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Utilities · head to head

Sedaru vs WinDirStat

Sedaru logo

Sedaru

Utilities

Water utility asset management and field operations built on top of Esri ArcGIS

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: Sedaru the Esri dependency is absolute: an ArcGIS licence is a separate and substantial cost outside the Sedaru contract, and utilities without ArcGIS must buy into that platform before Sedaru is even usable.; 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: Sedaru covers Esri-native asset model, WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sedaru and WinDirStat actually diverge.

Attributes where Sedaru and WinDirStat differ
AttributeSedaruWinDirStat
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWindows

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 Sedaru

  • Esri-native asset model
  • Field crew mobile
  • Hydraulic model integration
  • SCADA alarm context
  • Capital planning
  • Customer service linkage

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.

Sedaru

  • A water utility whose crews already work from ArcGIS maps and that wants work orders on the same map rather than in a separate CMMSnot WinDirStat
  • A wastewater authority prioritising collection system renewal by risk and condition rather than by age alonenot WinDirStat
  • Giving field crews offline access to network asset data and work history in areas with no mobile coveragenot WinDirStat
  • A utility trying to connect SCADA alarms to the physical assets and recent work that explain them, instead of reading alarms in isolationnot WinDirStat

WinDirStat

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

Where each one falls short

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

Sedaru

  • The Esri dependency is absolute: an ArcGIS licence is a separate and substantial cost outside the Sedaru contract, and utilities without ArcGIS must buy into that platform before Sedaru is even usable.
  • Sedaru inherits GIS data quality, so a utility with an incomplete or stale geodatabase discovers the gaps in front of field crews rather than fixing them, and the data remediation project is not in the Sedaru quote.
  • The North American water focus means limited relevance and limited implementation support outside that market, particularly for utilities operating under European or Australian regulatory reporting requirements.
  • Nothing is published on price and the product is sold within a large corporate portfolio, so a small utility has little basis for judging whether the quoted subscription is competitive.
  • It is a water and wastewater product; a municipality wanting one asset system across water, roads, parks and facilities will need a broader public works platform alongside it.

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

Sedaru

On request
  • Sedaru$undefined/year
    • Subscription sized on utility scale and module selection
    • Esri ArcGIS licence required and purchased separately from Esri
    • Implementation and GIS data preparation quoted as services

WinDirStat

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Sedaru if

  • You need esri-native asset model.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want field crew mobile.
Sedaru 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 Sedaru or WinDirStat better?
Neither clearly leads. Sedaru 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, Sedaru or WinDirStat?
WinDirStat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Sedaru and Free for WinDirStat.
Does Sedaru or WinDirStat run on more platforms?
Sedaru runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. WinDirStat runs on Windows.
Can I use WinDirStat for free?
Yes. WinDirStat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sedaru starts at On request.
What is Sedaru best used for?
Sedaru is most often used for a water utility whose crews already work from arcgis maps and that wants work orders on the same map rather than in a separate cmms, a wastewater authority prioritising collection system renewal by risk and condition rather than by age alone, giving field crews offline access to network asset data and work history in areas with no mobile coverage, a utility trying to connect scada alarms to the physical assets and recent work that explain them, instead of reading alarms in isolation. Of those, a water utility whose crews already work from arcgis maps and that wants work orders on the same map rather than in a separate cmms and a wastewater authority prioritising collection system renewal by risk and condition rather than by age alone are not what WinDirStat is typically brought in for.
What can Sedaru do that WinDirStat cannot?
Sedaru covers Esri-native asset model, Field crew mobile, Hydraulic model integration, SCADA alarm context. WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sedaru: Do I need Esri ArcGIS to use Sedaru?

Yes. Sedaru is built on the ArcGIS geodatabase and the Esri licence is a separate purchase from Esri, not part of the Sedaru 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.

Sedaru: Who owns Sedaru?

Aquatic Informatics, which is part of Veralto, the water quality group spun out of Danaher in 2023.

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.

Sedaru: Does Sedaru replace a CMMS?

For water network assets, largely yes. For plant equipment and facilities maintenance many utilities still run a separate CMMS.

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.

Sedaru: Is pricing published?

No. Subscriptions are sized on the utility and quoted, with implementation and data preparation charged as services.

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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