Which fits your needs?
DaisyDisk: Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools.
WhatSize: Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | DaisyDisk | WhatSize |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mac users who want a sunburst, cloud connections, and snapshot tools. | Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools. |
| Visualization | Sunburst and file list | Size-sorted columns and measurement views |
| Platforms and requirements | macOS | macOS 11+ (current vendor requirements) |
| Pricing and editions | One-time license; free trial. Check vendor pricing and direct/App Store edition differences. | Vendor lists $14.99 and a 30-day trial; upgrades may be priced separately. |
| Open source | No | No |
| 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. | Review the chosen cleaning or duplicate action before applying it. |
| 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. | Preserve any saved measurements or reports supported by your version. The cited overview does not establish an import format shared with NullDisk. |
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
WhatSize: what stands out
A good fit for Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools.
WhatSize: strengths
- Size-sorted columns and detailed filtering
- Duplicate-file tools and cleanup categories
- Updates measurements as the filesystem changes
Considerations
- Paid license after the trial
- Cleanup categories still require your judgment
- Check upgrade terms separately from the initial purchase
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 WhatSize?
A good fit for Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools. Vendor lists $14.99 and a 30-day trial; upgrades may be priced separately.
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.