On this page, you can learn the top 8 best SD card recovery software from the criteria, detailed pros & cons, prices, and comparison. Check it out!
Countless people utilize SD cards to store and transfer data between different devices. Since an SD card is tiny and portable, it is frequently used in users’ everyday life.
On SD cards, everyone can add/import, edit, and export/remove files. All the removed data will be directly deleted from an SD card since there is no Recycle Bin on it.
Thus, many users are eagerly and anxiously searching for SD card recovery software that can help.
You may have skimmed through a bunch of tools, but what the search result cannot tell you is which one is the best memory card recovery software.
Now you have come to the right place. We have tested 7 SD card data recovery apps and ranked them according to certain criteria.
With the detailed evaluation, you could determine which one to utilize and recover deleted files from SD card easily.
Let’s view the ranking first before introducing each app.
First of all, let’s briefly check out the comparison of all eligible apps. Not all chosen programs are free recovery software for SD, but they all provide free versions. Now, check the free & paid memory card recovery tools in the following parts.
| MyRecover | Recoverit | MiniTool | Remo | Disk Drill | R-Studio | Recuva | PhotoRec | |
| Our rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Clear GUI | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Free version limits | 500MB & no time limits | 100 MB in total | 1 GB in total | 1 GB in total | 500 MB in total | Only demo, no data recovery | Only data recovery | -- |
| Pro version prices (Yearly) | $49.95 | $69.99 | $89.00 | $79.97(half year) | $89.00 | $79.99 | $24.95 | $0.00 |
| Platforms | Windows 11/10/8/7/Server | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac | Windows /Mac/Linux | Windows | Windows /Mac/Linux/DOS |
| Deleted SD card recovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Formatted SD card recovery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ |
| Corrupted SD card recovery | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ | ⚠ | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ | ⚠ |
| RAW SD card recovery | ✔ | ⚠ | ✔ | ⚠ | ✔ | ✔ | ⚠ | ✔ |
The following parts will list detailed info like advantages & disadvantages, prices, and user reviews.
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
It offers a well-designed and simple user interface. The operation is easy as well. Users can easily get started.
During the test, it detects and reads the SD card stably. The quick scan & deep scan is in automatic progress. Respectively, they last for 2-5 minutes and 10-30 minutes.
It took 16 minutes to finish the whole scan on a 60 GB SD card with 42 GB of deleted data detected.
Scanned files are categorized into Images/Videos/Audio/Documents/Compressed files/Webpages, etc.
The free version supports 500MB of data recovery, that is to say, you could choose different files to restore each time without paying.
>> Prices & versions
| Free Version | MyRecover Pro | MyRecover Technician | Availability | |
| Monthly | $0.00 | $39.95 | $99.00 | Upgrade now >> |
| Yearly | $59.95 | $199.00 | ||
| Lifetime | $69.95 |
$299.00 |
||
| Differences | Recover data free 500MB | Recover unlimited data on 1 computer/license | Recover unlimited data on unlimited computers/licenses |
Newest release: V11.0 January 6th, 2023
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
Recoverit provides a clear GUI and warm-hearted tips for filters & operation, which is user-friendly.
During the test, the scanned files are shown in the original file structure, which is convenient. Also, the scanning method is combined with a quick and deep one, respectively costs 6-15 minutes & 25-45 minutes.
It took 56 minutes to finish the scan with 29 GB of files found. Recovered files are readable/intact.
>> Prices & versions
| Free | Essential | Standard | Premium | |
| 1 Month License | $0.00 | $59.99 | $69.99 | $79.99 |
| 1 Year License | $69.99 | $79.99 | $99.99 | |
| Perpetual License | $119.99 | $139.99 | $159.99 | |
| Differences | Recover 100 MB of free data in total | Recover unlimited files on 1 PC | Computer crash recovery for 1 PC | Recover & repair files on 2 PCs |
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
Remo also has a well-designed GUI, quite easy to get started. The recovery process is easy, too.
During the scan, users can select, filter, preview, and recover files. It also uses quick scan & deep scan, respectively, costing 5-15 minutes and 25-60+ minutes.
The speed is quite slow and needs improvement – it took over 3 hours to complete the whole scan because it detects the existing files as well.
>> Prices & versions
| Free | Personal | |
| 1 Month License | $0.00 | $69.97 |
| 6 Months License | $79.97 | |
| Lifetime License | $199.97 | |
| Difference | Recover 1 GB of data free in total | License for 1 PC |
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
It provides a clear GUI, needless to say more about it; additionally, it shows the info and status of the chosen drive.
During the test, it fails to scan twice, and on the third attempt, it launches a successful scanning. The scanned files are presented as Existing/Deleted or Lost/Reconstructed, which is a little bit complex for users.
It takes 1 hour and 2 minutes to finish the complete scan of the device.
>> Prices & versions
| Free | Pro | Enterprise | |
| Yearly | $0.00 | $89.00 | $499.00 |
| Lifetime Upgrades | $118.00 | $598.00 | |
| Differences | Recover up to 500 MB of data in total | 1 user, up to 3 activations | Up to 10 users, with unlimited activations |
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
MiniTool also possesses a simple GUI, but the devices it detects may cause confusion: it shows the recovery partition and other important system partitions as well;
According to the test, the detected files are classified into different types. It took over 2 hours to finish the whole scan. 36 GB of deleted files were found; however, all files are RAW.
