Utilities · head to head
CleanShot X vs WinDirStat
CleanShot X
Utilities
Paid Mac screenshot and screen recording tool with annotation, scrolling capture and cloud sharing
- From
- $29/one-time
- Rated
- -
WinDirStat
Utilities
Windows disk usage analyser that shows where space went as a colour-coded treemap
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only WinDirStat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: CleanShot X there is no free tier at all, unlike Shottr, so a user has to commit 29 dollars before ever trying the full feature set beyond a trial.; WinDirStat it walks the directory tree rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a full scan takes minutes where WizTree takes seconds on the same drive.
- They diverge on capability: CleanShot X covers Annotation toolbar, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CleanShot X and WinDirStat actually diverge.
| Attribute | CleanShot X | WinDirStat |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/one-time | Free |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Open source, no licence fee |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Mac | Windows |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in CleanShot X
- Annotation toolbar
- Scrolling capture
- Cloud sharing links
- Self-cleaning desktop
- Quick GIF and video recording
- All in one clipboard
Only in WinDirStat
- Treemap visualisation
- Three linked views
- Multithreaded scanning
- Cleanup actions
- Any filesystem
- GPL licensed
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CleanShot X
- A support or design team that shares annotated screenshots constantly and wants a polished result without extra editing stepsnot WinDirStat
- Someone who frequently captures long web pages or documents and wants a single stitched scrolling screenshotnot WinDirStat
- A user who wants a screenshot with no desktop clutter visible in the background without manually tidying firstnot WinDirStat
- A team that wants branded shareable links with custom domains rather than generic hosted image URLsnot WinDirStat
WinDirStat
- Finding what filled a Windows system drive when the usual suspects are not responsiblenot CleanShot X
- Auditing a shared or network drive where files are spread across thousands of foldersnot CleanShot X
- Environments where licence terms forbid personal-use-only freeware on company machinesnot CleanShot X
- Explaining disk usage visually to someone who will not read a list of folder sizesnot CleanShot X
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CleanShot X
- There is no free tier at all, unlike Shottr, so a user has to commit 29 dollars before ever trying the full feature set beyond a trial.
- App updates beyond the first year require an optional 19 dollar a year fee, which some users only discover after the first year lapses.
- Cloud Pro team features are a separate ongoing subscription on top of the one-time app purchase, so the full cost for a team is higher than the headline 29 dollars suggests.
- It is Mac only, so a mixed Windows and Mac team cannot standardise on one screenshot tool across both platforms.
- Its video recording is more basic than a dedicated screen recorder such as Kap or a full editor, so heavier video work still needs separate software.
WinDirStat
- It walks the directory tree rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a full scan takes minutes where WizTree takes seconds on the same drive.
- The version most users have installed is the 2007 build, and because it was dormant for so long, search results and download mirrors still point at it.
- It is Windows only, so a mixed estate needs a different tool for macOS and Linux machines.
- There is no scheduling, reporting or export for fleet use, so it answers a question on one machine at a time rather than monitoring storage across an organisation.
- Hard links, junctions and deduplicated volumes can be counted in ways that make the totals disagree with what Windows reports, which causes confusion on servers.
Pricing, plan by plan
CleanShot X
$29/one-time- CleanShot X$29/one-time
- Permanent licence, keep the app forever
- 1GB of cloud storage included
- One year of app updates, optional 19 USD per year after
- Cloud Pro$8/month
- Per user, billed annually
- Branded sharing domains and self-destruct links
- SSO for team accounts
WinDirStat
Free- WinDirStatFree
- GPL licensed
- Commercial use permitted
- No paid edition or feature gating
Which should you pick?
Choose CleanShot X if
- You need annotation toolbar.
- You work on Mac.
- You also want scrolling capture.
Choose WinDirStat if
- You need treemap visualisation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want three linked views.
Questions people ask
- Is CleanShot X or WinDirStat better?
- Neither clearly leads. CleanShot X starts at $29/one-time and WinDirStat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CleanShot X or WinDirStat?
- WinDirStat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/one-time for CleanShot X and Free for WinDirStat.
- Does CleanShot X or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
- CleanShot X runs on Mac. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
- Can I use WinDirStat for free?
