Alternatives to ncdu
A disk usage analyser with a text interface, built for finding what is filling a remote server you can only reach over SSH. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
ncdu
A disk usage analyser with a text interface, built for finding what is filling a remote server you can only reach over SSH.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as ncdu.
gdu
Find large directories with a terminal disk-usage analyzer.
gdu is an MIT-licensed terminal analyzer with parallel scans and builds for Windows, macOS and Linux, adding the Windows support ncdu lacks.
dua-cli
Explore disk usage and remove unwanted files in the terminal.
dua-cli offers interactive terminal navigation with optional deletion like ncdu, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux under the MIT licence.
Dust
See which directories consume space in a compact terminal tree.
Dust prints a compact tree with size bars instead of an interactive browser, so there is no in-interface deletion, but it runs on Windows too.
diskus
Measure the total size of a directory from the command line.
diskus only reports the total size of a directory with parallel scanning, so it replaces quick size checks but not browsing or deleting.
godu
An interactive terminal utility written in Go for finding the files and folders filling a disk.
godu is a single Go binary for interactively browsing disk usage over SSH, though it is a smaller project with occasional updates.
pdu (parallel-disk-usage)
A command-line directory tree analyzer that measures disk usage in parallel and prints a size chart.
pdu scans in parallel and prints a size chart in the terminal, but it only reports usage and cannot delete or move files.
Also worth comparing
These listings name ncdu as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
DaisyDisk
Interactive sunburst map of disk usage for macOS.
ncdu is a free open-source text interface for macOS and Linux that works over SSH and deletes files in place, but shows a list rather than a chart.
Disk Usage Analyzer
A GNOME app that shows which folders are using disk space, as a tree and chart.
ncdu is a free, open-source text-interface analyser that works over SSH on servers without a desktop and can delete files inside the interface, trading charts for a list.
Duc
A set of tools that index disk usage into a database and show it in several interfaces.
ncdu scans live over SSH with a text interface and can delete files in place, and its binary export helps with trees too large for memory.
Filelight
Shows disk usage as concentric rings you can click into.
ncdu replaces the ring chart with a text interface that works over SSH on macOS and Linux, and allows deleting files in place.
GrandPerspective
Treemap view of disk usage on macOS.
ncdu is a text interface for macOS and Linux that works over SSH and deletes in place, trading the treemap for a sorted list.
K4DirStat
A KDE utility that adds up disk usage for directory trees and shows it as a treemap.
ncdu is a text-interface analyser that works over SSH on servers without a graphical environment.
OmniDiskSweeper
A free macOS utility that lists the files on a drive from largest to smallest.
ncdu is an open source terminal analyser for macOS and Linux that sorts folders by size and deletes from inside the interface.
QDirStat
A Qt-based graphical disk usage analyser with a directory tree and treemap view.
ncdu replaces the graphical treemap with a text interface that works over SSH on servers without a desktop.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
duf
Shows disk usage and free space in a readable coloured table.
dysk
List filesystem capacity in configurable terminal tables.
WinDirStat
Draws your whole drive as a treemap, so a single 40 GB file is a huge rectangle you cannot miss.
