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Secure Digital (SD) card, is a flash memory card used in portable devices like digital cameras, mobile phones, etc. (see more definition on Wikipedia.) For memory cards, Other than SD cards, there are additional card formats such as SDHC cards, SDXC cards, CF cards, etc.
SD cards are popular due to their tiny size, fast data transfer rate, hot plug-in and plug-out capabilities, and other benefits. But many people often experience faulty problems when using an SD card. Don’t worry. This article aims at helping you and introducing you to the six methods of recovering an SD card that loses its data attribute to multiple reasons.
1. Disk Drill SD Card Recovery
If you’re in need of a dependable SD card data recovery solution, Disk Drill is an exceptional option. It’s a highly respected application in the IT industry, developed by CleverFiles. This tool is capable of scanning both external and internal storage devices, including portable USB drives and SD cards. It’s particularly effective on Windows computers, making it a popular choice for those looking for efficient data recovery.
Supported System: Windows/macOS
Key features:
- Its service can retrieve photos and videos from any digital camera
- It supports recovery from all file systems.
- Ability to recover data on FAT32 and NTFS
- Deep scan is available
- Sort discovered files into categories, by size and data
Pricing:
- Free account with 500 MB free.
- Pro version for $89.00; lifetime license $118 ($29 upgrades cost) on both Windows and macOS
- Disk Drill Enterprise version for $499
Pros:
- It supports a variety of storage devices other than SD cards
- Previews files before saving (free version available)
- Intuitive interface
- No need of skilled experience
Cons:
- Scanning RAW disks is time-consuming
- The free version can only restore 500 MB of data
- The macOS version does not have free recovery
- The scanning procedure takes longer than that of comparable products.
- A quick scan may fail to find the files
Conclusion:
It’s important to carefully consider whether Disk Drill is a more suitable investment for you. While it’s certainly effective for Windows and macOS data recovery, there are a few drawbacks to keep in mind, such as the price (it may be better in a lifetime license) and scanning speed. For individuals who don’t frequently encounter data loss, the $89 upfront cost and a $29 upgrade fee may be too high of an expense. Ultimately, the decision of whether to proceed with purchasing Disk Drill should be based on weighing the potential benefits against the costs. If you don’t care about expenses at all, then this is certainly a good option.
2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a professional data recovery program that will help you easily retrieve what you have lost. It is a useful and strong application for recovering deleted files of various formats from SD card, SDXC, SDHC, memory stick, etc., in a variety of conditions such as format, virus attack, inadvertent file deletion, or unexpected system shutdown.
Supported System: Windows/macOS/Phone available (Android and iOS)
Key features:
- Recovers SD card data for free up to 2 GB (you need to share it on social media, or you can only get 500 MB)
- Offers 1000+ file formats
- Fast scanning to find and recover deleted data from emptied Recycle Bin
- Deep scan for formatted, can’t be opened, or lost data.
- One-to-one remote data recovery help (only for the paid version)
Pricing:
- Free trial with free data recovery for 2 GB on both Windows and macOS
- Monthly subscription for $69.95 on Windows; $89.95 on macOS
- Annual subscription for $99.95 on Windows; $119.95 on macOS
- Lifetime Upgrades for $149.95 on Windows; $169.95 on macOS
Pros:
- Recovery tasks can be accomplished even if the computer can’t boot
- Intuitive interface
- Excellent recovery results
- RAW images and videos can be recovered
- Preview files before saving
Cons:
- The program’s size is excessive.
- It’s unclear how long the scanning truly takes, and the estimated time of arrival is always incorrect.
- Lifetime upgrades are costly
- Advertisements may show up in the way of pop-ups
- Scanner speed can be slow at times
Conclusion:
EaseUS data recovery wizard is a strong SD card recovery software with a user-friendly interface. Even users with little or no data recovery experience should have no trouble getting started.
