SpareDiskSpareDisk vs GrandPerspective
GrandPerspective is a long-running, free and open-source Mac app that draws your disk as a treemap. SpareDisk starts from the same kind of map and adds the tools for cleaning up afterwards. Here is how they compare, using GrandPerspective’s own website as of September 2026.
At a glance
| SpareDisk | GrandPerspective | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once | Free from SourceForge, or $2.99 on the Mac App Store (same app) |
| License | Commercial | Open source (GPL) |
| Requires | macOS 15 or later | macOS 14 or later |
| Views | Treemap, sunburst and sortable list | Treemap |
| Storage overview | My Mac: used and free space, by location and file type | Per scanned folder or volume |
| Size on disk vs logical size | Both, for every file | Choice of file size measure |
| Filters | Search, size and age presets, file types, exclusions | Advanced filters by name, path, size, type, hard-link and package status |
| Large and old files views | Yes, with a by-year chart | Through the map and filters |
| Duplicate finder | Yes, verified by contents | Not listed |
| Uninstall apps and leftovers | Yes | Not listed |
| Developer caches | Xcode, simulators, Homebrew, npm, Docker and more | Not listed |
| Before and after | Change since the previous scan, per location | Rescan a view to compare before and after clean-up |
| Deleting | Review queue, re-checks each item, moves to Trash | Delete from the view |
GrandPerspective details are from grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net as of September 24, 2026, when version 3.8.1 was current.
Choose GrandPerspective if
- You want a free, open-source tool.
- A treemap is all you need, and you’ll clean up in Finder yourself.
- You want detailed filter rules, or to analyze hard links in Time Machine backups.
- Your Mac runs macOS 14.
Choose SpareDisk if
- You want to go from “what’s big?” to “it’s gone” in one app: large files, old files, duplicates, uninstall, leftovers and developer caches.
- You want to see logical size and size on disk side by side, so sparse disk images and cloud files don’t mislead you.
- You prefer a review step: every item is checked again before it moves to the Trash, and nothing is deleted automatically.
- You like a sunburst or a sorted list as well as a treemap.
Questions
Is GrandPerspective free?
Yes. It is free to download from SourceForge and open source under the GPL. The Mac App Store version costs $2.99 and is the same app.
What is a good alternative to GrandPerspective?
SpareDisk uses the same kind of treemap and adds cleanup tools: duplicates, app uninstall, leftovers from removed apps and developer caches, with a review step before anything moves to the Trash. It costs $4.99 once.
Does GrandPerspective find duplicate files?
Duplicate detection is not among the features listed on its website. SpareDisk finds duplicates by comparing file contents.