
There are tons of different disk usage analyzers for Mac that can help you free up space and delete junk files on your disk. However, in this article, we will compare two very popular in this field. We will compare and contrast Daisy Disk and Disk Space Analyzer. Before we start telling more about the apps, let’s see a quick comparison table.
Comparison table: Disk Space Analyzer vs. Daisy Disk
Features |
![]() Disk Space Analyzer |
![]() Daisy Disk |
---|---|---|
App Store ranking | 4.7/5 | 4.7/5 |
Pricing policy | Free and paid versions | Paid only |
Full functional while a trial | ✓ | – |
Scanning speed | Fast | Fast |
Interactive diagram | ✓ | ✓ |
Available from the App Store | ✓ | ✓ |
Available from the developer’s website | ✓ | ✓ |
User-friendly interface | ✓ | ✓ |
Interactive analysis process | ✓ | – |
External drives support | ✓ | ✓ |
Outline mode preview | ✓ | – |
File deletion | ✓
Into the Trash |
✓
Deletes them forever (Not available during trial) |
Shows the files in the hidden Library | ✓ | ✓ |
Biggest Files section | ✓ | – |
Sound effects | ✓ | – |
QuickLook | ✓ | ✓ |
Apple Notarization | ✓ | ✓ |
Price | $9.95 yearly subscription | $9.99 one-time purchase |
Disk Space Analyzer
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Overview
Disk Space Analyzer is an application designed by Nektony for macOS, which helps you quickly check storage on Mac and free up your disk space. It especially helps when your Startup Disk is almost full. The application scans hard drives and hidden system files and shows you what takes up the most space on your disk. This application lets you quickly find the bulkiest content on your Mac or external drives.
After scanning your computer’s hard drive, the app displays an interactive circle that provides information about all the files and folders locations on your Mac:
On the left part of the screen, you will see the list of items that can be scanned. On the right part of the app window, you will see the folders/files list with their sizes. You will see a diagram in the central part of the window where all the sections are active. After hovering over any of them, you will see the name of the folder you are looking at and the size and date when it was last modified.
You can also click on any colored section (your drive folders) to see what is inside them. After you click on the section, you will see a new diagram showing the folders and files within the selected one.
Here are some key features of the Disk Space Analyzer:
- Analyze disk space usage on Mac
- See disk usage with interactive and vivid visualization
- Figure out what is taking up valuable space on your Mac
- See the list of the largest files and folders
- Easily navigate through folder directories
- Keep your Mac startup disk clean of old and unused files
- See your purgeable storage size
Pros | Cons |
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Daisy Disk
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Overview
Daisy Disk is an application created by Software Ambience Corp. for macOS that helps you recover valuable space on your hard drive. The app scans your disk and provides a breakdown of the used space as an interactive map. Also, it helps you discover what’s hiding inside the “Other” storage category and clear it up. Helping you recover disk space by finding and removing large and useless files.
When you hover over any part of the diagram, you will see the information about the folder in the right part of the application window.
Here are some features of the Daisy Disk:
- User-friendly interface that makes finding and deleting large files easy.
- Speed of scanning – it typically takes only a few seconds to scan your entire startup disk (depending on your disk and CPU models)
- Integrated Quick Look for previewing file content
- Scanning multiple disks in parallel at maximum speed
- Real-time information about mounted disks
- In-app file deletion
Pros | Cons |
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Extremely fast scan-time | No sound effects |
Deleting files is extremely easy | It does not show the analysis process |
It shows you the files in the hidden Library | It does not give you access to all the features during the trial |
It deletes files completely, bypassing the Trash | Provides a confusing diagram after the scan |
Conclusion
Daisy Disk and Disk Space Analyzer are great apps that help you understand what takes up space on your Mac. Both apps analyze your disk and detect and delete big files.
Disk Space Analyzer is an app that provides you with a two-day trial when you can test it and use it how you want. During the trial, you can access all the app’s available features. Also, it shows you a diagram of your disk that is very intuitive.
On the other hand, Daisy Disk has excellent features unavailable during the trial, and no free app version exists. Thus, most features are not available until you buy the app.
You will be thrilled with the product if you choose Daisy Disk or Disk Space Analyzer. However, if you are looking for the best and easier solution, not to mention easiness of use, Disk Space Analyzer is the one to purchase. You can try out both apps for free to understand which works better. Except with Daisy Disk, you can only try a few app features.