Alternatives to gdu

Find large directories with a terminal disk-usage analyzer. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as gdu.

  • ncdu

    A disk usage analyser with a text interface, built for finding what is filling a remote server you can only reach over SSH.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    ncdu offers a similar interactive text interface with deletion and binary export for huge trees, but has no Windows build and parallel scanning is off by default.

  • dua-cli

    Explore disk usage and remove unwanted files in the terminal.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    dua-cli provides interactive terminal navigation with optional deletion on Windows, macOS and Linux, also under the MIT licence.

  • Dust

    See which directories consume space in a compact terminal tree.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Dust prints a compact directory tree with size bars under Apache-2.0 rather than an interactive browser.

  • diskus

    Measure the total size of a directory from the command line.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    diskus only reports the total size of a directory using parallel scanning, with no interactive breakdown.

  • godu

    An interactive terminal utility written in Go for finding the files and folders filling a disk.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    godu is a smaller Go-based interactive terminal browser for macOS and Linux, with occasional updates and no Windows build.

  • pdu (parallel-disk-usage)

    A command-line directory tree analyzer that measures disk usage in parallel and prints a size chart.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    pdu scans in parallel and prints a size chart in the terminal, but reports usage only and cannot delete or move files.

  • QDirStat

    A Qt-based graphical disk usage analyser with a directory tree and treemap view.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinux

    QDirStat moves to a graphical tree and treemap view on macOS and Linux, with no Windows version and a dense interface.

Also worth comparing

These listings name gdu as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • DaisyDisk

    Interactive sunburst map of disk usage for macOS.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    gdu is a free open-source terminal analyzer for Windows, macOS and Linux with parallel scans, replacing the graphical sunburst with a text interface.

  • Disk Usage Analyzer

    A GNOME app that shows which folders are using disk space, as a tree and chart.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    gdu is a free, open-source terminal disk-usage analyzer with parallel scanning and interactive size inspection, running on Windows, macOS and Linux instead of the GNOME desktop only.

  • Duc

    A set of tools that index disk usage into a database and show it in several interfaces.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    gdu is an MIT-licensed terminal analyzer for Windows, macOS and Linux that scans in parallel and shows live results rather than a stored index.

  • Filelight

    Shows disk usage as concentric rings you can click into.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinux

    gdu is a terminal analyzer with parallel scans on Windows, macOS and Linux, avoiding KDE library dependencies but offering no graphical chart.

  • GrandPerspective

    Treemap view of disk usage on macOS.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    gdu is a MIT-licensed terminal analyzer with parallel scans on Windows, macOS and Linux, without a graphical treemap.

  • K4DirStat

    A KDE utility that adds up disk usage for directory trees and shows it as a treemap.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    gdu is a cross-platform terminal analyzer with parallel scans, replacing the treemap with an interactive text view.

  • OmniDiskSweeper

    A free macOS utility that lists the files on a drive from largest to smallest.

    FreeProprietarymacOS

    gdu is an open source terminal disk usage analyzer with parallel scans, running on macOS, Linux and Windows instead of a graphical app.

  • SpaceSniffer

    Shows disk usage as a treemap you click into, so the biggest folders and files are immediately obvious.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    gdu is an open source terminal analyzer for Windows, macOS and Linux, trading the visual treemap for a text interface with parallel scans.

  • TreeSize Free

    Shows which folders are eating a Windows drive, ranked largest first, without a scan that takes all afternoon.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindows

    gdu is an MIT-licensed terminal analyzer with parallel scans for Windows, macOS and Linux, replacing the graphical tree with a text interface.

  • WinDirStat

    Draws your whole drive as a treemap, so a single 40 GB file is a huge rectangle you cannot miss.

    FreeOpen sourceWindows

    gdu is an MIT-licensed terminal disk analyzer with parallel scans across Windows, macOS and Linux, trading the treemap for a text interface.

  • WizTree

    Finds what is eating a Windows disk in seconds by reading the NTFS master file table directly.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindows

    gdu is an open source terminal analyzer with parallel scans on Windows, macOS and Linux, without a graphical treemap.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.