dux vs DaisyDisk: which disk analyzer fits you?

The short version

DaisyDisk is a long-standing, focused disk analyzer: scan a disk, see it as a ring map, drag what you do not want into a collector and delete it. It is fast, inexpensive and runs on almost any Mac.

dux is a newer disk usage analyzer that adds cleanup suggestions with safety levels, duplicate finding, cloud folder awareness and scan history, and moves files to the Trash with Undo. The core app is free.

If you want a quick visual map and are comfortable deciding for yourself what to delete, DaisyDisk does that very well. If you want help deciding, or care about duplicates, cloud folders or a safety net, dux is likely the better fit.

This comparison is written by the makers of dux. We have tried to stick to facts that either company publishes, and we say where DaisyDisk is the better choice.

At a glance

DaisyDisk details come from daisydiskapp.com in October 2026 (version 4.34). Prices can change, so check both sites before you buy.

Seeing where the space goes

Both apps scan a disk or folder and draw it as a map you can click into. DaisyDisk’s ring map is well known and quick to read. dux offers a sunburst and a treemap with a sortable list next to them, and fills the map in while the scan runs.

The bigger difference is in what the sizes mean. dux counts real space on disk: hard links once, files that share storage as APFS clones as such, and files that are online only in iCloud Drive or another cloud service as using no space on this Mac. That way a folder size matches what you would actually get back. If you only want to know which folders are large, both apps answer that well.

Both can show what macOS keeps behind the System Data category when you give them the access they need: DaisyDisk can scan as administrator, dux uses Full Disk Access in its direct download (the Mac App Store build reads the folders you choose).

Deleting files

This is where the two apps take opposite approaches.

DaisyDisk deletes permanently. You drag items into its collector, press Delete, and after a five second countdown they are removed without going through the Trash. DaisyDisk explains that this is so the space is recovered immediately. It is quick, and it means you need to be sure.

dux moves files to the Trash. Every cleanup goes through a review sheet that lists what will happen, then moves the files to the Trash, or replaces a duplicate with an APFS clone. Each cleanup is logged in Activity and can be undone while the files are still in the Trash. The few actions that cannot be undone, such as a tool’s own cleanup command, say so before you confirm. The trade-off is honest accounting: dux tells you the space is freed once the Trash is emptied, not before.

Help deciding what to remove

DaisyDisk leaves the judgement to you. That suits people who know their Mac well.

dux ranks cleanup suggestions by the space they really free and gives each one a plain explanation and a safety level: Safe for things that rebuild on their own, such as caches and Xcode derived data, Review for old downloads or a cloud folder that is no longer connected, and Risky for things like an iPhone backup that may be the only copy. It recognizes developer clutter from Xcode, Homebrew, npm, Yarn, pip, Go and other tools.

Duplicates and cloud folders

dux finds duplicate files by content, not by name, and lets you choose which copy to keep. On the free plan you resolve one group at a time; Pro resolves them in bulk and can replace copies with APFS clones so every path keeps working.

For cloud storage, dux looks at the folders on your Mac (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box and others) and shows per account how much is downloaded and how much is online only. For services that keep files on demand, it can remove downloads while files stay in the cloud, and it flags old folders from accounts you no longer use. It never downloads a file to analyze it.

DaisyDisk takes a different angle: it can scan Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box accounts remotely, so you can see what fills your cloud storage itself. If your question is “what is using my Dropbox quota”, that is a real strength.

Purgeable space and snapshots

DaisyDisk shows purgeable space and, in the version from its own website, lets you drag it into the collector to force macOS to reclaim it. Its documentation notes this is not available in the Mac App Store edition.

dux shows purgeable space as its own part of the capacity bar, counts Time Machine local snapshots and explains them (in the direct download), but leaves purging to macOS. If you want to free it yourself, see Purgeable space on macOS explained.

Pricing

DaisyDisk costs $9.99 once, for up to five personal Macs, with minor updates included and a 30 day money back guarantee. It is sold directly and on the Mac App Store.

dux is free with no time limit: scanning, every view, suggestions, duplicates, cloud download removal, cleanup with review and Undo. Pro adds bulk cleanups, clones for duplicates, full history, scheduled scans, the menu bar extra and automation, for €29 once or €9 a year, on up to five Macs, the same number DaisyDisk allows. See pricing for details.

Who each one suits

DaisyDisk is a good choice if you:

• want a fast, proven map of your disk and nothing more;
• are comfortable deciding what to delete and prefer it gone at once;
• want to see what fills a Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box account in the cloud;
• use an older Mac, since it runs on macOS 10.13 and later.

dux is a good choice if you:

• want to know what is safe to remove before you remove it;
• want a Trash and Undo safety net for cleanups;
• have duplicates, several cloud accounts or old cloud folders;
• want to see how your disk changes over time, or script it from the command line (direct download; JSON output is Pro);
• run macOS 15 or later.

Nothing stops you from trying both. DaisyDisk offers a free download to try, and the core of dux is free.