A single online search can return countless Mac data recovery software applications, and choosing the best one can be difficult. This list of the top 13 best data recovery software for Mac is here to help you make the right choice so that you can recover all lost data as soon as possible.
Best Data Recovery Software: Summary of Our Picks
💗 Best overall: Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac
🏠 Best for home users: Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac
👨💻 Best for professionals: R-Studio for Mac
👐 Best open source: TestDisk for Mac
🎁 Best completely free: Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery
💼 Best for enterprise customers: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
💲 Best money-back guarantee: iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac
👴 Best user experience: Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac
🖼️ Best photo recovery: Wondershare Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac
How to Choose Data Recovery Software for Mac?
Performance
The job of data recovery software is to help you get back lost data, so its ability to complete this task should always be the main selection criterion. Some data recovery software applications use far more advanced algorithms than others, which allow them to recognize hundreds of file formats and recover them from all Mac file systems, including HFS, HFS+, and APFS.
Pricing
They say that the best things in life are free, but this saying doesn’t exactly apply to Mac data recovery software. While free data recovery software for Mac does exist, it typically leaves something to be desired in terms of usability and features. Instead of looking for the lowest price, look for the best value.
Customer reviews
The companies behind the best data recovery software for Mac know how to make their products look great, but only real users can tell you if they actually deliver the promised results. By reading customer reviews, you can avoid falling prey to marketing hype and paying for a full version of some data recovery software that can’t actually recover your data.
Usability
Unless you recover lost data for a living, you shouldn’t have to spend more than a few minutes learning how to use your data recovery software of choice. There are many excellent Mac data recovery software applications that are both intuitive and powerful, allowing you to restore your data quickly and easily.
Compatibility
Always double-check that your data recovery software is compatible with your version of macOS and the storage device you want to recover. For example, an external hard drive that was connected to a Windows computer is likely to use the NTFS file system, and not all Mac data recovery software applications support it.
Of course, there are many kinds of potential users of data recovery software, and not everyone has the same needs and requirements. For example, you may be fine with a command-line user interface, but a lot of Mac users wouldn’t select a data recovery software application unless it was easy to use.
That’s why we recommend you familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of each application listed in this article and choose the one that’s best for you. Alternatively, you can simply glance at the quick navigation menu above for a summary of our picks.
Top 13 Best Data Recovery Software for Mac
Here are the top 13 best data recovery software solutions for Mac that you can download right now to recover lost data from your hard drive, memory card, USB flash drive, or just about any other storage device.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported file systems: NTFS, NTFS5, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, EXT3/EXT4, HFS, HFS+, APFS | File signatures quantity: 400+ | Requirements: the latest version requires macOS 10.11.6+
Disk Drill is the best data recovery software for Mac because it delivers not just impressive data recovery performance but also outstanding value for money. It doesn’t matter if you need to recover a couple of recently deleted files from your Mac’s main hard drive or hundreds of photos from a memory card – Disk Drill can get the job done in just a few simple steps.
Thanks to its powerful data recovery algorithms, Disk Drill can often get back lost data even from failing or corrupt storage devices that other Mac data recovery software applications have deemed unreadable. The latest version comes packed with useful disk tools that you can use to prevent future data loss and keep your Mac organized.
- Multiple data recovery algorithms – Disk Drill features multiple data recovery algorithms, which are automatically run in the optimal order to deliver the best data recovery results possible.
- Extra disk tools – The extra disk tools bundled with Disk Drill help address the root cause of data loss.
- Support for all major formats and devices – All commonly used document, video, audio, image, file archive, and database file formats are supported, and the same goes for file systems.
- One-click approach to data recovery – Disk Drill doesn’t force its users to remember obscure commands. Instead, everything can be accomplished with a simple click.
- iOS and Android recovery – Mobile devices are playing increasingly important roles in our lives, and Disk Drill can recover lost files from them.
