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Head-to-head · Data Recovery Software

TestDisk vs Active@ UNDELETE

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score TestDisk #3 in Data Recovery Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CGSecurity
Active@ UNDELETE #71 in Data Recovery Software 3.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Try Active@ UNDELETE

TestDisk leads on 0 checks, Active@ UNDELETE 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 scoreTestDisk · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth

TestDisk scores higher on our rubric for data recovery software: 9.1 against 3.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #71.

TestDisk is the better fit for free partition and filesystem recovery. Active@ UNDELETE is the better fit for low-cost Windows recovery with RAID support.

  • TestDisk fits best

    Free partition and filesystem recovery

  • Active@ UNDELETE fits best

    Low-cost Windows recovery with RAID support

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Side by side

Feature TestDisk 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Active@ UNDELETE 3.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 3.8
Ranking #3 in Data Recovery Software #71 in Data Recovery Software
Best for Free partition and filesystem recovery Low-cost Windows recovery with RAID support
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Support Community, Docs Email, Phone, Docs
Features TestDisk 4/4 · Active@ UNDELETE 4/4
Memory card recovery ✓ ✓
RAID recovery ✓ ✓
Bootable recovery ✓ ✓
File preview ✓ ✓
Specs
Recovery sources hard drives; USB drives; memory cards; disk images; DAS; SAN; Linux RAID devices HDD, SSD, external disks, USB drives, memory cards, digital cameras, removable devices, CD/DVDs, ZIP drives, floppy disks, disk images and RAID arrays
Operating systems Windows; macOS; Linux; DOS; FreeBSD; NetBSD; OpenBSD; SunOS Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2022; WinPE
Free recovery limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Supports partition repair, boot structures, RAID, and disk images
  • Can inspect files before copying and run from a live USB
  • Freeware edition includes deleted-file recovery and file previews
  • Ultimate supports RAID reconstruction and network-based recovery
  • Bootable CD/DVD/USB recovery is available in higher tiers
Cons
  • Command-line workflows may require technical recovery knowledge
  • Filesystem undelete support is limited to listed supported filesystems
  • Less feature-rich than DMDE for advanced reconstruction and diagnostics
  • Platform coverage is limited to Windows systems
  • RAID recovery requires the $79.95 Ultimate edition
  • Advanced features are split across multiple paid editions
Our verdict

TestDisk is free, open-source data recovery software from CGSecurity for recovering lost or deleted partitions, repairing partition tables and filesystem boot structures, and undeleting files. It is suited to people recovering data from…

Read the review →

Active@ UNDELETE is Windows data-recovery software for restoring deleted files and folders, damaged or formatted partitions, and files recovered by signature. It works with internal and external disks, USB drives, memory cards, digital…

Read the review →
  1. TestDiskData Recovery Software 9.1Free plan
  2. Active@ UNDELETEData Recovery Software 3.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • TestDisk — where it wins

    • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
    • Supports partition repair, boot structures, RAID, and disk images
    • Can inspect files before copying and run from a live USB

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line workflows may require technical recovery knowledge
    • Filesystem undelete support is limited to listed supported filesystems
    • Less feature-rich than DMDE for advanced reconstruction and diagnostics

  • Active@ UNDELETE — where it wins

    • Freeware edition includes deleted-file recovery and file previews
    • Ultimate supports RAID reconstruction and network-based recovery
    • Bootable CD/DVD/USB recovery is available in higher tiers

    Where it doesn't

    • Platform coverage is limited to Windows systems
    • RAID recovery requires the $79.95 Ultimate edition
    • Advanced features are split across multiple paid editions

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