R-Studio for Mac Review – Powerful Features in an Intimidating Package
Out of 5 Total Score
No. 4 Among all macOS solutions
R-Studio for Mac offers a wide range of features aimed at data recovery professionals. The same features, however, make it somewhat inaccessible to casual users. But what about advanced Mac users who are not data recovery professionals but, at the same time, are not afraid of reading documentation and spending some time figuring things out? For such users, R-Studio for Mac is an interesting option for the reasons we discuss in greater detail in this review.
R-Studio for Mac – Gallery
Top Pros
Top Cons
Top Competitors
R-Studio for Mac – Overview
#R-Studio for Mac has the misfortune of sharing its name with a company that provides open source and enterprise-ready professional software for data science, which currently occupies the first spot in Google when you search “r-studio.”
But if you make some effort to find the official website of the data recovery software and learn what it has to offer, you’re guaranteed to be rewarded with great data recovery results—more about them later in this review. For now, let’s take a look at some good-to-know facts about R-Studio for Mac.
Factsheet
| Requirements | macOS 10.5-13.0 |
| Latest version | 7.3.191246 • Released 25th Sep, 2023 |
| Download size | 117.95 MB |
| Category | Data Recovery Software |
| UI languages | English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Japanese |
Sibling version
R-Studio For Windows
This data recovery software offers a broad range of features to meet the needs of demanding data recovery professionals. Read full review
No. 2 Among all Windows solutions
Pricing
| Distributed as | Freemium Some features are provided free of charge, but money is required to unlock the rest |
| Trial version available | Trial version available |
| Trial version limitations | With trial version you can:
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| Paid plans |
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| Price range | $79.99...$899.00 |
| License model | Subscription + Lifetime |
| No credit card to try | No credit card to try |
| Money back guarantee | Money back guarantee |
Buying an R-Studio for Mac license can be a confusing experience because there are multiple options available, and they range from $79.99 all the way up to $899.00. In reality, having multiple licenses to choose from is a great thing because you can pick the one that meets your needs the best and avoid paying money for features you don’t need.
As the pricing details below explain, the cheapest R-Studio for Mac license is the best choice for most home users because it includes all essential features as well as several more advanced features that many competing software solutions don’t offer, such as RAID recovery.
Businesses and data recovery professionals should go with R-Studio Corporate or R-Studio Technician depending on whether they want to use the software for commercial purposes. Both of these versions include the ability to recover data over network.
There’s also R-Studio T80+, which is essentially a time-limited version of R-Studio Technician that costs just $80. You can use this version for 80 days, which means that individuals and businesses can gain access to the most powerful features this data recovery software product has to offer for just $1 a day.
Pricing details
| 1 | Price | $79.99 |
| 2 | Details |
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| 1 | Price | $179.99 |
| 2 | Details | Everything in R-Studio for Mac plus:
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| 1 | Price | $899.00 |
| 2 | Details | Everything in R-Studio Corporate for Mac plus:
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| 1 | Price | $80.00 |
| 2 | Details |
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Developer — R-Tools Technology Inc.
R-Studio is developed by R-Tools Technology, a reputable Canadian software company that was founded more than two decades ago.
1% 10.6% than avg
Reflects the share of online traffic within the niche occupied by data recovery software, based on data taken from ahrefs.com (from Google US search engine).
100 76.6% than avg
Based on the number of brand-related search queries on Google US according to ahrefs.com.
Despite being around for a long time, R-Tools Technology hasn’t really turned R-Studio into a popular brand. That’s largely because the software has limited mass appeal, but it’s also because R-Tools Technology doesn’t focus on marketing nearly as much as some of its competitors.
| Developer website | r-studio.com |
| Support email | joanna@r-tt.com |
| Founded | 2000 • 23 years on the market |
| HQ location | 10520 Yonge Street, Unit 35B, Suite 232 Richmond Hill, ON, L4C 3C7, CANADA |
| Phone | 1-888-978-8266 |
| Social media | Twitter Facebook YouTube |
Even though R-Tools Technology clearly doesn’t play the marketing game nearly as well as some other companies in the same space, it does have a decent social media presence, and you can also get in touch with its employees over the phone or via email.
