Top 5 Best SD Card Recovery Software for Mac In 2024

Losing data from an SD card does not have to be a disaster. If files are accidentally deleted or the card is mistakenly formatted, there’s a good chance you can recover the lost data. But among the tons of data recovery tools that became available online, it can be overwhelming to choose which one to trust to retrieve your files.

In this guide, we’ll evaluate and compare the best SD card data recovery software for Mac, helping you find the perfect tool to retrieve your lost files effectively.

Parameters We Considered to Evaluate SD Card Recovery Software

We have assessed different SD recovery software for Macs with a comprehensive set of criteria that makes them a viable solution for general users.

Here’s an in-depth look at the parameters we prioritized in determining if an SD card recovery tool for Mac belonged to our list.

• ⚙️ Compatibility – The best SD card data recovery software should seamlessly support up to the latest version of macOS (macOS Sonoma at the time of testing). These tools also need to be able to be compatible to file systems used by SD cards for Mac and other file systems like exFAT, FAT32, and Windows – NTFS. It should be able to handle RAW file systems as well.
• 🔍 Recovery Capabilities – Our top 5 data recovery tools should be effective in recovering the commonly stored file types on SD cards, such as photos, videos, audio, documents, and others. They should also be effective in dealing with different data loss scenarios, like accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, etc. We also took into account any advanced scanning capabilities that are present in some tools.
• 🦾 Performance and Efficiency – Scanning speed and recovery success rate are also critical benchmarks we used to assess tools. We gave importance to the scanning process and algorithms they use while making sure that the recovered files are accessible and intact.
• 👨‍💻 User experience – Not everyone has the same technological expertise. This is why we consider the best tools to have a user-friendly interface that both a beginner and a tech-savvy can quickly get used to. Additional features, like the preview functionality, also contribute to a better user experience.
• 🗨️ User reviews – User reviews can point to attractive features or issues with a software tool that may not affect its general popularity. There may be some specific problems with how a software solution performs in certain situations that have been identified and communicated through a user review. We look at reviews and tend to avoid products that have been received negatively by the computing community.
• 💲 Price – Price may be a determining factor for some users, so we do consider it when selecting Mac SD card recovery tools. Opting for the least expensive solution may not always produce the best recovery results. For this reason, price and functionality need to be considered together when choosing a recovery solution. When dealing with your valuable data, don’t be tempted to go with the cheapest tool.

Top 5 Best SD Card Recovery Software for Mac

We have selected the 5 best SD card recovery software programs that showed positive results based on our tests. We’ll dive deeper into each tool in this section, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.

For a better understanding, we have categorized the programs by highlighting their key advantages and benefits.

1. Disk Drill for Mac

Disk Drill is a community-favorite, user-friendly SD card recovery tool for Mac that can efficiently scan and recover files from an SD card.

Its User Interface (UI) also includes many additional features that provide extra value to its users, such as the ability to preview scanned files (tested with documents, videos, and photos), preview recoverability chances, and filter out the scan results.

Disk Drill supports virtually every type of disk-based storage device, including different kinds of SD cards, as well as all the file formats you will find on your Mac. With its deep-scanning set of algorithms, you can attempt SD card data recovery with just a few clicks.

The developers of Disk Drill are constantly expanding their collection of video guides, which are dedicated to providing detailed instructions on how to use the program as well as useful tips.

✅ Pros:

• The software includes free data management and protection tools.
• Scan results can be mounted as a virtual disk and viewed with Finder.
• Files can be previewed before recovery.
• Users can create byte-level backups of failing SD cards for future recovery.
• Advanced scanning algorithms find all available data on SD cards.

📛 Cons:

• No free data recovery is available for Mac systems.
• No phone support is offered.

💲 Pricing: The PRO version of the tool costs $89. An additional $29 gets you lifetime software updates.

2. PhotoRec

PhotoRec is an open-source data recovery freeware that specializes in retrieving lost photos from storage devices like memory cards. However, we also tested it to be effective in recovering all the common file formats.

Being freeware, you don’t have to pay anything to use the full capabilities and recover unlimited data for free using this program. However, it operates with a command-line interface that some users may find difficult to navigate.

• PhotoRec is a completely free SD card recovery tool for Mac.
• The tool supports many different filesystems, and file formats.
• PhotoRec has competitive recovery capabilities and can quickly scan even larger SD cards.
• This tool can be used on old hardware as it uses minimal computer resources.

