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Utilities · head to head

Find My vs WinDirStat

Find My logo

Find My

Utilities

Apple's built-in app for locating devices, AirTags and shared people locations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WinDirStat logo

WinDirStat

Utilities

Windows disk usage analyser that shows where space went as a colour-coded treemap

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Find My it only works within Apple's own device and accessory ecosystem, so it cannot locate Android phones or non-Apple trackers.; 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: Find My covers Device location, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Find My and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where Find My and WinDirStat differ
AttributeFind MyWinDirStat
Pricing modelFree, built into Apple hardware and iCloudOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, macOSWindows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Find My

  • Device location
  • Lost Mode and remote erase
  • AirTag and Find My network tracking
  • People sharing
  • Unknown tracker alerts
  • Offline finding

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.

Find My

  • Locating a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad or Mac and remotely locking or erasing itnot WinDirStat
  • Tracking an AirTag attached to keys, a bag or luggagenot WinDirStat
  • Sharing live location with family members who have mutually agreed to share backnot WinDirStat
  • Getting an alert if an unknown tracker appears to be travelling with you unexpectedlynot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

  • Finding what filled a Windows system drive when the usual suspects are not responsiblenot Find My
  • Auditing a shared or network drive where files are spread across thousands of foldersnot Find My
  • Environments where licence terms forbid personal-use-only freeware on company machinesnot Find My
  • Explaining disk usage visually to someone who will not read a list of folder sizesnot Find My

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Find My

  • It only works within Apple's own device and accessory ecosystem, so it cannot locate Android phones or non-Apple trackers.
  • People location sharing requires both parties to have Apple devices and an iCloud account, which limits it in mixed-platform families or groups.
  • AirTags and the Find My network have been documented as a stalking tool when hidden on a person or vehicle without their knowledge, and while Apple has added unknown-tracker alerts, the underlying misuse risk is real and has prompted lawsuits and product changes over time.
  • Remote erase on a lost device is permanent and cannot be undone if the device is later recovered, so users need to be certain before using it.
  • It depends on other nearby Apple devices for offline location via the Find My network, so location accuracy in areas with few Apple device users nearby can be poor.

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

Find My

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Included with every Apple device and iCloud account
    • No subscription tier

WinDirStat

Free
  • WinDirStatFree
    • GPL licensed
    • Commercial use permitted
    • No paid edition or feature gating

Which should you pick?

Choose Find My if

  • You need device location.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, macOS.
  • You also want lost mode and remote erase.
Find My review

Choose WinDirStat if

  • You need treemap visualisation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want three linked views.
WinDirStat review

Questions people ask

Is Find My or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. Find My starts at Free and WinDirStat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Find My or WinDirStat?
Find My starts at Free and WinDirStat at Free.
Does Find My or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
Find My runs on iOS, macOS. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
Can I use Find My for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Find My best used for?
Find My is most often used for locating a lost or stolen iphone, ipad or mac and remotely locking or erasing it, tracking an airtag attached to keys, a bag or luggage, sharing live location with family members who have mutually agreed to share back, getting an alert if an unknown tracker appears to be travelling with you unexpectedly. Of those, locating a lost or stolen iphone, ipad or mac and remotely locking or erasing it and tracking an airtag attached to keys, a bag or luggage are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can Find My do that WinDirStat cannot?
Find My covers Device location, Lost Mode and remote erase, AirTag and Find My network tracking, People sharing. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Find My: Does Find My cost anything?

No, it is free and built into every Apple device with an iCloud account.

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.

Find My: Can someone track my location without my consent?

Not through the People feature, which requires mutual opt-in, though hidden AirTags placed without consent are a documented separate misuse case Apple has added alerts to detect.

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.

Find My: Is this the same as Find My Kids?

No, Find My Kids is an unrelated third party family location tracking app, not made by Apple.

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.

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