- Easy to use
- Support for over 400 file formats
- Delivers professional results
- Recovers iOS and Android devices
- Received many 5-star user reviews
- Can be tested for free
- Support for Macs with the T2 chip
- Time Machine recovery
- Scans can be paused and resumed
- Comes with extra free disk tools
- No phone support
- Average recovery speed
- Disk Drill Basic: Free preview
- Disk Drill Pro: $89.00
- Disk Drill Enterprise: $499.00
Disk Drill users almost universally praise its no-frills approach to data recovery, which makes it possible even for people with very limited technical skills to get back all lost data without spending hundreds of dollars on professional data recovery.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported filesystems: FAT12/16/32, NTFS , exFAT, NTFS5, ReFS, HFS/HFS+ and APFS, UFS1/UFS2, Ext2/3/4FS | File signatures quantity: 400+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later
R-Studio for Mac is a powerful data recovery software solution aimed at professionals who spend their days recovering lost files from various storage devices. The good news is that the basic version of the software isn’t all that expensive, and there’s also a demo version that anyone can download for free and use to recover an unlimited number of files smaller than 256 KB.
- Damaged RAID recovery – Many data recovery software applications can’t deal with RAID arrays at all, but R-Studio for Mac can not only recover data from them but also repair them.
- Recovery over network – Professionals appreciate R-Studio’s ability to recover remote storage devices.
- Hex editor – Included with R-Studio for Mac is a tool that enables users to manipulate the fundamental binary data that constitutes computer files.
- Plethora of advanced features
- Support for over 400 file formats
- Recovery over network
- Built-in hex editor
- The demo mode is greatly limited
- Expensive Technician license
- Not suitable for regular Mac users
- R-Studio for Mac Demo: recover an unlimited number of files smaller than 256 KB
- R-Studio for Mac: $79.99
- R-Studio for Mac Network: $179.99
- R-Studio Technician: $899.00
If it wasn’t for the free demo version, many R-Studio users would never have a chance to give this data recovery software application a try because they would be too intimidated by its advanced features. Those who had the chance to use it, however, speak highly of its data recovery performance.
Recovery speed: Fast | Supported file systems: APFS, HFS/HFS+, NTFS/NTFS5, FAT/FAT32/exFAT | File signatures quantity: 200+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or later
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has been around for many years. Since its initial release, this Mac data recovery software has impressed many users with its straightforward step-by-step interface, support for over 200 file formats, and advanced file reconstruction capabilities, among other things. Enterprise customers appreciate the option to purchase remote assistance, and they don’t mind the higher price of the paid version.
- T2 recovery – Even the T2 chip can’t stop EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac from recovering lost files.
- Remote assistance – Should you ever encounter a particularly difficult data loss situation, you can pay EaseUS for remote assistance and have an experienced professional solve it for you.
- Preview all recoverable files – Knowing what you’re recovering is important, which is why EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac lets you preview all recoverable files.
- Recovers data even from Macs with the T2 chip
- Remote assistance available
- Can repair corrupted images
- Step-by-step recovery process
- The trial version can recover up to 2 GB of data
- Raw photo detection can be a hit or miss
- Glitchy user interface
- Expensive paid version due to the subscription-based model
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Trial: recover up to 2 GB of data for free
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro: $89.95/month or $119.95/year
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac has received many positive customer reviews thanks to its ability to deal with complex cases of data loss. Customers like that the most difficult situations can be solved by paying for the 1 on 1 remote assistance service and scheduling a remote desktop session with a dedicated support engineer.
Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac is a no-frills application developed by a recognized company that’s known for providing excellent customer support and keeping its products updated to work with the latest version of macOS. Thanks to its 3-step recovery process, even complete beginners with no prior data recovery experience can get back all lost data with confidence. Just make sure to avoid buying a 1-year license because the lifetime option is not that much more expensive.
- Bootable recovery – If your Mac refuses to boot, you can create a bootable recovery drive and use it to recover your data.
- Disk imaging – Before recovering data from a failing storage device, it’s a good idea to create a disk image, and Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac lets you do just that.
- 3-step recovery process – It takes just three simple steps to recover data with this data recovery software.
- 3-step recovery process
- Easy to use
- The free version can recover up to 1 GB of data
- Expensive lifetime licenses
- Lacks advanced filtering options
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac Trial: recover up to 1 GB of data for free
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac: $79.99 for 1 year or $99 for a lifetime license
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac Premium: $99.99 for 1 year or $149 for a lifetime license
- Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac Technician: $149 for 1 year (no lifetime option available)
If there’s one thing virtually all users of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac can agree on, it’s that they never fail to receive excellent customer support when they need it. That’s great news because there’s a lot that can go wrong when purchasing software on sites like Amazon, something many reviewers have personal experience with.