Data Recovery with R-Studio for Mac
Tested on: macOS 12.4 (21F79)
As we’ve already mentioned, R-Studio for Mac is aimed at professionals, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that recovering data with it isn’t a one-click process.
How We Test
We at Pandora Data Recovery Review take pride in our comprehensive data recovery software testing methodology, which allows us to produce repeatable test results that can be used for comparison purposes.
| # | Step | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Installation | Our tests always start with the installation of the software in question. A complicated or broken installation process is guaranteed to make users run away and look for alternatives. |
| 2 | Source selection | Selecting the storage device you want to scan should be straightforward, but it sometimes isn't. What's more, not all data recovery software applications support the same file systems. |
| 3 | Scanning process | This is where data recovery software solutions for professionals and casual users differ the most, with the former kind typically providing plenty of customization options. |
| 4 | Managing found data | The best data recovery software applications make it easy to manage found data thanks to their ability to preview recoverable files and filter them according to a variety of different criteria. |
| 5 | Recovery and post-processing | Your recovery chances can take a nosedive if you select the wrong recovery destination. A good data recovery software application should help you pick a suitable one. |
Now that you understand our data recovery software testing methodology, it’s time for us to apply it in practice to see how accessible and capable R-Studio for Mac is.
Installation
We started by downloading R-Studio for Mac from its official website. We then opened the downloaded installer file and were presented with easy-to-understand installation instructions telling us to move R-Studio to the Applications folder.
After completing the straightforward installation process, we launched R-Studio for the first time and were asked to open System Preferences and give the software full access to the system disk.
Source selection
This is where things got confusing. If you have one or two storage devices connected to your Mac, then you probably expect to see one or two sources to scan, right? Well, R-Studio for Mac lists not just physical storage devices but also individual volumes by default, so selecting the right one may require some detective work.
As one of the screenshots above illustrates, system disks connected to M1-powered and T2-encrypted Macs can't be scanned at all without disabling System Integrity Protection—something you shouldn't do if you care about your security and privacy. At least everything works fine on older Macs.
Once you have the right source selected, you can click the Scan button. Alternatively, you can right-click the desired source and choose the Scan option from the context menu.
Scanning process
R-Studio for Mac doesn't immediately start scanning when you press the Scan button. Instead, it opens a scan settings window where you can specify the area you want to scan, the file systems and file types you want R-Studio to look for, and more.
You can also click the Advanced button to reveal even more options. The good news is that you can safely ignore all available options when dealing with most data loss scenarios and simply click the Scan button.
When you do that, R-Studio for Mac will finally begin scanning, and its progress will be displayed in great detail. The application always tells you how much time is remaining, and the estimation is more or less accurate.
Managing found files
We're not fond of how R-Studio for Mac presents scan results, but what we don't like most of all is that scan results are not opened automatically. Instead, you have to view them manually by double-clicking the corresponding source.
Found files are organized in a hierarchical fashion according to their type, and you can change how they are sorted and displayed.
Commonly used multimedia file formats can be previewed in a dedicated pop-up window, and you can open any file in R-Studio's capable hex editor.
Recovery and post-processing
All you have to do to add a recoverable file to your recovery queue is to click the checkbox next to it. Once you've selected all files you want to get back, you can click the Recover Marked button.
R-Studio for Mac will ask you to specify the recovery destination, and it will provide multiple recovery options for you to configure. For example, you can choose if you want to recover metafiles or skip files with bad sectors.
We were happy with the default settings and proceeded forward by clicking the OK button. R-Studio instantly recovered all selected files to the specified recovery destination, automatically closing the recovery progress bar.
