Data has become an integral part of our world. From photos and videos to work files, there are sophisticated storage solutions available for all our needs. However, they can be equally vulnerable to data corruption and damage.

Data recovery software can help recover essential files from our devices. Since several such solutions have become available on the market, it becomes challenging to select the right one. Let’s take a close look at the features Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery has to offer and discuss its alternatives. 

What is Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery?

Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery software helps retrieve lost data from multiple sources. It supports both Windows and Mac operating systems. This data recovery software is Kroll’s flagship product and recovers data lost due to formatting, accidental deletion, or file corruption.

Ontrack Data Recovery has a free version available for download that allows you to recover files up to 1GB. The software also has other paid versions with more features — Home, Professional, Premium, Technician, and Toolkit.

Kroll home page

Key Features

  1. ⚙️ Efficient data recovery – Kroll Ontrack data recovery can retrieve files from internal and external drives and SSD, USB drives, memory cards, etc. The software works quite fast and offers many data recovery options. 
  2. 🚆Quick and deep scan – The Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery software has two scanning options — Quick Scan and Deep Scan. If you’re unable to find the desired files with the initial device scan, the software thoroughly searches the deleted files for effective data recovery. 
  3. 📊 Data management options – One of the best features of Kroll Ontrack Data recovery is that users can initiate data recovery at their own pace. It saves results from one drive scan and allows you to continue the process comfortably.

Exploring the Lowlights of Kroll Ontrack

5 Noteworthy Alternatives to Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery

In this section, we explore the 5 top alternatives to Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery along with a brief summary and a Pros vs Cons analysis of each tool.

#1: Disk Drill Data Recovery Software

Disk Drill is one of the leading data recovery software on the market. It is efficient, user-friendly, and works to retrieve files in several data-loss situations. With the Disk Drill data recovery tool, you can recover absolutely any file type from various devices. The software also supports both Windows and Mac, with the Mac version supporting file recovery from iOS and Android devices.

Disk Drill home page

 Let’s go through the Disk Drill data recovery process:

  1. Download and install the Disk Drill Data Recovery software. 
    installing Disk Drill
  2. Once you have installed the software, select the drive from where you want to recover data. Disk Drill also provides the option of choosing a specific recovery method.
    selecting disk for data recovery on disk drill
  3. Now, click Search for Lost Data to initiate scanning.  
  4. After the scan is complete, preview and select the files you wish to recover. Once you have completed the selection, click on Recover
    selecting files for recovery in Disk Drill
  5. Finally, choose the recovery location. Now, click OK and recover your lost data. 
    Selecting destination for recovered files

Key Features

  1. 💾 Extra Disk Tools – With easy data recovery, Disk Drill offers free SMART Disk Health Monitoring, a bootable recovery drive, and data backups, among other useful tools. 
  2. 🩺 Data Protection – Disk Drill’s free data protection feature allows users to safeguard essential files against potential data-loss scenarios. These files are protected by configuring the Recovery Vault. 
  3. 💿 Byte-level backups – The Disk Drill data recovery software creates byte-to-byte backups that store all data, including deleted files. This can help retrieve data. 
  4. 🔎 Search and Preview – The search bar makes filtering through recovered data easy and less time-consuming. Disk Drill also allows users to preview the file before retrieving it and ensure that it is damage-free. 

disk drill features

What we like 👍:

  • The Disk Drill data recovery tool provides up to 500 MB of data recovery, even in the free version.
  • The software supports a large number of file formats.
  • It has a user-friendly interface that is accessible to beginners.
  • It offers free disk tools that monitor and maintain disk health.
  • The data protection and backup features keep your files protected. 

Cons 👎:

  • The free version permits data recovery of only up to 500 MB.
  • It does not support the Linux operating system.

Interesting Read: Top 5 Best Free Data Recovery Software in 2021

#2: Recuva

Recuva by Piriform is a trusted, long-standing file recovery tool. It is available for free download, with the most advanced features available on the unpaid version. Their website claims that Recuva is capable of recovering several file formats from virtually any rewritable storage media. While the tool is budget-friendly and easy to use, it is only available for Windows. 
recuva data recovery

Main Features:

  1. 💻 File recovery – Recuva supports data recovery for various file formats such as photos, videos, emails, documents, etc. It can also retrieve files from external media storage sources like USB devices and memory cards. 
  2. 🚀 Speed – It is agreed upon that Piriform’s Recuva is a fast data recovery tool. The entire process is efficient, from the initial installation to the program set up and the scanning process.
  3. 📠 Deep Scan – If you cannot find the required files after the regular drive scan, Recuva offers the deep scan feature. While this may take longer, it effectively performs an in-depth scan of the device and assists in data recovery.
  4. ⏏️ Portable Version – Since the Recuva software is relatively lightweight, it can be booted from a USB drive. This will promote faster file recovery and help prevent overwriting files or data corruption during the process. 
  5. 🧻 Secure file deletion – The Recuva offers a unique file deletion feature. If you want deleted files to be non-recoverable, the tool’s military-grade technique will ensure that they cannot be restored. 

Recuva file recovery

What we like 👍:

  • Recuva’s free version allows unlimited data recovery.
  • The tool’s user interface is clean and easy to navigate.
  • While most features are available in the free version, Recuva Pro is also affordably priced.
  • It is a lightweight, fast data recovery tool that offers portability.
  • Military-level secure file deletion.

