saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

Cloud, Backup & PC

Best data recovery software

Get deleted, formatted or lost files back from a Windows PC, a drive or a memory card. 11 data recovery programs, ranked by points out of 100.

Facts checked 8 Oct 2026 · How we score data recovery programs

Not scored yet: Recuva.

In short

  1. 1
    Stellar Data RecoveryPeople who need partition, BitLocker or photo repair features and accept a paid licence
    75/100
    $59.99/yrcheapest paid licence
  2. 2
    DMDETechnical users who want RAID, imaging and partition tools
    66/100
    $20.13/yrcheapest paid licence
  3. 3
    Tenorshare 4DDiG Windows Data RecoveryPeople who want one program for recovery, bootable rescue and repairing damaged photos
    65/100
    $59.95/yrcheapest paid licence
  4. 4
    R-StudioPeople who need RAID, BitLocker or virtual-disk recovery with a permanent licence
    65/100
    $79.99/yrcheapest paid licence
  5. 5
    TestDisk and PhotoRecPeople who want free recovery with no size limit and can use a text-mode tool
    62/100
    $0cheapest paid licence
  6. 6
    UFS ExplorerPeople recovering from unusual file systems or encrypted drives
    61/100
    $67.06/yrcheapest paid licence
  7. 7
    Disk DrillPeople who want to preview found files and check drive health before paying
    61/100
    $89/yrcheapest paid licence
  8. 8
    EaseUS Data Recovery WizardPeople who want a 2 GB free recovery limit and built-in file repair
    60/100
    $99.95/yrcheapest paid licence
  9. 9
    Wondershare RecoveritPeople who want repair, disk-image and bootable-USB recovery in one program
    58/100
    $99.95/yrcheapest paid licence
  10. 10
    MiniTool Power Data RecoveryPeople who want a perpetual licence and a bootable recovery builder
    50/100
    $89/yrcheapest paid licence
  11. 11
    Windows File RecoveryPeople comfortable with Command Prompt who want a free tool
    36/100
    $0cheapest paid licence

How the points add up

Points earned out of the points available in each part of the method.

ProductPrice
of 26		What it finds
of 20		Drives and systems
of 19		Tools
of 26		Trust and support
of 9		Total
Stellar Data Recovery14161824375
DMDE15121326066
Tenorshare 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery16141121365
R-Studio8121824365
TestDisk and PhotoRec261575962
UFS Explorer10121821061
Disk Drill8141719361
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard12141615360
Wondershare Recoverit8141521058
MiniTool Power Data Recovery12101015350
Windows File Recovery26640036

Each data recovery program in brief

1. Stellar Data Recovery

Stellar suits people who want to preview results before paying and need more than basic undelete: lost partitions, BitLocker drives and bootable media are covered across editions. The free edition saves 1 GB. The catch: the cheapest Standard edition lacks partition recovery, and the refund policy does not list a change of mind among its refund reasons.

Best for: People who need partition, BitLocker or photo repair features and accept a paid licence. Prices, facts and sources

2. DMDE

DMDE suits people who want a RAID constructor, disk images and partition undelete, with licences from €18. The free edition lets you test recovery on up to 4,000 files at a time. The catch: refunds cover only licences you have not activated, and the vendor's pages give no file type count, no BitLocker statement and no link between email support and a licence.

Best for: Technical users who want RAID, imaging and partition tools. Prices, facts and sources

3. Tenorshare 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery

4DDiG suits people who want one Windows recovery tool with a 2 GB free allowance and a bootable rescue option. A one-year licence is $59.95 and a lifetime licence $79.95, both shown before any coupon. The catch: refunds are not given for a change of mind, and one comparison table shows an unlabelled 500 MB figure beside the 2 GB free limit.

Best for: People who want one program for recovery, bootable rescue and repairing damaged photos. Prices, facts and sources

4. R-Studio

R-Studio suits people who need RAID arrays, BitLocker drives, virtual disks or disk imaging. The licence is permanent at $79.99 and includes a year of support and upgrades. The catch: no refunds, a demo that saves files only up to 1 MB, and no published photo or video repair.

Best for: People who need RAID, BitLocker or virtual-disk recovery with a permanent licence. Prices, facts and sources

5. TestDisk and PhotoRec

TestDisk and PhotoRec suit people who want free, open-source recovery with no cap on what they save and who can work in a text interface. They cover lost partitions, formatted drives and many file types. The catch: no photo repair, no file preview and no BitLocker unlocking are published, and the main tools are text-mode programs.

