How Much Does Data Recovery Cost?

• 4-5 Weeks Standard No Surcharge

  Our default turnaround. Your case enters the queue and is worked in order received. The vast majority of recoveries fall into this tier.

• 5-7 Days Priority Rush +$250

  Moved to the front of the queue. Ideal for business data, time-sensitive projects, or when you need results within a week.

• 1-2 Days Urgent Rush +$500

  Top priority. Engineers work extended hours dedicated to your case. Best for critical business data or legal deadlines.

• Same Day Emergency +$1,000

  Immediate, dedicated attention. Your case takes absolute priority over everything else in the lab. Available for local drop-offs.

Turnaround time begins after you approve the recovery quote. The $100 diagnostic itself is typically completed within 1 to 3 business days of receiving your device. Rush fees are quoted separately and never hidden in the base recovery price. For mail-in customers, add 2 to 3 business days for transit in each direction.

• How much does data recovery cost?

  Data recovery costs range from $150 for a simple flash drive recovery to $2,500+ for severe hard drive platter damage or complex phone CPU swaps. The exact cost depends on the device type, failure severity, and parts required. Hard drive firmware/logical recovery runs $650 to $900+, head swaps cost $1,000 to $2,000, SSD recovery is $799 to $999+, iPhone recovery is $1,500, and Samsung Galaxy recovery is $800 to $1,000. Every case starts with a $100 diagnostic that provides a firm quote before any recovery work begins.

• Why is data recovery so expensive?

  Because real recovery is hardware engineering, not software. A professional lab maintains PC-3000 systems, a cleanroom, BGA rework stations, and thousands of donor drives - and a single mechanical recovery can take days of skilled bench time. That infrastructure is what makes clicking, dead, and water-damaged devices recoverable at all. The honest comparison is not $650 versus free software - it is $650 to $2,000 at MDRepairs versus $1,500 to $3,500+ for the same head swap at the national chains.

• Why don't data recovery companies show prices online?

  Most labs hide prices so a salesperson can quote based on how desperate you sound rather than what the work costs. "Call for a quote" also keeps evaluation fees, attempt fees, and rush charges out of sight until you are already committed. We publish our real ranges on this page because the numbers hold up: the price depends on the failure, the quote after the $100 diagnostic is firm, and there are no hidden fees. If a company will not show you a number before you ship, treat that as information.

• Will there be a diagnosis fee?

  Yes - a flat $100, the same for every device type. It is a real engineering diagnostic (PC-3000 analysis, cleanroom microscopy, board-level inspection), not a quick visual check, and it is credited toward your recovery cost if you proceed. If you decline the quote or we cannot recover your data, the $100 is all you pay. Two exceptions worth knowing: advanced platter work on severely damaged drives requires a $500 deposit, and drives that were previously opened make the fee a non-refundable deposit.

• Is it worth paying for data recovery?

  That depends on what the data is worth to you, not on what the device cost. A $60 drive holding ten years of family photos or your business records is usually worth far more than the $650 to $2,000 it typically takes to recover it. Our $100 diagnostic exists exactly for this decision: you get a firm quote and an honest prognosis first, then decide with real numbers instead of guessing. And because of the no data, no charge guarantee, a failed recovery attempt never costs you the full fee.

• How much does Geek Squad charge for data recovery?

  Geek Squad handles only simple, software-level recoveries in store - typically in the $200 to $450 range. Anything physical (clicking, dead, dropped, or water-damaged drives) gets shipped out to a third-party partner lab, where advanced recoveries commonly run $500 to $1,450 or more, plus the wait and handoff of an extra middleman. You never speak to the engineer doing the work. Sending the drive directly to a lab removes the markup: our hard drive recoveries run $650 to $2,000, performed in-house by the person you actually talk to.

• Is the $100 diagnostic fee applied to the recovery cost?

  Yes. If you approve the recovery and we successfully recover your data, the $100 diagnostic fee is credited toward your total recovery cost. For example, if your recovery is quoted at $1,000, your remaining balance after the diagnostic credit is $900. If you decline the recovery or we are unable to recover your data, you pay only the $100 diagnostic fee.

• What does "no data, no charge" mean exactly?

