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Data recovery software is a tool to which you turn if all of a sudden you lose your important data. Indeed, losing data can be one of the most stressful experiences, especially for businesses. It’s bad enough losing your personal data, but if a business loses valuable information, it can be catastrophic. You can use file backups and disk cloning to minimize the chance of data loss, but such methods are not infallible.
It is therefore important to invest in the best data recovery software as part of your data integrity plan. File recovery software utilizes complex processes to retrieve lost and corrupt files to their original status. If you do encounter problems and lose any data, you can rely on this software as a failsafe.
In this article, we look at five of the best data recovery software options for both business and personal usage. We have included both free and paid software that anyone can use.
1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard — the most popular free data recovery software
EaseUS Data Recovery is an excellent option due to its ease of use and strong data recovery options. The recovery process uses a simple wizard walkthrough that anyone can follow. Also, its recovery system is versatile, and it can recover anything from deleted files to deleted HDD partitions.
The free data recovery software is great for personal usage, and it its paid version is also a good solution for small businesses. The licensing costs are also relatively affordable compared to some other software providers.
OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Licensing: Freeware; PRO version $69.96/month, $99.95/year or $149.95/lifetime
Our Rating: 10 / 10
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2. CrashPlan – cloud based file recovery service
CrashPlan is one of the best file recovery software options for small businesses. It is a program that works continually in the background whilst you work on your computer. Moreover, it doesn’t take up much processing power and will not disrupt your work.
We also like that you can access recovered files quickly as CrashPlan creates virtual locations that files are deposited in. Also, this data recovery software creates regular backups of your files, so it provides two-fold protection. Moreover, it automatically stores any files you delete (much like the Windows recycle bin), so no file is ever truly lost.
OS: Windows, Mac
Licensing: 30 days free trial, plans start at $9.99/month per computer
Our Rating: 9 / 10
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3. Stellar Data Recovery – free data recovery software for all types of files
Stellar Data Recovery is one of the top free data recovery options available and has a good reputation. It’s scanning functional is customizable and you can change the settings to suit your specific needs. Also, it means that you don’t necessarily have to perform a full scan if you want to recover a single file, for example.
Once you have performed the scan, Stellar Data Recovery also gives multiple search options. This means you can quickly identify the files you want to restore. The recovery software also allows you to recover data from multiple devices including CDs, USB drives, SD cards, and HDDs.
OS: Windows, Mac
Licensing: Free limited version; Paid versions start at $49
Our Rating: 9 / 10
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4. OnTrack EasyRecovery – easy to use file recovery software
OnTrack EasyRecovery is available as both a free version and a paid upgrade. The free data recovery software version is useful, but it is limited as you can only recover a maximum of 1GB of data. If you have an HDD full of photos and videos – this won’t be much use.
Aside from that, the interface of this data recovery software is incredibly easy to use and understand. You can recover files that have been accidentally deleted, and also recover files that have been infected with viruses. Also, the professional upgrade allows you to create full disk images, and recover data from external sources like DVDs and USB drives.
OS: Windows, Mac
Licensing: Free limited version; Paid version starts at $65/year
Our Rating: 8 / 10
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5. Piriform Recuva – data recovery software for Windows
Piriform Recuva is a simple file recovery software that is basic but functional. It has a relatively dated interface, but it has a straightforward scanning and recovery process that anyone can follow. Simply follow the steps and choose which locations you want to scan, and the software does the rest for you.
The scanning process is also relatively quick. This free recovery software uses minimal CPU power, so it is suitable for personal usage on smaller home computers. Although it admittedly has fewer features than other software in this list, it is still an effective program and a solid choice for file recovery.
OS: Windows
Licensing: Free limited version; Paid version starts at $19.95/year
Our Rating: 8 / 10
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Get the Best Data Recovery Software for Extra Security
As you can see, there is a good choice of file recovery software options available. We advise everyone to invest in such software – even if it’s software for your personal computer. The ramifications and potential cost of losing data can be great. Please note that the same can be applied to antivirus software, make sure you have reliable program installed on your computer.
This is why data recovery software is so important. It means you have an extra layer of security, and in the event of lost files or corruption, you should be able to save your important files.
We must point out that there is no 100% guarantee that data recovery software will protect everything. To boost your data security further, we recommend scheduling regular backups of your data – weekly for example. Windows, for example, can perform automatic file backups, and it could be beneficial to back up your files to a cloud storage service too like OneDrive or Google Docs. Using registry cleaners is also a great option for overall computer performance.
This combination of data recovery software, regular backups, and cloud storage backups should greatly reduce the chance of losing data completely without any chance of recovery.