Which fits your needs?
SimplyDiskSweeper: Mac users who want a focused list workflow and explicit confirmation.
SquirrelDisk: People wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | SimplyDiskSweeper | SquirrelDisk |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mac users who want a focused list workflow and explicit confirmation. | People wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage. |
| Visualization | Size-ranked folder hierarchy and filters | Sunburst, treemap, file list, and duplicates |
| Platforms and requirements | macOS | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Pricing and editions | US Mac App Store lists $14.99 upfront; one-time purchase. | Free; AGPL-3.0 source published on GitHub. |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Native macOS UI | Yes | Cross-platform interface |
| Cleanup workflow | Moves only selected items to macOS Trash after confirmation. | Collector offers Trash, permanent removal, secure erase, or backup before deletion. |
| Reports and portability | The official page does not establish scan export. Keep useful paths before rescanning; permission scope can make totals differ. | The current overview does not establish an interoperable scan-report format. Preserve paths, duplicate decisions, and remote source settings separately. |
SimplyDiskSweeper: what stands out
A good fit for Mac users who want a focused list workflow and explicit confirmation.
SimplyDiskSweeper: strengths
- Largest accessible items shown first
- Folder hierarchy browsing and filtering
- Selected items move to Trash after confirmation
Considerations
- Paid upfront rather than a free edition
- Measures accessible items within the selected folder
- Ranked browsing rather than a whole-drive graphical map
SquirrelDisk: what stands out
A good fit for people wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage.
SquirrelDisk: strengths
- Live maps and a staged removal collector
- Content-based duplicate search
- SSH and rclone-backed cloud storage
Considerations
- Uses a cross-platform Rust interface rather than SwiftUI
- Permanent deletion and secure erase require deliberate review
- Cloud/SSH actions depend on provider and remote-system support
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 SimplyDiskSweeper?
A good fit for Mac users who want a focused list workflow and explicit confirmation. US Mac App Store lists $14.99 upfront; one-time purchase.
When should I choose SquirrelDisk?
A good fit for people wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage. Free; AGPL-3.0 source published on GitHub.
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.