Quote from JustMike on January 27, 2026, 12:49 pm

Hey, congrats on the purchase! A new Mac is always exciting 😉
About Recuva alternatives, before I recommend anything can you clarify what kind of drives you recovered from on Windows? (not talking about file types, but the storage itself, like system drive, external hdd/ssd, usb flash drives, memory cards) On Windows this didn’t matter much but on macOS the situation changes. APFS (which is the default macOS file system) uses snapshots, metadata records, and native encryption, so data recovery from a system partition is harder than recovering from external devices. So just give a bit more detail on what you mainly recovered before?
That will help narrow the list 🙂

Quote from phillyjohn on January 27, 2026, 12:50 pm

@justmike Wow, I didn’t even know there were differences in how recovery works between systems. I recovered files from basically everywhere (my system drive, external HDDs, USB sticks). I’m not very careful with files, so pretty often my files were gone after editing, and recuva saved me more than once. So ideally I’d want something universal. Is there such a tool on macos that can cover both system storage and external drives?🙂

Quote from Ryan404 on January 27, 2026, 1:21 pm

Quote from phillyjohn on January 27, 2026, 12:50 pm

@justmike Wow, I didn’t even know there were differences in how recovery works between systems. I recovered files from basically everywhere (my system drive, external HDDs, USB sticks). I’m not very careful with files, so pretty often my files were gone after editing, and recuva saved me more than once. So ideally I’d want something universal. Is there such a tool on macos that can cover both system storage and external drives?🙂

Based on what u need, the list gets waaay shorter. Most alternative to Recuva apps work kinda ok on external stuff, but when it comes to recovering from the system disk on mac, everything falls apart. They scan, they show you deleted files, previews look fine… and then the Recover button does literally nothing. 🤦‍♂️ Dev sites don’t mention this at all, so ppl just buy the software and only then find out the catch.

If u want something that actually works, the only normal Recuva alternative for Mac I’ve seen is Disk Drill. You install their additional extension before scanning the internal disk, and that gives it legit access. For USB sticks, SD cards, external HDD/SSD it works without that extension. Downside that is not free (but u can scan and see what it finds before paying). For me it’s been the most reliable option over the last couple of years.If u want best free Recuva alternatives macOS that recover from both system drive AND external drives… nope, none exist.

Quote from phillyjohn on January 27, 2026, 1:39 pm

Wait, so there’s really no recuva free alternative that actually recovers files? What are ppl supposed to do then if they accidentally lost files on a Mac? Just pay immediately? 🥲 Feels unfair compared to Windows… there you just grab recuva and fix things in 5 minutes.

Quote from JustMike on January 27, 2026, 2:23 pm

Quote from phillyjohn on January 27, 2026, 12:50 pm

@justmike Wow, I didn’t even know there were differences in how recovery works between systems. I recovered files from basically everywhere (my system drive, external HDDs, USB sticks). I’m not very careful with files, so pretty often my files were gone after editing, and recuva saved me more than once. So ideally I’d want something universal. Is there such a tool on macos that can cover both system storage and external drives?🙂

Yeah, pretty much. Sorry btw, meant to reply earlier but forgot :/

There are very few actually free data recovery tools for Mac, and the ones that exist don’t work properly on the system drive. If you want a free data recovery tool for Mac, the only realistic option is PhotoRec (and maybe TestDisk next to it). Both are free,terminal-only experiences (but they only help with deleted files recovery from external drives like usb sticks, sd cards, hhds, etc.) So free works only in very limited cases, everything else is paid.

Quote from JohnMiller on January 27, 2026, 6:22 pm

Since others already said there are no actually free options, there isn’t much choice in your search for Recuva alternatives. I personally can recommend EaseUS. Not free either, but it does work with recovery from the system drive. I’ve been using it like half a year and it was fine for me. Just a small tip - when choosing a subscription, go for lifetime right away. If you take monthly or yearly, you will end up paying way more in total (lifetime looks expensive at first but it’s better than renewing later). And with the money you save, you can buy other licensed apps for your new MacBook.

Quote from em_on_pc on January 27, 2026, 6:30 pm

I use Wondershare Recoverit, and truthfully there's nothing major to gripe about. When it comes to my mistakes(that’s what I label accidental deletions), it deals with them without fuss. Good software, plus it won’t drain your wallet ( I took a peek at their site now and they’re running sales right now).

Quote from phillyjohn on January 28, 2026, 12:34 pm

Ok, you’ve already suggested a lot of options and I’m still hesitating. I don’t like the idea of paying, but I guess it’s better to pay now than scramble when I urgently need to recover something important. So maybe someone can help me: if I compare recuva vs easeus or recuva vs recoverit, what’s actually better? On windows I only worked with recuva amd it was simple (sually deep scan found files, I picked them and recovered). Do these mac-tools work the same way? Are they as easy?

Quote from Ryan404 on January 28, 2026, 12:46 pm

Ahahah bro, @phillyjohn
that comparison is like asking whether comparing apples to ranch animals. I’m not a fan of either EaseUS or Recoverit (tested both a while ago, and only some files were recovered in my case). But still, they are miles ahead of Recuva, starting with the interface (which doesn’t look like it came from Windows XP Safe Mode), and ending with the actual scan logic. We all can sit here convincing you for 20 more comments, but just download the trials and try them.
You’ll see the difference faster than reading opinions here.

Quote from AlexR on January 28, 2026, 12:58 pm

I’m clearly on the Disk Drill side.
When I moved from Windows to Mac some time ago, this was the sole tool that came along with me into macOS. Best app for what you pay, which costs half as much as others listed earlier - so my choice was obvious.

Quote from bryan on January 28, 2026, 12:59 pm

@phillyjohn, dude (or girl, idk who u r), I also use Disk Drill and I’m happy with it. I paid once and now I’ve got a universal Recuva alternative that’s like 20x better in every "oops-I-deleted-something" situation 😂 So pull yourself together and go check reviews on these softs - YouTube, tech sites, Reddit, whatever. Then download a few that look good to you. Every app that ppl mentioned here has a free version where u can at least run a scan on your drive and mess around with the interface. That’s the only way u feel what’s right for YOU, not what we tell u.

Quote from phillyjohn on January 28, 2026, 1:08 pm

Oh wow, thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and give me advice. I’ve collected a solid list of recuva alternatives for mac and just like several of you said I’ll go test them myself. If I choose something (or don’t) I’ll come back here and update my comment with the results.
EDIT (as promised). I’m back. I fully switched to mac now and found what I think is the best recuva alternative - disk drill. A few of you already recommended it and yep, I ended up choosing it because of the reasonable price, clean interface, and actual results. During these time I already managed to delete a couple of files from my mac system disk, and disk drill recovered them! (exactly as people mentioned with the extra extension installed). So once again, thank you all! This thread really helped💛