Which fits your needs?
Disk Inventory X: Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors.
NullDisk: Mac users managing local/remote storage, and developers who need Git-aware cleanup or scriptable disk reports.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | Disk Inventory X | NullDisk |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors. | Mac users managing local/remote storage, and developers who need Git-aware cleanup or scriptable disk reports. |
| Visualization | Treemap; features depend on X, Xs, or Y | Radial map, treemap, and file list; CLI terminal treemap |
| Platforms and requirements | Original X 1.3: macOS 10.13–10.15; Xs/Y requirements differ | Mac app: macOS 14+; CLI: macOS, Linux, Windows |
| Pricing and editions | Original X is free under the GPL; Xs and Y are independent community projects. | Direct Mac edition free with reminders; optional $9.99 one-time personal license or team seat removes reminders. App Store terms are separate. |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Native macOS UI | Yes | Yes |
| Cleanup workflow | Check the selected project’s manual; X, Xs, and Y do not share a guaranteed cleanup contract. | Review source and action: local Trash, explicit permanent removal, or backup/delete; remote and cloud actions depend on the destination. |
| 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. | CLI produces JSON/NDJSON scan reports. Third-party scan files are not directly imported into the Mac GUI. |
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
NullDisk: what stands out
A good fit for Mac users managing local/remote storage, and developers who need Git-aware cleanup or scriptable disk reports.
NullDisk: strengths
- Radial and treemap views with local, SSH, and cloud sources
- Git-aware development cleanup for generated output and eligible worktrees
- Native Mac UI plus terminal UI and JSON/NDJSON CLI reports
Considerations
- Desktop GUI requires macOS 14+; Linux/Windows use the separate CLI
- Mac app sends anonymous usage telemetry; no in-app opt-out at this review
- No content-based duplicate finder; allocated bytes are not a guaranteed recovery total
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 NullDisk?
A good fit for Mac users managing local/remote storage, and developers who need Git-aware cleanup or scriptable disk reports. Direct Mac edition free with reminders; optional $9.99 one-time personal license or team seat removes reminders. App Store terms are separate.
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.