Tutorials
R-Studio for Mac – Tutorials and Other Videos
R-Studio for Mac is one of the more difficult data recovery applications out there, so it can be helpful to watch some tutorials that explain how it works.
R-Studio for Mac – Full Review
We have performed many different data recovery tests to find out how good R-Studio for Mac really is. Instead of describing each test in the same detail as we did with the one above, we provide the following concise summary of our findings.
Karma
13 rating criteria
Developed by one of the most respected software companies in the data recovery market segment, R-Studio is a highly trusted and respected application. All paying customers receive excellent customer support, but they don’t receive updates as frequently as we would like.
| # | Feature | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Update frequency | More than 6 months |
| 2 | Updated recently | Yes |
| 3 | Changelog available | Available (View full update history) |
| 4 | Latest macOS supported | Nope, older versions of macOS |
| 5 | Runs natively on M1/M2 Macs | Supports |
| 6 | Genuine or clone? | Genuine |
| 7 | Brand name popularity | Unpopular |
| 8 | Online market share | Poor |
| 9 | Maturity | Mature |
| 10 | Extensive knowledge base | Available |
| 11 | Helpdesk support | Available |
| 12 | Live chat | Not available |
| 13 | Phone support | Yes |
Bang for the buck
8 rating criteria
R-Studio for Mac offers great value because you can install it for free and use it to recover an unlimited number of files that are no larger than 256 KB. To recover larger files, you can purchase one of several available licenses, the cheapest of which costs $79.99.
| # | Feature | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Competitive pricing | Yes |
| 2 | Price-quality ratio | Great |
| 3 | Free trial | Yes (limited to files that are no larger than 256 KB) |
| 4 | Is it free? | No |
| 5 | Pricing policy | Paid |
| 6 | Unlimited recovery in full version | Yes |
| 7 | Free upgrades | Only minor upgrades |
| 8 | Commercial rights in the cheapest license | No |
Usability
18 rating criteria
Because of its confusing user interface and the lack of some quality-of-life features, R-Studio for Mac doesn’t score too many points in the usability department. The application could really use a beginner-friendly mode that would hide some information and options to provide a simplified data recovery experience.
| # | Feature | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modern user-friendly interface | No |
| 2 | Dark mode | Yes |
| 3 | Easy-to-locate features | No |
| 4 | Automatic implementation of multiple appropriate scanning methods without user interaction | Yes |
| 5 | Auto-resuming scans of failing drives | No |
| 6 | Auto-resuming backups of failing drives | No |
| 7 | Convenient source selection on start | So-so |
| 8 | Convenient file-by-file preview of recoverable items | So-so |
| 9 | Convenient thumbnail preview of recoverable items | So-so |
| 10 | Mount recoverable items as disk | No |
| 11 | Built-in updater | Yes |
| 12 | Multiple view modes in scan results | Yes |
| 13 | Hex view for recoverable items | Yes |
| 14 | Filter recoverable items by type | Yes |
| 15 | Search recoverable items by file names | Yes |
| 16 | Sort results | Yes |
| 17 | Multilingual UI | Yes |
| 18 | Simple deployment | No |
Recovery performance
128 rating criteria
There’s no doubt that R-Studio for Mac is packed with powerful data recovery features, but they’re sometimes not enough to deliver the desired results because some relatively commonly used file formats are not supported. It also doesn’t help that the application can’t recover data from system drives of M1- powered and T2-encrypted Macs.
| # | Feature | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deep scan | Good | Supported file types can be reliably recovered. |
| 2 | Quick scan | Good | Supported file types can be reliably recovered. |
| 3 | Other types of scan | Fine | Can't scan system drives on M1-powered and T2-encrypted Macs. |
| 4 | Device support | Fine | Most storage devices are supported. |
| 5 | Real-life recovery challenge | Fine | Results can be a hit or miss. |
| 6 | Other notable recovery features | Good | Many useful recovery features are supported. |
Clever scan
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HFS+ partitions | 5 |
| 2 | APFS partitions | 5 |
| 3 | FAT32 partitions | 3 |
| 4 | exFAT partitions | 3 |
| 5 | NTFS partitions | 5 |
| 6 | EXT4 partitions | 5 |
R-Studio can recover the original folder structure and file names across all supported file systems, but recovery attempts involving the FAT32 and exFAT file systems produce the worst results.
