10 Best Data Recovery Software For Mac, Windows, and Linux-based PCs

Summary: Having the best data recovery software can be a lifesaver in a data loss disaster. With so many options available, it’s important to research and choose the right tool for you. Let’s discover the best data recovery software available on the market.

Did you just realize that you had deleted or lost some files, somewhere? What to do now? It’s evident that all you really want to do when your file/data is gone is to get it back somehow, that too as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

What is Data Recovery Software?

Essentially, data recovery is the process of salvaging or restoring inaccessible, corrupted, or deleted data from a storage device. This is where you need fully-featured data recovery software.

Data recovery software retrieves your data quickly and easily by reviewing, scanning, identifying, extracting, and copying data. It uses a user-defined location within the storage device or from deleted, formatted, and corrupted sectors.

List of 10 Best Data Recovery Software in 2024

Use any of these data recovery tools to recover documents, images, video, music/audio files, and much more.

• Recuva
• Wise Data Recovery
• Undelete360
• FreeUndelete
• Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home
• WinHex
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
• Disk Drill
• Stellar Data Recovery
• MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Let’s have a look at the list of the best data recovery software tools to retrieve your files and data.

1. Recuva

It is a powerful tool that helps recover data and deleted files from your Windows computer, digital camera card, recycle bin or even your MP3 player.

To get superior file recovery and recover almost anything from documents, music, pictures, emails, videos, Recuva recovers every type of file you’ve lost.

Features of Recuva Data Recovery

• With Greater flexibility, this software can conveniently recover files from damaged and newly formatted drives.
• The advanced deep scan mode of this software finds files that are otherwise almost impossible to retrieve.
• It supports all Windows versions from XP through Windows 8.1 and has both free as well as paid versions. Recuva Professional is available for approx. INR 1400.

Free Version: Yes

System Supported: Windows and MacOS.

File systems supported: Drives with the NTFS, FAT, and exFAT file system formats

Pricing: Recuva has both free as well as paid versions. Yearly subscription of Recuva Professional is available for ₹690 (inclusive GST).

Pros and Cons of Recuva

2. Wise Data Recovery

A free data recovery software, Wise helps you retrieve deleted documents, photos, emails, videos, etc. from your removable or local drives.

Solve all your data loss problems with this software. So, whether you lost any files, deleted files accidentally, faced a system crash, or formatted a drive, don’t panic.

Wise Data Recovery Features

• The software retrieves lost files from USB drive, external hard drive, hard drive, memory card, digital camera, MP3 player, mobile phone, and other storage media.
• It supports to recover data from NTFS disk, exFAT, FAT (FAT12, FAT16, FAT32).
• Additionally, the software saves you time as it scans in seconds. All you need to do before scanning is to select your recovery file type in keywords to narrow down search results.

Free Version: Yes

Systems Supported: Windows and Mac

File systems supported: FAT, NTFS, HFS, HFS+, HFSX, Ext2, and Ext3

Pricing: You can recover 2GB data for free. Annual pricing for pro version starts at INR 4552.03/ PC.

Pros and Cons of Wise Data Recovery Software

3. Undelete360

As the name suggests, Undelete360 recovers all files that you accidentally removed from your computer, digital camera, flash drive, memory card, Recycle Bin, etc.

Undelete360 Features

• Undelete 360 is a free tool that has the “Recover Files” tool. So, for those of you wanting to get back your deleted files, simply stay on this tab to highlight the disk drive, and then start searching.
• Another interesting tool the software includes is a “Wipe Files” tool that helps you securely delete files beyond recovery.
• Undelete 360 has a blue theme and ribbon-style toolbar to remind you about a Microsoft Office application.

Free Version: Yes

System Supported: Windows

File systems supported: DOC, XLS, RTF, PDF, PPT, MDB, HTML, CSV, TXT, PAS, CPP, and EML

Pricing: You can opt for a professional or ultimate plan. Pricing for the professional version starts at INR 3037.01.

