Best Free Data Recovery Software 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Data Recovery Software compared: TestDisk and PhotoRec, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Cloud Storage & Backup
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TestDisk and PhotoRec | Free (Fully free, no recovery cap stated) | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD | Lost partitions and large recoveries | Docs only |
| EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard | Free (Free edition recovers up to 2 GB per the product page (user reviews on the page mention 1 GB)) | Windows, macOS | A small folder of lost files | Docs only |
| Disk Drill | Free (Free Basic edition scans and previews recoverable files; recovering files needs PRO); paid from $89 per year (Pro one-year subscription) | Windows, macOS | Checking what is recoverable | Docs only |
| Stellar Data Recovery | Free (Up to 1 GB recovery on Windows and Mac; up to 10 files on iPhone and Android); paid from $59.99 per year (Windows Standard edition) | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Phones and small recoveries | Docs only |
| Recuva | Free (Free edition available; see the vendor page for its limits) | Windows | Undeleting recent files on Windows | Docs only |
| Windows File Recovery | Free (Free command-line app from the Microsoft Store; the support page states no price) | Windows | Windows users comfortable with commands | Docs only |
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Good fit if
- A partition vanished or a drive will not mount (TestDisk and PhotoRec is the pick)
- You deleted a folder of photos and want a quick scan (EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the pick)
- You want to check recoverability before paying (Disk Drill is the pick)
- You lost files on a phone (Stellar Data Recovery is the pick)
- You want a Microsoft-made tool with no installer hunting (Windows File Recovery is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
Free data recovery tools make a promise that is easy to misread, so read the cap before you scan. Several well-known products let you scan and preview for free but charge before they save anything, or cap recovery at a small amount. Disk Drill's Basic edition previews recoverable files but needs PRO to recover them, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard's free edition recovers up to 2 GB per its product page, and Stellar's free edition recovers up to 1 GB on Windows and Mac. TestDisk is the exception: it is GPL software with no recovery cap, and it can restore lost partitions and boot sectors as well as undelete files, but it is a text-mode tool and takes patience. Windows File Recovery from Microsoft is also free and command-line only. The deciding trade-off is ease against limits. If you need back one folder of photos, a capped graphical tool may be enough. If you need a whole drive, the free cap runs out fast and TestDisk is the realistic free route. Two rules matter more than any product: stop using the affected drive immediately, because new writes overwrite deleted data, and recover files to a different drive than the one you are scanning.
TestDisk and PhotoRec
GPL v2 or later with no recovery cap stated. It repairs partitions and boot sectors and undeletes files on FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext2, but it is text-mode and harder to learn than the graphical tools.
Price: Free (Fully free, no recovery cap stated) (TestDisk and PhotoRec pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD. GPL v2 or later (open source).
Best for: Lost partitions and large recoveries.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
Free edition recovers up to 2 GB per the product page, though user reviews on the page mention 1 GB. Windows and Mac are separate products and no paid prices were shown.
Price: Free (Free edition recovers up to 2 GB per the product page (user reviews on the page mention 1 GB)) (EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: A small folder of lost files.
Disk Drill
The free Basic edition scans and previews recoverable files, but recovering them needs PRO at $89 a year or a $149 lifetime license. Useful to check whether a file is recoverable before paying.
Price: Free (Free Basic edition scans and previews recoverable files; recovering files needs PRO); paid from $89 per year (Pro one-year subscription) (Disk Drill pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Checking what is recoverable.
Compare: Disk Drill alternatives
Stellar Data Recovery
Free edition recovers up to 1 GB on Windows and Mac and up to 10 files on iPhone and Android. Windows paid editions start at $59.99 a year.
Price: Free (Up to 1 GB recovery on Windows and Mac; up to 10 files on iPhone and Android); paid from $59.99 per year (Windows Standard edition) (Stellar Data Recovery pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Phones and small recoveries.
Recuva
Free Windows edition with recovery limits; check the vendor page for the current cap. A well-known simple tool for undeleting recent files from a drive or card.
Price: Free (Free edition available; see the vendor page for its limits) (Recuva pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.
Best for: Undeleting recent files on Windows.
Windows File Recovery
Free Microsoft command-line app for local drives only, with source and destination drives different. Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025 per the support page.
Price: Free (Free command-line app from the Microsoft Store; the support page states no price) (Windows File Recovery pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.
Best for: Windows users comfortable with commands.
Which one to pick
- A partition vanished or a drive will not mount: TestDisk and PhotoRec
- You deleted a folder of photos and want a quick scan: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
- You want to check recoverability before paying: Disk Drill
- You lost files on a phone: Stellar Data Recovery
- You want a Microsoft-made tool with no installer hunting: Windows File Recovery
Limits of this review
Docs-only for TestDisk and PhotoRec, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery, Recuva, Windows File Recovery: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-23: TestDisk and PhotoRec, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery, Recuva, Windows File Recovery. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.