Three properties that most copy-and-paste backups lack: data is encrypted before it leaves the machine, snapshots store only what changed, and the archive can be checked whenever you like.

Reflect earns its reputation on the day something breaks: verified images, a fast incremental chain and a rescue environment that actually boots. The free edition is gone, so trial it before you commit.

The standard edition is free for good: a one click system image, scheduled incremental jobs, file sync and whole disk cloning, plus bootable rescue media that brings a dead machine back.

When a delete goes wrong, the first reaction decides the outcome: stop writing and scan. iBoysoft covers the ordinary case with a quick scan and the hard cases with a deep one, previews what it finds before charging, and handles two things many tools avoid, BitLocker encrypted volumes and APFS partitions.

Running out of backup space? The deduplication in BorgBackup is the direct answer: identical chunks are stored once, incremental runs finish quickly, storage use drops by a wide margin, encryption and compression come together, and the open source command line approach has been trusted by server administrators for years.

Kopia is an open source backup tool that keeps snapshots, encrypts data before it leaves the machine and stores it on almost any backend, with both a graphical front end and a command line interface.

Duplicati is a free, open-source backup tool that encrypts with AES-256 on the machine before anything leaves it, then uploads blocks to storage you already own: object storage, WebDAV, an FTP server, even a local disk. The 2.4 stable release, out on 3 September 2026, extends whole-disk imaging from Windows to Linux and macOS, adds a one-way sync mode and verifies volumes against bit rot.

A closer look at the recovery pair: TestDisk restores partitions and keeps file names, while PhotoRec ignores the file system and carves data by signature, so a formatted partition can still give files back. This covers the 7.3 development line and the options that change the result.

iBoysoft Data Recovery scans and previews for free on Windows, with unlimited recovery reserved for the paid editions. It covers more than 1000 file formats and reads hard disks, SSDs, USB sticks, memory cards and cameras.

Wise Data Recovery is at version 6.2.2 with an installer of 11.4 MB. The free edition recovers up to 2 GB, covers more than 1000 file types, and comes in a portable build that needs no installation.

The free edition of DMDE 4.4.4 recovers up to 4000 files from a chosen directory, with no limit on how many attempts are made. The paid editions lift the cap and add disk editing, partition management and RAID construction.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is at V13.1, released on 2026-09-08. The free edition recovers up to 1 GB and covers deletion, RAW partitions, formatting and lost partitions, with file preview included.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is at version 20.8, and the free edition recovers up to 2 GB. It covers deleted files, formatting, lost partitions and RAW drive errors, while the PRO edition lifts the limit entirely.

The Windows build of Disk Drill 6.3 is 6.3.1398, updated on 2026-07-22. The free edition recovers up to 100 MB and can pull files back from the recycle bin, a formatted device or a lost partition.

TestDisk and PhotoRec 7.2 were released on 2024-02-22 and are entirely free and open source. The first specialises in repairing partition tables and finding lost partitions, the second pulls files out of damaged media by signature.