Most data recovery jobs at Payam Data Recovery cost between $375 and $1,750 on our Economy service, depending on the device and the fault. Phones and tablets are a fixed price from $795. RAID and NAS jobs usually cost from about $800 to about $5,000. The assessment is free, and you get a written quote before any work starts.
What decides the price
Three things set the cost of a data recovery: the device, the fault we find when we test it, and how quickly you need your files back. A drive that only needs a careful copy costs far less than one that needs new heads fitted in an ISO 5 laminar flow cabinet. Size alone never raises the price of a hard drive.
Only after we test your device can we tell you what is wrong for certain. That is why every job other than phones and tablets starts with a free assessment and a written quote.
Data recovery prices by device
All prices include GST.
Hard drives
Most hard drive recoveries cost from $375 to $1,750 on our Economy service, whatever the size of the drive. That covers file system problems, firmware faults, damaged circuit boards, bad sectors, deleted files, basic backups and head replacement on standard drives. Damaged heads on drives larger than 6TB, and drives someone else has already opened, are quoted individually after the free assessment. More on our hard drive data recovery page.
SSDs
Economy service for SSDs is $375 to $1,750, depending on what we find. An erased, deleted or reformatted SSD is a special case at $1,250 to $1,750 on Economy, because a process called TRIM clears deleted data in the background and recovery needs specialist firmware tools. More on our SSD data recovery page.
MacBooks
MacBook data recovery costs $350 to $1,100 on Economy, $550 to $2,000 on Priority and $1,400 to $3,500 on Emergency. More on our MacBook data recovery page.
iMacs
iMac data recovery costs $375 to $2,000 on Economy, $550 to $3,500 on Priority and $1,400 to $4,000 on Emergency. More on our iMac data recovery page.
Microsoft Surface
Surface data recovery costs $375 to $1,500 on Economy, $550 to $2,500 on Priority and $1,400 to $4,000 on Emergency. More on our Microsoft Surface data recovery page.
USB flash drives
A software fault or basic backup costs $375 to $450. A hardware fault such as a broken connector costs $375 to $650. A drive that needs the chip-off method costs $800 to $1,500. More on our USB flash drive data recovery page.
Memory cards
Deleted files or a formatted card cost $375 to $450. Bad sectors and read errors cost $450 to $880. A card that is not detected costs $1,000 to $1,250. More on our memory card data recovery page.
RAID and NAS
Most RAID and NAS recovery jobs cost from about $800 to about $5,000. Complex multi-drive cases are quoted individually. The price depends on the number of drives, how many have failed and the size of the RAID. A $500 non-refundable attempt fee applies, which is part of the total price, not an extra. More on our RAID data recovery page.
Phones and tablets
iPhone, iPad, Samsung and other phones and tablets are a fixed price: $795 on Economy, $1,500 on Priority and $2,500 on Emergency. There is no assessment stage. Phones and tablets are always no fix, no fee. There is no attempt fee, and you see your files before you pay. You will need to know the passcode. More on our iPhone data recovery and mobile phone data recovery pages.
Economy, Priority and Emergency
Every job has three service levels. Economy is our standard service. Priority and Emergency are faster and cost more, because our data recovery engineers work on weekends and after hours and stop work for other customers to speed up your job. Your quote shows the price and turnaround for each level, and you choose.
What is an attempt fee?
About 90% of our jobs are no fix, no fee. The hardest 10% carry an attempt fee.
An attempt fee applies to work that takes a long time, has a lower chance of success or needs donor parts, such as damaged heads, deleted or reformatted drives, SSD hardware failures and RAID and NAS jobs. It is part of the total quoted price, not an extra. On a $1,750 job with a $350 attempt fee, you pay $350 to begin, and if the recovery is successful you pay the remaining balance to reach $1,750. If the recovery is not successful, the attempt fee is the only cost. Where an attempt fee applies, it is stated in your quote before you approve anything.
See your files before you pay. You tell us which files matter most. Before you pay for the recovery, we’ll send you a list of your recovered files so you can check them. If any of the files you listed are missing, tell us and we’ll search again.
The free assessment and written quote
The assessment is free and there is no obligation to go ahead. We test your device, find the fault and email you a written quote with the price and turnaround for each service level and any attempt fee. Nothing is charged until you approve the quote.
If you cannot wait, an urgent assessment costs $150 for a written quote within 1 to 2 hours on hard drive, SSD, MacBook, USB flash drive and memory card jobs, and $500 for a written quote within 2 to 3 hours on RAID and NAS jobs with two or more drives.
Other costs to know about
- Your recovered files come back on an external drive. You can supply your own, or we can supply one from $150.
- If we recover your data and you pay, return delivery is free, anywhere in the world.
- Within Australia, if you decline the quote, you can collect your device at no charge, arrange your own courier, or we can post it back for $20. A device dropped at our Perth or Adelaide secure drop-off office goes to our main data recovery lab in Rhodes, NSW and back to you at no cost, even if you decline the quote.
- We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Afterpay, Zip and bank deposit (EFT), with no card surcharge.
How to get started
Complete the job form, then drop your device off or post it to us. Drop it at our Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane CBD office and we’ll start as quickly as possible. If you would like a price first, ask for a free quote or call 1300 444 800.
International customers are always welcome. The easiest way to reach us from overseas is by email at help@payam.com.au, which works in every time zone.