Disk Drill vs R-Studio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Disk Drill grades higher than R-Studio: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Disk Drill grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Disk Drill
Data recovery app for Mac and Windows with free disk tools
R-Studio
Data recovery software for Windows, Mac and Linux with RAID support
Which one is for you
Pick Disk Drill if
- Fits if you need one recovery after a deleted folder or a formatted card
- Works for people who want to see what is recoverable before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to recover files without paying, as free is scan and preview on Mac and capped at 100 MB on Windows
- Watch out: every PRO purchase is non-refundable except where consumer law says otherwise
- Tight if you need more than 3 devices, as a PRO licence covers one user on up to 3
- Watch out: deep scans of Mac system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs
- Pricey if you only need it once, since a year is $49
Pick R-Studio if
- Fits if a drive's file system is damaged and simple undelete tools found nothing
- Works for people who need RAID or disk image recovery
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free try that saves real files, as the demo stops at 1024KB
- Tight if you only want the cheapest edition: the FAT and NTFS ones are tied to their file systems
- Pricey if you are a service: Technician is $899.99
- Watch out: Mac and Linux prices have their own tabs that were not read
- Watch out: a T80+ edition and volume licensing exist and are not listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADisk DrillGood | 2.0GPAR-StudioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPRO Lifetime is $69 once, under two years of what the category's middle subscription costs. The yearly option is $49, which is mid-range for the category. | CWindows prices are $49.99 for FAT and $59.99 for NTFS, $79.99 for the standard edition, one-time and permanent. That is about two years of this category's middle subscription, so it sits in the ordinary band. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free edition scans and previews but, on Mac, does not recover; the Windows page says up to 100 MB. The disk health, cleanup and duplicate tools are free. | DDemo mode recovers only files up to 1024KB. Larger files can be previewed but not saved. |
| Features | BRecovers from drives, cards, cameras and RAID, reads Time Machine, and adds disk health, cleanup, duplicates and backups. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | BFile system coverage, RAID reconstruction, disk images, recovery over the network, a hex viewer and boot media. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. You install it and run a scan, though deep scans on Macs need a kernel extension it installs. | CNo store rating is on record. It exposes many technical options, and the editions are named for file systems. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac and Windows desktop only. No phone app, web version or published integrations. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, but computer programs only. |
| Best for | getting back deleted files on a Mac or PC | recovering files from damaged drives and RAID arrays |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Disk Drill and R-Studio. How we grade
Where they differ
- Disk Drill also covers disk cleanup.
At a glance
| Disk Drill | R-Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per year, or $69 one-time | $49.99 one-time (R-Studio FAT, Windows) |
| Free plan | Disk Drill Basic scans storage and previews every recoverable file; the Windows page says it recovers up to 100 MB for free. Disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools are included in the free edition. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Demo mode recovers files up to 1024KB; larger files can be previewed. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | CleverFiles Inc. | R-Tools Technology Inc. |
| Price read from | cleverfiles.com | r-studio.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Disk Drill
- Unlimited recovery needs PRO; the Mac page describes the free edition as scan and preview only.
- All PRO purchases are non-refundable except where consumer law requires a refund, according to the vendor's FAQ.
- A PRO license covers 1 user on up to 3 devices; business use is allowed, and larger teams get a custom Enterprise quote.
- On Macs, deep scans of system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs.
R-Studio
- Prices are those on the Windows tab; Mac and Linux editions have their own tabs that were not read.
- Demo mode will not recover files larger than 1024KB.
- A T80+ edition and volume licensing are also sold and are not listed here.
Key features
Disk Drill
- File and partition recovery
- Scans drives, SSDs, memory cards, USB sticks, cameras and RAID arrays for deleted files and lost partitions, and previews results before recovery.
- Time Machine and snapshots
- On Mac it reads Time Machine backup disks and local snapshots as extra places to find overwritten files.
- Disk health monitoring
- Free S.M.A.R.T. monitoring watches connected disks for signs of trouble.
- Cleanup and duplicate finder
- Shows what is using disk space and finds duplicate files in several locations.
- Byte-to-byte backups and recovery drive
- Creates disk and partition images and a bootable USB drive for recovery.
- Data protection
- With protection enabled, recovery of protected files is free, according to the vendor.
R-Studio
- File system coverage
- Handles NTFS, ReFS, FAT, exFAT, Ext, HFS+, APFS and XFS among others.
- RAID reconstruction
- Works with RAID levels including 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10, and detects RAID parameters automatically.
- Disk images
- Creates images in its own rdr format and reads VMDK, VHD, VHDX and VDI files.
- Recovery over network
- A network package recovers data from remote computers.
- Hex viewer
- Built-in hex viewer and, in some editions, a hex editor.
- Emergency boot media
- A startup media creator and ISO let you recover from a computer that will not boot.
Plans
Disk Drill
Basic$0
Scan and preview recoverable files, plus the free disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools.
PRO One-Year Subscription$49
per year, renews yearly
Unlimited recovery on Mac and Windows, all updates while subscribed, 1 user on up to 3 devices.
PRO Lifetime License$69
one-time
Same as the subscription, with updates included permanently. Shown as $69 against a crossed-out $119 with no end date given.
R-Studio
R-Studio FAT$49.99
one-time, permanent license, Windows prices
Edition named for the FAT file system.
R-Studio NTFS$59.99
one-time, permanent license, Windows prices
Edition named for the NTFS file system.
R-Studio$79.99
one-time, permanent license, Windows prices
The standard edition for personal and business use.
R-Studio Corporate$179.99
one-time, permanent license, Windows prices
Network package with recovery over the network.
R-Studio Technician$899.99
one-time, permanent license, Windows prices
For data recovery services that serve third-party devices and commercial use.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Disk Drill or R-Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Disk Drill starts at $49 per year, or $69 one-time, and R-Studio starts at $49.99 one-time (R-Studio FAT, Windows).
Which has a free plan, Disk Drill or R-Studio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Disk Drill has a free plan. R-Studio does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Disk Drill and R-Studio run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only R-Studio lists a Linux app. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.