Recovery speed: Fast | Supported file systems: APFS, exFAT, FAT16, FAT32, HFS+, Encrypted HFS, HFSX, NTFS, ReFS, RAID, RAW, JFS, ext2, ext3, ext4 | File signatures quantity: 1,000+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or later
Wondershare Rercoverit Data Recovery for Mac stands out with its support for over 1,000 file formats and a whole host of specialized features that make it perfect for photographers and videographers. For example, it can repair common video file formats and recover lost photos faster than competing products. Just keep in mind that the best features Wondershare Rercoverit Data Recovery for Mac has to offer are available only to those who purchase the most expensive license available.
- Video repair function – Wondershare Rercoverit Data Recovery for Mac can repair most video files on Mac, including MP4, MOV, M4V, and M4A files.
- Mac crash recovery – Recover your Mac after a crash that prevents it from booting properly.
- 24×7 professional technical support – Should you experience any technical difficulties with this Mac data recovery software, you can visit the official help center and get professional technical support.
- Support for all commonly used photo and video formats
- Video repair function
- High recovery rate
- Fast and efficient
- Support for 1,000+ file formats
- Not enough customizable search fields
- Some may find the UI to be too busy
- Trial: recover up to 100 MB for free
- Essential: $59.95 a year or $69.95 for a lifetime license
- Standard: $69.95 a year or $79.95 for a lifetime license
- Advanced: $79.95 a year or $89.95 for a lifetime license
Wondershare Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac has received many positive reviews thanks to its ability to reliably recover all kinds of image and video file formats used by amateur and professional photographers alike.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac has been available for a long time, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it offers an impressive list of features, including S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, optical media recovery, and disk imaging. What it, unfortunately, doesn’t offer is support for all commonly used file systems and file formats, which is why we can’t rank it any higher.
- S.M.A.R.T. monitoring – Lets you monitor the health of your hard drive in real-time to help you avoid data loss.
- Optical media recovery – MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac can recover data even from CDs and DVDs.
- Disk imaging – You can create images of your storage devices for backup purposes and archiving.
- Several pricing plans available
- Recovers data from corrupt drives
- Support for CD/DVD recovery
- Fast scanning speed
- Limited file system support
- Recovers less than 100 file formats
- Not supported anymore
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac Trial: recover up to 1 GB of data for free
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac Professional: $99.00
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac Premium: $149.00
- MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac Technician: $299.00
There are many customers who have been using MiniTool Power Data Recovery for years, and they swear by its recovery performance and ability to recover lost data even from broken partitions.
Recovery speed: Fast | Supported file systems: FAT (FAT12, FAT16, FAT32), exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, ext2, ext3, HFS+| File signatures quantity: 500+| Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or later
iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac isn’t nearly as popular as some of the other best data recovery software applications for Mac listed in this article, which perhaps explains why it offers one of the best money-back guarantees in the industry. You can test this application for up to 60 days, using it to recover over 500 (that’s right!) file formats from all Mac computers, memory cards, hard drives, removable drives, and other digital devices.
- 60-day money-back guarantee – You can test this data recovery software for up to 60 days before fully committing.
- Support for 500+ file formats – According to iBeesoft, this Mac data recovery software supports over 500 file formats.
- Free lifetime updates – When you purchase a license, you automatically gain access to free updates for the rest of your life.
- Fantastic money-back guarantee
- User-friendly interface
- Recognizes all common file formats
- Efficient Quick Scan option
- Doesn’t offer free file recovery
- Deep Scan takes a while
- Trial version: recover up to 1 GB of data for free
- Personal license: $55.95
- Family license: $89.95
- Company license: $299.95
Real user reviews confirm that iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac is among the fastest data recovery applications out there. On SSD-equipped Macs, it can find lost files in just a few seconds. Of course, that’s with the Quick Scan method. If you can wait a while, there’s also Deep Scan, which takes considerably longer but promises to find more deleted files.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported file systems: APFS, HFSX, HFS, HFS+, exFAT, FAT32 | File signatures quantity: 100+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.7 or later
If you’re looking for the best data recovery software for Mac that’s fully compatible with the Apple T2 chip and macOS Catalina, then iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac may just be the right solution for you. But before you grab your credit card, you should know that it has two important downsides. First, it’s more expensive than other similar solutions. Second, it doesn’t support NTFS (Windows) drives. If you’re fine with these limitations, then don’t hesitate to give iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac a try.