Cons 👎:

  • Recuva only supports Windows.
  • Data recovery is not entirely reliable.
  • No official customer support is offered on the free version.

Comprehensive Analysis: Recuva Data Recovery Review: Pros & Cons

#3: R-Studio

R-Studio is an advanced data recovery software developed by R-Tools Technology Inc. While it has several powerful features, one of its most notable aspects is that R-Studio supports all major operating systems — Windows, Mac, and Linux. The software is available for free download on their website. However, the demo mode limits file recovery to 256KB. To restore files larger than that, you will have to upgrade to one of the paid versions that range somewhere between $49.99 and $79.99.

RStudio home page

Main Features:

  1. ✅ Good Compatibility – R-Studio is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Moreover, it also supports important file systems like NTFS, ReFS, APFS, Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 FS, etc. 
  2. ✈️ Advanced features – The R-Studio data recovery software has several advanced, professional features. It offers damaged RAID recovery on Mac, Disk imaging to restore files efficiently, and advanced recovery algorithms for in-depth file search. 
  3. 🆘 Emergency Version – In case that the system cannot start due to file corruption or another data-loss scenario, R-Studios has an emergency version. It can run from a USB drive or a compact disk to help recover data. 

Rstudio file recovery

What we like 👍:

  • The software can help recover data from several file systems, including the emptied recycle bin, damaged partitions, file corruptions, etc.
  • It is very reliable for recovering data.
  • Its advanced features are suitable for professional users.

Cons 👎:

  • The interface is quite complicated and requires a specific knowledge base.
  • The price plans are expensive compared to the available alternatives. 
  • You can only preview a few file formats.

#4: Wise Data Recovery

Wise Data Recovery is an incredibly adaptive software that can help restore hundreds of file types from internal and external drives. It is a relatively simple, easy-to-use tool that gives fast results. The free version of the software is available for download on their website, but it can only restore recently deleted files. The paid versions offer other additional features and are available at $44.96/month and $67.46/year, respectively. 

Wise Data Recovery

Main Features:

  1. ️ 💻 Multi-format support – Wise Data Recovery supports multiple file-formats on several storage devices, including documents, audio, graphics, etc. This makes the data recovery process easy and efficient. 
  2. ⏩ Effective scanning – While the free version of the software only offers a quick scan option, the paid version has the Deep Scan feature. It performs an in-depth scan of the drive to increase the productivity of the data recovery process.
  3. ⏏️ Portability – Wise Data Recovery also has a portable version that doesn’t require installation. It can be downloaded onto a flash drive or a USB device and plugged into the main system. This feature helps increase the success rate of the restoration process.

What we like 👍:

  • It allows free data recovery.
  • It is a lightweight software that offers fast scans.
  • The program has a user-friendly interface and a portable version.

Cons 👎:

  • It only supports Windows OS.
  • The software has a low success rate compared to other alternatives in a similar price range.
  • The Wise Data Recovery pro versions are considerably expensive.

Intriguing Read: 5 Best Wise Data Recovery Alternatives

#5: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro

EaseUs Data Recovery Wizard is a well-known data recovery software that supports both Windows and Mac operating systems. It is fast, easily accessible, and quite user-friendly. A version of the software — MobiSaver — is available for download on iPhone and Android and allows direct data restoration.

While the free version of the EaseUs data recovery software accommodates up to 2 GB of data retrieval, the paid versions come with extra features. They are priced at $69.95/month, $99.95/year, and $149.95 for the lifetime upgrades.

EaseUS data recovery

Main Features:

  1. 🗄️ Data recovery options – EaseUs Data Recovery Wizard can be a helpful solution in various scenarios. It can restore data in case of device formatting, storage media recovery, emergencies, among others.
  2. ⌛ Scanning modes – The software has two scanning modes — Quick Scan and Deep Scan. Along with this, EaseUs also offers RAW partition recovery for files that have been rendered inaccessible.
  3. 🔎 Filter and preview – Users can filter the scan results through the search bar, comfortably preview their files and even recover the required data during the scanning process.
  4. ️ 🌆 Photo and video repair – The EaseUs Data Recovery software has another interesting photo and video repair feature. It can repair corrupt or damaged MP4 and MOV videos and restore JPEG/JPG files to a suitable condition. 

EaseUS data recovery

What we like 👍:

  • The software can support almost all major operating systems. 
  • It can recover up to 2 GB of data in the free version.
  • It has an easy-to-use, straightforward interface.
  • EaseUs has a high data restoration rate and valuable features.

Cons 👎:

  • The software’s paid versions are quite expensive. 

Conclusion  

An effective data recovery solution should be economical, easily accessible, and successfully deliver the desired results. This choice depends on the user’s requirements and preferences.

While Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery is a good option for restoring lost data, several alternatives are available on the market. You can make the choice that suits you from the list of the software mentioned above.

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Joshua Solomon

Technology, SaaS, and digital marketing are Joshua's go-to niches. He understands the need for simple and easy-to-read articles on the internet. As technologies grow in complexity, guides and how-to pieces must remain com...

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Approved by
Brett Johnson

This article has been approved by Brett Johnson, Data Recovery Engineer at ACE Data Recovery. Brett has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems and Network, 12 years of experience.