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Entertainment · head to head

IINA vs WinDirStat

IINA logo

IINA

Entertainment

Free open source Mac video player built on mpv, with a native macOS interface

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: IINA there is no Apple TV or iOS app, so it cannot be used for a living room streaming setup the way Infuse can.; 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: IINA covers mpv playback engine, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IINA and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where IINA and WinDirStat differ
AttributeIINAWinDirStat
PlatformsMacWindows
CategoryEntertainmentUtilities

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 IINA

  • mpv playback engine
  • Native macOS interface
  • Trackpad gestures
  • Picture-in-picture
  • Subtitle and audio track control
  • Music mode

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.

IINA

  • A Mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats QuickTime Player does not supportnot WinDirStat
  • Someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volumenot WinDirStat
  • A user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other appsnot WinDirStat
  • Anyone who prefers a graphical Mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command linenot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

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

Where each one falls short

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

IINA

  • There is no Apple TV or iOS app, so it cannot be used for a living room streaming setup the way Infuse can.
  • It has no polished network share or cloud storage library browser, so streaming from a NAS or cloud drive is more manual than with Infuse.
  • As a volunteer open source project, new feature development and bug fixes depend on contributor availability rather than a funded team.
  • It is Mac only, so there is no equivalent app for Windows users in a mixed household.
  • Advanced mpv configuration is still exposed for power users, which can be confusing for someone who just wants simple playback with no options.

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

IINA

Free
  • IINAFree
    • Free and open source
    • No account or subscription
    • Full feature set with no paywall

WinDirStat

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

Which should you pick?

Choose IINA if

  • You need mpv playback engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want native macos interface.
IINA 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 IINA or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. IINA 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, IINA or WinDirStat?
IINA starts at Free and WinDirStat at Free.
Does IINA or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
IINA runs on Mac. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
Can I use IINA for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is IINA best used for?
IINA is most often used for a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support, someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume, a user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other apps, anyone who prefers a graphical mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command line. Of those, a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support and someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can IINA do that WinDirStat cannot?
IINA covers mpv playback engine, Native macOS interface, Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-picture. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IINA: Is IINA free?

Yes, entirely, and it is open source with no paid tier or subscription.

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.

IINA: What is the difference between IINA and mpv?

IINA is built on the mpv engine but adds a full native macOS graphical interface, menus and gestures that mpv does not have on its own.

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.

IINA: Does IINA work on Apple TV?

No. IINA is Mac only. For Apple TV playback, Infuse is the comparable option.

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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