Best Data Recovery Software
Are you looking for a reliable Windows, Mac, or mobile data recovery solution to recover lost files for yourself? Our expert-written reviews, side-by-side comparisons, and up-to-date lists of free versions and discount offers will help you find the most fitting program to restore those all-important files.
Best data recovery software of 2025
Thanks to their in-depth research and testing of different apps, our experts and users have found that the following apps are the best data recovery software of 2025:
Best data recovery software for PC
Editor's choice
Stellar Windows Data Recovery
Simple, straightforward design
Overall great ease of use
Recovery of over 200 file types
Effective deep scans for internal drives
Complete solution
Simple, straightforward user interface
Multiple customizable scanning options
Additional Recovery Vault protection
Free recovery of 500MB data
Beginners
Simplified scanning with built-in wizard
Option to overwrite/destroy data
Other data recovery software for PC
Editor's choice
Stellar Windows Data Recovery
Starting price:
$59.99/unit
Main features
- Simple, straightforward design
- Overall great ease of use
- Recovery of over 200 file types
- Effective deep scans for internal drives
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Simple, straightforward design
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Overall great ease of use
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Recovery of over 200 file types
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Effective deep scans for internal drives
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Increased CPU usage during scans and recovery
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Buggy windows display for multi-monitor users
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Unlimited support only available for one year
Summary
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If a piece of software could rectify the fear we’ve all felt after realizing an important file was deleted, then there’s no other way of looking at them: data recovery programs are real lifesavers. But these programs are worth absolutely nothing if users aren’t even able to use them due to overcomplication. Thankfully, Stellar Windows Data Recovery isn’t a complicated solution at all; its minimal design hides one of the most intuitive and straightforward data recovery tools on the market. Developed by the same India-based company behind Stellar Mac Data Recovery, this program is a multifaceted tool capable of restoring more than 200 file types, creating disc images, and finding lost disc partitions. Stellar’s solution also comes with the option to perform deep scans on the PC’s internal drives, with which everything can be effectively recovered with relative ease. And if that’s not enough, almost all Stellar products can be purchased with a lifetime license and are available for a 30-day risk-free trial to help you be certain that you are picking the best solution for your needs.
Special offers
View offers
Lifetime license for Stellar Professional and Premium
Stellar Platinum software bundle
20% student discount on Stellar Data Recovery
Free edition of Stellar Windows Data Recovery
30-day risk-free trial of Stellar paid products
Complete solution
Disk Drill for Windows
Starting price:
$89/unit
Main features
- Simple, straightforward user interface
- Multiple customizable scanning options
- Additional Recovery Vault protection
- Free recovery of 500MB data
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Simple, straightforward user interface
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Multiple customizable scanning options
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Additional Recovery Vault protection
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Free recovery of 500MB data
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Expensive base price
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Pay-only lifetime upgrades
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Limited customer support
Summary
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When it comes to data recovery solutions, there is a clear pattern that this kind of software goes through: first comes the Windows version followed by the Mac equivalent. With Disk Drill, however, it was the other way around; while the Mac version dates back as far as 2011, Disk Drill wasn’t released for PC until 2015. Despite this, Disk Drill quickly became a market leader and is even now considered one of the best data recovery apps for very good reasons. Disk Drill’s simple and straightforward interface is one thing, but it’s a total powerhouse that crams in numerous impressive scanning and recovery functions. Disk Drill also comes with a clever Recovery Vault feature with which your most important folders receive extra protection against accidental deletion. And not only does Disk Drill have a free version – which even allows users to recover a limited amount of data – but its paid counterpart can be used on multiple computers for as long as you wish.
Special offers
View offers
50% off when upgrading disk drill version
50% discount on Disk Drill for macOS
50% price reduction for switching from competitor
20% off on Disk Drill organizational licenses
Beginners
Recuva
Starting price:
$19.95/unit
Main features
- Simplified scanning with built-in wizard
- Multi-language interface
- Displays file condition
- Option to overwrite/destroy data
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Simplified scanning with built-in wizard
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Multi-language interface
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Displays file condition
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Option to overwrite/destroy data
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Poor performance of default scans
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Unusual appearance
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Annual payment required for priority support
Summary
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When people hear the name Piriform they usually associate it the company’s most popular product, CCleaner. However, Piriform – a subsidiary of Avast and founded in 2005 – has many other solutions up its sleeve for optimizing computer performance and, in the case of Recuva, even provides a tool for recovering lost data. With this software users can recover virtually any kind of file from anywhere, whether that is an internal or external data storage drive. Although the software’s audience is primarily people who aren’t put off by new interfaces and program suites, Recuva manages to cater towards less tech-savvy users as well thanks to easy-to-use extras like the display for file conditions or the option to perform scans via a simplified wizard interface. In addition to that, it also serves as a way of handily destroying files to remove unwanted items from PCs once and for all. And if that’s not convincing enough, Piriform also sports a free version with all of the most important features included, as well as a cheap paid version through which users can make use of priority customer service.
