Best Open-Source Data Recovery Software 2026: 6 Options Compared

Data recovery software is split by what went wrong. If the drive is failing, stop using it and make an image first: GNU ddrescue copies what it can read and keeps a log so that it can retry bad sectors later. If files were deleted or a partition vanished but the disk is healthy, TestDisk can rebuild partition tables and boot sectors, and its companion PhotoRec carves out files by their content when the file system is damaged. File carvers such as Scalpel and recoverjpeg search raw data for known file signatures, which recovers photos and documents but loses their names and folders. Autopsy is a full forensics platform with a graphical interface that can also carve deleted files, and NTFS-3G supplies the NTFS driver and utilities on Linux. The trade-off against commercial recovery tools is polish: the open-source tools are powerful and free, but mostly command-line, and results are raw files you must sort by hand. The rule that decides success is the same for all of them: do not write anything to the affected drive, and recover to a different disk. Work from an image when you can, so a mistake does not make the damage worse. If the drive makes clicking sounds or has physical damage, software will not help, and a professional service is the safer route.

TestDisk and PhotoRec

GPL-2.0-or-later tool that recovers lost partitions and repairs boot sectors, bundled with PhotoRec. Fully free with no recovery cap stated.

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) (license source).

Best for: Lost partitions and boot problems.

GNU ddrescue

GPL-2.0-or-later command-line tool that copies data from failing drives and logs progress so it can resume. It images the disk; it does not rebuild files.

Price: Free (Free open source) (GNU ddrescue pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Linux. GPL-2.0-or-later (open source) (license source).

Best for: Cloning a failing drive before recovery.

Autopsy

Apache-2.0 digital forensics platform with a graphical interface that can carve deleted files from disk images. Heavier than a simple undelete tool.

Price: Free (Free open source) (Autopsy pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Windows, Linux. Apache-2.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 3.4k GitHub stars · latest release autopsy-4.23.1 (May 7, 2026) · last commit Jun 20, 2026

Best for: Forensic-style recovery from images.

Scalpel

Apache-2.0 command-line file carver that finds files by signature in raw data. It recovers contents without original names or folders.

Price: Free (Free open source) (Scalpel pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Linux. Apache-2.0 (LICENSE-2.0.txt in repository) (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 689 GitHub stars · No commits since Mar 27, 2024

Best for: Carving files from damaged media.

Worth knowing: Command-line file carver; the repository lists LICENSE-2.0.txt (Apache 2.0).

NTFS-3G

GPL-2.0 NTFS driver and utilities for Linux. It helps you read and mount NTFS disks; check the project page for the exact recovery utilities.

Price: Free (Free open source) (NTFS-3G pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Linux. GPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 1.5k GitHub stars · latest release 2026.9.28 (Sep 29, 2026) · last commit Sep 29, 2026

Best for: Reading NTFS drives on Linux.

recoverjpeg

GPL tool that recovers photos from damaged memory cards and USB keys. Narrow in scope but effective for camera cards.

Price: Free (Free open source) (recoverjpeg pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Linux, Unix. GPL (open source) (license source).

Best for: Photos from camera cards.

Which one to pick

• A partition disappeared: TestDisk and PhotoRec
• The drive is failing but still reads some data: GNU ddrescue
• You need photos from a camera card: recoverjpeg
• You want a graphical forensic tool: Autopsy