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Utilities · head to head

Hazel vs WinDirStat

Hazel logo

Hazel

Utilities

Rule-based file organisation for macOS that watches folders and automatically files, renames or deletes

From
$42/one-time
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: Hazel there is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so the full 42 dollar cost is a real barrier for a casual user just wanting one simple rule.; 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: Hazel covers Folder watching, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hazel and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where Hazel and WinDirStat differ
AttributeHazelWinDirStat
Starting price$42/one-timeFree
Pricing modelOne-time purchaseOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMacWindows

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 Hazel

  • Folder watching
  • Conditional actions
  • Content-based matching
  • Duplicate detection
  • Trash auto-empty
  • App Sweep

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.

Hazel

  • A freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside themnot WinDirStat
  • Anyone whose Downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or agenot WinDirStat
  • A photographer who wants imported files renamed by date pattern and moved to a project folder automaticallynot WinDirStat
  • A user who wants old files in a scratch folder auto-deleted after a set number of days without remembering to clear it manuallynot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

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

Where each one falls short

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

Hazel

  • There is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so the full 42 dollar cost is a real barrier for a casual user just wanting one simple rule.
  • Rules are entirely hand-built, so the tool provides no value until a user invests time writing and testing conditions.
  • A misconfigured rule can silently move, rename or delete the wrong files, and mistakes are only obvious after the fact unless tested carefully first.
  • It is Mac only, so it does nothing for a Windows machine sharing the same file workflow.
  • It focuses purely on file automation, so a user also wanting window management, clipboard history or gesture control needs entirely separate tools.

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

Hazel

$42/one-time
  • Single User Licence$42/one-time
    • One user, Hazel 6
    • Free updates within the major version
    • 14-day free trial before purchase
  • Family Pack$65/one-time
    • Multiple users covered under one purchase
    • Same feature set as the single licence

WinDirStat

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Hazel if

  • You need folder watching.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want conditional actions.
Hazel 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 Hazel or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. Hazel starts at $42/one-time and WinDirStat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hazel or WinDirStat?
WinDirStat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $42/one-time for Hazel and Free for WinDirStat.
Does Hazel or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
Hazel 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. Hazel starts at $42/one-time.
What is Hazel best used for?
Hazel is most often used for a freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside them, anyone whose downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or age, a photographer who wants imported files renamed by date pattern and moved to a project folder automatically, a user who wants old files in a scratch folder auto-deleted after a set number of days without remembering to clear it manually. Of those, a freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside them and anyone whose downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or age are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can Hazel do that WinDirStat cannot?
Hazel covers Folder watching, Conditional actions, Content-based matching, Duplicate detection. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hazel: Is Hazel a subscription?

No. It is a one-time purchase per major version, currently 42 US dollars for a single user licence.

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.

Hazel: Can Hazel read the content of files, not just names?

Yes, rules can match on text found inside supported file types such as PDFs and text documents.

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.

Hazel: Does Hazel run in the background automatically?

Yes, it watches configured folders continuously and applies rules as files change, with no manual trigger needed.

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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