7 Best Disk Space Analyzers for Mac (Free and Paid, 2026)

Storage settings says your disk is almost full, but it can’t tell you which folder is to blame. A disk space analyzer for Mac scans your drive and shows every folder by size, so you can spot the 40 GB forgotten video export or the bloated app cache in seconds.

We looked at the tools that are still maintained in 2026 and run on current macOS, plus one popular older app you should know about before you download it.

Quick comparison

App	View style	Price	Apple silicon	Best for
DaisyDisk	Sunburst map	Paid (one-time, free trial)	Native	Most people
GrandPerspective	Treemap	Free (paid on App Store)	Supported	Free visual map
OmniDiskSweeper	Sorted list	Free	Native	Simple, no-frills scanning
macOS Storage settings	Categories and lists	Free, built in	Native	Quick checks, no install
CleanMyMac (Space Lens)	Bubble map	Subscription or one-time	Native	People who want a full cleaner suite
ncdu	Terminal list	Free, open source	Native (via Homebrew)	Developers and Terminal users
Disk Inventory X	Treemap	Free	Intel only (Rosetta)	Not recommended anymore

Best disk space analyzer apps for Mac

1. DaisyDisk

Best for: most people who want a clear, fast overview · Price: Paid (one-time purchase, free trial) · Website

DaisyDisk draws your disk as an interactive sunburst. Click any segment to zoom into that folder, then drag files into a “collector” at the bottom and delete them all at once after reviewing. Scans are fast, even on large drives, and the app has been updated for macOS 26 Tahoe.

It can also scan as administrator to reveal folders other apps can’t read, which helps when you’re trying to figure out what’s inside System Data on Mac. DaisyDisk is sold directly and on the Mac App Store; the license is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription.

• Pros: Fastest way to understand a full disk; safe review-then-delete workflow; can reveal hidden and protected space.
• Cons: Paid; the sunburst takes a minute to get used to if you prefer lists.

2. GrandPerspective

Best for: a free, visual map of your disk · Price: Free (optional paid Mac App Store version) · Website

GrandPerspective shows your disk as a treemap: every file is a rectangle sized by how much space it takes. Huge files jump out immediately. It’s open source and still actively maintained, with recent releases adding Liquid Glass support.

The download from the website is free. The Mac App Store version is the same app for a small price, which supports the developer and gives you automatic updates. The current version requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later; older releases remain available for earlier systems.

• Pros: Free and open source; very fast; great for spotting single huge files.
• Cons: Treemaps show files well but folder structure less clearly; the interface is utilitarian.

3. OmniDiskSweeper

Best for: a plain sorted list with no learning curve · Price: Free · Website

OmniDiskSweeper, from the makers of OmniFocus, lists every folder on a drive sorted from largest to smallest, in columns you drill into like Finder’s column view. No charts, no upsells. It’s a Universal app that runs natively on Apple silicon and still receives occasional updates.

Its simplicity is the appeal: you can see exactly where your space went in a few clicks, then open or trash items right from the list. Double-check before removing anything you don’t recognize.

• Pros: Free; dead-simple list view; trusted developer.
• Cons: No visual map; fewer extras than paid tools.

4. macOS Storage settings (built in)

Best for: quick checks without installing anything · Price: Free · Website

Before downloading anything, open System Settings › General › Storage. You’ll see usage by category, recommendations like Store in iCloud and Optimize Storage, and ⓘ buttons that list large files, apps sorted by size, iPhone backups and Xcode data, with a Delete button for each.

What it can’t do is show you a complete folder tree or explain what’s inside System Data. That’s where the apps above come in. Our guide to freeing up space on Mac walks through every built-in option.

• Pros: Already installed; safe; handles iCloud, backups and apps in one place.
• Cons: Category-based, not folder-based; can’t drill into System Data.

5. CleanMyMac (Space Lens)

Best for: people who want an analyzer plus a cleaning suite · Price: Subscription or one-time purchase, free trial · Website

CleanMyMac from MacPaw is a full maintenance app, and its Space Lens module is a capable disk analyzer. It maps folders as bubbles sized by space used, lets you scan your startup disk, an external drive or a single folder, and lets you select items to remove after reviewing them.

MacPaw sells CleanMyMac as a subscription or as a one-time license, and it’s also available through Setapp. Plans differ in which features they include, so check that the one you pick includes Space Lens if that’s the main reason you’re buying.

