Disk Drill vs Data Rescue

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We streamlined our evaluation parameters into several clear categories.

Overall Winner
Disk Drill Logo
Disk Drill for Windows
4.55
Data Rescue Logo
Data Rescue for Windows
3.24
Compatibility
Recovery Rate
Usability
File Type Support
Speed
Found files and Recovery quality200,000 Found files

Good

100%

Corrupted

0%

Lost

0%
152,354 Found files

Good

52%

Corrupted

24%

Lost

24%
PRO Version
$89.00 / Perpetual

Lifetime

$19.00 / 1 file

Subscription

Read full Disk Drill review Read full Data Rescue review

Introduction

A good data recovery application is judged on more than just its recovery capabilities. Users expect a data recovery tool that’s intuitive, versatile, and affordable, among other things. Disk Drill and Data Rescue are data recovery tools that offer you the ability to recover lost or deleted data from internal and external storage devices.

Today, we look at all of the differences between Disk Drill and Data Rescue to determine which data recovery application users will benefit from the most.

Top Disk Drill Pros

  • Two for one. When you buy Disk Drill for Windows, you also unlock Disk Drill for Mac.

  • RAID Array Recovery. The latest Disk Drill for Windows can recover RAID arrays including 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 1E and JBOD.

  • Windows Storage Spaces recovery. Disk Drill offers support for Windows Storage Spaces (Simple, Two-way mirror, Three-way mirror, and Parity).

Top Data Rescue Pros

  • Two recovery modes. There are two modes of operation for the application: a basic view and a complex view for advanced users. In the easy view, there is nothing to get in the way or distract the user from the goal of restoring data.

  • Disk cloning. Disk cloning has a variety of options for both reading and writing. You can clone your disk to another disk or a IMG file.

  • Zero fill erase utility. This allows you to completely null the disk, so it cannot be recovered later.

Top Disk Drill Cons

  • Phone support. No phone number to call for support is provided.

  • Bootable disks. The software doesn't have an option to create custom boot disks.

  • Recovery over a network. It's not possible to perform remote recovery over a network.

Top Data Rescue Cons

  • Scanning methods. The program does not know how to use automatic scanning with all methods. For this, the user is given the choice between quick and deep scanning, which must be chosen individually.

  • No convenience with previews. To preview files you must have free space on your hard drive equal to the size of the file you want to preview since it will be extracted to a temporary folder on the hard drive.

  • No thumbnail preview window. You have to click the preview button every time you want to view them, which is very inconvenient for large numbers of files.

Pricing • Business model

1Distributed as Freemium Freemium
2Trial version available
3Trial version limitations Recover up to 500 MB for free Preview only
4Number of devices per license
    • Standard - 1
    • Professional - 1
    5Starting price$89.00/ Perpetual$19.00/ 1 file
    6License modelLifetimeSubscription
    7No credit card to try
    8Money back guarantee
    9See Plans & PricingPricing detailsPricing details

    Both applications are freemium. Disk Drill allows its users to trial the software by allowing recovery of up to 500MB before a paid license is required. Additionally, all extra features included with Disk Drill like Data Protection, Drive Backup, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring are available for free. Data Rescue allows users to preview recoverable files and make clones of their drives.

    One of the biggest glaring differences between the two is their pricing. Disk Drill offers a lifetime license for $89. Data Rescue, on the other hand, charges users based on how many files they’re recovering, starting at $19 per file. This will undoubtedly become very expensive, especially if you need to recover files in bulk. Moreover, if the files you recovered end up being unusable, it’s money wasted.

    One small detail that many overlook the importance of is the money-back guarantee associated with data recovery tools. Disk Drill has a money-back guarantee so you can get a refund if you’re unsatisfied. Data Rescue does not have a money-back guarantee, so all payments are final.

    Data Recovery Performance

    Each recovery tool has its own way of scanning your drive and recovering your data. Therefore, results will vary based on the application you use. To account for this, we performed a standardized test on each tool to see which one performs the best in a real-world data loss situation. Here are our findings when we compare the results of Disk Drill and Data Rescue against each other.

    Clever In-Depth Scan of File Systems

    1FAT32 partitions
    Full support
    Not supported
    2exFAT partitions
    Full support
    Not supported
    3NTFS partitions
    Full support
    Not supported
    4EXT4 partitions
    Not supported
    Not supported
    5HFS+ partitions
    Not supported
    Full support
    6APFS partitions
    Not supported
    Not supported

    A deep scan is a recovery method that aims to restore the original folder structure and file names of your data using the file system. Disk Drill performed well, as it was able to restore the filenames and folder structure of data recovered from FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS partitions. It could not, however, do the same for EXT4, HFS+, or APFS partitions. Data Rescue seems like it had success with scanning and recovering data from HFS+ partitions, but failed to do the same for any other file system.

    Quick Scan of File Systems

    1FAT32 partitions
    Full support
    Not supported
    2exFAT partitions
    Full support
    Poor performance
    3NTFS partitions
    Full support
    Full support
    4EXT4 partitions
    Partial support
    Not supported
    5HFS+ partitions
    Not supported
    Partial support
    6APFS partitions
    Not supported
    Partial support

    A quick scan intends to recover data that was recently deleted from your drive. During our tests, Disk Drill demonstrated superiority with this scan type as it offers full support for FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS partitions. It also partially supports quick scanning of EXT4 partitions. Data Rescue’s quick scan doesn’t support as many file systems, only offering full support for NTFS partitions and partial support for HFS+ and APFS partitions. 

