If you’re in search of top-quality data recovery software that doesn’t break the bank, Stellar Data Recovery and Recuva Professional are excellent options to consider. Both offer free and paid versions to assist in scanning and restoring lost files.
Having recently evaluated the subscription plans from Stellar and Recuva, I can provide hands-on test results and insights into customer service experiences to aid you in making an informed decision.
Tiers and Pricing
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Recuva Professional comes at an incredibly affordable price of $25 per year, sometimes even less. Developed by the same company behind CCleaner, there’s a bundle deal available if you’re interested in PC cleanup software.
On the other hand, Stellar’s Data Recovery Standard plan may seem pricy at $60 annually, but it offers live chat support, making it a cost-effective option. If you require frequent file restoration, the average monthly cost of $5 is not significantly higher than Recuva Professional’s $2 per month.
While Recuva Professional is the sole data recovery subscription plan from CCleaner, Stellar offers three tiers. The $90-per-year Stellar Data Recovery Professional plan includes lost partition restoration. For an additional $10, Stellar Data Recovery Premium provides advanced photo and video repair tools.
Features
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Stellar Data Recovery Premium excelled in my tests, successfully restoring every lost HDD file along with their original names and folder structures.
Recovering data from SSDs can be challenging but not impossible. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro, though not part of this comparison, can recover some lost SSD files.
Both Stellar Data Recovery Premium and Recuva Professional failed in my SSD tests, highlighting that HDDs are more suitable for long-term storage compared to SSDs.
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Stellar Data Recovery Premium supports various drive types but could not locate a lost partition on my old thumb drive, unlike Recuva Professional, which successfully restored several files from the thumb drive.
Both applications have their strengths and weaknesses. While Stellar Data Recovery Premium offered more accurate file restoration for HDDs, Recuva Professional succeeded in restoring the thumb drive partition that Stellar could not.
Customer Support and Usability
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On the other hand, Recuva Professional only provides support through email, resulting in longer response times. The availability of online support documents is also limited.
Trustpilot ratings echo my experience. Stellar Data Recovery maintains an average of 4.7 stars from nearly 4,000 reviews. While Recuva Professional isn’t rated on Trustpilot, CCleaner received a commendable 4.4 stars, offering some reassurance. However, I found Recuva’s support to be efficient but slower than Stellar’s service.
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Both applications offer user-friendly interfaces, allowing users to select the drive for scanning and view results easily. File previews help in identifying the required files for recovery.
In general, if you see a preview in Stellar Data Recovery or indications of excellent recoverability in Recuva Professional, successful file restoration is probable. In case of any issues, reaching out to customer service is a viable option.
Stellar’s support directed me towards advanced photo recovery, offering valuable insights into features I may have overlooked. However, even with these tips, Stellar Data Recovery Premium couldn’t retrieve my lost SSD files.
Free Versions
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Stellar Data Recovery’s free version stands out as it can actually restore files, albeit limited to 1GB of data recovery and more suited for HDDs. To save additional lost files, a subscription is required. The 1GB limit may be exceeded by long HD videos, but for photos, documents, and text files recovery, it offers a generous allocation.
Recuva’s free version provides previews of restorable files but requires a subscription for actual recovery.
Which Data Recovery App is Best?
Stellar’s exemplary customer support justifies its higher subscription costs, but the premium features of Data Recovery Premium didn’t outperform Stellar’s Data Recovery Standard in my testing.
Recuva Professional nearly matched Stellar in HDD recovery quality at a price less than half of Stellar Data Recovery Standard. Both applications fell short in my SSD tests, with Recuva Professional successfully restoring the thumb drive.
If you can tolerate Recuva’s slower support, it emerges as a more cost-effective option compared to Stellar Data Recovery subscription plans.
However, if you are missing less than 1GB of data, the free version of Stellar Data Recovery might suffice for your needs.
In conclusion, among the subscription plans, I would opt for Recuva Professional.
It’s worth noting that there are other alternatives available. Explore our guide to the best data recovery software and consider which option aligns best with your requirements.
Editors’ Recommendations
