The Best Photo Recovery Software in 2026
We researched products from their official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation, and ranked them on the category’s core job, value for money, and verified features. This guide covers software for recovering deleted, lost, or damaged photographs from memory cards, drives, and other storage media.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
PhotoRec#1 of 449.3/10A broad, free recovery tool for difficult media, with a less convenient photo-first workflow.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard#2 of 449.1/10Broad recovery coverage, but the free plan is limited to two files.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
Recuva#3 of 449.0/10A capable free option for recovering deleted photos from Windows and camera cards.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 44 tools, best first
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Best forFree open-source signature recovery
A broad, free recovery tool for difficult media, with a less convenient photo-first workflow.
9.3/10★★★★★Visit PhotoRec -
Best forBroad recovery with cameras, NAS, and RAID
Broad recovery coverage, but the free plan is limited to two files.
9.1/10★★★★★Visit EaseUS -
Best forSimple free recovery for Windows photo cards
A capable free option for recovering deleted photos from Windows and camera cards.
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Recuva -
Best forHigh-volume photo recovery with a free allowance
A broad recovery suite with a 500-file free allowance and tiered annual plans.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Recoverit -
Best forMature recovery for cameras, cards, and complex storage
A broad recovery toolkit for cameras, cards, drives, RAID arrays, and NAS storage.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Disk Drill -
Best forDedicated photo recovery with imaging support
A photo-focused recovery tool with RAW support, previews, filtering, and disk-image analysis.
- Disk image support
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Hetman -
Best forAdvanced professional and virtualized recovery
A broad, professional-grade recovery suite with a high entry price.
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit UFS Explorer -
Best forProfessional cross-platform disk recovery
A broad professional recovery suite for photos, disks, memory cards, RAID, and images.
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit R-Studio -
Best forTechnical users needing low-cost RAID recovery
A capable, low-cost recovery utility for technical users handling disks, images, and RAID.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit DMDE -
Best forMature recovery with repair and RAID features
A broad recovery suite with scanning, repair, disk imaging, and RAID tools.
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Ontrack -
Best forFree partition repair and forensic recovery
A technical, free recovery tool for partitions, filesystems, RAID, and disk images.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit CGSecurity -
Best forFree Windows recovery with bootable support
A capable free Windows recovery tool, but the 2 GB limit makes paid recovery expensive.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forFree recovery for supported camera media
A free option for recovering photos and files from eligible Sony media.
- Raw photo recovery
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Sony -
Best forWindows recovery with forensic image support
A focused Windows recovery tool with deep scanning, previews, and forensic-image support.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit O&O Software -
Best forFree command-line recovery on Windows
A focused Windows tool for free command-line recovery across local and removable drives.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Microsoft -
Best forFree Windows photo and video recovery
A free Windows recovery utility with deep scans, previews, imaging, and RAID support.
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit R-Photo -
Best forWindows recovery with bootable media
A broad Windows recovery tool with bootable media and limited free recovery.
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit MiniTool -
Best forWindows filesystem recovery with broad file support
Broad Windows filesystem recovery with previews, directory restoration, and boot media.
7.5/10★★★★☆Try GetDataBack Pro -
Best forBasic Windows or Mac recovery with file previews
A practical recovery tool with previews, deep scans, and broad file-type support.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Tenorshare -
Best forAI-assisted photo recovery on Windows or Mac
A broad recovery toolkit with camera support, bootable recovery, RAID recovery, and AI photo repair.
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Aiseesoft -
Best forWindows partition and disk recovery toolkit
A Windows-focused toolkit combining photo recovery, partition repair, cloning, and disk imaging.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit DiskGenius -
Best forFree photo-focused recovery with a large allowance
A photo-focused recovery tool with Quick and Deep Scan modes and a 500-file free allowance.
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit SFWare -
Best forFree, safety-focused recovery across platforms
A free, safety-focused recovery tool with RAW support and flexible scan modes.
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit RecoverHelper -
Best forLow-cost cross-platform recovery
A low-cost, broad recovery tool with photo previews and support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Raise -
Best forCross-platform RAW and virtual-disk recovery
A paid recovery suite with strong RAW, RAID, and virtual-disk coverage.
- Disk image support
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forAffordable recovery including Android devices
Affordable recovery with previews, carving scans, and Android support.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit DiskDigger -
Best forWindows camera-card and RAW recovery
A focused Windows tool for recovering photos, videos, and camera RAW files.
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit CardRecovery -
Best forAffordable RAW recovery for cameras and cards
Affordable RAW recovery with previews and read-only scanning, but only quick scans.
- Disk image support
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Jihosoft -
Best forWindows users needing deep photo scans
A focused Windows tool for deep photo recovery across drives, cards, cameras, and USB storage.
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Yodot -
Best forEstablished recovery for failed or reformatted drives
A broad recovery toolkit for failed, reformatted, and inaccessible drives.
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Data Rescue -
Best forRecovery plus backup and cloud-source repair
A broad recovery toolkit with backup repair, but a high entry price and no free plan.
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit AnyRecover -
Best forWindows recovery with RAID and disk images
A Windows-focused recovery tool with RAID, disk images, previews, and multiple file views.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Try Recover My Files -
Best forWindows recovery with encrypted-drive support
A Windows-focused recovery tool with broad media support and encrypted-drive recovery.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit iCare -
Best forFree general recovery on older Windows systems
A free Windows recovery tool with broad scan modes and portable environments.
