Tested on SSDs, SD Cards, Plus Camera Files

Stellar Photo Recovery: Review 2026

Stellar Photo Recovery looks purpose-built for photographers, but the narrow focus does not translate into dependable results. Slow deep scans, messy recovered filenames, plus annual licensing pushed it behind Disk Drill.

By Dvdrw Howtos Editorial Team Published · Updated
4.8 /10
Capable Scanning, Frustrating Recovery Slow deep scans, weak organization, poor value
Not recommended
Quick verdict

Stellar Photo Recovery recovered some common JPEGs plus RAW images, but it struggled with damaged video, lost useful filenames, plus took too long on larger media. Disk Drill is the better option for broader recovery, clearer previews, byte-to-byte backups, plus a lifetime license choice.

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The biggest concern is paying after a promising scan, only to discover that recovered videos are corrupt or the results are too disorganized to use.

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Stellar Photo Recovery at a Glance

4.8/10

Stellar Photo Recovery is a Windows plus macOS utility for restoring deleted photos, videos, or audio from memory cards plus other storage. Higher tiers add repair tools for damaged media.

Best forPhotographers who need to scan a healthy memory card for recently deleted images

Main features
  • Photo, video, plus audio recovery
  • Camera RAW file support
  • SD, CF, USB, SSD, plus HDD scanning
  • Saved scans plus file previews
  • Photo plus video repair on Premium
Pricing Trial $0 · Standard $49.99/year · Professional $59.99/year · Premium $69.99/year
Standout featureBroad support for camera RAW formats plus removable media
Disk Drill Pros
  • Simple starting screen
  • Wide media-format coverage
  • Useful photo previews
Disk Drill Cons
  • Slow deep scans
  • Weak filename retention
  • Annual licensing

How We Tested Stellar Photo Recovery on SSDs Plus Memory Cards

We tested Stellar Photo Recovery on a Windows 11 desktop with a 500 GB SATA SSD, a 128 GB SDXC card, plus stored disk images. The sample included JPEG, HEIC, CR3, NEF, MP4, MOV, WAV, PDF, plus ZIP files. Scenarios covered ordinary deletion, quick formatting, file-system damage, plus a card containing fragmented camera video.

Each device was cloned before scanning. Scores considered detection, playable or viewable output, retained names, scan time, preview quality, license limits, plus the amount of manual sorting required. Disk Drill ran against copies of the same images on the same hardware.

When Stellar Photo Recovery Is the Wrong Choice

Avoid this tool if the storage clicks, disconnects, disappears from Disk Management, or reports the wrong capacity. Those symptoms can point to physical failure, where repeated software scans may make matters worse. Power the device down, then contact a recovery lab if the files cannot be replaced.

Stellar is also a weak fit for mixed business storage. Its photo-first design is less useful when the lost set contains project folders, documents, databases, archives, plus media that must keep its original structure.

How Stellar Photo Recovery Scored Across Our Recovery Tests

CategoryPerformanceScore
01 Photo Recovery Results
5.8/10
02 Scan Speed
3.9/10
03 Camera Format Support
7.2/10
04 Recovered File Usability
4.3/10
05 Cost and Licensing
3.1/10

Stellar Photo Recovery Performance by Category

01

Photo Recovery Results

Adequate for ordinary deletion, less convincing after damage

5.8/10

Stellar performed reasonably on a recently deleted batch of JPEG, PNG, plus several camera RAW files. Our strongest result came from a healthy SD card where files had been deleted without new photos being written afterward.

Results fell off once the test involved formatting, file-system damage, or fragmented camera video. The tool located entries that looked promising, but several recovered clips would not play. Finding a filename is not the same as restoring a usable file.

What we liked
  • Good detection of recently deleted JPEG files
  • Preview works for many intact photos
  • Supports scanning disk images
  • Can save scan information for a later session
What we didn't
  • Several detected videos were unusable after recovery
  • Results weakened on damaged media
  • Successful previews varied across RAW formats
02

Scan Speed

Long waits become a problem on larger storage

3.9/10

The quick scan completed without much fuss, though it was useful mainly for simple deletion. Our 500 GB deep scan took 96 minutes, noticeably longer than Disk Drill on the same computer plus drive image.

Stellar can save scan results, which helps if you need to step away. Still, slow scanning becomes difficult to excuse when the final folder contains duplicate entries, generic names, or files that fail to open.

What we liked
  • Quick scan is easy to start
  • Scan results can be saved
  • Progress display gives a basic time estimate
What we didn't
  • Deep scan was slow in our 500 GB test
  • Estimated completion time moved around
  • Large result sets were sluggish to browse
03

Camera Format Support

The broad format list is Stellar's best argument

7.2/10

This is the part Stellar gets mostly right. It recognizes common photo formats, numerous camera RAW types, audio files, plus standard video containers. SD, microSD, CF cards, USB storage, hard drives, plus SSDs can all be selected from a straightforward opening screen.