  If we cannot recover your target files - the specific data you identified as your recovery goal - you do not pay the recovery fee. You only pay the $100 diagnostic fee. We define success based on your stated needs, not on the total amount of data we extract. If you need family photos and we recover those photos, the recovery is successful. If we can only recover system files but none of your personal data, you pay only the $100 diagnostic.

• How much does iPhone data recovery cost?

  iPhone data recovery costs $1,500 for all models iPhone 5 and up. The cost reflects the board-level micro-soldering work required - iPhone storage encryption is tied to the device's CPU, so recovery requires repairing the phone's logic board to a functional state. CPU swap cases (where the processor must be transferred to a donor board) run $2,500.

• How much does SSD recovery cost?

  SSD and NVMe recovery ranges from $799 to $999+. The price depends on the failure type (controller failure, firmware corruption, NAND degradation) and the controller architecture. Cases requiring chip-off extraction tend to fall at the higher end. Hardware-encrypted SSDs (like Apple T2 SSDs) add complexity and may increase the cost.

• How much does RAID recovery cost?

  RAID recovery is quoted on a case-by-case basis because the variables are too numerous for a standard price list. Costs depend on the number of drives, RAID level, how many drives have failed, total capacity, and whether a rebuild was attempted. Contact us with your RAID configuration details and we will provide a preliminary estimate before you ship the drives.

• How long does data recovery take?

  Standard turnaround is 4 to 5 weeks with no surcharge. Priority Rush (5 to 7 days) is available for +$250, Urgent Rush (1 to 2 days) for +$500, and Emergency Same-Day for +$1,000. Turnaround time begins after you approve the recovery quote. The diagnostic itself is typically completed within 1 to 3 business days of receiving your device.

• Why do you charge $100 for a diagnostic instead of offering free evaluations?

  Our $100 diagnostic is a professional engineering assessment using PC-3000 hardware, cleanroom microscopy, and board-level inspection tools. Free evaluations at most shops are superficial visual checks that cannot identify the actual failure or provide an accurate prognosis. Our diagnostic gives you a specific technical diagnosis, an honest recovery probability, and a firm price quote. The $100 is applied toward your recovery cost if you proceed, effectively crediting the diagnostic back for approved recoveries.

• Why does hard drive recovery cost so much?

  Professional hard drive recovery requires equipment that costs tens of thousands of dollars (PC-3000 systems, cleanrooms, microscopes), highly trained engineers with years of experience, compatible donor drives for parts, and significant time - a single recovery can take days or weeks of careful work. The pricing reflects the cost of maintaining this infrastructure and expertise. Our prices ($650 to $2,000) are significantly lower than national chains like DriveSavers and Ontrack, which charge $1,500 to $3,500+ for comparable work.

• Why is there such a wide price range for flash drive recovery?

  Flash drive recovery ranges from $150 to $1,750 because the complexity varies enormously. A simple broken connector repair costs $150 to $300. A standard chip-off recovery runs $500 to $800. A monolithic recovery - where the controller and NAND are integrated into a single chip - requires grinding, probing, and raw NAND reconstruction, which can cost $800 to $1,750. Micro SD card recoveries tend to be at the higher end because they are almost always monolithic.

• Do you charge extra for larger drives?

  Not directly, but capacity can affect the final price because larger drives take longer to image. A 500GB drive might image in a few hours, while a 10TB drive with bad sectors might take a week of continuous imaging. The imaging time is factored into the overall recovery quote. During the diagnostic, we assess the media condition and imaging time estimate and include that in your firm quote.

• Can I get a price estimate before sending my device?

  Yes. Call us at 732-933-7717 or submit a quote request online. Based on your description of the device and symptoms, we can provide a preliminary price range. The firm, guaranteed quote comes after the $100 diagnostic, because we need to physically examine the device to determine the exact failure and recovery approach. Preliminary estimates are usually accurate within the ranges listed on this page.

• What payment methods do you accept?

  We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, and wire transfers. Payment is collected after the recovery is complete and you have had the opportunity to verify your recovered data. The $100 diagnostic fee is collected upfront when you approve the diagnostic.

• Do you offer payment plans?

  We understand that data recovery can be an unexpected expense. While we do not offer formal financing, we are willing to work with clients on payment arrangements for larger recoveries. Contact us to discuss your situation - we are a small, family-oriented business and we treat every client as an individual.

• Are there any hidden fees?

