Stellar Data Recovery — The Windows Recovery Suite for Photo and Video
Stellar is the recovery suite that covers photos, video, and audio with a strong signature engine. What it does in 2026, how the free tier works, and when to choose R-Studio instead.
What it does
Stellar runs on Windows and Mac. You select a volume, USB, or SD card, and it does a quick or deep scan. You preview and recover to a different volume. The free tier scans and recovers a limited amount (varies by edition); the paid license unlocks unlimited recovery. The signature engine is strong for corrupt or partially-written media files. For a NAS array, Stellar understands common layouts, but R-Studio is stronger for vendor-specific RAID (SHR, QNAP, UGREEN).
Pricing and the free tier
Free scan tier; paid ~$50–$100/yr or one-time (2026 list, varies by edition). The 'Stellar Data Recovery Professional' edition is the one a household wants — it covers deleted, formatted, and partition recovery on NTFS/exFAT/ReFS.
Good at
- Photo and video recovery on Windows
- Signature-based recovery of corrupt media
- Bootable Windows recovery environment
Not for
- RAID-5/NAS array rebuilds (use R-Studio)
- Free recovery of >1 GB of files (free tier is scan-only)
Key features
- Strong media signature engine (photos, video, audio)
- Bootable Windows recovery environment
- NTFS, exFAT, ReFS, ext4 (read)
- Free scan + limited recovery tier
Frequently asked questions
Is Stellar free?
The free tier scans and recovers a limited amount (varies by edition). Paid ~$50–$100/yr or one-time (2026 list).
Why Stellar over R-Studio for photo recovery?
Stellar's signature engine is tuned for media files (photos, video, audio) and handles corrupt or partially-written files better than most tools. For a NAS array, R-Studio is the stronger buy.
Tools are half the picture — the snapshot and backup layer is the other half. See the 3-2-1 backup guide, the ransomware recovery walkthrough, and what decryption tools actually exist.
Last updated: November 2026 · prices are US list prices at the time of writing. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.