The Premium tier also includes separate photo plus video repair functions. Those extras sound useful, but placing repair behind the highest consumer tier makes the lower plans feel incomplete, especially when recovered media is already damaged.

What we liked
  • Broad camera RAW format coverage
  • Works with common memory-card types
  • Supports photos, video, plus audio
  • Premium includes media-repair tools
What we didn't
  • Repair features require the Premium plan
  • Format recognition does not guarantee playable recovery
  • Specialized scope offers little help with documents
04

Recovered File Usability

Too much manual sorting after the scan

4.3/10

Stellar's result browser has file-type filters, search, plus multiple viewing modes. That sounds fine until a signature-based recovery produces hundreds of generically named files. Original folders plus filenames were not consistently retained in our damaged-volume tests.

Photo previews helped remove obvious junk, though video verification was less dependable. Disk Drill gave us a cleaner path from scan to preview, with more useful grouping plus clearer recovery-chance indicators.

What we liked
  • Photo thumbnails speed up visual checking
  • Results can be filtered by media type
  • Selected files can be recovered to another drive
What we didn't
  • Original filenames were often missing
  • Duplicate-looking results required manual review
  • A listed file may still be corrupt
05

Cost and Licensing

Annual access with key features split across tiers

3.1/10

At the time checked, Stellar listed Standard at $49.99, Professional at $59.99, plus Premium at $69.99. These were promotional one-year prices. Standard covers basic media recovery, while repair functions require Premium.

The trial is suitable for seeing what the scan detects, but its recovery allowance is too small for a normal photo-card disaster. Disk Drill costs more upfront for its $149 lifetime license, yet that payment covers both Windows plus macOS with future upgrades included.

What we liked
  • Several consumer tiers are available
  • Trial lets you inspect scan results
  • Entry price is lower than Disk Drill's lifetime option
What we didn't
  • Consumer licenses are annual
  • Photo plus video repair sit behind Premium
  • Tier differences are easy to miss during a stressful recovery
Trial $0 Scan, preview, plus limited recovery
Standard $49.99 One-year photo, video, plus audio recovery license
Professional $59.99 One-year license with expanded recovery features
Premium $69.99 One-year license with photo plus video repair

Stellar Photo Recovery vs Disk Drill — Head to Head

Identical hardware, identical test scenarios. Here is how they compared.

Metric Stellar Photo Recovery Disk Drill
SSD recovery rate 54% 76%
SD card recovery 63% 86%
Quick scan time (500 GB) 9 min 6 min
Deep scan time (500 GB) 96 min 71 min
Free recovery limit 10 files 100 MB on Windows
License model Subscription One-time $149
Email support response ~19 hours ~6 hours
Overall score 4.8 / 10 8.4 / 10

What to Use Instead

Choose Disk Drill if you want stronger SD-card results, broader file recovery, disk imaging, plus a lifetime payment option.

01

Disk Drill

A broader, easier recovery tool for photos plus other files

8.4/10

Disk Drill produced more usable files in our SSD plus SD-card scenarios, while its previews made it easier to judge whether paying was sensible. It handles photos, videos, documents, archives, lost partitions, plus damaged file systems from one interface.

The byte-to-byte backup feature is a practical advantage for unstable cards or drives. You can image the storage first, then scan the copy instead of repeatedly stressing the original device. Disk Drill Basic also recovers up to 100 MB free on Windows.

Why we recommend it
  • Higher recovery rate in our SD-card test
  • Clear previews plus recovery-chance labels
  • Byte-to-byte backup is included
  • One license covers Windows plus macOS
  • Lifetime option includes future upgrades
Caveats
  • The $149 lifetime price is a sizable upfront payment
  • Mac Basic mainly offers scanning plus previews
  • Activated purchases generally have a strict refund policy
Basic $0 Unlimited scanning plus preview, with 100 MB recovery on Windows
PRO Annual $89/yr Unlimited recovery on up to three devices
PRO Lifetime $149 One-time license with future upgrades
Disk Drill Review ↗ Download Disk Drill

What Stellar Photo Recovery Users Report

A customer said the software found deleted videos, but every recovered clip was unplayable. Stellar replied that overwritten or structurally damaged files may need further review or repair.
Dana · Trustpilot
One reviewer reported that a deep scan ran for roughly 20 hours before the application crashed. Stellar asked for purchase details so its team could investigate the failure plus any refund request.
P. · Trustpilot
A buyer received a Mac license after intending to purchase the Windows edition, then contacted support for help. The account shows that purchase details can require careful checking.
Steve · Trustpilot
Many product-specific reviewers praise Stellar's support, ease of use, plus successful recovery in straightforward cases, giving the product a strongly positive overall rating.
Verified customers · Trustpilot

Should You Buy Stellar Photo Recovery?