- Yes. WinDirStat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CleanShot X starts at $29/one-time.
- What is CleanShot X best used for?
- CleanShot X is most often used for a support or design team that shares annotated screenshots constantly and wants a polished result without extra editing steps, someone who frequently captures long web pages or documents and wants a single stitched scrolling screenshot, a user who wants a screenshot with no desktop clutter visible in the background without manually tidying first, a team that wants branded shareable links with custom domains rather than generic hosted image urls. Of those, a support or design team that shares annotated screenshots constantly and wants a polished result without extra editing steps and someone who frequently captures long web pages or documents and wants a single stitched scrolling screenshot are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
- What can CleanShot X do that WinDirStat cannot?
- CleanShot X covers Annotation toolbar, Scrolling capture, Cloud sharing links, Self-cleaning desktop. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
CleanShot X: Is CleanShot X a subscription?
The app itself is a one-time purchase. Only the optional Cloud Pro team plan and post-first-year update access are subscriptions or recurring fees.
WinDirStat: Is WinDirStat still maintained?
Yes. It was dormant from around 2007 until new maintainers resumed development and released the 2.x line with multithreaded scanning and current Windows support.
CleanShot X: Does CleanShot X include cloud storage?
Yes, 1GB is included with the base purchase; more storage and team features require the separate Cloud Pro subscription.
WinDirStat: Can I use it at work?
Yes. It is GPL licensed with no personal-use restriction, which is the practical advantage over free-for-personal-use alternatives in this category.
CleanShot X: Is there a free version?
No. There is a trial but no permanent free tier, unlike Shottr.
WinDirStat: Why is it slower than WizTree?
Different method. WizTree reads the NTFS master file table directly; WinDirStat traverses directories, which is slower but works on any filesystem, including network shares.
WinDirStat: Does it run on macOS or Linux?
No. Separate projects exist with similar treemap interfaces, but WinDirStat itself is Windows only.
Related pages
More on CleanShot X
Other head to heads
- CleanShot X vs Shottr
- CleanShot X vs Kap
- CleanShot X vs Paste
- CleanShot X vs Hazel
- CleanShot X vs Magnet
- CleanShot X vs BetterTouchTool
- CleanShot X vs Rectangle
- CleanShot X vs Karabiner-Elements
- CleanShot X vs Maccy
- CleanShot X vs Find My
- CleanShot X vs qBittorrent
- CleanShot X vs McDonalds
- CleanShot X vs VTScada
- CleanShot X vs WizTree
- CleanShot X vs Yelp
- CleanShot X vs balenaEtcher
- CleanShot X vs Calsense
- CleanShot X vs CCleaner
- CleanShot X vs GParted
- CleanShot X vs 7-Zip
- CleanShot X vs TreeSize
- CleanShot X vs CrystalDiskInfo
- CleanShot X vs AutoHotkey
- CleanShot X vs HWiNFO
- CleanShot X vs PeaZip
- CleanShot X vs Rufus
- CleanShot X vs Starbucks
- CleanShot X vs Transmission
- WinDirStat vs Shottr
- WinDirStat vs Kap
- WinDirStat vs Paste
- WinDirStat vs Hazel
- WinDirStat vs Magnet
- WinDirStat vs BetterTouchTool
- WinDirStat vs Rectangle
- WinDirStat vs Karabiner-Elements
- WinDirStat vs Maccy
- WinDirStat vs Find My
- WinDirStat vs qBittorrent
- WinDirStat vs McDonalds
- WinDirStat vs VTScada
- WinDirStat vs WizTree
- WinDirStat vs Yelp
- WinDirStat vs balenaEtcher
- WinDirStat vs Calsense
- WinDirStat vs CCleaner
- WinDirStat vs GParted
- WinDirStat vs 7-Zip
- WinDirStat vs TreeSize
- WinDirStat vs CrystalDiskInfo
- WinDirStat vs AutoHotkey
- WinDirStat vs HWiNFO
- WinDirStat vs PeaZip
- WinDirStat vs Rufus
- WinDirStat vs Starbucks
- WinDirStat vs Transmission