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 · Partition Recovery Software

TestDisk vs Active@ Partition Recovery

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score TestDisk #1 in Partition Recovery Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit TestDisk
Active@ Partition Recovery #3 in Partition Recovery Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit site

TestDisk leads on 0 checks, Active@ Partition Recovery on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreTestDisk · 9.3/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresActive@ Partition Recovery · 3 of 3

TestDisk scores higher on our rubric for partition recovery software: 9.3 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #3.

TestDisk is the better fit for free, broad cross-platform recovery. Active@ Partition Recovery is the better fit for windows users needing deep partition repair.

  • TestDisk fits best

    Free, broad cross-platform recovery

  • Active@ Partition Recovery fits best

    Windows users needing deep partition repair

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 TestDisk 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Active@ Partition Recovery 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 7.9
Ranking #1 in Partition Recovery Software #3 in Partition Recovery Software
Best for Free, broad cross-platform recovery Windows users needing deep partition repair
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs
Features TestDisk 1/3 · Active@ Partition Recovery 3/3
Bootable recovery media Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Disk image recovery Not checked yet ✓ (best)
RAID recovery ✓ ✓
Specs
Scan modes Not checked yet Both
Supported platforms Not checked yet Windows, Linux
Partition table types Not checked yet MBR, GPT
Filesystem support Not checked yet FAT, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS, HFS+, APFS, Ext2/Ext3/Ext4, BtrFS, UFS, XFS, JFS
Our review
Pros
  • Recovers lost partitions and rebuilds partition tables
  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, RAID and disk images
  • Previews files and runs from a live USB environment
  • Freeware includes deleted-partition detection, scanning and volume previews
  • QuickScan and low-level SuperScan cover recent and difficult partition loss
  • Supports MBR, GPT, boot-sector repair, disk images and broad filesystems
Cons
  • Command-line workflows require technical comfort
  • File undelete support covers a defined set of filesystems
  • No paid tiers add managed features or recovery allowances
  • Advanced recovery features are divided across paid editions
  • Bootable WinPE and Linux media are limited to Ultimate
  • The interface and feature set may be more than simple recovery needs
Our verdict

TestDisk is free, open-source recovery software from CGSecurity for recovering deleted or lost partitions, repairing boot structures, and undeleting files. It is aimed at users working with hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, Smart…

Read the review →

Active@ Partition Recovery is desktop software for recovering deleted, damaged, reformatted or inaccessible partitions and volumes. It is aimed at Windows users, technicians and organizations handling damaged disks, external drives, memory…

Read the review →
  1. TestDiskPartition Recovery Software 9.3Free plan
  2. Active@ Partition RecoveryPartition Recovery Software 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • TestDisk — where it wins

    • Recovers lost partitions and rebuilds partition tables
    • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, RAID and disk images
    • Previews files and runs from a live USB environment

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line workflows require technical comfort
    • File undelete support covers a defined set of filesystems
    • No paid tiers add managed features or recovery allowances

  • Active@ Partition Recovery — where it wins

    • Freeware includes deleted-partition detection, scanning and volume previews
    • QuickScan and low-level SuperScan cover recent and difficult partition loss
    • Supports MBR, GPT, boot-sector repair, disk images and broad filesystems

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced recovery features are divided across paid editions
    • Bootable WinPE and Linux media are limited to Ultimate
    • The interface and feature set may be more than simple recovery needs
  • TestDisk9.3/10 · Free plan

    A broad, free recovery toolkit for users comfortable with command-line workflows.

    Visit TestDiskFull verdict →
  • Active@ Partition Recovery7.9/10 · Free plan

    A deep Windows recovery toolkit with free scanning and advanced repair tiers.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All partition recovery software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update