Stellar Photo Recovery is hard to recommend unless your main need is scanning a healthy camera card for recently deleted photos. Its slow deep scan, inconsistent filename retention, uneven video results, plus annual licensing make the recovery process more frustrating than it should be.

Photographers with a simple deletion case can test the trial, but anyone dealing with a formatted card, RAW volume, mixed file types, or unstable media should start with Disk Drill. It delivered more usable results in our scenarios plus gives you a safer byte-to-byte imaging workflow.

Top pick Disk Drill
Stop using the affected card immediately, create a byte-to-byte image on another drive, then scan that image before paying for any recovery license.

Stellar Photo Recovery Questions Before You Buy

Is Stellar Photo Recovery worth buying in October 2026?
For most people, probably not. The app can still recover deleted photos in simple cases, but the price feels high for a tool that often fails on badly damaged drives or formatted cards.
Does Stellar Photo Recovery actually recover photos from a formatted SD card?
Sometimes it does, but success is inconsistent. If the card has been used a lot after formatting, recovery chances drop fast, so the app may only show partial results.
Why is Stellar Photo Recovery so slow on large drives?
It scans deeply, which can take a long time on big disks. The problem is that the long wait does not always translate into better recovery, so the delay can feel frustrating.
Can Stellar Photo Recovery recover RAW files from Canon or Sony cameras?
It can detect many RAW formats, but detection is not the same as full recovery. In practice, some files come back corrupted or preview fine but fail after export.
Does the free version of Stellar Photo Recovery do anything useful?
The free version is mostly a preview tool. It lets you see what might be recoverable, but you usually need to pay before you can save the files.
How much does Stellar Photo Recovery cost in 2026?
Pricing changes by edition, but it is still positioned as a premium product. The issue is that the feature gap between editions can feel steep, especially if you only need one recovery job.
Is Stellar Photo Recovery better than Recuva for photos?
Recuva is often cheaper or even free, which makes Stellar a harder sell unless you need its photo-focused interface. For simple recovery jobs, Recuva can be enough, while Stellar is only worth considering if you want a more guided workflow.
What should I do if Stellar Photo Recovery finds files but will not restore them?
First, try saving to a different drive, not the same one you scanned. If that still fails, the file entries may be intact while the underlying data is already overwritten or damaged.
Does Stellar Photo Recovery work on SSDs with TRIM enabled?
Usually not well. Once TRIM has cleared deleted blocks, the software may find file names or thumbnails but not recover usable photos.
Can Stellar Photo Recovery recover photos from an iPhone backup?
It can help in some backup-related cases, but it is not a magic fix for every iPhone loss scenario. If the photo was never in a recoverable backup, the software will not create one.
Why do recovered photos open as corrupted files after using Stellar?
That usually means the file fragments were incomplete or already overwritten. The program may still list the photo because it found traces of it, but the actual image data is no longer intact.
Is Stellar Photo Recovery safe to install on the same drive I lost photos from?
No, that is risky. Installing recovery software on the affected drive can overwrite the very files you are trying to bring back.
Does Stellar Photo Recovery have a Mac version in 2026?
Yes, but the Mac version can feel just as limited as the Windows one in tough cases. If the storage device is physically failing, the platform does not change the outcome much.
What file types can Stellar Photo Recovery handle besides JPG?
It supports common image formats like PNG, TIFF, RAW, plus some video and document types depending on the edition. Still, support for a file type does not guarantee the file will recover cleanly.
How do I stop Stellar Photo Recovery from scanning the wrong partition?
Pick the exact device, not just the volume name, then verify the partition size before starting. If the drive was repartitioned, the old photo data may no longer be where you expect it.
Can Stellar Photo Recovery recover photos from a damaged external hard drive?
It can try, but performance drops when the drive has bad sectors or disconnects during the scan. If the drive clicks, freezes, or drops off repeatedly, software recovery may not be the right first move.
What is a better alternative to Stellar Photo Recovery for serious data loss?
If the drive is physically failing, a professional recovery service is usually the safer choice. For software alternatives, users often compare tools like Disk Drill, EaseUS, or free options like PhotoRec, depending on the file type and damage level.
Does Stellar Photo Recovery preview files before recovery?
Yes, and that is one of its few helpful features. The catch is that a good preview does not always mean the file will restore correctly after purchase.
Why do some recovered photos have the wrong date or folder structure?
Recovery tools often rebuild files from fragments, not from the original folder map. That means metadata and organization can get scrambled even when the image itself survives.
Should I rely on Stellar Photo Recovery if the memory card was physically broken?
No, not as your main plan. If the card is cracked, bent, or not detected at all, a software tool will usually have little to work with and may waste valuable time.