Top 8 Best SD Card Recovery Software 2024 [Free & Paid]

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.

8 best SD card recovery software

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.

Check comparison

✔: possess this feature and can do a good and decent job.

⚠: be relatively weak in this feature.

✘: do not support this feature.

The following parts will list detailed info like advantages & disadvantages, prices, and user reviews.

1^st. MyRecover

>> Pros:

• Covers all data loss scenarios, such as deletion, disk formatting, virus, etc.
• Offers a wide range of recoverable files, including photos/videos/Office documents/archive files/emails, etc.
• Keep the deleted data's original filename, directory, and path while recovering.
• Data recovery, filters, and previews while scanning are available.
• Cost-effective.
• Promise a safe purchase and Money-back guarantee for 30 days.

>> Cons:

• Need promotion in support of Mac OS.
• Offers a small image preview but no full-resolution preview.

>> 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

2^nd. Recoverit

Newest release: V11.0 January 6th, 2023

>> Pros:

• Offers corrupted video repair in the Premium version.
• Provides multiple versions for different demands.
• Supports filtering and previewing the scanned files before recovery.

>> Cons:

• Products can only be refunded in 7 days.
• The free version only allows users to recover 100 MB of files in total.

>> 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

3^rd. Remo

>> Pros:

• Supports selecting drive/recycle bin/folder to scan.
• Allows saving and opening scan info.
• Provides remote data recovery assistance.
• The free version supports 1 GB of file recovery in total.

>> Cons:

• Only offers a license for 1 PC.

>> 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

4^th. Disk Drill

>> Pros:

• Offers S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring & drive backup feature.
• Supports 18 languages.
• Provides a full-resolution image preview.

>> Cons:

• No refunds are supported.
• The free version only recovers up to 500MB of data free.

>> 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

5^th. MiniTool

>> Pros:

• Supports exporting and importing the scan results.
• Recovers data from inaccessible/RAW partitions.
• Supports selecting a specific location/folder to scan.

>> Cons:

• Low scanning speed.
• The recovery rate needs to be promoted.
• The supported recoverable file types need promotion.

>> 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

6^th. R-Studio

>> Pros:

• Suitable for users with advanced needs for data recovery.
• Supports storing and importing the scan info.
• Works on local & network disks.

>> Cons

• The GUI needs to be promoted and simpler.
• Offers no free version.
• No Refund & it is expensive.
• The demo version doesn’t allow the recovery of files larger than 256 KB.

>> 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

7^th. Recuva

>> Pros:

• Low price.
• Quick scan is very fast.
• Supports customized scans in different places.
• Provides virtual hard drive support in the pro version.

>> Cons:

• The filenames, directories, and file info might be lost.
• Does not offer a full-resolution image preview.

>> 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

8^th. PhotoRec

>> Pros:

• It is free recovery software for SD cards.
• Supports Windows /Mac/Linux/DOS/Sun Solaris, etc.

>> Cons:

• No GUI;
• Slow in the scan.

>> 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.

How to recover deleted files from SD cards effortlessly?

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.

Notes:✎...

Please choose a place different from the source drive/partition to store your recovered data.

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.

How do we select SD card recovery software?

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.

FAQ of SD card data recovery

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.