The most distinctive feature of this data recovery program is one-to-one remote data recovery assistance; however, this is only accessible in the subscription edition, which is, still, somewhat pricey. It provides 2 GB of free recovery data, but only 500 MB is available if the software is not shared on social media networks. Also, the scanning speed is a bit as slow. If you don’t care about the helpful extra features, the free version may meet your requirements totally.
3. ONERECOVERY SD Card Data Recovery
Just like Disk Drill, EaseUS, and other novice-friendly SD card recovery software tools, ONERECVOERY stands out with its easy-to-use One-Click Recovery. It supports almost all the file formats, video formats, etc., and other devices like HDD. Currently, ONERECVOERY only supports Windows, but they are to follow up with a macOS version.
Supported System: Windows
Key features:
- Various types of files in SD card can be get covered.
- 2000+ storage devices and various types of recovery.
- Supports almost all Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/Windows 10/Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows Server 2022/Windows Server 2019/Windows Server 2016/Windows Server 2012/ etc.
- Supports preview files before saving (free)
- Quick Scan and Deep Scan are two of the scan modes available.
Pricing:
- Free trial
- Lifetime Upgrades for $4.99 on Windows; $4.99 on macOS
Pros:
- Intuitive interface
- Recovering Data from SD Card in Easy 4-step
- 7-day Money-back Guarantee
- Real-estimated time & Free Preview
- Various filtering options are available
- High quality-price ratio
- Ensure a 95% success rate
Cons:
- Supports Windows only
- Price range is too small
- There was no indication of instant customer support
Conclusion:
For individual users, using ONERECVOERY is probably the most cost-effective way. It supports most devices as well as almost all kinds of file formats. With all the features being pretty much the same, the experience of using each software is similar, except for different details. But, the most notable thing that needs to be stressed is a high success rate of 95%.
At the same time, they promise a 7-day money-back policy, which gives budget-conscious customers who are skeptical about the recovery results. So, you can employ it without concern.
4. Stellar Data Recovery
Stellar Data Recovery is another well-known SD card recovery software that has been on the market for many years. It can recover deleted files like images, emails, movies, and audio files from USB flash drives, hard drives, SSDs, and other storage devices. It has an intuitive interface and well-organized structure, which makes it one of the most user-friendly free data recovery applications for SD cards.
Supported System: Windows, macOS, Linux
Key features:
- Deep scan is available for free
- Recover data from BitLocker encrypted SD card
- Compatible with macOS 13 Ventura or earlier versions
- Restores all kinds of known and unknown multimedia file formats
- Offers 300+ file formats
- It provides customer support via Chat, and Contact Form
Pricing:
- Free version for 1 GB data recovery
- For Windows:
Standard version is $59.99 get one year license; $99 get lifetime license
Professional version is $89.99 get one year license; $149 get lifetime license
Premium version is $99.99 get one year license; $199 get lifetime license
- For MAC:
Stand version is $69.99 get one year license; $129 get lifetime license
Professional version is $89.99 get one year license; $149 get lifetime license
Premium version is $99.99 get one year license; $199 get lifetime license
Pros:
- Intuitive interface
- 4-step recovery process
- Supports scanning specific folders and searching files from scanning results
- 24/7 support
- Previews files before saving
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- Slow scanning speed
- Slow and limited preview
Conclusion:
The free edition of Stellar Data Recovery allows you to recover deleted files from SD cards for free, with a recovery capacity limit of 1 GB. It includes and numerous data recovery capabilities, such as corrupted photo recovery and complex RAID recovery. These advantages, however, come at a high price. To repair corrupted photos and videos, you must purchase the premium version, which is now on sale for $99.99, and RAID recovery is as high at $199. It may be costly for most individuals. But, for those who want to recover data with massive amounts, it probably is a good option.
5. Recuva Data Recovery
Currently, Recuva is probably the most used SD card recovery software for Windows Computers. Besides SD cards, it can recover data from Windows PC internal hard disks, external USB drives, BD/DVD/CD disks, and other memory cards.