Special offers
View offers
Up to 25% off on Recuva Professional licenses
53% off on Piriform professional software bundle
17% bulk discount on Recuva Business
Recuva forever free edition
30-day risk-free trial of Recuva Professional
Since Windows always hides deleted files deep inside the system, data recovery isn’t a lost cause at all. However, the longer those files stay on the computer, the more likely it is that they’ll be overwritten by newer files – at which point they won’t be recoverable anymore.
This is exactly where Windows data recovery software can help by searching through the hidden parts of drives and partitions until the files in question are located and hopefully restored. However, the beauty of Windows data recovery tools is that they are actually multifaceted programs, capable of performing special types of recovery too, such as salvaging files from a failing drive by copying its content onto a virtual disk image or finding elements on a lost partition.
Data recovery software for PC
Best data recovery software for Mac
Editor's choice
Support for a very long list of file types
Excellent filtering options
Future data loss protection
Beginners
Stellar Mac Data Recovery
Supports multiple file formats
Option to add new formats
Very efficient deep scans
Helps recover the majority of deleted data
iPhone data retrieval
Nice, clean user interface
Ability to filter data from iTunes/iCloud backup
Great customer support via phone and chat
Editor's choice
Disk Drill for Mac
Starting price:
$89/unit
Main features
- Deep and effective scan
- Support for a very long list of file types
- Excellent filtering options
- Future data loss protection
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Deep and effective scan
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Support for a very long list of file types
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Excellent filtering options
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Future data loss protection
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Can't recover files from SSD
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Clean-up utility is confusing
Summary
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If you have ever experienced the moment when your Time Machine drive failed, then you already know what it means to lose the work of a lifetime or important files. No one wants that, and it’s an issue that CleverFiles’ Disk Drill Pro addresses. Thanks to its support for a continuously growing variety of file types and signatures, the data recovery software is very effective on hard drives and can even narrow down the scan results using its neat filters. The company behind the Atlanta, U.S.-based 508 Software takes a clever approach to customers looking for data recovery software: Disk Drill can be downloaded for macOS and Windows for free to check whether the files you are searching for are recoverable. It’s only if this is the case that you are then invited to upgrade to a lifetime license for $89.
Special offers
View offers
$50 discount on Disk Drill Pro
20% discount on a lifetime Disk Drill license
Half price when switching to Disk Drill
Free scans with free version of Disk Drill
Beginners
Stellar Mac Data Recovery
Starting price:
$79.99/yr
Main features
- Supports multiple file formats
- Option to add new formats
- Very efficient deep scans
- Helps recover the majority of deleted data
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Supports multiple file formats
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Option to add new formats
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Very efficient deep scans
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Helps recover the majority of deleted data
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Buggy quick scan
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Processor intensive software
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Requires admin password with each app launch
Summary
View summary
Whether it is data lost from an internal or external hard drive, a Windows Boot Camp partition, or Apple Time Capsule, Stellar Mac Data Recovery will help you get it back. The small but powerful software helps to locate and recover information from corrupted, damaged, or deleted volumes on any common format drive. Developed by Stellar Information Technology, an India-based company founded in 1993, the Stellar Mac Data Recovery application completes the developer’s line of repair and recovery software for Mac, which includes Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone and Stellar JPEG Repair. Although there is still much to do before it is perfected, Stellar Mac Data Recovery Professional is a powerful utility that scans your attached and built-in drives for free, though it isn’t until paying the $99 for a license that the recovery of lost partitions, documents, and multimedia files is enabled.