Quick scan
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HFS+ partitions | 5 |
| 2 | APFS partitions | 5 |
| 3 | FAT32 partitions | 3 |
| 4 | exFAT partitions | 3 |
| 5 | NTFS partitions | 5 |
| 6 | EXT4 partitions | 5 |
Again, R-Studio can reliably recover recently deleted files from HFS+, APFS, NTFS, and EXT4 partitions, but FAT32 and exFAT recovery is less reliable.
Other scan types
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The number of formats supported by deep scan | 5 |
| 2 | Native deep scan of system drives on M1/M2-powered Macs | 0 |
| 3 | Native deep scan of system drives on T2-encrypted Macs | 0 |
| 4 | Native data recovery from local Time Machine snapshots | 0 |
| 5 | Scan for lost partitions | 5 |
| 6 | HFS+ directory rebuild | 0 |
| 7 | Recovered files' labeling | 3 |
| 8 | Partial file recovery | 5 |
| 9 | Disk images: scan and recovery | 5 |
By far the biggest limitation of R-Studio for Mac is its inability to recover data from systems drives connected to M1-powered and T2-encrypted Macs. Additionally, the software can’t recover data from local Time Machine snapshots, and you need to go with a different solution if you want to rebuild an HFS+ directory.
Device Support
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internal and external HDD | 5 |
| 2 | Internal and external SSD | 5 |
| 3 | USB thumb drives / Classic iPods (non-iOS) / FireWire devices | 5 |
| 4 | Memory cards | 5 |
| 5 | iOS devices | 0 |
| 6 | Android devices | 0 |
| 7 | Recovery from RAID1, 0, JBOD | 0 |
| 8 | Unmountable partitions | 5 |
| 9 | iOS backups | 0 |
| 10 | iCloud | 0 |
| 11 | Encrypted device support | 5 |
All versions of R-Studio focus on recovering lost data from computers and the various storage devices that are typically attached to them, such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, and so on. As such, there’s no version of R-Studio capable of helping you recover missing files from iOS or Android devices, let alone their backups.
Real-life recovery challenges
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Document formats recovery | 3 |
| 2 | Raw photo recovery | 3 |
| 3 | Video formats recovery | 3 |
Raw photo recovery
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3FR | 3 |
| 2 | ARW | 4 |
| 3 | BMP | 5 |
| 4 | CR2 | 4 |
| 5 | CR3 | 4 |
| 6 | CRW | 0 |
| 7 | DCR | 0 |
| 8 | DNG | 4 |
| 9 | CinemaDNG | 2 |
| 10 | ERF | 5 |
| 11 | EXR | 0 |
| 12 | FFF | 0 |
| 13 | GPR | 4 |
| 14 | HEIC | 4 |
| 15 | IIQ | 0 |
| 16 | INSP | 0 |
| 17 | JP2 | 2 |
| 18 | JPG | 5 |
| 19 | KDC | 0 |
| 20 | MEF | 5 |
| 21 | MOS | 5 |
| 22 | MPO | 0 |
| 23 | MRW | 5 |
| 24 | NEF | 4 |
| 25 | NRW | 4 |
| 26 | ORF | 5 |
| 27 | PEF | 3 |
| 28 | RAF | 2 |
| 29 | RAW | 0 |
| 30 | RW2 | 3 |
| 31 | RWL | 3 |
| 32 | SR2 | 2 |
| 33 | SRF | 0 |
| 34 | SRW | 3 |
| 35 | TIFF | 3 |
| 36 | X3F | 0 |
| 37 | X3I | 0 |
As you can see by looking at the summary table above, R-Studio for Mac can’t recover many commonly used raw photo file formats, such as CRW, KDC, SRF, and X3F, just to give some examples. That’s not great because raw photos in general are becoming more and more popular, and they can now be captured even by some modern smartphones.