The free version supports 1 GB of free data recovery in toal.
>> Prices & versions
| Free | Monthly | Annual | Perpetual | Standard | Deluxe | Enterprise | Technician | |
| Personal | $0.00 | $69.00 | $89.00 | $99.00 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Business | -- | -- | -- | $119.00 | $199.00 | $399.00 | $499.00 | |
| Differences | Recover 1 GB of data free in total | 1 License for 1 PC | 1 License for 3 PCs | 1 License for 1 PC/Server | 1 License for 99 PCs/Servers | 1 License for 299 PCs/Servers | ||
>> Pros:
>> Cons
>> How’s the performance?
It is challenging for users to handle because of the GUI design and the amount of info the interface conveys. But correspondingly, it is more capable than other programs designed for common users.
During the test, it offers a customized scan. We chose the quickest scan (without preview) to see how fast it could be. It took 1 hour and 32 minutes to finish the scan.
No preview, filter, or recovery is allowed during the scan. But you could stop scanning to recover files at any time you want.
Scanned files can be sorted by paths/extensions/created time/modification time, etc. A preview is available before recovery.
>> Prices & versions
| Demo | FAT | NTFS | Standard | T80+ | Corporate | Technician | |
| Prices | $0.00 | $49.99 | $59.99 | $79.99 | $80.00 | $179.99 | $899.00 |
| Differences | Cannot recover files larger than 256KB | Only support FAT/exFAT/Ext2/3/4 | Only support NTFS/ReFS/Ext2/3/4 | Multi-file-system |
Commercial use; No permanent license |
Multi-file-system; Recovery over network |
Multi-platform; Commercial use |
| Note | These prices are only for 1 license. | ||||||
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
The GUI design isn’t that good-looking, but it is simple enough. And the guide offered is thoughtful.
During the test, it allows users to customize the scanning: place/file type. About 30% of the scanned deleted files were RAW and unrecoverable.
Recuva is outstanding in a quick scan, which only takes 1-5 minutes, while the deep scan costs 40 to over 1 hour.
>> Prices & versions
| Free | Pro | |
| Price | $0.00 | $24.95 |
| Differences | Only supports data recovery | Automatic updates |
>> Pros:
>> Cons:
>> How’s the performance?
PhotoRec offers no simple and clear GUI for users to operate with the mouse. Instead, users need to operate it with the keyboards, which is quite unfriendly.
During the test, it asks users to specify the source place/file system/scanning mode, etc. Undoubtedly, it adds pressure for users to learn how to use it.
Since it is quite complex, many users may need a guide on how to use PhotoRec to recover data.
It scans the SD card in two modes: scan the unallocated space only & scan the whole partition. We chose to extract data from the whole device. Thus, it costs about 30-70 minutes.
The scanned files have lost the original names/directories.
With the comprehensive info presented above, you may now have your preferred choice to recover deleted files from SD cards.
We sincerely recommend you choose MyRecover as your helper – it is cost-effective, efficient, and comprehensive.
It offers a good data recovery experience and unique features at a decent & cheap price.
Step 1. Run the software > connect your SD card to the PC > hover the mouse over the SD card drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.
Step 2. It scans the SD card with Quick Scan & Deep Scan to locate lost and deleted files respectively. While scanning, feel free to filter/preview/choose files to recover.
Step 3. Go to Other missing files and select the files you need. 200 + file types are supported. The free version allows users to select 500MB of files to restore.
Using this app, it will be an easy task to perform SD card recovery.
Choosing good memory card rescue apps must be based on reasonable criteria.
What to expect from good data recovery software? Which one suits you best? After checking the rank list and learning the comparison, you may know the standards now. Let’s run back over them.
✍ Effectiveness. Users will prioritize the functionality of the best data recovery software. Some apps only cover some of the data loss situations and need promotion in supported recoverable file types. They will rank lower correspondingly.
✍ User experience. Consumers desire a product that is simple, easy to use, and appealing to the eye. Users will be dissatisfied if the program is difficult to use and understand.
✍ Speed. Data recovery occurs without any clues sometimes, which leaves no time for users to prepare and cope since the data could be overwritten at any point if not retrieved.
✍ Price. Free apps need to be efficient. Paid or freemium apps should be cost-effective.
✍ Compatibility. Regarding Windows operating systems, users may benefit from memory card recovery software that works with the most recent and older versions.
With these universal evaluation criteria, you could also select a decent photo recovery tool for Windows.
These are all the evaluation details we offered. Users can choose the best SD card recovery software without difficulties from the pros, cons, prices, and performance. More related info is ready for you in case you need it.
1. MyRecover 2. EaseUS Data Recovery 3. Remo Data Recovery 4. MiniTool Data Recovery 5. Disk Drill 6. Recuva 7. PhotoRec Taking all of these factors into consideration, we strongly suggest MyRecover as a useful, user-friendly, speedy, compatible, and cost-effective solution.>
To some degree, yes, but only before they were overwritten. Files removed from the device will be in the original place and wait for being overwritten by new data. So, it is suggested to stop using the SD card right away after deletion.
It depends on the format method. If the SD card was quick formatted, then the data can be recovered. If it was full formatted, the files on it will be overwritten by zeros, thus no data is recoverable.
Disk Management, CHKDSK command, disk format, etc., can be good options to perform corrupted SD card recovery.