Data Recovery Software for PC Comparison

Data recovery features to look for

Although the term ‘data recovery software’ will seem obvious at first, it’s actually an umbrella term for different solutions. As such, the very first thing to decide when opting for such a tool is the purpose it is needed for, since some apps can only recover specific file types – images, audio, or emails, for instance – while general data recovery software is intended for restoring all kinds of data from functioning or failing drives.

In fact, it’s the ability to find virtually anything that makes these tools a must-have, but some of these apps can even perform scans based on specific file types, too. Only once the purpose has been determined should you focus your attention to the software’s general appearance, because even if it isn’t appealing at first, so long as it delivers the results and is straightforward and easy to use then having an attractive look isn’t that important.

Additionally, the chosen program should provide deep scans either as the default option or as something that can be selected manually, because this scan type delivers the best results. A decent data recovery tool should also be able to recover data from various types of drives – including internal and external HDDs, flash drives, and memory cards – as well as provide features like the option to search through files based on different criteria or preview files before restoring.

As for utilities – additional functions that don’t affect scanning or recovery – there is no need to panic if the data recovery tool you’ve chosen doesn’t contain any of these extras. However, there is a good reason why we mention them in our reviews because certain utilities like recovery from disc images, finding lost partitions, or the option to create a boot disc can be useful in more complex situations where neither regular nor deep scans can help.

Pricing of data recovery solutions

Since data recovery solutions can come in handy at any time – since there is no drive that is immune to failing – companies rarely offer this kind of service on a short-term basis. In fact, when you purchase a license, the software is usually yours forever, provided that it’s used on only one computer at the time. However, in most cases this lifetime license needs to be renewed on an annual basis in order to maintain priority support or receive software updates.

Thankfully, users in need of multiple licenses can buy in bulk for a discounted price, though even in this situation paying annually for software updates and priority support cannot be avoided. However, while the prices of these programs may seem a bit too much, they are still significantly cheaper than on-premise data recovery services, the prices of which can easily reach hundreds of dollars per drive.

Data recovery software has huge differences in their various refund policies, too. In many cases money back-guarantees are shorter than is typical with similar services and most of the time they are only applicable in cases where the user encounters a software malfunction. Since money-back guarantees for data recovery software have such strict terms, companies usually offer a free yet limited demo of their solutions, allowing users to at least see whether or not the app is capable of detecting their lost files. Simply put, these demos ensure that you won’t spend money on solutions that won’t actually be able to help you.

Free data recovery tools

Admittedly, it’s rather easy to find free data recovery tools – whether they are commercially-sold or developed by an online community – but in the vast majority of cases free solutions are always limited in one way or another. The only exception to this rule is Piriform’s Recuva, where it’s not necessary to use the paid version unless you want to receive software updates and free, unlimited technical support for a year of use. However, Recuva’s user interface isn’t the most pleasant, which is often the same problem for open-source data recovery solutions too.

As such, the only way to enjoy advanced data recovery functions and straightforward user interfaces is by opting for the free versions of commercially-sold data recovery tools. But even if it is possible to perform unlimited scans with these free apps, the most important feature is of course data recovery and this is usually limited or is completely blocked.

As mentioned before, these free versions are essentially the only way that professional data recovery solutions can be tried for free and without risk, because once a user pays for the full version of the chosen software, there is rarely any turning back. Remember that the free versions of professional apps will already reveal whether the detected files are recoverable or not and if they aren’t, then it’s very likely that the paid version won’t be able to help either.