FoneLab Review: A Solid iPhone Data Recovery Option

We've spent a lot of time reviewing the best data recovery apps for your iPhone, and FoneLab is well worth including in the list.

The app is easy to use on macOS, providing a simple way to recover a wealth of data. Scanning is free on iOS, iTunes backups (if you're still using them), and iCloud data, but recovery is limited to three instances on the free plan.

The premium version of FoneLab will allow a user to recover data from any of the above, as well as a “Repair iOS System” option that could potentially help you brick a device (this could be a trickle of Practical security if you are still jailbreaking your iPhone.

It also covers a whole host of messaging services, including the usual suspects like Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as Viber, Kik, Line and WeChat, and it does so for around $70 for a lifetime license.

This license covers you for 1 Mac and 6 mobile devices, and it's a much better value than paying $50 per month for 1 Mac and 1 device with the monthly license. Check out the other Mac data recovery apps we've tested in our roundup of the best Mac data recovery apps.

It may not be as comprehensive with things like the duplicate detection offered by Disk Drill (reviewed here), but it's still an affordable option that can cover a family's devices for a relatively affordable price – and This is before the discounts.

First impressions

Foundry

Once you start the Mac version of FoneLab for the first time, it instantly explains what you can gain with the premium version. I appreciate this transparency instead of waiting for users to figure out what pays for themselves.

There's no real friction with the app, either: you plug in your phone, enter your password, and hit “Scan.” Scanning is faster than some competitors, but analyzing this data takes a little longer – expect to see lots of thumbnails that can't yet be opened.

Still, it's easy on the eyes, with a clean sidebar full of filters and a main window that contains a whole host of previews so you can easily choose what to recover.

FoneLab Features

Foundry

While some options offer a multitude of features like a Swiss army knife of data recovery, FoneLab focuses much more on getting the recovery part right.

As I mentioned above, this may be what makes it a little faster than some other recovery tools we've reviewed.

This meant that in about 45 minutes, I could see a whole bunch of images that I thought were lost to time, including deleted product photos from old reviews and duplicate pet photos. It can also restore from iCloud backups, which comes in handy if your device is lost or stolen.

Foundry

The iOS System Recovery tool can also be useful if you've accidentally bricked your phone, while the option to back up and restore your phone locally is handy, but also offered by Apple's own toolkit .

Still, WhatsApp transfer is welcome for anyone who is tired of the long process of switching between phones and having your messaging app data go with you.

It's also worth noting that there is a Windows version of the app as well, so you're not limited to using only an Apple computer.

The disadvantages of FoneLab

Foundry

I tested FoneLab on a MacBook Air M3 with 24GB of RAM and unfortunately encountered several times per analysis where performance slowed down significantly. Luckily it resumed and I didn't need to abort the process, but if you're running it on an older Mac you may have trouble getting it to work.

As for device differences, it's worth noting that some reviews suggest FoneLab was less useful for recovering certain types of data. I can only rate based on my experience, but there are enough mentions of the lack of photo recoveries that it's worth highlighting here.

Should you buy FoneLab?

A solid recovery option lacking the bells and whistles you'll find elsewhere, FoneLab is a relatively affordable option that seems ideal for families with multiple devices.