Pros and Cons of Undelete360

4. FreeUndelete

Use this free data recovery program to recover files that get accidentally deleted on FAT32 and NTFS file systems.

FreeUndelete Features

• This software holds the ability to restore deleted files, including the files removed from Windows Recycle Bin.
• The data restoration process doesn’t require any special knowledge or training. In fact, data restoration through FreeUndelete software is a fully automatic process.
• With the software’s search tool, you can instantly filter the results. These results can be sorted by the file name, size, date created, extension, folder, date modified, and recoverability status.

Free Version: Yes

Supported System: Windows

File systems supported: NTFS 1.0, NTFS 2.0, FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32.

Pricing: The software is free for personal use. Pricing for the Standard version starts at INR 5242.36.

Pros and Cons of FreeUndelete

5. Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home

Using this software, back up your entire hard drive and essential files, and then restore files from the backup tool when needed.

The software provides you with a dashboard that offers several options to choose from. Simply burn a CD/USB Backup, complete a Windows Recovery, Disk Image, and Clone, or a Password Recovery.

Features of Lazesoft

• Lazesoft Disk Image and Clone has a Clone, Disk Backup, and Partition Manager.
• Use Lazesoft Data Recovery to recover data from damaged, deleted, formatted drive/disk/partition.
• Lazesoft Recover My Password allows for Windows Password Recovery.

Free Version: Yes

Supported System: Windows

File systems supported: N/A

Pricing of Lazesoft: Business License for data recovery professional version starts at INR 3038.29.

Pros and Cons of Lazesoft

6. WinHex

Compatible with Windows, this software can be used as an advanced hexadecimal editor in computer forensics, WinHex efficiently handles data analysis, editing, and recovery.

Features of WinHex

• You can also consider it a good option for data wiping, low-level data processing, IT security, and gathering evidence.
• Moreover, use this software to inspect and edit all kinds of files and recover lost data or deleted files from hard drives that have corrupt file systems. You can also recover files from digital camera cards using this comprehensive software.
• There’s more. Use this software to read and edit hard drives, CD-ROMs, floppy disks, DVDs, and other media. The software has an evaluation version that is available for a free trial.

Free Version: Yes

Supported System: Windows

File systems supported: FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, Next3®, CDFS, UDF

Pricing: The software has an evaluation version that is available for a free trial. Pricing starts at INR 9,989 per year.

Pros and Cons of WinHex

7. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

Back up your data easily and enjoy a high level of data security with EaseUS data recovery wizard and that too for free.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Features

• Simply use this software to recover deleted, lost, or formatted data from your PC, laptop, and other removable devices.
• Let’s say your hard drive gets corrupted and becomes inaccessible. In such a situation, EaseUS data recovery free helps you find that data again.
• Let’s say your hard drive gets corrupted and becomes inaccessible. In such a situation, EaseUS data recovery free helps you find that data again.

Free Version: Yes

Supported System: Windows and Mac

File systems supported: 1000+ file types, including NTFS, Zip, PPT, etc.

Pricing: The app MobiSaver is free to install. In-app purchases start at INR 379.12 per item.

Pros and Cons of EaseUs

8. Disk Drill

Recover your lost files with this free advanced file recovery software that rids you of the anxiety caused due to a missing file.

Simply download Disk Drill for free on your Windows 7, 8 or 10 (XP and Vista), and click “Recover” to get all your files back.

Features of Disk Drill

• Disk Drill can accomplish free file recovery from NTFS, FAT32, EXT, HFS+, and other file systems.
• Not only this, you can quickly restore music, pictures, videos, documents, and all other lost documents, using this software.
• The software has Recovery Vault enabled, which provides you additional protection for all your sensitive locations.

Free Version: Yes

Supported System: Windows and Mac

File systems supported: All file types supported

Pricing: The basic version with up to 500MB recovery is free. It has Pro and Enterprise paid plans. Pricing starts at INR 4010.82.

