This is a review of Hetman Partition Recovery, a Windows software tool capable of recovering your data after a partition has been formatted or removed.
I offered IT training and support for several decades and wrote software reviews and how-tos for business users. I’ve taken an in-depth look at Hetman Partition Recovery to let you know how likely it is to recover your lost data.
Hetman Partition Recovery’s users are very satisfied with the app. It seems to work effectively, though is a little slower than competing applications. It only works on Windows but is able to scan Mac and Linux drives.
In this Hetman Partition Recovery review, I’ll explore the types of data the application can restore, how long this is likely to take, and weigh up your chance of success. Let’s get started.
Contents
Hetman Partition Recovery Overview
Hetman Partition Recovery is a Windows application that restores your lost data from formatted, deleted, and corrupted partitions. It’s designed to be easy-to-use and offers a simple wizard interface for non-technical users. It’s available in three versions:
- Hetman Partition Recovery Home version: $97.95, for personal use only
- Hetman Partition Recovery Office version: $237.95, for corporate use
- Hetman Partition Recovery Business version: $397.95, for providing data recovery services to third parties
The company also offers a wide range of other data recovery tools:
- macOS Recovery: $67.95 (home), $157.95 (office), or $257.95 (business)
- Linux Recovery: $67.95 (home), $157.95 (office), or $257.95 (business)
- NTFS Recovery: $67.95 (home), $157.95 (office), or $257.95 (business)
- FAT Recovery: $67.95 (home), $157.95 (office), or $257.95 (business)
- RAID Recovery: $247.95 (home), $487.95 (office), or $997.95 (business)
- Office Recovery: $57.95 (home), $197.95 (office), or $297.95 (business)
- Excel Recovery: $37.95 (home), $137.95 (office), or $237.95 (business)
- Word Recovery: $37.95 (home), $137.95 (office), or $237.95 (business)
- Photo Recovery: $47.95 (home), $137.95 (office), or $237.95 (business)
- Uneraser Recovery: $37.95 (home), $137.95 (office), or $237.95 (business)
All of these products can be purchased together in a convenient pack:
- Data Recovery Pack: $147.95 (home), $357.95 (office), or $597.95 (business)
In this review, we’ll cover Hetman Partition Recovery. A free trial will show you if your files can be recovered before you’re required to pay for the application.
Recovery Features
Recovery is possible because deleting a file or formatting a drive doesn’t actually remove the data from your drive. In time, as you create new files, the data may be overwritten, so it’s best to attempt recovery as soon as possible.
Methods of data recovery offered:
- Deleted file recovery, including “permanently deleted” files
- Formatted disk recovery
- Recovery data after a drive failure
- Extracts information from corrupted media
Supported storage media: Hard drive, SSD, memory card, USB drive.
Disclaimer: It is difficult to recover data from solid-state drives (SSDs). The TRIM technology that increases their efficiency also makes it impossible to recover your files once the trash has been emptied.
Supported file systems:
- Generic formats: FAT, exFAT
- Windows formats: NTFS, ReFS
- Apple formats: APFS, HFS+
- Linux and BSD formats: Ext4/3/2, ReiserFS, XFS, UFS
Supported file types:
- Microsoft Office and OpenOffice formats: DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODS, RTF, HTML, PDF, and more
- Images: JPEG, PSD, EPS, TIFF, PNG, RAW, DNG, CR2, NEF, and more
- Archives: ZIP, RAR, and more
- Audio and video: AVI, DAT, MKV, MPG, VOB, MP3, and more
User Experience
Setup and installation are straightforward. An optional wizard is available to guide users without technical knowledge through the data recovery process.
A portable version is available. This can be run from a USB drive or memory card and minimizes the risk of overwriting lost data on your PC’s main drive.
Performance
Scanning for lost files can be time-consuming. How fast is Hetman Partition Recovery? Scanning a 4 GB USB flash drive for lost data took 13 minutes.
This is slower than most other data recovery apps I tested. Many were able to scan the same drive in just four or five minutes, while just two were slower, taking 14 and 47 minutes respectively.
Recovery from large hard drives takes much longer: many hours, and possibly days.
Effectiveness
Data recovery can never be guaranteed. How successful is Hetman Partition Recovery?
While the application hasn’t been included in any comparative industry tests that I’m aware of, users have a high level of satisfaction:
- G2 rated it 4.7 stars based on 13 consumer reviews [1]
- Capterra rated it 5 stars based on five consumer reviews [2]
A number of users on those websites were able to recover important files that would have taken significant work to recreate. They appreciate the easy-to-use wizard.
Customer Support
The Hetman Software Technical Support page [3] offers a FAQ, instructions, and instructional videos. The support team can be contacted via a web form, email, or phone (numbers are available for the USA, Russia, and Ukraine).
FAQS
Is Hetman Partition Recovery safe?
Yes. It opens volumes in read-only mode and recovered files are saved to a different disk to ensure that your data is not inadvertently overwritten.
Is Hetman Partition Recovery free?
No. The software can be downloaded for free and you can perform scans on your disk. But to recover the data, you will need to purchase a license.
Alternatives
If Hetman Partition Recovery isn’t right for you, here are some alternatives I recommend.
Recuva is a free alternative for Windows users and is created by the CCleaner developers. They also offer a Professional version.
EaseUS Data Recovery also offers an easy-to-use wizard that will scan your drive much quicker. It’s available for both Windows and Mac.
Stellar Data Recovery performs thorough scans and offers a wide variety of features. It’s easy to use and is available for Windows and Mac.
R-Studio is a highly effective advanced tool suitable for data recovery professionals. It’s available for both Windows and Mac.
Final Verdict
I recommend Hetman Partition Recovery. Its scans are a little slower than the competition, but its users are highly satisfied.
Unfortunately, the app doesn’t seem to have gone through stringent testing by industry testing so it’s not possible to compare it objectively with other data recovery applications. I recommend a few alternatives above (including one free alternative) that have performed very well in industry tests and these may offer better results.
Fortunately, the free trial versions of any of these applications will show you if your lost files can be located. That allows you to purchase the tool that works for you with confidence.
References
Michael
Hetman RAID Recovery recoverd only 50% of my data without errors – two other Recovery Tool recovered 100% full functional. Don’t waste your money on hetman.