A couple of good choices are iBoyssoft and iSkysoft, both of which have a trial edition with a 1GB data recovery limit. Alternatively, if your files were just recently deleted, you can check your machine’s Trash Can to see if they’re still there. Apple’s Time Machine tool is another good way to retrieve deleted files, assuming you keep regular backups.
If you’ve just mistakenly deleted some files from your Mac machine, you can quickly undo this by hitting the Command + Z keys simultaneously. This command reverses your most recent action. Also, deleted files are usually sent to the Trash Can first before you manually erase them for good, so it’s worth checking there to see if you can find the data you’re looking for.
