Best Mac storage analyzers in 2026, compared
Short answer. Start with Storage settings, which is free and built into macOS. To see what's big as a picture, DaisyDisk ($9.99 one-time) and GrandPerspective (free, or $2.99 on the Mac App Store) draw your disk as a map. CleanMyMac adds cleanup, malware and speed tools for a subscription or a one-time price. DiskFox, which we make, keeps a history of what changed and why, but has no disk map.
We make DiskFox, so weigh our view accordingly. To keep this fair, every price and feature below comes from the maker's own pages, with a link to the source, and we say plainly what DiskFox doesn't do. There are no scores or star ratings, because we haven't run a controlled test. Prices were checked in early October 2026 and are in US dollars as published; they change, so check the link before you buy.
How to choose
What do you want to see?
- What's big right now, as a picture. A disk map draws each folder as a shape sized by the space it takes, as rings or rectangles (a treemap). It's a quick way to spot one huge folder.
- What's big right now, as a list. A list sorted largest first is plainer, and some people find it easier to read.
- What changed over time. If your free space keeps shrinking and you don't know why, you need an app that keeps a history of its scans. Few do. How to track storage changes on your Mac shows how to do it by hand.
- Cleanup and maintenance. Some apps also clear caches, remove apps or scan for malware. That's useful if you want it, and more to pay for if you don't.
How you pay
Most storage analyzers are a one-time purchase. Some broader suites are subscriptions, and a one-time licence may not include the next major version. CleanMyMac's doesn't, for example. Where there's a free trial, use it on your own Mac before you pay.
Privacy
A storage app needs to look at all your files, often with Full Disk Access. Read what each one says it sends. Some say they make no network connections at all.
Mac App Store or direct download
The Mac App Store handles payment and updates, but its apps run in Apple's sandbox, which can limit which folders they can reach or clean. One Hacker News commenter says DaisyDisk's direct-download version can clean more than its App Store version. The App Store also has many look-alike disk maps and cleaners launched since 2024, so check who makes an app and how often it's updated.
Safety
Look for apps that let you review everything before it's removed, and that move files to the Trash rather than deleting them straight away.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price as published | Visual map? | Tracks changes over time? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage settings (macOS) | A quick, free overview | Free, built in | No | No |
| DaisyDisk | A visual map of any disk | $9.99 one-time; free trial download | Yes (rings) | Not advertised |
| GrandPerspective | A free, open-source map | Free, or $2.99 on the App Store | Yes (treemap) | Not advertised; can save and reopen scans |
| OmniDiskSweeper | A plain list, largest first | No price shown | No (a sorted list) | Not advertised |
| CleanMyMac | All-in-one maintenance | From $3.33/month, or one-time; 7-day trial | Yes (Space Lens) | Not advertised |
| Disk Inventory X | Older Macs only | Free | Yes (treemap) | Not advertised |
| Mole | Open-source cleanup with a map | Command-line tool free; app $19 one-time | Yes (treemap) | Not advertised |
| Klarity Disk | A low-cost local-only map | $6.99 one-time | Yes (treemap and icicle) | Not advertised |
| DiskFox (ours) | What changed and why | One-time; 14-day free trial | No | Yes, while DiskFox is open |
"Not advertised" means we didn't find it on the maker's own pages. The app may still do it.
The tools
Storage settings (built into macOS)
Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage. You get a bar of categories, suggestions such as storing files in iCloud and emptying the Trash automatically, and an (i) button next to many categories for reviewing and deleting files. Apple explains it in Free up storage space on Mac.
It shows today only, with no history, and says little about what's inside System Data. It's still the right first stop, and it costs nothing.
DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk draws your disk as colourful rings you can click into. Its site says it works with internal, external and network disks, can show hidden space with a scan as administrator, explains System Data and detects macOS snapshots. You can delete what you find from inside the app.
Price: $9.99 one-time, with a "lifetime license, no subscription", and a free trial download. It's also $9.99 on the Mac App Store. It needs macOS 10.13 or later. Sources: daisydiskapp.com, App Store.