    Other Scan Types

    1The number of formats supported by deep scan
    Some (≈400)
    Some (≈150)
    2BitLocker support
    Full support
    Not supported
    3Windows shadow copies scanning
    Not supported
    Not supported
    4Scan for lost partitions
    Full support
    Not supported
    5Recovered files' labeling
    Full support
    Not supported
    6Partial file recovery
    Full support
    Full support
    7Disk images: scan and recovery
    Full support
    Full support

    Both data recovery tools offer recovery by file signature, with Disk Drill supporting more file types than Data Rescue. 

    Disk Drill is capable of recovering data from drives encrypted with BitLocker. Data Rescue does not support this, so encrypted data would remain lost. Disk Drill can also scan for lost partitions, whereas Data Rescue only focuses on the recovery of data. 

    In terms of other scan types, Disk Drill has more to offer its users across the board.

    Real-Life Recovery Challenge

    1Raw photo recovery
    100%
    36%
    2Video formats recovery
    99%
    51%
    3Document formats recovery
    84%
    67%

    The real-life recovery challenge shows us that Data Rescue received a below-average score as it severely struggled to recover most of our raw photos, namely CR2, TIFF, DNG, and MRW. Contrarily, Disk Drill was able to completely recover them. Part of Data Rescue’s performance may be attributed to the fact that it hasn’t received an update since 2021, whereas Disk Drill is updated regularly to ensure it supports modern file formats.

    Feature Comparison

    To remain a competitive option, data recovery tools must appeal to consumers by being better than their rivals. This includes how easy the software is to use, what extra features come with it, and how often it’s updated. As part of our review process, we account for all of this. Here is a summarised look at what each application has to offer its users.

    Both applications have fairly good Karma scores. They’re updated regularly and maintain a changelog of all the updates made for users to review. Data Rescue has better customer support channels, as it offers support via helpdesk, live chat, and phone. However, it’s not well known and doesn’t have an online market share, causing it to lose some points.

    In terms of Usability, Disk Drill beats Data Rescue by a landslide. Data Rescue uses a very outdated interface that doesn’t allow users to easily access what features it includes from wherever they are in the software. Since it doesn’t have a thumbnail view when reviewing discovered data, users need to manually preview each file.

    Disk Drill allows users to sort results and filter recoverable data based on file type. It’s also accessible to a wider range of users thanks to it being available in multiple languages.

    Disk Drill and Data Rescue are neck and neck. You can recover data from internal or external hard drives and solid-state drives, removable USB sticks, and memory cards. Neither of them supports recovery from iOS and Android devices and both only partially support RAID recovery.

    Other notable recovery features help complement data recovery by making the process easier. Disk Drill has many additional features to offer, such as a handy recovery chance prediction indicator next to each file and data protection to safeguard selected data going forward. Data Rescue does have some extra features, like RAID reconstruction, but this is the only feature offered that Disk Drill doesn’t already support.

    There aren’t many extras offered by Disk Drill or Data Rescue. With Disk Drill, you can use its active disk monitoring feature that reads your drive’s SMART data to regularly check its overall health. Data Rescue allows you to clone your disk, as well as securely erase any remaining data on available parts of the drive.

    Wrapping Up

    After being beat by Disk Drill in almost every area, Data Rescue doesn’t have much going for it. Disk Drill is easier to use, feature-rich, and more importantly, better at recovering your data.

    Data Rescue’s pricing model is in dire need of an update. Paying $19 for a single file recovery (or $49 for 100 file recoveries) becomes extremely expensive if the software is used regularly. Even if you upgrade to the Unlimited License, the recovery performance shown isn’t nearly enough to justify the $399/year price tag.

    In conclusion, Data Rescue has a lot of room for improvement if it wants to compete with data recovery applications that are more effective, budget-friendly, and user intuitive. In a competitive market, without steady and continuous improvement, applications like Data Rescue gradually fall behind in desirability.

    Disk Drill for Windows
    4.55

    Disk Drill is feature-rich and demonstrates great recovery performance in any data loss scenario.

    Visit developer's website
    Up to 500MB of free recovery
    Create byte-to-byte disk copies
    Intuitive user interface
    Useful recovery features
    Recovery chance indicator
    Active S.M.A.R.T. monitoring
    Assemble virtual RAID arrays
    Can learn unfamiliar file signatures
    Allows disk cloning
    Fast scan times

    More software comparisons

    Our intention is to provide objective and fact-based reviews of the data recovery tools available on the market. Check out some of our other comparisons below.

    Jordan Jamieson-Mane
    Author

    Jordan Jamieson-Mane is a content writer with a focus on technology-related content. He has spent much of his life studying and working with all types of technology. During his time as a writer, he has written countless articles in the field of data recovery, breaking down complex topics into articles that are easy to understand.

    When he's not writing articles on data recovery, Jordan enjoys traveling the world, reading books, and building websites.

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    Nikolay Lankevich
    Nikolay Lankevich
    Approver

    Nikolay Lankevich has over 15 years of strong experience in various fields and platform includes Disaster Recovery, Windows XP/7. System analysis, design, application (Inter/Intranet) development, and testing. Provided technical supports on desktop and laptops on Win-XP and Macintosh for about 2000 employees.