📛 Cons:

• The command-line interface can be difficult to use.
• Files are recovered with generic filenames, slowing the recovery process.
• Users need to have more knowledge of the underlying file system than other commercial products.
• PhotoRec does not have preview or filtering features to view scanned files more easily.

💲 Pricing: Freeware with no cost to the user.

3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac

EaseUS is another modern-looking SD card recovery tool for Mac that’s trusted for safely scanning and retrieving your files.

With its three-step recovery process and user-friendly interface, you will have no problem navigating the software on the first try. It also has quick scan and advanced scanning options that work effectively with different kinds of SD cards, even corrupted ones.

Unlike Disk Drill, you can recover up to 2GB of data with EaseUS’s free version. EaseUS also scans all the file formats and common file systems on SD cards.

• EaseUS has a very responsive technical support team.
• Files can be recovered during the scanning process.
• An extensive knowledge base is available to help users cope with various data loss scenarios.
• Files can be recovered directly to the cloud.
• EaseUS supports different file systems used in SD cards, such as APFS, HFS X, HFS+, FAT, exFAT, and NTFS.

📛 Cons:

• The tool collects user data by default and this setting must be turned off each time you use the app.
• Software updates are provided infrequently.
• The limited preview functionality excludes larger files and some file formats.
• It’s more expensive than alternative commercial products.

💲 Pricing: A one-month subscription is $89.95, a one-year subscription is $119.95, and a lifetime subscription with free upgrades costs $169.95

4. R-Studio for Mac

R-Studio is an effective SD card recovery tool for Mac that was originally developed for use by professionals. Its interface, modeled on Windows Explorer, is not as user-friendly as other commercial alternatives. To make up for this, the company provides a library of tutorial videos to assist users in navigating the tool.

This tool supports the recovery of all major file formats across many types of storage devices, including memory cards. It also maintains a good standing for its consistent and efficient data recovery performance, especially appealing to more advanced audiences because of its professional-grade features.

• The tool can be used with old versions of the Mac operating system.
• The software demonstrates superior scanning speed paired with advanced scanning algorithms.
• R-Studio has preview features to easily check multiple scanned files at once
• Compatible with SD cards with APFS, HFS/HFS+/HFSX, and FAT/exFAT file systems.
• Can recover files lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, or SD card corruption.

📛 Cons:

• The overall interface screen displays a comprehensive set of information that can be overwhelming to casual users.
• Users can’t preview files while scanning.
• Some media formats may not be supported.

💲 Pricing: The basic version of the tool with a lifetime license costs $79.99.

4. Wondershare Recoverit for Mac

Recoverit is similar to Disk Drill and EaseUS in its modern, intuitive user interface, which both beginners and experts find easy to navigate. It can retrieve audio files, videos, photos, and other 1000+ types of information, including photos, videos, audio, documents, and other data you can store on SD cards.

Aside from SD cards, Recoverit can also scan different kinds of memory cards, like SDHC cards and microSD cards, among others. Plus, it can effectively piece together lost files from corrupted or lightly damaged SD cards.

Like Disk Drill and EaseUS, Recoverit also makes it easy to view all the scanned files using search and filter features.

• A user-friendly interface lets anyone use the tool.
• A dedicated video search mode can reduce scanning and recovery time.
• The tool can be used to repair videos that refuse to play.

📛 Cons:

• Its free version can only recover 100MB of data.
• Not all file formats can be previewed.
• The interface doesn’t display recovery time estimates.

💲 Pricing: A one-year license costs $89.99 with a lifetime license coming in at $119.

Final Words

Our go-to recovery tool is Disk Drill, and we think you will agree once you try the software. The extra data protection features add value to the product and help keep your valuable information safe. The free version of Disk Drill lets you scan and preview an SD card on your Mac to see what it can recover before you make a financial investment.

R-Studio is a powerful recovery tool that provides good results but is a little harder to use than Disk Drill. PhotoRec gives users a free and unlimited recovery solution that requires the use of a command line interface. Both tools can recover your lost SD card data.

Losing valuable data from an SD card is never enjoyable, but is often not as bad as your think. The files can usually be retrieved with an SD card recovery tool for Mac as long as they have not been overwritten by new data. All of the software tools we have chosen can get your files back. Good luck recovering your files with SD card recovery software for Mac.