Which fits your needs?
DaisyDisk: Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools.
GrandPerspective: People who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | DaisyDisk | GrandPerspective |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools. | People who want a free, inspectable treemap and reusable scan records. |
| Visualization | Sunburst and file list | Treemap with configurable colors and filters |
| Platforms and requirements | macOS | macOS 14+ (current release) |
| Pricing and editions | One-time license; free trial. Check vendor pricing and direct/App Store edition differences. | Free from SourceForge; the same app is $2.99 in the US App Store. |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Native macOS UI | Yes | Yes |
| Cleanup workflow | Collector stages items, then permanently removes them after confirmation and a cancellation countdown. It does not use macOS Trash. | Delete files or folders from the view; review selection and deletion preferences. |
| Reports and portability | The cited overview does not establish a portable scan-report format. Preserve paths or screenshots and check the current manual before migrating. | 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. |
DaisyDisk: what stands out
A good fit for Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools.
DaisyDisk: strengths
- Sunburst navigation with Quick Look previews
- Physical-size accounting for clones and hard links
- Cloud connections and macOS snapshot management
Considerations
- Mac app; no Windows or Linux desktop edition
- Full functionality requires a paid license after trial
- Some capabilities differ between direct and App Store editions
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 DaisyDisk?
A good fit for Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools. One-time license; free trial. Check vendor pricing and direct/App Store edition differences.
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.