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Utilities · head to head

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert vs WinDirStat

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert logo

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

Utilities

Telemetry SCADA for geographically distributed water, oil and gas assets, formerly ClearSCADA

From
On request
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

  • Only WinDirStat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert the ClearSCADA name is retired, so the large body of documentation, forum answers and integrator experience under that name is increasingly stale and does not always match current behaviour.; 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: EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert covers Point-banded server licence, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and WinDirStat differ
AttributeEcoStruxure Geo SCADA ExpertWinDirStat
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWindows

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 EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • Point-banded server licence
  • Telemetry protocol stack
  • Store and forward reconciliation
  • ViewX and Virtual ViewX
  • Redundant server pairs
  • Embedded historian and alarms

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.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • A water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh ratenot WinDirStat
  • A midstream gas operator needing full DNP3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrievalnot WinDirStat
  • Replacing an ageing ClearSCADA installation where the historical database and driver configuration can be carried forward rather than rebuiltnot WinDirStat
  • A regional wastewater authority consolidating several inherited SCADA systems onto one redundant server pair with browser clients for on-call staffnot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

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

Where each one falls short

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

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • The ClearSCADA name is retired, so the large body of documentation, forum answers and integrator experience under that name is increasingly stale and does not always match current behaviour.
  • Licensing is point-banded and client-counted with nothing published, and discount depends on your existing entitlement, so a first-time buyer negotiates from a weaker position than an incumbent renewing.
  • The free development mode is capped at 1,000 points and two hours of runtime, which is enough to prototype a screen but not enough to load-test a realistic network before you commit.
  • It is a Windows Server product; there is no Linux server option, so the operating system licensing, patching cadence and hardening burden come with the platform whether you want them or not.
  • Schneider has repeatedly rebranded and repositioned this line, from Control Microsystems to ClearSCADA to EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert, which makes long-horizon roadmap commitments hard to trust for a system a utility expects to run for fifteen years.

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

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

On request
  • EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert$undefined/year
    • Server licensed in point bands from around 250 points upward
    • ViewX and Virtual ViewX clients licensed individually or in bundles
    • Free unlicensed development mode limited to 1,000 points and two hours of runtime

WinDirStat

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

Which should you pick?

Choose EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert if

  • You need point-banded server licence.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want telemetry protocol stack.
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert 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 EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert starts at On request and WinDirStat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or WinDirStat?
WinDirStat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and Free for WinDirStat.
Does EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert runs on Windows, Web. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
Can I use WinDirStat for free?
Yes. WinDirStat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert starts at On request.
What is EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert best used for?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert is most often used for a water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh rate, a midstream gas operator needing full dnp3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrieval, replacing an ageing clearscada installation where the historical database and driver configuration can be carried forward rather than rebuilt, a regional wastewater authority consolidating several inherited scada systems onto one redundant server pair with browser clients for on-call staff. Of those, a water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh rate and a midstream gas operator needing full dnp3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrieval are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert do that WinDirStat cannot?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert covers Point-banded server licence, Telemetry protocol stack, Store and forward reconciliation, ViewX and Virtual ViewX. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Can I still buy ClearSCADA?

No. The product is sold as EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert. ClearSCADA is a retired name and current quotes will use the new one.

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.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: How is the server licensed?

By point count, in bands starting around 250 points and scaling to over a million on a single server. Clients are licensed on top, individually or in bundles.

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.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Is there a way to test it for free?

Yes, unlicensed development mode runs up to 1,000 points for two hours at a time. That is a prototyping tool, not a pilot.

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.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Is Geo SCADA the same as AVEVA Plant SCADA?

No. Plant SCADA is the former Citect product for plant-floor supervisory control. Geo SCADA is the former ClearSCADA product for distributed telemetry. Different codebases, different problems.

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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