Disk Map vs DaisyDisk, CleanMyMac and GrandPerspective
There are several good ways to see what’s taking up space on a Mac. Here’s how Disk Map compares with the apps people most often ask about, and with the Storage settings built into macOS, so you can pick the one that fits.
In short: Disk Map is free and native, draws your disk as a treemap, and plans how to reach a space goal you set, starting with steps that lose nothing. CleanMyMac does much more than disk space. GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper are free and simple.
Side by side
| Disk Map | DaisyDisk | CleanMyMac | GrandPerspective | OmniDiskSweeper | macOS Storage settings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid | Paid | Free, open source | Free | Built into macOS |
| Native Mac app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Part of System Settings |
| Visual map of folders | Treemap | Ring map | Bubble map (Space Lens) | Treemap | Sorted list | Categories |
| Shows what deleting really frees when APFS copies share data | Yes | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plans how to reach a space goal | Yes | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ways to free space that lose nothing | Cloud files kept online only, duplicates merged into clones | – | – | – | – | Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage |
| Says why each suggestion is safe | Yes | – | – | – | – | – |
| Space macOS keeps: swap, snapshots, purgeable | Each with its size | – | – | – | – | One System Data figure |
| Updates live as files change | Yes | – | – | – | – | – |
| Free space in the menu bar | Yes | – | Yes | – | – | – |
| Hands a report to an AI agent | Claude, Codex, ChatGPT, Cursor or Grok | – | – | – | – | – |
| No analytics | Yes | – | – | – | – | – |
| Also uninstalls apps and checks for malware | No | – | Yes | – | – | – |
| Open source | No | – | – | Yes | – | – |
Yes. A dash means we couldn’t confirm it, not that the app lacks it; each app’s own site has the current details. Written September 2026.
How each one works
Disk Map
A free, native SwiftUI app for macOS 15 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. It draws a treemap of every folder above a sortable table. Its Space Advisor asks how much space you need, then ticks the steps that cost you least: first ones that lose nothing, such as keeping Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or iCloud Drive files online only, merging duplicates into APFS clones and emptying the Trash; then caches, installers and build output that apps make again. Your own files are only marked “Your call”. Every suggestion says why, nothing happens until you press Apply Selected, and Trash moves can be put back. It has no analytics or account, and nothing leaves your Mac unless you send a report to an AI agent yourself.
DaisyDisk
A paid, native Mac app that draws your disk as an interactive ring map. You click into folders and collect what you want to remove.
CleanMyMac
A paid app from MacPaw that covers a lot more than disk space: cleanup, app uninstalling, malware checks and maintenance. Its Space Lens shows folders as a bubble map, and it has a menu bar app.
GrandPerspective
A free, open source app that draws your disk as a treemap. There’s also a paid Mac App Store version that supports its development.
OmniDiskSweeper
A free app from The Omni Group that lists folders and files sorted by size, in columns you browse like Finder. There’s no map.
macOS Storage settings
Built into System Settings, under General, then Storage. It shows space by category and offers recommendations such as Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage and Empty Trash Automatically. It doesn’t show which folders hold the space, and caches, logs, swap and local snapshots are counted together as System Data.
Which should you use?
Use the one that matches what you’re after.
Use Disk Map if
You want a free map of your disk and a plan to free a set amount of space, starting with steps that lose nothing, with nothing leaving your Mac.
Use GrandPerspective if
You only need a free treemap, and you’d like it to be open source.
Use OmniDiskSweeper if
You prefer a plain list of folders sorted by size to a picture.
Use macOS Storage settings if
A quick look by category is enough, or you want to turn on Store in iCloud and Optimize Storage. It’s already on your Mac.
Use CleanMyMac if
You want one paid app that also uninstalls apps, checks for malware and runs maintenance, beyond disk space.
Use DaisyDisk if
You like its ring map and don’t mind paying for it.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to DaisyDisk?
Yes. Disk Map is free, with no ads, trial or account. Like DaisyDisk, it draws your disk as a map you can click into; Disk Map’s is a treemap, with a table of the same folders under it. It also plans how to reach a space goal and shows what deleting really frees when APFS copies share data. GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper are free too.
What’s the best free disk space analyzer for Mac?
It depends on what you need. For a map on its own, GrandPerspective is free and open source. For a sorted list, OmniDiskSweeper. For a map with a plan to free space safely, Disk Map.
Is Disk Map a CleanMyMac alternative?
For disk space, yes: it shows what’s taking up space and plans how to free it. It doesn’t uninstall apps, check for malware or run maintenance tasks, which CleanMyMac also does. If you want all of that in one app, CleanMyMac covers more ground.
How is Disk Map different from GrandPerspective?
Both are free and both draw a treemap. GrandPerspective is open source and focused on the map. Disk Map adds a table, a plan to reach a space goal, Space Freed by Deleting for APFS copies, changes since the last scan and live updates.
Why not just use my Mac’s Storage settings?
Storage settings are built in and fine for a quick look by category, and their recommendations are worth turning on. They don’t show which folders hold the space, though, and a lot of it ends up as System Data. Disk Map maps every folder and shows swap, local snapshots and purgeable space separately.
Does Disk Map delete anything by itself?
No. The Space Advisor only ticks suggestions. Nothing happens until you press Apply Selected, your own files are never ticked for you, and anything moved to the Trash can be put back.
More about Disk Map: the Space Advisor, features, how to free up space on a Mac and privacy.
Try Disk Map. It’s free.
DaisyDisk, CleanMyMac, GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper are trademarks of their owners. Disk Map isn’t affiliated with them.