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Head-to-head · Data Recovery Software

Disk Drill vs Active@ File Recovery

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Disk Drill #5 in Data Recovery Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Disk Drill
Active@ File Recovery #18 in Data Recovery Software 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

Disk Drill leads on 0 checks, Active@ File Recovery on 0, and 5 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 scoreDisk Drill · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth

Disk Drill scores higher on our rubric for data recovery software: 8.8 against 7.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #18.

Disk Drill is the better fit for windows and macOS recovery with protection features. Active@ File Recovery is the better fit for low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools.

  • Disk Drill fits best

    Windows and macOS recovery with protection features

  • Active@ File Recovery fits best

    Low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools

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.

Side by side

Feature Disk Drill 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Active@ File Recovery 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 7.6
Ranking #5 in Data Recovery Software #18 in Data Recovery Software
Best for Windows and macOS recovery with protection features Low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $89/yr $29.95/unit one-time
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS Windows
Support Email, Phone, Docs Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Disk Drill 4/4 · Active@ File Recovery 4/4
Memory card recovery ✓ ✓
RAID recovery ✓ ✓
Bootable recovery ✓ ✓
File preview ✓ ✓
Specs
Recovery sources Internal and external hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, SD/CF cards, memory cards, digital cameras, virtual hard drives, RAID arrays, disk images HDD, SSD, external disks, USB drives, USB Flash disks, floppy disks, memory cards, SD, MMC, CompactFlash, CD/DVD/Blu-ray, RAID arrays, disk images
Operating systems macOS 10.15+; Windows 10+ 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
Free recovery limit 100 GB Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Recovers from drives, memory cards, RAID arrays, NAS, and mobile devices
  • Includes Quick and Deep Scan, previews, partition search, and RAID reconstruction
  • Adds Recovery Vault, byte-to-byte backups, and bootable macOS recovery
  • QuickScan, SuperScan, and LastChance recovery modes
  • RAID-0, RAID-1, RAID-5, and Span reconstruction
  • Bootable WinPE and Linux recovery environments
Cons
  • Basic recovery is limited to Windows and 100 MB
  • Paid access starts at $89 per year or $149 for a lifetime license
  • Supports Windows and macOS, with no other desktop platforms listed
  • Windows-only platform coverage
  • RAID and custom signatures require Professional
  • Bootable environments require Ultimate
Our verdict

Disk Drill is data recovery software for Windows and macOS computers. It is designed for recovering deleted or lost files from internal and external drives, USB flash drives, SD memory cards, digital cameras, smartphones, RAID arrays, and…

Read the review →

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 →
  1. Disk DrillData Recovery Software 8.8Free plan
  2. Active@ File RecoveryData Recovery Software 7.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Disk Drill — where it wins

    • Recovers from drives, memory cards, RAID arrays, NAS, and mobile devices
    • Includes Quick and Deep Scan, previews, partition search, and RAID reconstruction
    • Adds Recovery Vault, byte-to-byte backups, and bootable macOS recovery

    Where it doesn't

    • Basic recovery is limited to Windows and 100 MB
    • Paid access starts at $89 per year or $149 for a lifetime license
    • Supports Windows and macOS, with no other desktop platforms listed

  • 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
  • Disk Drill8.8/10 · Free plan

    A broad recovery toolkit with free Windows recovery and paid unlimited access.

    Visit Disk DrillFull verdict →
  • Active@ File Recovery7.6/10 · Free plan

    A low-cost Windows recovery utility with RAID, imaging, previews, and bootable tools.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All data recovery software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update