Video formats recovery
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 360 | 4 |
| 2 | ARI | 0 |
| 3 | ARX | 0 |
| 4 | AVI | 5 |
| 5 | AVI | 4 |
| 6 | BRAW | 0 |
| 7 | INSV | 2 |
| 8 | INSV | 2 |
| 9 | MOV | 3 |
| 10 | MOV | 4 |
| 11 | MOV | 4 |
| 12 | MOV | 0 |
| 13 | MOV | 5 |
| 14 | MP4 | 4 |
| 15 | MP4 | 5 |
| 16 | MXF | 2 |
| 17 | MXF | 5 |
| 18 | MXF | 3 |
| 19 | MXF | 3 |
| 20 | R3D | 0 |
| 21 | WMV | 5 |
We wouldn’t use R-Studio for Mac as our video file recovery software of choice because multiple popular video file formats are not supported. The good news is that you can add a custom file format to R-Studio, but doing so is anything but straightforward.
Document formats recovery
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACCDB | 2 |
| 2 | DJVU | 0 |
| 3 | DOC | 5 |
| 4 | DOCX | 2 |
| 5 | FB2 | 5 |
| 6 | KEY | 2 |
| 7 | MDB | 2 |
| 8 | NUMBERS | 3 |
| 9 | ODP | 5 |
| 10 | ODS | 3 |
| 11 | ODT | 3 |
| 12 | PAGES | 3 |
| 13 | 4 | |
| 14 | PPT | 2 |
| 15 | PPTX | 4 |
| 16 | RTF | 5 |
| 17 | XLS | 5 |
| 18 | XLSX | 4 |
Documents are among the most frequently recovered files, but R-Studio’s performance doesn’t reflect this. We were unable to recover sample files in the DJVU file format, and even such commonly used file formats as DOCX, KEY, and PPT gave the software trouble.
Other notable recovery features
| # | Feature | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overall non-intrusive read-only algorithms | 0 |
| 2 | Network recovery | 5 |
| 3 | Effectively filters out corrupted scan results | 3 |
| 4 | Byte-to-byte device backups | 5 |
| 5 | Bootable recovery drive creation | 5 |
| 6 | Runs in macOS native recovery mode | 0 |
| 7 | Convenient scan session management | 2 |
| 8 | Bad sector management | 5 |
| 9 | Recovery chance prediction | 5 |
| 10 | RAID reconstructor | 5 |
| 11 | Disk vitals monitoring and tracking during scan | 3 |
| 12 | Data protection | 0 |
| 13 | Links to in-lab recovery service for physically damaged devices | 5 |
| 14 | Scan speed | 5 |
| 15 | Scan free space only | 0 |
| 16 | Start file recovery without interrupting the scan | 0 |
| 17 | Preview recoverable items without interrupting the scan | 0 |
| 18 | Forensic features | 5 |
R-Studio for Mac (at least the more expensive versions of the software) brings to the table a whole host of notable recovery features, including the ability to remotely recover data from computers connected to the same network or the ability to reconstruct RAID arrays. Still, some nice-to-have features are missing in the current version, and it would be nice to see them introduced with a future update.
