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Utilities · head to head

WinDirStat vs Yelp

WinDirStat logo

WinDirStat

Utilities

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yelp logo

Yelp

Utilities

Local business reviews and search app whose real business is advertising and first party lead data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Yelp its revenue model depends on selling advertising and leads to the same businesses being reviewed, which creates a structural tension over how neutral rankings and filtered reviews really are.
  • They diverge on capability: WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Yelp covers Business search and reviews.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which WinDirStat and Yelp actually diverge.

Attributes where WinDirStat and Yelp differ
AttributeWinDirStatYelp
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeFree for consumers, advertising sold to businesses
PlatformsWindowsiOS, Android, Web

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 WinDirStat

  • Treemap visualisation
  • Three linked views
  • Multithreaded scanning
  • Cleanup actions
  • Any filesystem
  • GPL licensed

Only in Yelp

  • Business search and reviews
  • Reservations and waitlist
  • Yelp Guest Manager listings
  • Request a Quote
  • Photos and menus
  • Collections and lists

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

WinDirStat

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

Yelp

  • Finding a nearby restaurant or service and reading recent customer reviews before visitingnot WinDirStat
  • Booking a table at a restaurant that uses Yelp for reservationsnot WinDirStat
  • Requesting quotes from local contractors or service providers for a specific jobnot WinDirStat
  • Checking a business's current hours, menu or photos before goingnot WinDirStat

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Yelp

  • Its revenue model depends on selling advertising and leads to the same businesses being reviewed, which creates a structural tension over how neutral rankings and filtered reviews really are.
  • Businesses can pay to have a competitor's ad appear on their own listing page, a practice that has drawn sustained criticism from small business owners.
  • Yelp's review filtering algorithm is not disclosed in detail, so businesses cannot audit why some reviews are filtered out as unreliable and others are not.
  • Review quality varies widely by category and city, with restaurants and nightlife much better covered than niche trades in smaller markets.
  • Consumer data such as searches and saved lists feeds Yelp's advertising and lead products sold to businesses, which is the actual monetisation even though the app itself is free.

Pricing, plan by plan

WinDirStat

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

Yelp

Free
  • Consumer appFree
    • Free search, reviews and reservations

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Yelp if

  • You need business search and reviews.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want reservations and waitlist.
Yelp review

Questions people ask

Is WinDirStat or Yelp better?
Neither clearly leads. WinDirStat starts at Free and Yelp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, WinDirStat or Yelp?
WinDirStat starts at Free and Yelp at Free.
Does WinDirStat or Yelp run on more platforms?
WinDirStat runs on Windows. Yelp runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use WinDirStat for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is WinDirStat best used for?
WinDirStat is most often used for finding what filled a windows system drive when the usual suspects are not responsible, auditing a shared or network drive where files are spread across thousands of folders, environments where licence terms forbid personal-use-only freeware on company machines, explaining disk usage visually to someone who will not read a list of folder sizes. Of those, finding what filled a windows system drive when the usual suspects are not responsible and auditing a shared or network drive where files are spread across thousands of folders are not what Yelp is typically brought in for.
What can WinDirStat do that Yelp cannot?
WinDirStat covers Treemap visualisation, Three linked views, Multithreaded scanning, Cleanup actions. Yelp covers Business search and reviews, Reservations and waitlist, Yelp Guest Manager listings, Request a Quote.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Yelp: Does Yelp cost anything to use as a reviewer?

No, browsing and writing reviews is free with no subscription.

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.

Yelp: How does Yelp actually make money?

From advertising and lead generation products sold to local businesses, not from consumers.

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.

Yelp: Can a business pay to remove negative reviews?

No, Yelp states paying for ads does not remove or bury negative reviews, though critics have long disputed how independent the ranking and filtering process really is.

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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