video repair tools

Top 5 Video Repair Tools for Recovering Corrupted Video Files

In this review, we discover the top 5 most reliable and effective tools you may need to repair your corrupted video files.

Top 5 Video Repair Tools for Recovering Corrupted and Unplayable Video Files

  1. Restore.Media
  2. Stellar Video Repair
  3. Video Repair Tool from Grau GmbH
  4. Remo Repair MOV
  5. Wondershare Video Repair

Video corruption can happen for many reasons – it’s a nightmare of video editors everywhere – that project you’ve spent weeks slaving over has corrupted, or maybe that beloved video of your children you took on your iPhone just won’t play.

These sorts of problems can happen for a multitude of different reasons. For example, you could have dropped your camera while recording a video. Or, your camera’s battery died in the middle of the recording session. Your SD card has simply given up and locked up. Or maybe, you deleted the wrong file by accident, then tried to recover it, but the video doesn’t play.

One of the most common reasons for an unplayable video file is that the file has a damaged structure and misses metadata. This usually happens when the video recording is interrupted unexpectedly so that the camera fails to save the file properly.


Whatever the cause of your video loss, one thing is clear – you need that file up and running. But what are your options? If you can’t recover the file from backups, you’re left with one more solution – video repairing software. These programs will meticulously work through your corrupted video files and try to salvage them for you. And here is a list of video repair tools that might save your heartache.

1. Restore.Media

Restore Media

Restore.Media is an online video repair tool that can fix corrupted MP4, MOV, M4A, 3GP, and MXF files. It is the only tool on this list that will recover MXF files, so look no further if you’re working in that format. 

What makes Restore.Media stand-out is its pricing model. You can sign-up for free, upload your file, and let it get to work. Once it’s done, you get a free 100% preview of the content so you can deem if the recovery is acceptable. If it is, you simply proceed and download the recovered file. Pricing is calculated based on the file size and starts as low as $4,95 per file.

What’s more, being an online tool means that it will work from mobile devices. You don’t have to install the tool. Just register an account on their site, upload your file and let the tool do the rest for you.

Restore.Media also has custom algorithms for different camera models, ensuring the best result for your corrupted video. And if the automated file recovery doesn’t work for some reason, they offer support from professional video engineers who will manually fix your file frame by frame.

There is nothing to download, absolutely no risk and no upfront cost. This has got to be your first stop if you need to repair a video file online!

2. Stellar Video Repair

Stellar Phoenix Video Repair

Stellar Video Repair is a data recovery company that offers video repair software for $49.99. 

Stellar has been tested on a large variety of cameras and formats. Like most of the other tools reviewed here, to repair a video file, Stellar uses a sample file recorded on the same device.

Stellar supports a wide range of formats and codecs too, including MP4, MOV, AVI, and MKV.

If broken video files are something you experience regularly, purchasing Stellar recovery could be a smart option. Its free demo provides a preview of repaired files up to 20% of the total video size. We recommend that you test the tool with your corrupted video files prior to purchasing the license so that you can check if it works with your specific recordings.

Also, if you need to recover deleted files you can upgrade for Stellar’s higher tier tool at $69.99.

3. Video Repair Tool from Grau GmbH

Video Repair Tool from Grau GmbH

Grau Video Repair Tool has been around for many years and offers support for, MOV, MP4, M4V, or 3GP files. Grau has tested their tool on a range of camera models and offers custom recovery settings depending on what camera was used to record the file. 

Their free demo allows you to recover 50% of the corrupted video file. 

For up to 5 video repairs, Grau charges 29 EUR. For an unlimited number of video recoveries, the price goes up to 99 EUR. 

Grau video repair has been around for so long because it offers results. It has some advanced settings when repairing video files, which allows you to tune the tool depending on the video camera you used to record the files. You will probably have to read their manual to be able to get the most out of the tool. This makes the learning curve a bit steeper. Still, Grau is a good option if all other tools failed to recover your video files.

4. Remo Repair MOV

Remo Repair MOV

Remo Repair MOV is a well-reviewed video repair software that offers excellent customer support, with a 24/7 live chat. 

Unfortunately, Remo works with MP4 and MOV files only, making it a bit limited for file types. But hey, MP4 and MOV are the most popular video file types these days. If you don’t shoot in some rare formats, like MXF, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you.

The software has a free demo that will show you a preview of your file, so you can decide if the recovery is acceptable or not. 

The full version also differs in price depending on whether you’re running Mac OS or Windows. To recover videos, you need the “Media Edition”, which will set you back $49.97 on Windows or $69.97 on Mac OS. 

Remo could be the right option if you work exclusively in MOV and MP4 formats, and if you like the safety net of 24/7 tech support to help you make use of the software.

5. Wondershare Video Repair

Wondershare Video Repair

Wondershare is a file recovery tool that offers support for a range of file types, including AVI and MKV, which aren’t covered by any of the other tools mentioned. As for the AVI format, there are plenty of free tools to repair them, so you probably don’t need to buy Wondershare if you just want to repair an AVI file. However, when it comes to fixing MP4, MOV, or MKV, Wondershare is a good option to try. 

Wondershare offers two options for recovery, a simple set-and-forget method, and a more advanced model that will require you to upload a sample file recorded on the same device as the corrupted video.

Like others, it offers a free preview on the demo version to help you decide whether the result is up to scratch. 

Unlike other tools, Wondershare charges a recurring monthly fee of $39.95, or an annual fee of $49.95. There is also a lifetime license priced at $59.95. Later is a good option if you need to repair a lot of video files regularly.

Conclusion on Video Repair Tools

As you can see, there are many different software solutions if you need to repair corrupted video files. The best advice is to use the software which best fits your needs. When choosing a video repair tool consider the following:

– Does it work online, so you can repair your files from a mobile device?

– Do you need to fix one or two files? Or, do you need to repair a lot of files on a recurring basis? If it’s a one-time fix, you probably don’t need an expensive life-time license.

– Does it support your specific file format?

– Does it provide a preview of the repaired video, or asks for a payment upfront?

– Finally, does it offer support in case you can’t figure out how to use the tool, or can’t repair your video file yourself?

Hopefully, with the help of this list, you’ll be able to repair your corrupted video in no time!


If you wonder about video editing, then check our article The Best Video Editing Software.

One thought on “Top 5 Video Repair Tools for Recovering Corrupted Video Files

  1. Useful information Sharing! It’s help me to choose the better software for video repair. I choose Stellar Repair for Video software which help me to repair corrupted mov files. Thanks a Lot!

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