- Recovers corrupted drives – Data corruption and data loss go hand in hand, so it’s great news that iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac can recover lost data even from corrupted drives.
- Sleek user interface – It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the design of this data recovery software application.
- Simple to use
- Sleek user interface
- Recovers Macs with the T2 chip
- Pricy
- Doesn’t recover NTFS drives
- Free trial: recover up to 1 GB for free
- 1-month: $89.95
- 1-year: $99.95
- Lifetime: $169.95
There are many things customers like about iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, including its versatility, ease of use, and data recovery speed. Yes, there are other Mac data recovery software applications with similar qualities, but they don’t always have a similarly slick user interface.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported file systems: APFS, HFS/HFS+, NTFS/NTFS5, FAT/FAT32/exFAT | File signatures quantity: 100+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.6 or later
Not all lost data is so important that it justifies spending around $100 on a feature-packed data recovery application. iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a cost-effective solution that can help you get your data back for just $59.95. Despite its affordable price, it delivers admirable results and features a simple three-step recovery process that makes getting lost files back a breeze.
- Three-step recovery process – From start to finish, it takes just three simple steps to recover lost data using iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- Time Machine backup recovery – If you have a Time Machine backup that contains your lost files, you can use iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac to recover them from it.
- Affordable
- Three-step recovery process
- Support for encrypted APFS file system
- Doesn’t recognize too many file signatures
- No longer supported (became Wondershare)
- iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac Trial: recover up to 1 GB of data for free
- iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac Essential: $59.95
- iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac Standard: $69.95
- iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac Advanced: $79.95
Cost-effectiveness is one of the main selling points of iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac, and customer reviews make this obvious, praising this application for delivering a lot of value for a decent among of money.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported file systems: NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, EXT | File signatures quantity: 500+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or later
FonePaw Data Recovery for Mac is a solid option for all users who want to recover data stored on NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, and EXT devices because a single license costs only $39.95. It’s, unfortunately, not a good option for Mac users who would like to recover data stored on the Mac hard drive. Why? Because it doesn’t support Mac file systems.
- Partition recovery – Data can be restored even from formatted partitions that appear to be completely empty.
- Deep and Quick Scan – Less serious cases of data loss can be quickly dealt with using the Quick Scan mode, while more complex cases can be addressed using the Deep Scan mode.
- Two data recovery modes
- Straightforward to use
- Doesn’t support Mac file systems
- Can’t recover specific folders
- Trial: free for 30 days
- Single-user license: $39.95
- Family license: $79.95
Users like that FonePaw Data Recovery for Mac gets the job done when lesser solutions fail to deliver the desired results. What’s more, the application is so easy to use that individual users can recover their data without asking an IT professional for help.
Recovery speed: Average | Supported file systems: HFS/HFS+, FAT, NTFS| File signatures quantity: 100+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.7 or later
Mac Data Recovery Guru is a Mac data recovery software application developed from the ground up by Ben Slaney, the person behind MacDaddy. Ben’s goal was to develop an easy-to-use application with a Finder-like user interface that would make it easy for Mac users to get back lost data from all kinds of storage devices, and we can say that he achieved this goal nicely.
- Finder-like user interface – Mac Data Recovery Guru’s user interface feels instantly familiar because it’s heavily inspired by Finder.
- Scans disk images – The application can scan disk images of drives that can’t be mounted for recovery.
- DRM removal – The latest version of Mac Data Recovery Guru can remove DRM protection from certain iTunes music files.
- Familiar user interface
- The ability to scan disk images
- Impressive data recovery performance
- Developed by an independent developer
- Seldom updated
- Other Mac data recovery software applications offer better value
- Trial version: a free scan-only download is available
- Full version: $89.00 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies)
The users of Mac Data Recovery Guru seem to really like the fact that the data recovery application is developed entirely by one guy who’s been creating Mac software for nearly two decades now. They also praise Mac Data Recovery Guru’s performance, which rivals even much more sophisticated data recovery software.
