Which fits your needs?
Disk Inventory X: Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors.
GrandPerspective: People who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | Disk Inventory X | GrandPerspective |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors. | People who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records. |
| Visualization | Treemap; features depend on X, Xs, or Y | Treemap with configurable colors and filters |
| Platforms and requirements | Original X 1.3: macOS 10.13–10.15; Xs/Y requirements differ | macOS 14+ (current release) |
| Pricing and editions | Original X is free under the GPL; Xs and Y are independent community projects. | Free from SourceForge; the same app is $2.99 in the US App Store. |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Native macOS UI | Yes | Yes |
| Cleanup workflow | Check the selected project’s manual; X, Xs, and Y do not share a guaranteed cleanup contract. | Delete files or folders from the view; review selection and deletion preferences. |
| Reports and portability | Check export support in the exact X, Xs, or Y build. Retain its scan records separately; no direct import into NullDisk is documented. | Save the scan for reopening in GrandPerspective, or export text and images. NullDisk does not import GrandPerspective scan files; retain exports and rescan the same location. |
Disk Inventory X: what stands out
A good fit for users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors.
Disk Inventory X: strengths
- Treemap visualization of disk usage
- Xs updates the original codebase for Apple Silicon
- Y is a separate Swift/SwiftUI rewrite
Considerations
- The original X, revival Xs, and rewrite Y are different apps
- Compatibility and features depend on the chosen build
- Check each project’s current release and signing instructions
GrandPerspective: what stands out
A good fit for people who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records.
GrandPerspective: strengths
- Configurable colors, masks, searches, and scan exclusions
- Quick Look, Finder integration, and file/folder deletion
- Save/reload scans and export text or images
Considerations
- Treemap rather than radial navigation
- Older macOS versions require an older release
- App Store updates can follow SourceForge releases later
For a useful comparison on your own drive, match the scan root, access permissions, and size mode. Chart style changes how you explore the results; it does not by itself establish measurement accuracy.
Common questions
When should I choose Disk Inventory X?
A good fit for users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors. Original X is free under the GPL; Xs and Y are independent community projects.
When should I choose GrandPerspective?
A good fit for people who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records. Free from SourceForge; the same app is $2.99 in the US App Store.
Will both apps show the same size?
Not necessarily. Match the scan root, permissions, exclusions, and logical/allocated-size mode. Hard links, APFS clones, snapshots, sparse files, and cloud placeholders can change totals. A reported size is not a guaranteed amount recovered after deletion.