Special offers
View offers
Just $6.66 per month for recovering lost data
Only $8.33 per month for Premium Data Recovery
Just $149 for Premium Data Recovery for a lifetime
30-day risk-free use of all data recovery features
Endless data recovery scan
iPhone data retrieval
Enigma Recovery
Starting price:
$59.99/unit
Main features
- Nice, clean user interface
- Ability to filter data from iTunes/iCloud backup
- Great customer support via phone and chat
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Nice, clean user interface
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Ability to filter data from iTunes/iCloud backup
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Great customer support via phone and chat
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Creates a temporary but full backup of the iOS device
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Limited usefulness
Summary
View summary
There are times in life when even a solid mobile operating system such as iOS may act up, and in such moments you may face the pain of losing valuable data on your mobile device. Everything is fine if an iTunes or iCloud backup is at hand, but what about the devices that weren’t ever backed up? UK-based Enigma Digital’s data recovery software is available for both Mac and PC, making it one of the many options that users have in such situations. The company claims it has recovered more than 1 billion items, helping 100,000 users in more than 200 countries. The free version of Enigma Recovery works for 14 days and if you are satisfied with the capabilities of the software, then a lifetime license can be bought for as low as $19.99 – a purchase that is protected by Enigma’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
Macs are known for being less prone to the issues that plague Windows users, while extremely helpful functions like Time Machine – which can restore accidentally deleted files in an instant – help reduce the risk of lost data. However, even Macs aren’t immune to hardware failure, and this is especially true for devices that utilize SSDs, which are faster but tougher to recover data from. For this reason, even Mac users are advised to have a data recovery app to hand just in case Time Machine isn’t enough. However, there is more to Mac data recovery tools than just complementing the built-in data recovery feature, they provide more versatile data recovery options including thorough scans, disk health monitoring, the creation of a boot disk, and the option to copy a failing drive’s content over to an image file to protect the disk from taking more damage.
Data recovery software for Mac
Data recovery 101
How data recovery software works
Regardless of the full feature set, the basic principle of any data recovery software is always the same. Whenever data is deleted by a user, it is not actually removed from the storage drive. Instead its space marked as available to reuse, and it isn’t until that space is overwritten by new data that the deleted file is no longer available. This means that if you act within a reasonable time – a matter of hours or days – then the data recovery tool can still find and restore lost data.
Thankfully, operating such a program is child’s play as all it takes is to determine where and what kind of files the software should look for and whether you want a quick scan or a more thorough deep scan. There is also often the option to look for files on lost partitions or to create a virtual image of a drive for recovery purposes to protect a drive that is already failing. Once the scanning process is complete, the search results can often be filtered to help you to pick out and recover the files you lost.
How data recovery software works
Regardless of the full feature set, the basic principle of any data recovery software is always the same. Whenever data is deleted by a user, it is not actually removed from the storage drive. Instead its space marked as available to reuse, and it isn’t until that space is overwritten by new data that the deleted file is no longer available. This means that if you act within a reasonable time – a matter of hours or days – then the data recovery tool can still find and restore lost data.
Thankfully, operating such a program is child’s play as all it takes is to determine where and what kind of files the software should look for and whether you want a quick scan or a more thorough deep scan. There is also often the option to look for files on lost partitions or to create a virtual image of a drive for recovery purposes to protect a drive that is already failing. Once the scanning process is complete, the search results can often be filtered to help you to pick out and recover the files you lost.
Why data recovery software?
Although data recovery is considered to be tampering with the device’s system – which is something experts strongly discourage users from – it’s a reasonable choice for two particular reasons. The first is the price: where a data recovery tool costs between $20 and $100, professional data recovery services will charge hundreds of dollars to revive lost files. Granted, data recovery apps often have to be paid for on an annual basis to continue receiving future software updates and priority customer support, but even then it’s still the cheaper solution.
The other benefit of data recovery software is convenience. Unlike professional services where you have to wait for the evaluation of your case, finding files with a data recovery tool is immediate. In fact, if all your drives are working fine and the deletion of important data occurred only recently, a quick scan with data recovery software is more than enough to bring back missing files. Moreover, the most advanced data recovery solutions are all equipped with professional tools like virtual disk image creation.
Recovery of different types of data
It’s virtually impossible to say exactly how many file types a data recovery app bring back from oblivion as these solutions each handle different file categories, covering documents, audio and video files, emails, and images.
However, since general data recovery tools search for a wide array of files, scans and recovery may take longer than expected, unless the chosen software is advanced enough to allow specific file type searches. Certain data recovery service providers often offer specific recovery tools that focus on recovering particular types of files, whether that is photos, videos, and the like. Granted, these programs do their jobs faster and they are cheaper but the value for money is not as good as a slower yet more thorough general data recovery program – especially if it can search for certain file types.
Free data recovery solutions
Most major data recovery companies provide free versions of their software that demonstrate the scanning capabilities and sometimes even allow the recovery of a limited amount of data. This may seem unfair at first – especially seeing how certain solutions like Recuva can be enjoyed for free without limitations – but there is a reason for this policy. If a demo cannot recover your lost files, then purchasing the paid version would be a waste of money.
Alternatively there is the option to turn to freeware and open-source data recovery apps, but doing so isn’t necessarily the best idea. This is because while these tools are just as capable as data recovery, freeware programs constantly bother users with ads and open-source solutions often lack the professional design and are therefore harder to use.
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