• Pros: Polished interface; analyzer plus cache cleaning, uninstaller and more.
• Cons: Overkill and expensive if you only need an analyzer; automatic cleanup tools should still be reviewed before you confirm.

6. ncdu

Best for: developers and anyone comfortable in Terminal · Price: Free (open source) · Website

ncdu (“NCurses Disk Usage”) is a fast Terminal-based analyzer. Install it with Homebrew (brew install ncdu), then run ncdu ~ to scan your home folder. Use the arrow keys to move through folders sorted by size.

It’s great for checking a server or a Mac over SSH, and it’s handy for developer folders like node_modules and Docker data. It can delete files from inside the interface (press d), and it asks for confirmation first.

• Pros: Free; extremely fast; works anywhere Terminal does.
• Cons: Requires Homebrew and Terminal comfort; no graphical view.

Warning: Running ncdu with sudo on / lets it delete system files. Scan your home folder instead, and don’t delete anything outside it unless you know exactly what it is.

7. Disk Inventory X (legacy)

Best for: not recommended on current Macs · Price: Free · Website

Disk Inventory X was a long-time favorite free treemap tool, and it still appears in lots of older “best of” lists. But its last release, version 1.3, came out in 2019 and lists support only up to macOS 10.15 Catalina. There’s no native Apple silicon version, and the app isn’t notarized, so macOS warns you when you open it.

On an Apple silicon Mac it depends on Rosetta 2, and Apple has said general-purpose Rosetta support ends after macOS 27. GrandPerspective offers the same treemap idea and is actively maintained, so use that instead.

• Pros: Free; familiar treemap with a file-type legend.
• Cons: Unmaintained since 2019; Intel-only; not notarized.

What to look for in a disk analyzer

A good disk space analyzer for Mac should do a few things well:

• Show folders, not just categories. The whole point is to see exactly which folder is big, which Storage settings can’t do.
• Scan protected locations. Look for support for Full Disk Access or an option to scan as administrator, so hidden folders in ~/Library aren’t left out.
• Let you review before deleting. Avoid tools that delete in one click. A Trash-first or collect-then-confirm workflow is much safer.
• Stay maintained. macOS changes every year. An analyzer that hasn’t been updated in years may miss newer storage features like APFS snapshots, or stop launching entirely.

What you’ll usually find

Whichever tool you choose, the same culprits come up again and again:

• Old iPhone and iPad backups in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. Delete them from Storage settings under iOS Files rather than in Finder.
• Video exports and screen recordings in Movies, Desktop and Downloads.
• Installers and disk images (.dmg, .pkg, old “Install macOS” apps) in Downloads and Applications.
• App caches in ~/Library/Caches, which you can clear safely folder by folder.
• Developer data like Xcode’s DerivedData, simulators, node_modules folders and Docker disk images.
• Virtual machines from Parallels, VMware Fusion or UTM, which can each take tens of gigabytes.

How to use a disk analyzer safely

1. Grant access first. For complete results, give the app Full Disk Access in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access. Otherwise some folders show as empty or inaccessible.
2. Start with your home folder. Most reclaimable space lives in Downloads, Movies, Desktop, ~/Library/Caches and old projects.
3. Delete what you recognize. If you don’t know what a file or folder is, search for its name or leave it alone.
4. Leave system folders alone. Don’t delete anything in /System, /private or /Library based on size alone.
5. Use the right tool for caches and apps. Clear caches the safe way with our guide on how to clear cache on Mac, and remove apps using the steps in deleting apps on Mac so their leftovers go too.
6. Empty the Trash and restart. Space isn’t freed until the Trash is emptied, and local Time Machine snapshots may hold deleted files for a while.

Which disk space analyzer should you get?

• Want the best overall? DaisyDisk. It’s fast, clear and a one-time purchase.
• Want free and visual? GrandPerspective.
• Want free and simple? OmniDiskSweeper.
• Only need a quick check? Storage settings is already on your Mac.
• Already pay for CleanMyMac or Setapp? Use Space Lens.
• Live in Terminal? ncdu.

For more tools worth installing, see our roundup of the best Mac apps.

How we picked

We started with the disk analyzers Mac users recommend most often and checked each one’s official website for current availability, pricing model and macOS support as of October 2026. We prioritized apps that are actively maintained, run natively on Apple silicon (or at least support it), work on recent macOS versions, and let you review files before deleting them. We favored tools that show your disk by folder, since that’s what Storage settings can’t do, and we flagged older apps that still circulate in recommendations but are no longer safe bets. We don’t accept payment for placement, and prices aren’t listed because they change often.