Head-to-head · Data Recovery Software
Active@ File Recovery vs Recovery Explorer
Active@ File Recovery leads on 1 check, Recovery Explorer on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreActive@ File Recovery · 7.6/10
- Free planonly Active@ File Recovery
- Most featuresActive@ File Recovery · 4 of 4
Active@ File Recovery scores higher on our rubric for data recovery software: 7.6 against 7.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #18 and #21.
Active@ File Recovery offers free plan; Recovery Explorer doesn't.
Active@ File Recovery is the better fit for low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools. Recovery Explorer is the better fit for guided recovery with imaging and RAID options.
- Active@ File Recovery fits best
Low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools
- Recovery Explorer fits best
Guided recovery with imaging and RAID options
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Side by side
| Feature | Active@ File Recovery 7.6/10 Visit ↗ | Recovery Explorer 7.3/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 7.6 | 7.3 |
| Ranking | #18 in Data Recovery Software | #21 in Data Recovery Software |
| Best for | Low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools | Guided recovery with imaging and RAID options |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $29.95/unit one-time | $47.95/unit one-time |
| Free plan | ✓ (best) | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs | Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market |
| Features Active@ File Recovery 4/4 · Recovery Explorer 3/4 | ||
| Memory card recovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| RAID recovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bootable recovery | ✓ (best) | Not checked yet |
| File preview | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Recovery sources | HDD, SSD, external disks, USB drives, USB Flash disks, floppy disks, memory cards, SD, MMC, CompactFlash, CD/DVD/Blu-ray, RAID arrays, disk images | Internal and external HDDs/SSDs, USB flash drives, memory cards, disk images, virtual disks; advanced editions also support NAS and RAID storage |
| Operating systems | Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, WinPE | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Free recovery limit | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
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| Our verdict | Active@ File Recovery is a Windows data-recovery utility for restoring deleted files and recovering data from damaged or reformatted partitions and volumes. It is aimed at individuals and technicians working with hard drives, SSDs,… Read the review → |
Recovery Explorer is cross-platform data recovery software from SysDev Laboratories for individuals, technicians, and digital-forensics users. It scans internal and external hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, disk images, virtual… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Active@ File Recovery — where it wins
- QuickScan, SuperScan, and LastChance recovery modes
- RAID-0, RAID-1, RAID-5, and Span reconstruction
- Bootable WinPE and Linux recovery environments
Where it doesn't
- Windows-only platform coverage
- RAID and custom signatures require Professional
- Bootable environments require Ultimate
Recovery Explorer — where it wins
- Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Recovers from drives, images, virtual disks, cards, and NAS
- Adds imaging, SMART monitoring, previews, and RAID reconstruction
Where it doesn't
- No free plan
- Trial recovery is limited by file size
- RAID reconstruction requires the RAID edition
- Active@ File Recovery7.6/10 · Free plan
A low-cost Windows recovery utility with RAID, imaging, previews, and bootable tools.
Visit siteFull verdict → - Recovery Explorer7.3/10 · Paid
A broad recovery toolkit with guided scans, imaging, previews, and RAID support.
Visit siteFull verdict →
All data recovery software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update