Best for: People who want free recovery with no size limit and can use a text-mode tool. Prices, facts and sources

6. UFS Explorer

UFS Explorer suits people who need to read many file systems or encrypted volumes and want to pay once. The trial scans and previews freely, so you can see what is found first. The catch: the price is in euros, the refund policy is narrow, and RAID arrays need a separate, dearer edition.

Best for: People recovering from unusual file systems or encrypted drives. Prices, facts and sources

7. Disk Drill

Disk Drill suits people who want to see what a scan finds, and to copy a failing disk byte for byte, before paying. It reads many file systems, RAID arrays and BitLocker drives. The catch: the free edition saves only 100 MB, and the terms offer no refund.

Best for: People who want to preview found files and check drive health before paying. Prices, facts and sources

8. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

EaseUS suits people who need to save a few gigabytes free, or who want repair of damaged photos and videos in the same program. It lists RAID, BitLocker and bootable-USB recovery. The catch: a year costs $99.95, and refunds are limited to technical grounds.

Best for: People who want a 2 GB free recovery limit and built-in file repair. Prices, facts and sources

9. Wondershare Recoverit

Recoverit suits people who want one program with repair, RAID recovery, disk images and a bootable USB for a PC that will not start. A perpetual licence is sold. The catch: the cheapest uncapped licence is $99.95, the refund window is only 7 days with no change-of-mind refund, and the free edition saves just 500 MB.

Best for: People who want repair, disk-image and bootable-USB recovery in one program. Prices, facts and sources

10. MiniTool Power Data Recovery

MiniTool suits people who want a perpetual licence and a WinPE bootable builder, with a free edition that previews before purchase. It lists RAID, exFAT and CD/DVD media. The catch: its own help says BitLocker drives must be decrypted first, and refunds exclude change of mind.

Best for: People who want a perpetual licence and a bootable recovery builder. Prices, facts and sources

11. Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery suits people who accept a command-line tool in return for no cost and no stated data cap. It covers NTFS, FAT and exFAT and has a signature mode that works from file headers. The catch: there is no graphical interface, and the support page says nothing about lost partitions, BitLocker, disk images or previews.

Best for: People comfortable with Command Prompt who want a free tool. Prices, facts and sources

Every fact, side by side

Each row is one rule of the method and the points it is worth. "–" means the vendor does not publish it, which earns nothing.

Rule (points)Stellar Data RecoveryDMDETenorshare 4DDiG Windows Data RecoveryR-StudioTestDisk and PhotoRecUFS ExplorerDisk DrillEaseUS Data Recovery WizardWondershare RecoveritMiniTool Power Data RecoveryWindows File Recovery
Free recovery limit (9)1–2–100–0.120.51100
Cheapest paid licence (11)$59.99/yr$20.13/yr$59.95/yr$79.99/yr$0$67.06/yr$89/yr$99.95/yr$99.95/yr$89/yr$0
One-time licence (3)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Money-back period (3)03000300000030
Signature (raw) scan (6)YesYes–YesYesYesYes–––Yes
Lost partition recovery (6)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
File types listed (4)––2000–480–350100010002000–
Repairs damaged photos or videos (4)Yes–Yes––––YesYes––
Drives and media (6)5 of 64 of 64 of 65 of 64 of 65 of 64 of 64 of 63 of 64 of 63 of 6
File systems beyond NTFS and FAT32 (4)4 of 44 of 43 of 44 of 43 of 44 of 44 of 43 of 43 of 41 of 41 of 4
BitLocker drives (4)Yes–YesYes–YesYesYesYesNo–
RAID recovery (5)YesYes–Yes–YesYesYesYesYes–
Disk image before recovery (6)YesYesYesYes–YesYes–Yes––
Bootable recovery media (5)YesYesYesYes–Yes–YesYesYes–
Preview before you pay (7)YesYesYesYes–YesYesYesYesYes–
Pause and resume a scan (3)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–
Drive health check (3)YesYes–Yes––Yes––––
Runs without installing (2)–Yes–NoYes––––––
Open source (6)No–––YesNoNo–No––
Support with a paid licence (3)Yes–YesYesYes–YesYes–Yes–

Head to head

We read each vendor's own pages, record every fact with its source and date, and score it by the rules on how we score data recovery programs. A tie goes to the lower price. Recovery programs for individuals that run on Windows and recover from NTFS and FAT32. Business-only tools, RAID-only tools, disk partition managers and cloud or backup services are left out. Edition lines count the editions sold to individuals on the vendor's own website; command-line tools are listed and score low on convenience lines. Vendor claims about speed or quality are shown on product pages but never scored. Prices are in US dollars before tax.