Supported System: Windows
Key features:
- It offers a deep scan option that finds traces of files that you may have removed by accident.
- Supports various storage devices, various file systems, and all Windows systems
- Provides over 1000 file formats
- Other storage devices are supportive.
- It offers customer service via chat and a Contact Form.
Pricing:
- Free version
- Professional version
Recuva professional version costs $24.95 and provides all the services that are not accessible in the free version, including virtual hard drive support, automatic updates, and customer support.
Pros:
- Preview before saving
- It is compatible with FAT and NTFS file systems
- It supports email recovery from Microsoft Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird
- The strong data analysis engine built into the software accelerates scanning.
Cons:
- Some recoveries may not be possible with the free version.
- Recuva is sometimes risky for beginners because it can overwrite files on your system. It may even delete important files that you want to keep.
- In some cases, files may not be recovered
- The scan result can’t be guaranteed
- Unable to restore lost partitions or BitLocker-encrypted SD cards.
Conclusion:
Recuva is not a one-stop solution. While the free version is very useful and efficient, the paid edition is the more successful recovery tool, and it also includes the whole package that comes with the software. It does not, however, guarantee that it will address practically every data loss problem. It is quite simple to scan deleted files with Recuva. The scanning results, unfortunately, are not guaranteed. Even after hours of searching, it may fail to locate the deleted data you require.
6. Recoverit Data Recovery Software
You may use Recoverit to recover data from various sources, including SD cards, HDD. The path of deleted files on your system can be accessed by the Recoverit Data Recovery software. This user-friendly software for macOS and Windows can recover documents, photographs, videos, audio files, and even emails. From the desktop to specific folders and partitions that have been formatted. You can even retrieve data from smartphones and digital cameras, which is impressive.
Supported System: Windows/macOS
Key features:
- Recovers Ultra HD, 4K, and 8K videos and maintains their integrity
- Recovers data from more than 500 data loss scenarios, including computer system crashes, empty trash cans, accidental deletion of SD cards, and more,
- Supports file systems such as FAT, NTFS, NTFS, and EFS
- It is compatible with a variety of devices (from SD and micro SD, SDHC, SDXC to MMC, CF card, HDD, SDD, and USB Flash drive.)
- Supports Time Machine data scanning and recovery (macOS)
- Supports saving files from network disks
Pricing:
- Free trial up to 1 GB data
- For individual Windows:
Essential version at $59.99/month, $69.99/year, and $119.99 perpetual license.
Standard version at $69.99/month, $79.99/year, and $139.99 perpetual license.
Premium version at $79.99/month, $89.99/year, and $159.99 perpetual license.
- For individual MAC:
Essential version at $75.99/month, $79.99/year, and $119.99 perpetual license.
Standard version at $95.99/month, $99.99/year, and $139.99 perpetual license.
Premium version at $109.99/month, $139.99/year, and $169.99 perpetual license.
Pros:
- Almost all file types can be recovered.
- Provides a variety of scanning options
- Deep Scan is officially available.
- User-friendly interface
- Deep scan is available
Cons:
- No Premium Consulting / Integration Services
- Free version only provides 100 MB of use
- No indication of the final recovered files quality
- No recovery time of estimation
- No filter to scan results
Conclusion:
Recoverit can assist in many data loss situations, however, it takes longer to scan than other similar products. Because free recovery functions of SDHC card data recovery are limited, it needs you to purchase one of three paid subscriptions. To acquire advanced data recovery features like video recovery, you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium edition, which costs $89.99 per year for Windows and $139.99 per year for macOS. But still, for those who want to recover HD videos, it certainly an excellent tool for you to choose. Finally, only you can decide whether Recoverit’s price is worth paying for its high-quality features. And, it may be a better option if you’re searching for software that can be used throughout your company.
Final words
Well, you may ask which one is the best software to choose? There is no such thing as the best, only what works for you. All the aforementioned are solid SD card recovery software, and they all offer a free trial, so you may check them out and select your favorite according to your needs.
