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Head-to-head · Data Recovery Software

TestDisk vs GNU ddrescue

  • 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
GNU ddrescue #9 in Data Recovery Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit GNU ddrescue

TestDisk leads on 0 checks, GNU ddrescue 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
  • Most featuresTestDisk · 4 of 4

TestDisk scores higher on our rubric for data recovery software: 9.1 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #9.

TestDisk is the better fit for free partition and filesystem recovery. GNU ddrescue is the better fit for technical users needing free, resilient disk imaging.

  • TestDisk fits best

    Free partition and filesystem recovery

  • GNU ddrescue fits best

    Technical users needing free, resilient disk imaging

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Side by side

Feature TestDisk 9.1/10 Visit ↗ GNU ddrescue 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.4
Ranking #3 in Data Recovery Software #9 in Data Recovery Software
Best for Free partition and filesystem recovery Technical users needing free, resilient disk imaging
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Linux
Support Community, Docs Docs
Features TestDisk 4/4 · GNU ddrescue 1/4
Memory card recovery ✓ ✓
RAID recovery ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Bootable recovery ✓ (best) Not checked yet
File preview ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Recovery sources hard drives; USB drives; memory cards; disk images; DAS; SAN; Linux RAID devices Files, devices, partitions, optical media (CD-ROMs/DVDs), kernel-supported devices including ATA, SATA, SCSI, floppy disks, and flash media cards such as SD
Operating systems Windows; macOS; Linux; DOS; FreeBSD; NetBSD; OpenBSD; SunOS POSIX systems recommended; Cygwin support is discussed in the manual
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
  • Resumes interrupted recovery with mapfiles
  • Prioritizes readable areas and retries bad sectors
  • Supports disks, optical media, flash cards, and partitions
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
  • Command-line workflow requires technical knowledge
  • Cygwin use has documented limitations
  • No preview, RAID, or bootable recovery
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 →

GNU ddrescue is a free, open-source command-line tool for copying data from files or block devices to another destination. It is designed for technical users recovering data from failing storage media, including hard disks, USB drives,…

Read the review →
  1. TestDiskData Recovery Software 9.1Free plan
  2. GNU ddrescueData Recovery Software 8.4Free 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

  • GNU ddrescue — where it wins

    • Resumes interrupted recovery with mapfiles
    • Prioritizes readable areas and retries bad sectors
    • Supports disks, optical media, flash cards, and partitions

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line workflow requires technical knowledge
    • Cygwin use has documented limitations
    • No preview, RAID, or bootable recovery

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