TreeSize Free is a clean, simple analyzer for private use. Bytopsy is the alternative when you need it at work, want it on more than a desktop, or want duplicates, history and cleanup without paying.
Side by side
| Feature | Bytopsy | TreeSize Free |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature | Free edition; more features in paid editions |
| Licence terms | MIT: home, work and clients' PCs | Private, non-commercial use on desktops; not for Windows Server |
| Source code | Open source | Not stated as open source |
| Treemap | Yes | Yes |
| Duplicate finder | Yes, free | In a paid edition |
| Largest files, file types, old files | Yes, free | Largest-files filter is in a paid edition |
| Compare scans over time | Yes, free | In a paid edition |
| Safe cleanup | Yes, with protection rules and a restore journal | No |
| Portable | Yes, the default | Portable version available |
| Terminal app and scheduled cleanup | Yes | Command line and scheduling in the Professional edition |
TreeSize details from jam-software.com, October 2026. Editions and prices change, so check there for what is current. Something out of date? Tell us.
The licence is the real difference
The free edition of TreeSize is meant for private use in a non-commercial environment, on desktop systems. Using it to look after a company PC, or a client's, falls outside that, and the next step up is a paid licence per user per year. Bytopsy is MIT licensed: use it at home, at work and on clients' machines, change it, and share it. There is no edition above it to upgrade to.
What you get for free that TreeSize holds back
- Duplicates. Size first, then a quick hash, then the full SHA-256. One click selects every copy but the oldest. Similar photos are found by perceptual hash.
- Largest files, file types, old files and empty folders, and a search box that understands
>1G,older:1y,ext:mp4,mkvand combinations. - History and compare. Every scan is kept. Scan the same drive next month and see which folders grew or shrank.
- Cleanup. Caches, temporary files, developer junk and AI models, each measured first, protected by rules, and undoable through the Recycle Bin and a journal.
What TreeSize does well
It is a polished, widely used tool from a company that has made it for years, with a clear interface and PDF reports of disk usage. If you only want to look at a drive occasionally, for yourself, it does that well. If you want to act on what you see, try Bytopsy: it is a portable zip, so it takes two minutes and leaves nothing behind if you delete the folder.
More comparisons: Bytopsy vs WinDirStat, the WizTree alternative and the CCleaner alternative.