You Can’t Recover Deleted Files? Try These Shocking 1 & 2 Ranked Data Recovery Apps (Free & Paid!)

Stellar Data Recovery and Recuva Professional are top-rated data recovery tools, with Stellar offering superior customer support and Recuva being the more budget-friendly option. Stellar excels in HDD recovery, restoring all files with original names, while Recuva performs well for thumb drive recovery but may replace filenames with codes. Both failed to recover SSD files, reinforcing the idea that HDDs are better for long-term storage. Stellar provides 24/7 live chat support, whereas Recuva only offers slower email support. For those prioritizing affordability, Recuva is the better deal, but Stellar’s reliability and support make it the preferred choice for critical file recovery.

You Can’t Recover Deleted Files? Try These Shocking 1 & 2 Ranked Data Recovery Apps (Free & Paid!)

Struggling to Recover Deleted Files? Check Out These Top Data Recovery Apps (Free & Paid!)

If you’re looking for reliable and affordable data recovery software, Stellar Data Recovery and Recuva Professional are excellent choices. Both offer free and paid versions that can scan and restore lost files efficiently.

I recently tested their top-tier plans, evaluating their performance and customer support to help you decide which one suits your needs best.

Recuva Professional stands out for its affordability, costing only $25 per year—and sometimes available at an even lower price. Developed by the creators of CCleaner, it’s often bundled with PC maintenance tools for extra value.

Stellar vs. Recuva: Features vs. Cost

Compared to Recuva, Stellar’s entry-level Data Recovery Standard plan costs $60 per year—a higher price but reasonable considering it includes live chat support. If you frequently need file recovery, the monthly breakdown comes to around $5, only slightly more than Recuva’s $2 per month.

Recuva Professional is CCleaner’s only data recovery plan, whereas Stellar offers three pricing tiers. The $90 per year Stellar Data Recovery Professional plan includes lost partition recovery, and for an additional $10, Stellar Data Recovery Premium provides advanced photo and video repair tools.

Recuva: Budget-Friendly Basics | Stellar: High-Quality Recovery

As a budget option, Recuva Professional covers the essentials. It successfully recovered most of my lost HDD files, though it retrieved 158 out of 163 files and replaced some filenames with random codes.

Stellar Data Recovery Premium, on the other hand, delivered flawless results in my tests—recovering all lost HDD files with original filenames and folder structures intact.

When it comes to SSD recovery, both programs fell short. While EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro (not part of this comparison) can recover some lost SSD files, neither Stellar nor Recuva passed my SSD recovery tests. This highlights why HDDs remain a better option for long-term data storage.

Stellar Excels with HDDs | Recuva Wins for Thumb Drives

While Stellar Data Recovery Premium supports various storage devices, it couldn’t locate a lost partition on my old thumb drive. However, Recuva Professional managed to detect and restore several files from it.

Each tool has strengths and weaknesses—Stellar performs better for HDD recovery, while Recuva excels at thumb drive restoration.

One major advantage of Stellar is its superior customer support. I received live chat assistance in under a minute, with support available 24/7 on weekdays for all paid plans.

In contrast, Recuva Professional offers only email support, with response times exceeding a day. Its online support resources are also quite limited.

Stellar: Best for HDDs & Support | Recuva: Affordable & Effective

Trustpilot ratings align with my experience—Stellar Data Recovery holds an average rating of 4.7 stars from nearly 4,000 reviews. While Recuva Professional lacks a Trustpilot rating, its parent company, CCleaner, maintains a 4.4-star rating, offering some reassurance.

Both apps are user-friendly—simply select a drive to scan and browse the recovered files. You can preview files before recovery, and if they appear in Stellar Data Recovery’s preview or Recuva’s excellent recoverability status, recovery is likely. Otherwise, customer support may help.

Stellar’s support team recommended trying its advanced photo recovery feature, which I hadn’t noticed before. However, even with this option, it still couldn’t recover my lost SSD files.

Free Recovery Options: Stellar (1GB HDD) vs. Recuva (Unlimited)

If you need free file recovery, Stellar Data Recovery offers up to 1GB of free recovery, which is ideal for HDDs. Larger files, especially long HD videos, may exceed this limit, requiring a paid plan.

Meanwhile, Recuva’s free version has no recovery cap, but a subscription is needed to restore files from virtual machine drives.

Neither free version includes customer support, so users must rely on help documents and forums.

Final Verdict: Recuva for Affordability, Stellar for Support

While Stellar’s top-tier customer service justifies its higher pricing, its Premium plan didn’t perform significantly better than its Standard plan during my tests.

Recuva Professional delivers comparable HDD recovery results at less than half the cost of Stellar Data Recovery Standard. Though neither passed my SSD recovery tests, Recuva successfully restored my thumb drive.

If faster customer support is essential, Stellar is the better choice. However, for those comfortable with slower support, Recuva Professional provides excellent value.