Recuva vs. Disk Drill 2025 Comparison: Which is best for you?

Struggling to choose between the right app for the job? Finding the right data recovery tool for restoring deleted files is not always easy. There are a few on the market, each with its selling points. I’ll look at two of them today: Recuva and Disk Drill. 

Recuva is a genuinely free recovery tool that anyone with Windows can use. But what about Disk Drill? This is the same kind of tool but designed for macOS devices. Guess what? It can also be used on Windows. 

You’ll definitely be able to figure things out based on what I share. But first, let’s quickly overview the recovery tools:

Recuva: Quick file recovery

So, let’s begin. First, a quick overview of Recuva. How can it help you? Well, it’s specifically for Windows users. It’s designed to recover files marked as deleted by the operating system but still showing as present on the storage device.

It’ll work with images, music, videos, and emails and can recover files from lots of different devices, including:

• Internal hard drives
• External hard disk drives
• USB flash drives
• Memory cards
• Portable media players

How Recuva works:

1. First, it scans the MFT (Master File Table), which contains information about all files, including those that have been deleted but not yet overwritten.
2. Then, It’ll find files marked as deleted but still physically present on the drive.
3. Finally, you can then recover them, as long as they haven't been overwritten by new data. 

Source: snapfiles.com

The various Recuva features and its simple and intuitive interface make it an excellent tool for busy professionals who know what they’re doing with tech or more inexperienced users who need something simple. 

As of 2025, I discovered it’s still only available for Windows users. I reckon if you have a Mac, it’s not wise to download it — as you don’t want to hit issues or cause a problem with your device. In this case, you can check out the list of the top 7 Recuva alternatives for Mac.

Disk Drill: Powerful data recovery

Originating from the clever tech bods at Cleverfiles, Disk Drill is a data recovery tool designed for both Mac and Windows users. It recovers deleted files from different storage devices using Recovery Vault Technology. RVT provides a secure backup system. With it, you can do stuff like automated and incremental backups and encryption.

Disk Drill can recover files from all sorts of places on your device. So, if you need to get any of the following, it might be right for you: 

• Apple and Android devices
• Hard disks
• External USB drives
• SD cards

How Disk Drill works: 

1. First, the tool scans your storage devices for lost or deleted data.
2. Then, it allows you to preview the files.
3. Finally, you can recover them.

What are the cool Disk Drill features to know? One of them is the ability to choose between a Quick Scan for recovery or a Deep Scan, which is handy if you know (or suspect) that your file system has become corrupted. 

Head-to-head comparison of Recuva vs. Disk Drill

OK, that’s the basics out of the way, so you might be wondering which is better: Recuva or Disk Drill? And is Recuva better than Disk Drill or vice versa? I’m going to dive in a bit and compare the two tools to give you some clearer answers. 

Recuva vs. Disk Drill: Features compared

The main point is that while both Recuva and Disk Drill are simple to use, Recuva is easier to navigate, and Disk Drill is more advanced in file recovery. So, which one wins your vote? Let’s compare. What is Recuva about:

• Simple interface for quick file recovery
• Secure file deletion for permanent erasure
• Deep scan for damaged or formatted drives
• Portable version for on-the-go recovery

What is Disk Drill about:

• Advanced file recovery algorithms
• S.M.A.R.T. disk health monitoring
• Preview recoverable files before restoring
• Data protection tools like Recovery Vault
• Supports external devices like USBs and memory cards

Read also:

• Best data recovery tools for Mac
• Disk Drill tutorial
• How to recover overwritten files on Mac
• Restore Mac to previous date

When you're downloading the tool, it’s not just about the features. Let’s check out some other things to think about.

Recuva vs. Disk Drill pricing

This is one of the significant differences between Recuva and Disk Drill. 

Recuva offers a free version with unlimited data recovery, which is ideal for basic tasks and easy to use. There's also a Professional version priced at $24.95 per year, which includes additional features like virtual hard drive support, automatic updates, the ability to create disk image files for recovery, and premium customer support.

On the contrary, Disk Drill is available through Setapp with a 7-day free trial. The subscription provides access to over 250 Mac tools, all under a single plan starting at $9.99 per month. This is a great option for users who want to explore multiple tools beyond just Disk Drill for Mac optimization and data recovery needs.

Recuva vs. Disk Drill ease of use

I found both platforms really easy to use, and it didn’t matter whether you’re a tech beginner or someone with more advanced knowledge. 

Recuva benefits from having a simple step-by-step recovery wizard, which makes file recovery simple and intuitive if you’ve never used this kind of software before. 

However, Disk Drill is perhaps the more advanced of the two platforms. It can support Windows, Mac, and Linux. Various other tools are available, such as the ability to get rid of duplicated files and run constant system checks in the background. 

Recuva vs. Disk Drill: Pros and cons

When it comes to evaluating a Recuva review or a Disk Drill review to decide which is best for you, what are the pros and cons of both programs? 

Recuva’s pros and cons

Here’s what I discovered while testing the tool.

What I like:

• Easy for starters to learn with no bells and whistles.
• Completely free to download for basic recovery.

What’s missing:

• There are less advanced recovery options.
• There’s not as much support for more complex recovery cases.
• Only for Windows users, with no Mac version. 

Disk Drill’s pros and cons

Then, I tested Disk Drill, and here’s what I found.

What I like:

• There are loads more options for recovering data, such as deeper scans and shorter, quicker processes, when you need to get going fast.  
• You can preview recovered files during the scanning.
• You can use it both on Mac and Windows.

What’s missing:

• Although it’s not too complicated, it can be more challenging for beginners. 
• Recovery process can be slower for larger files.

Recuva vs. Disk Drill: Which one should you choose? 

We’re almost at the end of our deep dive into Recuva vs. Disk Drill, so that begs the question: Which should you choose? Here’s what I think: 

• Go for Recuva if you have a Windows device and want a simple, intuitive program that doesn’t require much tech expertise. This is a good pick if you're looking for something simple to help you get back any lost files from your computer. 
• On the other hand, choose Disk Drill if you’d like a program with more advanced features and one that can work with various operating systems, from Windows to Linux and Mac. Disk Drill would be a great option if you’re considering changing from one operation system to another. 

Final words on Recuva vs. Disk Drill

No matter whether you want to carry out a complex recovery job or just need something that can help you retrieve a file that was deleted in error, there’ll always be a tool or program available to help. 

I think both Recuva and Disk Drill have their merits. Windows users can happily use Recuva, while Mac users can count Disk Drill as a viable alternative if they run devices on different operating systems. 

As a Mac user, I’ve been sticking with Disk Drill since I can access it through Setapp, which gives me all its features and 250+ other handy tools for one subscription. Another tool I like is Get Backup Pro — it’s perfect for backing up just the files I want instead of the whole Mac. If you’re interested, you can access all Setapp tools with a 7-day trial.