  No. The quote we provide after the diagnostic is the price you pay. There are no hidden fees for parts, cleanroom time, imaging, or data transfer. The quote includes everything: recovery work, a new external drive to deliver your data, and return shipping. The only additional cost would be rush turnaround fees, which are quoted separately and only applied if you request expedited service.

• What if the price is more than I expected?

  You can decline the recovery with no obligation. You pay only the $100 diagnostic fee, and we return your device. There is no pressure to proceed. Some clients choose to take time to think about it - we hold your device in secure storage for up to 30 days while you decide. If cost is a concern, we recommend comparing our quote to other professional recovery companies. You will find our pricing is highly competitive for the quality of work we deliver.

• Do you recover data from water-damaged devices?

  Yes. Water damage is one of the most common scenarios we handle, especially for phones. The key to successful water damage recovery is acting quickly - corrosion begins immediately when electronics are exposed to liquid. Do not try to charge or turn on a water-damaged device. Remove it from water, pat it dry, and contact us as soon as possible. The rice trick does not work and wastes valuable time. Water damage recovery follows our standard pricing for the device type.

• Is data recovery covered by insurance or warranty?

  Standard manufacturer warranties (Apple, Samsung, Western Digital, etc.) do not cover data recovery - they cover device replacement, not the data stored on the device. Some business insurance policies and extended warranty plans do cover data recovery costs; check with your provider. We can provide detailed invoices and documentation for insurance claims or business expense reporting.

• Why is iPhone recovery more expensive than Samsung?

  Apple's security architecture is more tightly integrated than Samsung's. iPhone storage encryption is tied to the CPU's secure enclave, meaning data can only be decrypted through the phone's own processor. Samsung devices, while also encrypted, use an architecture that is generally more accessible to recovery techniques. Additionally, Apple uses proprietary components and board designs that require specialized tooling. The price difference ($1,500 for iPhone vs. $800 to $1,000 for Samsung) reflects this additional complexity.

• What is a CPU swap and why does it cost $2,500?

  A CPU swap is the most extreme phone recovery procedure. It involves removing the CPU from a damaged phone - which contains the encryption keys needed to decrypt the storage - and transplanting it to a known-good donor board. This is microsurgery-level work performed under a microscope with specialized BGA rework equipment. The high price reflects the extreme difficulty, low margin for error, cost of donor boards, and the fact that it is one of the most technically demanding procedures in all of data recovery.

• Can I attempt recovery myself before sending my device?

  For logical failures (deleted files, formatted drives) on a physically healthy drive, you can try data recovery software like R-Studio or Disk Drill first. However, if your drive is clicking, making unusual sounds, not being detected, or was physically damaged, do not attempt any DIY recovery. Running software on a failing drive can cause additional damage and make professional recovery more difficult and expensive. Never open a hard drive outside of a cleanroom.

• Do you ship nationwide?

  Yes. We serve all 50 states through our secure mail-in program. The majority of our clients are not local to New Jersey - they ship their devices to us from across the country. We provide detailed packing and shipping instructions to ensure your device arrives safely. Return shipping of your recovered data on a new external drive is included in the recovery cost.

• How do I know my data is secure during recovery?

  Your data never leaves our lab. All recovery work is performed in-house by our own engineers - we never outsource to third parties. Access to recovered data is restricted to the assigned engineer. After you receive your recovered data and confirm everything is in order, we securely erase all copies from our systems. We can provide chain-of-custody documentation for legal or compliance purposes upon request.

• What if my drive was already opened by another shop?

  We regularly receive drives that were opened by other shops or by the owner. While opening a drive outside a cleanroom introduces contamination that can complicate recovery, it does not always make recovery impossible. We assess the extent of contamination during the diagnostic and provide an honest prognosis. These cases often cost more because we must deal with additional contamination damage on top of the original failure.

• How do I get started with data recovery?

  Call us at 732-933-7717 or submit a quote request at mdrepairs.com/get-a-quote. We will discuss your situation, provide a preliminary price estimate, and send you instructions for our secure mail-in program. We respond to every inquiry within 24 hours.

• How Much Does Data Recovery Cost?
• How Does Data Recovery Work?
• How to Check Hard Drive Health
• Guide to Hard Drive Failure
• SSD Data Recovery Cost Guide
• How to Recover Data from an SSD
• Data Recovery from a Broken iPhone
• How to Avoid Data Loss
• Can You Recover Deleted Files?