The 5 Best Data Recovery Software of 2025 (EaseUS is #1)

By Prasoon | Last Updated: July 30, 2025

Losing important files is a nightmare. Fortunately, data recovery software can be a lifesaver, but the market is flooded with options. How do you choose the one that will actually get your data back? We put the top contenders to the test to find out.

This guide ranks the five best data recovery tools based on success rate, features, speed, and value. While each has its strengths, there is a clear winner for overall performance. If you want a direct comparison between two popular choices, read our [INTERNAL_LINK: EaseUS vs. Recuva: Which Data Recovery Tool Should You Trust in 2025? | EaseUS vs. Recuva showdown].

Our Ranking Methodology

We didn't just look at feature lists. We tested each program in three real-world scenarios: simple file deletion, a completely formatted USB drive, and a corrupted, inaccessible partition. We scored each tool on a 10-point scale for the following criteria:

• Recovery Rate (40%): How much data did it successfully recover?
• Features (30%): Does it handle complex cases like RAID, bootable media, and file repair?
• Ease of Use (20%): Is the interface modern and intuitive?
• Speed (10%): How quickly does it perform deep scans?

1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (Overall Score: 9.8/10)

The Bottom Line: The undisputed champion. EaseUS combines the highest success rate in our tests with a powerful feature set and a user-friendly interface that anyone can master.

• Recovery Rate (10/10): It was the only tool to recover over 95% of data in our formatted drive test, complete with original filenames. It flawlessly handled the corrupted partition.
• Features (10/10): It has everything: bootable media, corrupted photo/video repair, RAID recovery, and excellent filtering options.
• Ease of Use (9.5/10): Modern, clean interface with a robust file previewer.
• Speed (9.5/10): The fastest deep scan in our tests.

If your data is important, EaseUS is the most reliable choice. It's the tool we use for our own recovery guides, like this one for recovering photos from a formatted SD card.

Get EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

2. Disk Drill (Overall Score: 8.5/10)

The Bottom Line: A strong contender with a sleek Mac-like interface and good recovery capabilities. It's a solid choice, but not quite as powerful as EaseUS in the toughest scenarios.

• Recovery Rate (8.5/10): Performed well in the simple deletion and formatted drive tests, but struggled more than EaseUS with the corrupted partition.
• Features (8/10): Includes data protection vaults and disk health monitoring, which are nice extras.
• Ease of Use (9/10): Very user-friendly and visually appealing.
• Speed (8/10): Scans are reasonably fast, but not the quickest.

3. Stellar Data Recovery (Overall Score: 8.2/10)

The Bottom Line: A long-standing and reputable tool with a focus on enterprise-level features like RAID and server recovery. It's powerful but can be more complex for home users.

• Recovery Rate (8.5/10): Very good success rate, on par with Disk Drill. It excels with optical media like CDs and DVDs.
• Features (9/10): Excellent feature set, especially in the premium versions which support advanced RAID configurations.
• Ease of Use (7/10): The interface feels a bit more clinical and less intuitive than EaseUS or Disk Drill.
• Speed (8/10): Solid performance in the speed department.

4. Recuva (Overall Score: 6.5/10)

The Bottom Line: The best of the free options, but it's in a different league than the premium tools. It's fine for simple undelete tasks, but unreliable for anything more complex.

• Recovery Rate (6/10): It did well recovering recently deleted files but failed to find the corrupted partition and had a low success rate on the formatted drive.
• Features (5/10): The free version is very basic. The paid version adds very little.
• Ease of Use (7/10): Simple wizard-based approach, but the interface is dated.
• Speed (8/10): The quick scan is fast.

5. PhotoRec (Overall Score: 6.0/10)

The Bottom Line: A powerful, open-source, and completely free tool, but it is absolutely not for beginners. It uses a command-line interface and can be very intimidating.

• Recovery Rate (7/10): Surprisingly powerful. It ignores the file system and goes for the underlying data, so it can recover files even from severely damaged drives. However, it rarely recovers original filenames.
• Features (5/10): It's a one-trick pony, but it does that one trick well.
• Ease of Use (2/10): Command-line only. You need to be comfortable with a text-based interface.
• Speed (7/10): Reasonably fast for a free tool.

Conclusion

While free tools have their place, when it comes to your valuable data, you get what you pay for. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard stands head and shoulders above the competition, offering the best combination of recovery power, features, and ease of use, making it our #1 recommendation for 2025.