Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Data Recovery Software

DMDE vs Active@ File Recovery

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score DMDE #7 in Data Recovery Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit DMDE
Active@ File Recovery #18 in Data Recovery Software 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

DMDE 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 scoreDMDE · 8.6/10
  • Free planboth

DMDE scores higher on our rubric for data recovery software: 8.6 against 7.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #18.

DMDE is the better fit for advanced recovery across disks, RAID, and OSes. Active@ File Recovery is the better fit for low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools.

  • DMDE fits best

    Advanced recovery across disks, RAID, and OSes

  • 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 DMDE 8.6/10 Visit ↗ Active@ File Recovery 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 7.6
Ranking #7 in Data Recovery Software #18 in Data Recovery Software
Best for Advanced recovery across disks, RAID, and OSes Low-cost Windows recovery with bootable tools
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — $29.95/unit one-time
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Support Email, Docs · 24/7 Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DMDE 4/4 · Active@ File Recovery 4/4
Memory card recovery ✓ ✓
RAID recovery ✓ ✓
Bootable recovery ✓ ✓
File preview ✓ ✓
Specs
Recovery sources disks, partitions, memory cards, RAID arrays, disk images, VHD/VHDX 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 Windows, Linux, macOS, DOS 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 Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS
  • Reconstructs virtual RAID across multiple layouts
  • Combines recovery, partition repair, cloning, and disk imaging
  • QuickScan, SuperScan, and LastChance recovery modes
  • RAID-0, RAID-1, RAID-5, and Span reconstruction
  • Bootable WinPE and Linux recovery environments
Cons
  • Free recovery is limited to 4,000 files per selected directory per request
  • Express covers one OS family and lasts one year
  • Advanced features may be more than casual recovery requires
  • Windows-only platform coverage
  • RAID and custom signatures require Professional
  • Bootable environments require Ultimate
Our verdict

DMDE is a portable desktop utility for searching, analyzing, editing, and recovering data from physical disks, logical volumes, disk images, RAID arrays, memory cards, and flash memory. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS, with…

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. DMDEData Recovery Software 8.6Free plan
  2. Active@ File RecoveryData Recovery Software 7.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • DMDE — where it wins

    • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and DOS
    • Reconstructs virtual RAID across multiple layouts
    • Combines recovery, partition repair, cloning, and disk imaging

    Where it doesn't

    • Free recovery is limited to 4,000 files per selected directory per request
    • Express covers one OS family and lasts one year
    • Advanced features may be more than casual recovery requires

  • 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
  • DMDE8.6/10 · Free plan

    A deep recovery toolkit for disks, partitions, images, and RAID across major desktop OSes.

    Visit DMDEFull 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