How much does data recovery cost?
Electronic data recovery services are available for PC desktop hard drives, Macintosh desktop hard drives, PC laptop hard drives, Mac laptop hard drives, external hard drives, SD cards, USB drives, CompactFlash cards and more. Pros can recover data of any size, from under a few megabytes to many terabytes, and any type, including files, photos, emails and other items stored on a personal or business device. Customers seek professional data recovery help when data storage devices are not being recognized, data gets corrupted, data has been deleted, a device makes clicking or whirring noises or data has been infected by a trojan or virus.Several factors affect the cost of data recovery services.
Free diagnosis
Many data recovery companies provide a free diagnosis to help customers gauge the cost of data recovery and what their options may be.
Flat rate
Some companies charge a flat rate for a set amount of service hours, and some have a flat data retrieval rate across the board. Rates for residences are generally lower than for businesses. Here are a few examples of flat rates:
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GimmiBYTE in Franklin Square, New York
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Residential data recovery: $250 for the first three hours of labor and $60 for each additional hour
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Commercial business, government and educational data recovery: $250 for the first hour of labor and $120 for each additional hour, billed in quarter-hour increments
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Shaw Computer Services in Ellicott City, Maryland
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Data recovery from a thumb drive (flash drive): $225
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Data recovery from a hard drive: $375
- The price can increase if the hard drive has a physical issue, and it requires parts or repair. In this case, the additional fee is based on the cost of parts and labor.
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Variable rates
Some companies’ rates vary, depending on the amount of data a client needs recovered and the techniques required to do so. Data recovery professionals generally first assess the situation and provide a quote. For example, Peachtree Computers in Atlanta, Georgia, charges $49–$199 for data recovery, on average, but always provides an exact quote before work begins. In addition, the company guarantees its services and promises a refund if unable to recover the missing data.
Minimum service fee
Many data recovery companies charge a minimum service fee for jobs performed at the client’s location. This minimum covers the professional’s time, transportation expenses and efforts to transport any tools to the job site. GimmiBYTE charges a $250 minimum charge for all on-site service calls.
Rush jobs
Emergency data retrieval can cost more because the professional must put aside other projects and possibly work in the evening or on the weekend.
Travel
Data recovery pros may charge a fee if requested to perform data recovery at the client’s location. The travel fee covers the professional’s time and transportation expenses associated with going to and from the job site.
