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Best Free Alternatives to Stellar Data Recovery
Stop paying $59.99/yr - $99.99/yr. Discover professional-grade tools that won't break your budget.
Category: Data RecoveryVerified for 2025
Top Recommended Replacements
Disk Drill 6
FREEBest Modern UI & Video Recovery
Why we like it
The 2025 version features 'Advanced Camera Recovery' which reconstructs fragmented 4K/8K video files (GoPro/DJI); 500MB free recovery (Windows); world-class user interface.
Keep in mind
The 'Pro' lifetime license is expensive ($89); free version limit is lower than Stellar's 1GB.
DMDE (Free Edition)
FREEBest High-Success Specialist Tool
Why we like it
Unbeatable recovery success rate; free edition allows recovering up to 4,000 files from a directory at once; incredibly lightweight (portable).
Keep in mind
The interface is extremely technical and uninviting for beginners; documentation is sparse.
PhotoRec
FREEBest for Unlimited Raw Recovery
Why we like it
100% free with zero limits; 'carves' files by ignoring the file system, making it effective for reformatted or wiped SD cards.
Keep in mind
No graphical interface (command-line only); does not restore original file names or folder structures.
R-Studio
Best for Professionals & IT Shops
Why we like it
Industry-standard for forensic recovery; handles RAID 0, 5, and 6; can perform recovery over a network; supports almost every file system known (APFS, ext4, etc.).
Keep in mind
Interface is functional but technical; not designed for casual home users.
Recuva
FREEBest for Simple Accidental Deletes
Why we like it
Unlimited free recovery; extremely simple 'Wizard' setup; small footprint; great for quickly undeleting a file from the Recycle Bin.
Keep in mind
Has not been significantly updated in years; struggles with complex partition loss or formatted drives.
DiskGenius
FREEBest All-in-One Partition Manager
Why we like it
Combines recovery with partition resizing and disk cloning; excellent at finding lost or deleted partitions that won't mount.
Keep in mind
The interface is cluttered with technical buttons; free version is essentially a search-only preview for larger files.
TestDisk
FREEBest for Fixing 'RAW' Drives
Why we like it
Repairs partition tables and makes a non-bootable disk bootable again; fixes the drive's structure rather than just scanning for files.
Keep in mind
Text-based and dangerous if you choose the wrong partition to write back to the disk.
WinfrGUI
FREEBest GUI for Windows File Recovery
Why we like it
A free graphical interface for Microsoft's official 'Windows File Recovery' command-line tool; 100% free with no limits.
Keep in mind
Windows only; performance is basic and lacks the deep-sector scanning of pro tools like Stellar or R-Studio.
Wondershare Recoverit
Best for Corrupted Video Repair
Why we like it
Includes a dedicated video repair mode that can fix files that were recovered but won't play; very high success rate for NAS and Linux drives.
Keep in mind
Extremely restrictive free trial (usually 100MB limit); pricing is among the highest in the industry.
Puran File Recovery
FREEBest Lightweight Legacy Free Tool
Why we like it
Completely free for personal use; includes 'Deep Scan' and 'Full Scan' modes; very fast and supports 50+ file types.
Keep in mind
Dated interface; development has slowed down; limited support for modern macOS/Linux file systems.
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