GrandPerspective
GrandPerspective draws a treemap: each file is a rectangle whose area matches its size. It's open source under the GNU GPL, and you can save a scan and reopen it later. Version 3.8.1 (13 September 2026) needs macOS 14 or later.
Price: free from SourceForge, or $2.99 on the Mac App Store. Its site says you get the same app either way. Sources: GrandPerspective, App Store.
OmniDiskSweeper
OmniDiskSweeper lists the files on your drive from largest to smallest and lets you open them or move them to the Trash. There's no map, just a sorted list.
Price: Omni lists it under Omni Labs with a download button, but doesn't show a price or say which macOS versions the current download supports. Check it runs on your Mac before you rely on it. Source: Omni Group.
CleanMyMac
CleanMyMac from MacPaw is much more than a storage analyzer. It covers cleanup, malware removal, speed tools, app updates and uninstalling. Its Space Lens feature draws your storage as a map of bubbles, for internal or external drives or a single folder.
Price: MacPaw's site says "Starting at $3.33/month". You can pay monthly, yearly or once on MacPaw's store and the Mac App Store; on Setapp it's subscription only. There's a free 7-day trial with every feature. A one-time licence doesn't include major version upgrades. It needs macOS 11 or later. Sources: CleanMyMac, editions and trial, Space Lens.
If you only want to see what's using space, you'd be paying for a lot you won't use. If you want one app for general upkeep, that breadth is the point.
Disk Inventory X
Disk Inventory X shows your files as a treemap and is free under the GPL. Its site lists version 1.3 for macOS 10.13 to 10.15, and the page footer is dated 2019, so it appears to be unmaintained. It may not work on a current Mac. Source: derlien.com.
Mole
Mole is a free, open-source command-line tool (GPL-3.0, installed with Homebrew) with a separate paid Mac app. The app combines cleanup, uninstalling apps, a treemap you can click into, and live system stats in the menu bar. Its site says you can see every file before it's deleted. It also says cache cleanup deletes permanently by default, with an option in Settings to use the Trash instead.
Price: the command-line tool is free. The app is $19 one-time for two Macs, with free updates and a 14-day refund window. Sources: mole.fit, GitHub.
Klarity Disk
Klarity Disk is a newer disk map with treemap and icicle views. Its site says it's "100% local", with no network connections, accounts or analytics. It moves files to the Trash, asks you to confirm before removing anything 1 GB or larger, and protects system folders. It also has a memory monitor and a menu bar widget.
Price: $6.99 one-time. It needs macOS 14.6 or later. Source: klaritydisk.com.
DiskFox (ours)
DiskFox's focus is history. It keeps a record of each scan and tells you what changed and why, for example "Storage use grew by 30.2 GB this week", split into groups and dated events. Each event is labelled Cause when DiskFox measured the location, or Likely cause when it's an inference, such as growth soon after a macOS update. It also estimates what's inside System Data, lists your largest files, finds exact duplicates, and shows apps with the data they keep. Cleanup is review-first: nothing is removed until you confirm, and most items go to the Trash.
What it doesn't do: it has no visual disk map. It only measures your startup disk, not external drives, and it only checks while it's open. It doesn't scan for malware, speed up your Mac or update apps. It's a direct download, not on the Mac App Store, and needs macOS 14 or later.
Price: a one-time purchase for up to two Macs, with a 14-day free trial of every feature and no card needed. There are no accounts. File names and contents never leave your Mac. Anonymous usage counts are on by default, and you can turn them off in Settings. More on the DiskFox storage analyzer page.
Summary
- Free and quick: Storage settings first, then GrandPerspective for a map.
- A visual map for a one-time price: DaisyDisk, Klarity Disk or GrandPerspective. Try each on your own Mac.
- A plain list: OmniDiskSweeper, if it runs on your macOS. Finder can also find large files without any app.
- One app for general upkeep: CleanMyMac, or Mole if you'd rather have open source.
- Why your storage keeps shrinking: DiskFox, which shows what changed and when. If you don't know where to start, what's taking up space on your Mac walks through the usual causes.