Extras
12 rating criteria
It has become a common practice for the developers of data recovery software applications geared toward regular users to include all kinds of extra features to help the users of their products better manage their files and prevent data loss by regularly backing them up.
| # | Feature | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disk space mapping | No | Not supported |
| 2 | Disk clean up | No | Not supported |
| 3 | Corrupted video repair tool | No | Not supported |
| 4 | Corrupted photo repair tool | No | Not supported |
| 5 | S.M.A.R.T. | Partial | Can display S.M.A.R.T. data of some storage devices |
| 6 | Duplicate finder | No | Not supported |
| 7 | Built-in disk space secure eraser | No | Not supported |
| 8 | Disk cloning | No | Not supported |
| 9 | Disk surface test | No | Not supported |
| 10 | Secure data shredding | No | Not supported |
Because R-Studio for Mac is aimed predominantly at professionals and not regular users, it doesn’t come with virtually any extra features that would expand its capabilities beyond data recovery.
Rude customer support and misleading refund policy. It's not about the money, but about the principle. Dont bother buying this. Choose another company, seriously. You dont want rude customer support on the phone when you are trying to recover lost data.
Shady refund policies, so don't even bother trying their demo which will mislead you into thinking you can purchase this now to see if the software works. I've tried other software and they have all been willing to issue a refund. I rather buy one of their licences. They won $60 from me but lost a corporate licence deal.
amaansadruddin
This is high quality data recovery software but there is less search capability as compared to other products. There is need of user friendly interface so that users can be able to understand it very easily.
filerecoveryreview.com
The only significant disadvantage we found was R-Studio’s user interface. R-Studio is clearly designed for data recovery specialists and the interface can be confusing for inexperienced users. We think that the best solution would be to offer a “wizard”-style option for home users while keeping the current interface as an alternative.
softwarehow.com
Bottom line
R-Studio for Mac is a capable data recovery software solution that’s clearly designed for a specific group of users: professionals. If you’re reading this review, the chances are that you’re not a data recovery professional, however.
The question then is whether you are willing to spend some time learning how R-Studio works just to obtain the same (and possibly worse) results than you could obtain using a much more intuitive data recovery application designed from the ground up for casual users.
If you’re not sure, then we recommend you download the free demo version of R-Studio and try the software on your own computer. Should you end up liking it, unlocking unlimited recovery is as easy as purchasing a license. And if you decide that it’s not the right choice for you, then there are plenty of great alternatives from which you can choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer some questions Mac users frequently ask about R-Studio for Mac.
Where can I download R-Studio for Mac?
You can download R-Studio for Mac directly from its official website.
Does R-Studio work on M1 Macs?
Yes, R-Studio works on M1 Macs, but the software can’t recover data from their system drives.
How to update R-Studio on a Mac?
You can check for updates directly from R-Studio:
- Open the Help menu.
- Click the Check for Update option.
Is R-Studio for Mac easy to use?
Not really. R-Studio for Mac is intended for data recovery professionals, and its user interface reflects this.
What are the limitations of the demo version of R-Studio for Mac?
The demo version of R-Studio for Mac can recover an unlimited number of files, but they must be smaller than 256 KB.
How to uninstall R-Studio for Mac?
To uninstall R-Studio for Mac:
- Launch Finder.
- Navigate to the Applications folder.
- Move R-Studio to Trash.
🏅 Highly recommended
Out of 5 Total score
No. 4 Among all macOS solutions
If you’re a data recovery professional or an advanced Mac user, then R-Studio for Mac deserves your attention.
Visit developer's website
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Cisdem Data Recovery is a white label copy of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard that shares all of its shortcomings without making any improvements.
There’s a good reason why R-Studio for Mac is loved by professionals, but regular home users have different priorities.
Even though the software doesn’t look like it, it’s actually a one-trick pony that can be recommended mainly to those who want to recover damaged video files.
David Morelo is a professional content writer with a specialization in data recovery. He spends his days helping users from around the world recover from data loss and address the numerous issues associated with it.
When not writing about data recovery techniques and solutions, he enjoys tinkering with new technology, working on personal projects, exploring the world on his bike, and, above all else, spending time with his family.
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Yevgeniy Tolkunov is Hardware Engineer at ACE Data Recovery. Yevgeniy has a Master's Degree in Physics, Information Technology; 15+ years of experience.
What Users Say about R-Studio for Mac