DiskGenius vs TestDisk and PhotoRec (2026): which should you pick?

Pick DiskGenius if

• Fits if you need partitions and cloning in one Windows tool
• Works for people who only need to scan and preview lost files

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free, as the free edition recovers only small files
• Pricey if you want Professional, with a one-month licence at $69.90
• Watch out: dynamic-to-basic conversion and full backup access are Professional only
• Watch out: licences cover one PC unless you pick a family or technician tier, and the refund policy is conditional

Pick TestDisk and PhotoRec if

• Fits if you've lost a partition and can work in a text menu
• Works for people who care about getting files back and not about their names

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want a graphical tool, as the main programs are text-based
• Skip it if you need file names and folders back, since PhotoRec generally doesn't restore them
• Watch out: the 7.2 Mac build listed is 64-bit Intel and M1 Macs can run it
• Too light on hand-holding for a first-time rescue, as the site points graphical-tool seekers to a partner product

DiskGenius

• The Free edition recovers only small files; recovering any size and saving partition tables needs Professional.
• Dynamic-to-basic disk conversion and full backup access are Professional-only.
• The site describes a Windows utility and the download page names Windows versions; no macOS version is listed.
• A 30-day conditional refund policy applies, and all licenses are for one PC unless a family or technician tier is chosen.

TestDisk and PhotoRec

• PhotoRec recovers files by type, so names and folder structure are generally not restored.
• The main programs are text-based; a graphical front end, QPhotoRec, is shipped separately.
• The 7.2 download page lists a 64-bit Intel macOS build (macOS 10.15 or later) and notes Apple M1 Macs can run it.
• The site's own pages point buyers who want a graphical Mac or Windows tool to a partner product, Disk Drill.

DiskGenius

Data recovery

Scans HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards and RAID arrays, previews found files and copies them out without writing to the source disk.

Partition management

Resizes, extends, splits and formats partitions and converts between GPT and MBR without wiping the disk.

Cloning and Windows migration

Clones a disk or partition and moves Windows to a different SSD, HDD or USB drive without reinstalling.

Backup and restore

Creates disk and partition image backups; the comparison table lists basic backup in Free and full access in Professional.

Disk utilities

Checks HDD and SSD health, benchmarks disk speed, erases sectors and repairs Windows boot errors.

Ext4 and RAID tools

Reads, writes and formats Ext4/3/2 drives, and includes BitLocker, hex editor and RAID tools, limited in the Free edition.

TestDisk and PhotoRec

Partition table repair

TestDisk can fix a partition table, recover a deleted partition and make a disk bootable again when faulty software or human error caused the problem.

Boot sector and table repair

Rebuilds or restores FAT and NTFS boot sectors from backups, fixes FAT tables, repairs the NTFS MFT from its mirror, and locates ext backup superblocks.

Undelete and copy files

TestDisk can undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext2 and copy files off deleted FAT, exFAT, NTFS and ext partitions.

Signature-based recovery

PhotoRec searches for known file headers, so it still works when a file system is damaged or reformatted. Its file list covers more than 480 extensions.

Read-only access

PhotoRec reads the drive or card read-only and warns you not to save recovered files to the same partition.

Many media types

Works with hard disks, SSDs, memory cards, USB drives, CD-ROMs and raw or EnCase E01 disk images.

DiskGenius

• Free$0

  Partition management, cloning and Windows migration; recovers only small files and previews lost partitions.

• Professional One-Month$69.90

  for one month, paid once, with no renewal

  License code for 1 PC, valid one month after activation, with free remote assistance.

• Professional One-Year$99.90

  for one year, paid once, with no renewal

  License code for 1 PC, valid one year after activation, with free remote assistance.

• Professional Lifetime$129.90

  one-time

  Personal license for 1 PC (family 5 PCs and technician 20 PCs tiers are also listed), with lifetime free upgrades.

TestDisk and PhotoRec

• Free$0

  Both programs, as portable downloads with no installer.