DriveSavers is a company that specializes in professional data recovery services. They work with individuals and businesses to recover lost or damaged data from hard drives, solid state drives, USB drives, smartphones, tablets, and more. DriveSavers can recover data from physical damage like water damage, fire damage, failed drives, corruption, deletion, and many other data loss scenarios. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in California, with data recovery labs across the United States. DriveSavers employs certified engineers and technicians who use proprietary technology and tools to recover data. They have recovered data from a wide variety of storage devices and operating systems.
Cost of DriveSavers:
DriveSavers offers data recovery services starting at $500 for simple logical recoveries, going up to $2,900 or more for difficult mechanical or chip-level recoveries according to their pricing page. Their standard service costs $1,400 for hard drives and $900 for mobile devices or SSDs. An expedited service is available for an additional fee starting at $500. The final cost depends on the complexity and amount of labor required for a successful recovery.
According to Reddit users, costs can range from $400-$2,500 depending on factors like whether a PCB replacement or more intensive head swap is required. In general, logical recoveries tend to be cheaper while mechanical failures incur higher costs.
Success Rates
According to their website, DriveSavers claims to have a “97 percent customer satisfaction rating” when it comes to recovering lost data. They also tout a “98% success rate” for recovering files, which is high compared to other data recovery services. However, some independent reviews question these rates. For example, one case study from ACE Data Recovery found lower success rates when they tested DriveSavers against mechanical hard drive failures. So while DriveSavers promotes very high success rates, real-world results may vary.
Reviews
DriveSavers has mostly positive reviews from customers who have used their data recovery services. On Yelp, DriveSavers has a 4 out of 5 star rating based on over 200 reviews. Many reviewers mention that DriveSavers was able to successfully recover all or most of the data from their failed hard drives and storage devices. One satisfied customer said “I sent them a USB stick that had pictures of my kids from ages 3-5 that I thought I had lost forever. They got every single picture back!”
However, some negative reviews indicate DriveSavers can be expensive, with costs ranging from $500 to over $3000 depending on the device and amount of data recovered. A few reviewers complained about slow turnaround times of 1 week or longer to get their data back. Others said communication from DriveSavers could be improved during the data recovery process to provide more updates. Overall though, most agreed that for critical data recovery, DriveSavers’ high recovery success rate is worth the premium price.
Alternatives
When evaluating alternatives to professional data recovery services like DriveSavers, there are a few options to consider:
For DIY data recovery, open source tools like TestDisk and PhotoRec allow you to attempt recovering lost files yourself. These are free options that provide basic recovery capabilities. However, for technically complex cases like recovering data from a physically damaged drive, professional services may be required.
Other professional data recovery services like Kroll Ontrack and KLDiscovery offer similar capabilities to DriveSavers. When choosing between providers, it’s important to compare success rates, security protocols, and customer reviews. Though prices are often high for professional recovery, these services invest heavily in R&D and advanced tools not available to consumers.
For less extreme cases like accidental file deletion, free recovery tools like Recuva may be able to restore data. However, they lack capabilities for mechanical drive issues or advanced RAID systems. Professional services excel at these complex scenarios.
In summary, free DIY tools work for basic recovery cases but have limits. Professional services like DriveSavers offer sophisticated capabilities but at a premium price. Evaluating the situation is important when choosing an alternative.
When to Use DriveSavers
DriveSavers can recover data from all types of storage devices and situations where files have been lost, deleted, or become inaccessible. Some examples where DriveSavers excels include:
Hard Drive Failure – Whether it’s a clicking hard drive, crashed drive, or completely dead drive, DriveSavers has sophisticated tools and capabilities to extract data off the drive platters.[1]
Water Damage – If a phone, hard drive, or computer is exposed to liquid, DriveSavers uses advanced techniques like freeze drying to rescue data.[2]
Ransomware Attack – DriveSavers can often decrypt or recover files after ransomware infection. Their proprietary software works to restore encrypted files.[1]
Accidental Deletion – For any sort of accidental or mistaken deletion of files, DriveSavers can scan the drive and recover data using forensic tools.[2]
Corrupted Drives – Whether a logical failure or a physical issue, DriveSavers has the capability to access corrupted drives and extract retrievable data.
Deleted Photos – For phones, memory cards, cameras and more, DriveSavers can recover deleted, formatted, or lost photos/videos.
Security
Data security is a top priority for DriveSavers. They operate a secure data recovery environment protected by firewalls and a “defense-in-depth” architecture (https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/why-us/certified-secure-data-recovery/). All recovered data is kept safe and confidential throughout the process.
For sensitive data, DriveSavers offers high security recovery services, involving strict access controls and data encryption (https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/why-us/certified-secure-data-recovery/high-security-data-recovery/). Their engineers are trained and certified to safely recover encrypted files and disks, including products from leading vendors like BitLocker, FileVault, and PGP (https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/why-us/certified-secure-data-recovery/encryption/).
In summary, DriveSavers offers robust security protections to keep customer data safe throughout the recovery process. Their certified experts can securely recover encrypted drives while maintaining confidentiality.
Turnaround Time
DriveSavers offers three service levels that determine turnaround time: Priority, Standard, and Economy. According to DriveSavers’ website, Priority service aims for “ASAP” turnaround. Standard service takes 1-2 business days, while Economy service takes 5-7 business days for hard drives and 10-14 business days for smartphones and tablets.
So in summary, if time is of the essence, Priority service will provide the fastest turnaround. Standard service offers a 1-2 day turnaround during normal business hours. And Economy service is the most affordable, but takes up to 2 weeks depending on the device.
Pros and Cons
Some benefits of using DriveSavers include their high success rates and security measures. According to Drivesavers (https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/pros-and-cons-of-solid-state-drives-ssds/), they have a success rate of over 90% for hard drive data recovery and can recover data from heavily damaged devices. Their clean room facilities also ensure secure handling of devices.
However, a major drawback is the high cost of DriveSavers’ services. Prices can range from $500 to over $3000 depending on the device and amount of data (https://www.anyrecover.com/hard-drive-recovery-data/drivesavers-data-recovery-review/). For individuals or small businesses on a budget, this may not be a feasible option compared to cheaper alternatives. The turnaround time of 7-10 business days may also be longer than some users need.
Conclusion
Based on the pros and cons discussed, DriveSavers is generally worth the cost for critical or irreplaceable data that cannot be recovered through cheaper methods. Their high success rates, security guarantees, and decades of experience make them a trusted leader in professional data recovery. However, their premium pricing means they should only be used when DIY software and cheaper labs are unable to recover your data. For less critical data, the cost likely outweighs the benefit.
In summary, DriveSavers is worth it for business-critical or priceless personal data, but likely too expensive for more common data loss scenarios. Evaluate how essential your data is and whether cheaper options have failed before resorting to DriveSavers. But when you absolutely need your data back, their track record shows they can often recover data when no one else can.