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Puran Software -
Best forMac users wanting free visual recovery
A free, focused Mac recovery utility with raw scanning and visual file previews.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit MacDaddy -
Best forDedicated photo recovery across desktop platforms
A focused desktop recovery tool for photos, RAW files, cameras, and memory cards.
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forFree recovery for Lexar and common media
A free, focused option for recovering photos and common files from storage devices.
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Lexar -
Best forFree SD-card RAW recovery on macOS or Linux
A focused open-source choice for RAW photo recovery from SD cards on macOS and Linux.
- Disk image support
- Raw photo recovery
5.6/10★★★☆☆Try SD Photo Rescue -
Best forMac-only memory-card recovery
A focused Mac recovery tool with broad card support and a one-time price.
- Photo preview
- Raw photo recovery
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit CardRescue -
Best forBasic cross-platform file and photo recovery
A broad file-recovery tool with useful scan and imaging features, but limited photo focus.
- Disk image support
- Photo preview
5.4/10★★★☆☆Visit SecureRecovery -
Best forBroad file recovery with photo repair
Broad recovery coverage with photo repair, NAS and RAID support, but no free recovery plan.
5.2/10★★★☆☆Visit FonePaw -
Best forBasic free Windows undelete recovery
A practical free Windows undelete tool with camera-card scanning and file previews.
5.1/10★★★☆☆Visit UNDELETE 360 -
Best forOpen-source command-line file carving
A free, configurable command-line carver for recovering files from storage data.
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit Foremost -
Best forWindows users needing simple free undelete
A free Windows undelete tool with useful filtering and memory-card support.
4.9/10★★☆☆☆Visit Glarysoft
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PhotoRec | Yes | Free | 9.3 |
| 2 | EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard | Yes | $99.95/yr | 9.1 |
| 3 | Recuva | Yes | ₹990 one-time | 9.0 |
| 4 | Recoverit | Yes | $99.95/yr | 8.9 |
| 5 | Disk Drill | Yes | $89/yr | 8.8 |
| 6 | Hetman Photo Recovery | No | 8.7 | |
| 7 | UFS Explorer | No | $69.95 one-time | 8.6 |
| 8 | R-Studio | No | $49.99/device one-time | 8.5 |
| 9 | DMDE | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 10 | Ontrack EasyRecovery | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 11 | TestDisk | Yes | Free | 8.2 |
| 12 | Wise Data Recovery | Yes | $79.95/device/yr | 8.1 |
| 13 | Memory Card File Rescue | Yes | Free | 8.0 |
| 14 | O&O DiskRecovery | No | 7.9 | |
| 15 | Windows File Recovery | Yes | Free | 7.8 |
| 16 | R-Photo | Yes | Free | 7.7 |
| 17 | MiniTool Power Data Recovery | Yes | $89/yr | 7.6 |
| 18 | GetDataBack Pro | No | $79 one-time | 7.5 |
| 19 | Tenorshare 4DDiG Data Recovery | Yes | 7.4 | |
| 20 | Aiseesoft Data Recovery | Yes | $120/device/yr | 7.3 |
| 21 | DiskGenius | Yes | $99.90/yr | 7.2 |
| 22 | SFWare Photo Recovery | Yes | 7.1 | |
| 23 | RecoverHelper | Yes | Free | 7.0 |
| 24 | Raise Data Recovery | No | $34.95 one-time | 6.9 |
| 25 | Recovery Explorer | No | €39.95 one-time | 6.8 |
| 26 | DiskDigger | Yes | $19.99 one-time | 6.7 |
| 27 | CardRecovery | No | $39.95 one-time | 6.6 |
| 28 | Jihosoft Photo Recovery | No | $39.95/device one-time | 6.5 |
| 29 | Yodot Photo Recovery | No | $69 one-time | 6.4 |
| 30 | Data Rescue | No | $399/yr | 6.3 |
| 31 | AnyRecover | No | 6.2 | |
| 32 | Recover My Files | No | 6.1 | |
| 33 | iCare Data Recovery | Yes | 6.0 | |
| 34 | Puran File Recovery | Yes | Free | 5.9 |
| 35 | Mac Data Recovery Guru | Yes | Free | 5.8 |
| 36 | Magic Photo Recovery | No | 5.7 | |
| 37 | Lexar Recovery Tool | Yes | Free | 5.7 |
| 38 | SD Photo Rescue | Yes | Free | 5.6 |
| 39 | CardRescue | No | $39.95/user one-time | 5.5 |
| 40 | SecureRecovery | No | $39.95/unit one-time | 5.4 |
| 41 | FonePaw Data Recovery | No | 5.2 | |
| 42 | UNDELETE 360 | Yes | $39 one-time | 5.1 |
| 43 | Foremost | Yes | Free | 5.0 |
| 44 | Glary Undelete | Yes | Free | 4.9 |
Head-to-head All 11 comparisons →
- PhotoRec vs Hetman Photo Recovery
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard vs Disk Drill
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard vs Hetman Photo Recovery
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard vs UFS Explorer
- Recuva vs Disk Drill
- Recuva vs Hetman Photo Recovery
- Recuva vs UFS Explorer
- Recoverit vs Hetman Photo Recovery
- Disk Drill vs Hetman Photo Recovery
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How we rank photo recovery software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update