--- title: TestDisk and PhotoRec canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/testdisk-photorec/ category: Data Recovery Software points: 62 rank: 5 of 11 facts_checked: 2026-10-08 --- # TestDisk and PhotoRec Free open-source pair: TestDisk repairs lost partitions, PhotoRec carves files from damaged or formatted drives. 62 points out of 100. #5 of 11 data recovery programs. Vendor: CGSecurity. Website: https://www.cgsecurity.org/ - Both tools are free under GPL v2+, with no stated limit on recovered data [1][2]. - PhotoRec says it recognises more than 480 file extensions, about 300 file families [1]. - TestDisk recovers lost partitions, undeletes files on FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext2, and copies files off ext3/ext4 [2]. - Windows builds are ZIP files that run without an installer [3]. - Both tools work on raw (.dd) and Encase (.E01) disk images [6]. Verdict: TestDisk and PhotoRec suit people who want free, open-source recovery with no cap on what they save and who can work in a text interface [1][2][3]. They cover lost partitions, formatted drives and many file types [1][2]. The catch: no photo repair, no file preview and no BitLocker unlocking are published, and the main tools are text-mode programs [2][9]. Best for: People who want free recovery with no size limit and can use a text-mode tool. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Price | Free recovery limit | 100 | 9/9 | Free open-source tools; no limit on saved data is stated, so recorded as no cap [1][2]. | | Price | Cheapest paid licence | $0 | 11/11 | Entirely free, licensed under GPL v2+ [1][2]. | | Price | One-time licence | Yes | 3/3 | Entirely free product with no licence fee [1][2]. | | Price | Money-back period | 30 | 3/3 | Entirely free product, recorded as 30 under the rule. | | What it finds | Signature (raw) scan | Yes | 6/6 | PhotoRec searches for known file headers and ignores the file system [1]. | | What it finds | Lost partition recovery | Yes | 6/6 | TestDisk is designed to recover lost partitions and fix partition tables [2]. | | What it finds | File types listed | 480 | 3/4 | PhotoRec says it contains more than 480 file extensions, about 300 file families [1]. | | What it finds | Repairs damaged photos or videos | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's PhotoRec or TestDisk pages [1][2]. | | Drives and systems | Drives and media | Hard drive or SSD, USB drive, SD or memory card, Optical disc | 4/6 | PhotoRec works with hard disks, USB keys, memory cards, CD-ROMs and DVDs; raw and E01 images only [1][5]. | | Drives and systems | File systems beyond NTFS and FAT32 | exFAT, APFS or HFS+, ext4 | 3/4 | TestDisk page lists APFS, exFAT, HFS/HFS+ and ext2/3/4 among file systems where it finds lost partitions; PhotoRec adds exFAT, ext4, HFS+ [1][2]. | | Drives and systems | BitLocker drives | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's pages; the docs point to Microsoft's Repair-bde tool for BitLocker [9]. | | Drives and systems | RAID recovery | Not published | 0/5 | Not published as RAID data recovery; TestDisk lists Linux md RAID only among partition types it finds, and PhotoRec lists md devices as media [2][5]. | | Tools | Disk image before recovery | Not published | 0/6 | Docs describe working on existing .dd and E01 images and point to ddrescue for imaging [4][6]; the source has an Image Creation menu that the docs do not describe [12]. | | Tools | Bootable recovery media | Not published | 0/5 | Not published as a project-built rescue disk; docs describe a Fedora live USB and the download page mentions live CDs [3][11]. | | Tools | Preview before you pay | Not published | 0/7 | Not published on the vendor's PhotoRec or TestDisk pages [1][5]. | | Tools | Pause and resume a scan | Yes | 3/3 | PhotoRec step-by-step page says it asks to resume the recovery when restarted after an interruption [5]. | | Tools | Drive health check | Not published | 0/3 | Not published; the docs send S.M.A.R.T. checks to smartmontools instead [7]. | | Tools | Runs without installing | Yes | 2/2 | Download page says both are portable applications; extract the files and run, no installer [3]. | | Trust and support | Open source | Yes | 6/6 | Licensed under GPL v2+, with source on GitHub and the project's own git server [2][8]. | | Trust and support | Support with a paid licence | Yes | 3/3 | Free product with a public support forum linked from the project site [10]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free | Free [1][2] | $0 | ## Strengths - Free and open source under GPL v2+, with no stated limit on recovered data [1][2][8]. - TestDisk recovers lost partitions and fixes partition tables [2]. - Runs on Windows from a ZIP file with no installer [3]. - PhotoRec can be interrupted and asked to resume the recovery next time [5]. - Public support forum on the project site [10]. ## Limits - The docs recommend a separate tool, ddrescue, to copy a failing disk to an image file before recovery [4]. - The docs send S.M.A.R.T. checks to a separate tool, smartmontools [7]. - The BitLocker section points to Microsoft's Repair-bde tool, not recovery inside TestDisk [9]. - The documentation shows a Fedora live USB for damaged PCs, not a rescue disk the project ships itself [11]. ## Sources 1. [PhotoRec](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 2. [TestDisk](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 3. [TestDisk Download](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 4. [TestDisk documentation: DDRescue, data recovery from damaged disk](https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/ddrescue.html), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 5. [PhotoRec Step By Step](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec_Step_By_Step), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 6. [TestDisk documentation: running TestDisk and PhotoRec](https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/running.html), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 7. [TestDisk documentation: SMART status](https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/smart.html), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 8. [cgsecurity/testdisk](https://github.com/cgsecurity/testdisk), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08 9. [TestDisk documentation: repairing a file system](https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/repairing_filesystem.html), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 10. [CGSecurity home page](https://www.cgsecurity.org/), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 11. [TestDisk documentation: creating a live USB](https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk_doc/livecd.html), CGSecurity, accessed 2026-10-08 12. [testdisk/src/adv.c](https://github.com/cgsecurity/testdisk/blob/master/src/adv.c), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08