Which fits your needs?
Disk Inventory X: Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors.
WhatSize: Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | Disk Inventory X | WhatSize |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Users interested in the classic treemap or its community successors. | Mac users who favor column browsing and integrated duplicate/cleanup tools. |
| Visualization | Treemap; features depend on X, Xs, or Y | Size-sorted columns and measurement views |
| Platforms and requirements | Original X 1.3: macOS 10.13–10.15; Xs/Y requirements differ | macOS 11+ (current vendor requirements) |
| Pricing and editions | Original X is free under the GPL; Xs and Y are independent community projects. | Vendor lists $14.99 and a 30-day trial; upgrades may be priced separately. |
| 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 the chosen cleaning or duplicate action before applying it. |
| 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. | Preserve any saved measurements or reports supported by your version. The cited overview does not establish an import format shared with NullDisk. |
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
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 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 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.