Recovery speed: Slow | Supported file systems: HFS/HFS+, FAT, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT | File signatures quantity: 50+ | Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery is a hidden gem because it doesn’t cost anything to download and use. That’s right! Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery is completely free without any limitations. Of course, you can’t exactly expect state-of-the-art performance and cutting-edge features from any freeware application, and the same goes for this one. Even some commonly used file formats are not supported, and support for APFS is missing as well.
- Fast scan – Take a few minutes to quickly recover deleted files from a partition.
- Undelete option – Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery features a dedicated option for that lets you recover files deleted using the Shift + Delete combination.
- Completely free and unlimited
- Can preview recoverable files
- Doesn’t support all commonly used file formats
- Support for APFS is still missing
- Slower data recovery performance
Many customers can’t believe that Lazesoft Mac Data Recovery is truly free and unlimited. That’s understandable considering that most other Mac data recovery software applications merely offer limited free trials.
Recovery speed: Slow | Supported file systems: NTFS/NTFS5, FAT12/FAT16/FAT32/exFAT | File signatures quantity: almost 500 | Requirements: all 32- and 64-bit versions of macOS and Mac OS X are supported
TestDisk is a unique Mac data recovery software application because you can use all of its features without spending a single dollar. How’s that possible? Because it’s open source and supported by donations. But don’t let its appealing price of $0 fool you into thinking that its performance leaves a lot to be desired. In reality, TestDisk can recover over 500 file formats, but you need to be willing to figure out how to install it and use its command-line interface.
- Open source – TestDisk is developed by volunteers from around the world and supported by donations.
- Recovers lost partitions – In addition to file recovery, TestDisk boasts the ability to restore entire partitions.
- Makes non-booting disks bootable again – Viruses and human error are just two reasons why bootable disks sometimes stop being bootable, and TestDisk makes it possible to repair them.
- Completely free and open source
- Runs on all Mac computers
- Recovers nearly 500 file formats
- Fantastic performance
- Command-line user interface
- Difficult to install
- Doesn’t support all commonly used file systems
Despite its command-line user interface, TestDisk has managed to convince many users to give it a 5-star review because it offers fantastic data recovery performance that sometimes puts even expensive professional Mac data recovery software to shame.
So, Which Data Recovery Software Should I Use?
You should use the data recovery software that can best meet your individual needs. For most Mac users, the best option is Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac because it combines excellent data recovery performance with great usability.
The free version of Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac can preview all recoverable files, so you can buy the full version only when you’re 100% certain that you can get back your data. Because Disk Drill comes with useful data protection tools, its value doesn’t diminish once the recovery process is finished.
Other Mac data recovery software applications worth considering include Mac Data Recovery Guru, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, MiniTool Power Data Recovery for Mac. Regardless of which application you choose, make sure to recover your data as soon as possible because waiting only increases the chance of permanent data loss.
Ready to Recover Your Lost Data? Here’s What You Need to Do
Hopefully, our selection of the best Mac data recovery software applications has helped you find the solution you were looking for. You can always go back to the beginning of this article and check the summary of our picks.
The good news is that all listed data recovery applications offer a free trial, so there’s nothing stopping you from beginning the recovery process right now. Here’s what you need to do:
- Pick one of the best data recovery software applications listed in this article.
- Download the application and install it on your computer.
- Scan your storage device.
- Select files for recovery.
- Recover the selected files to a different storage device.
That’s how easy it is to recover deleted or lost data!
FAQ
What is the best software for data recovery?
Based on our personal experience and real user reviews, these are the top 3 best data recovery software applications for Mac:
- Disk Drill Data Recovery for Mac
- Mac Data Recovery Guru
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
Is it possible to recover deleted files on Mac?
Yes, you can recover any deleted files that haven’t been overwritten yet using data recovery software. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download a data recovery software application.
- Install it on your Mac.
- Scan the storage device where the deleted files were located.
- Add the deleted files to the recovery queue.
- Recover them to a different storage device.
Is it safe to use data recovery software on Mac?
Absolutely! As long as you download a reputable data recovery software and avoid installing it on the same storage device on which the files you want to recover are located, you have nothing to worry about.