Pros and Cons of Disk Drill

9. Stellar Data Recovery

With Stellar data recovery software, you can perform a general search for any deleted file. You can also narrow the field to MS Office documents, photos, emails, videos, etc.

Stellar Data Recovery Features

• Recovers data from any storage device, including memory cards, pen drives, hard drives, etc.
• Also, the software recovers for you any deleted, hidden, or lost data from virus-infected storage media, and Windows systems.
• Free of cost data recovery software Stellar can quickly recover up to 1GB of lost data from either deleted and formatted or corrupt partitions.

Free Version: Yes

Supported Systems: Windows and Mac

File systems supported: Supports all file types and systems

Pricing of Stellar Data Recovery Tool: It has a free version that offers up to 1GB of free data recovery. For paid plans, you have three options- Professional, Premium, and Technician. Pricing starts at INR 4499/ 30 days.

Pros and Cons of Stellar Data Recovery

10. MiniTool Power Data Recovery

A useful data recovery solution designed to recover all sorts of lost, corrupted, or deleted data, MiniTool Power is compatible with Windows 7,8,10.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery Features

• It can recover data damaged drives, digital media, CD, DVD, corrupted or lost partition, including several other locations.
• Has a colorful and straightforward user interface that supports large buttons for its five modules.
• Can recover partitions up to 1GB. However, it has paid versions too.

Free Version: Yes

Supported Systems: Windows and Mac

File systems supported: 70+ file types supported, including Zip, PST, and EMLX

MiniTool Pricing: MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition can recover partitions up to 1GB. However, it has paid versions with a starting price of INR 5242.36 too.

Pros and Cons of MiniTool

Types of Data Recovery Software

There are several types of data recovery software that can help retrieve your lost files.

• Tape recovery: This software is designed specifically to recover data from tapes, such as those used in backup systems.
• Hard drive recovery: This is the most used recovery software type that can help recover data from a malfunctioning or damaged hard drive.
• Removable recovery: This software can recover data from removable storage devices like USB drives, memory cards, and external hard drives.
• Optical recovery: It is designed to recover data from CDs, DVDs, and other optical media.
• Digital recovery software: This software is useful for recovering data from digital devices like cameras, smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players.

Features of Data Recovery Software

Data recovery software comes with a variety of features that make data recovery easier and more effective. Some of the common key features of data recovery software include:

• Deep Scanning: Data recovery software with deep scan capability can recover data that has been lost due to severe file system damage or formatting.
• File Preview: Data recovery software should allow you to preview recovered files before saving them.
• Device Compatibility: The software should be compatible with different file systems and storage devices like USB, Hard Drives etc.
• Multiple File System Support: The best data recovery software can recover files from different file system formats like NTFS, FAT, exFAT, etc.
• User-friendly Interface: A user-friendly interface makes the software useful even for non-technical users.
• File Filters: Advanced data recovery software comes with file filters that allow users to search for specific file types or names.
• Multiple OS Support: A good data recovery software often supports all operating systems like macOS, Windows, Linux, Android etc.
• Customer Support: Good customer support can help you resolve any issues you may encounter while using the software.

How Does Data Recovery Software Work?

Data recovery software is a crucial tool for businesses and individuals alike. In the event of an unexpected data loss, such as a hard drive crash or accidental deletion, data recovery software can help retrieve lost files and prevent data loss. But how exactly does this software work?

Data recovery software works by scanning storage devices for traces of lost or deleted data. When you delete a file from your computer, it’s not erased from the hard drive. Instead, the space occupied by that file is marked as available for new data to be written over it. Data recovery software works by identifying and reconstructing these deleted files so they can be accessed again.

 Conclusion

To sum up, data recovery software makes possible the recovery of deleted, corrupted, or inaccessible data from a storage device.

Data recovery software is a must for most businesses these days. Thus, you must look at the list of software provided here to opt for the one that best meets your requirements.

 FAQs