Best Data Recovery Software 2026: 5 Tools Compared

Before any software: stop, don't overwrite, recover to another drive

When a file is deleted or a card is quick-formatted, the data normally stays on the disk until new data is written over it. Every photo you take on the same SD card, every download to the same drive and even installing recovery software onto that drive can overwrite what you want back. Stop using the device as soon as you notice the loss, install the recovery program on a different drive, and always save recovered files to a different drive than the one you are scanning.

SSDs are harder. Most modern SSDs use TRIM, which lets the drive erase deleted blocks in the background, so files deleted from an internal SSD may be unrecoverable within minutes regardless of the software. SD cards, USB sticks and hard drives usually give you better odds.

Software cannot fix hardware. If a hard drive clicks, grinds or beeps, is not detected at all, or has been dropped or wet, switch it off and contact a professional data recovery service. Repeated scans can finish off a failing drive. If a drive is slow or throws read errors but still works, make a full disk image first — Disk Drill and R-Studio both offer this — and scan the image instead of the drive.

Use the free version to check before you pay

All five programs let you scan and preview found files before paying, and this is the most useful step in choosing one. If a photo or document previews correctly, it is very likely recoverable; if the preview is broken or empty, buying a licence will not change that.

The free recovery allowances differ a lot, according to the developers' own pages: EaseUS allows up to 2GB on Windows, Stellar up to 1GB on Windows and Mac, Recoverit up to 500MB on Windows, and Disk Drill 100MB on Windows, while its free Mac edition is mainly for scanning and previewing. R-Studio's demo only recovers files up to 1024KB, which covers documents but not most photos or videos. For a handful of lost documents, a free version may be all you need.

Guided wizard or expert tool: who each one suits

Recoverit, EaseUS, Stellar and Disk Drill are built for people who have never recovered a file before: pick a drive, scan, filter by file type, preview, recover. Recoverit and EaseUS add repair tools for corrupted photos and videos, which helps when files come back but will not open. Disk Drill shows an estimated recovery chance for each file, which makes large scan results easier to sort.

R-Studio is a different kind of tool. It supports a wide range of file systems across Windows, Mac and Linux, rebuilds RAID arrays, includes a hex editor and can recover over a network. It is powerful, but the interface assumes you know what a partition, a file system and a sector are. If those terms are unfamiliar, start with one of the others.

Monthly, yearly or lifetime: read what the licence covers

Most data loss is a one-off event, so a one-month licence is often the cheapest way to finish the job. Recoverit's monthly and annual plans renew automatically until cancelled, so cancel once you are done. EaseUS lists its one-month and one-year licences as having no renewal fees.

Lifetime licences are not all equal. Recoverit's perpetual plan covers the major version you bought, not future major versions, and its Windows licence activates on two PCs that cannot be changed later. EaseUS's lifetime option includes free upgrades but covers one computer. A Disk Drill PRO licence covers Mac and Windows on up to three devices, but CleverFiles states that purchases are non-refundable except where the law requires it. R-Studio sells permanent licences that can be transferred between your computers, and Stellar offers each edition as either a 1-year or lifetime licence.