Which fits your needs?
DissectMac: People who want free inspection and optional paid app/leftover cleanup.
SquirrelDisk: People wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage.
Features, pricing, and workflow
Scroll across to compare
| Feature | DissectMac | SquirrelDisk |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | People who want free inspection and optional paid app/leftover cleanup. | People wanting a free open-source GUI across desktop systems and remote storage. |
| Visualization | Treemap and search | Sunburst, treemap, file list, and duplicates |
| Platforms and requirements | macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon builds) | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Pricing and editions | Map, search, and monitor are free; Pro is listed at $12.99 once plus tax. | Free; AGPL-3.0 source published on GitHub. |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Native macOS UI | Yes | Cross-platform interface |
| Cleanup workflow | Pro moves selected files and app leftovers to Trash after review. | Collector offers Trash, permanent removal, secure erase, or backup before deletion. |
| Reports and portability | The overview does not establish scan-report export. Preserve any app-removal decisions and rescan the same folders in NullDisk. | The current overview does not establish an interoperable scan-report format. Preserve paths, duplicate decisions, and remote source settings separately. |
DissectMac: what stands out
A good fit for people who want free inspection and optional paid app/leftover cleanup.
DissectMac: strengths
- Free map, file search, and live monitor
- Filters for developer files and large storage categories
- Pro uninstaller and app-leftover cleanup
Considerations
- In-app clearing and uninstallation require Pro
- Treemap is the documented graphical view
- Confirm suspected leftovers belong to apps you no longer need
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 DissectMac?
A good fit for people who want free inspection and optional paid app/leftover cleanup. Map, search, and monitor are free; Pro is listed at $12.99 once plus tax.
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.