BleachBit vs FolderSizes

BleachBit is a free, open-source cleanup tool for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It removes junk files to free disk space and can erase data such as browser traces to help protect privacy. Before deletion, users can preview selected files and choose what to clean. For sensitive data, it can shred files and overwrite free disk space to make recovery harder. Built-in cleaners handle applications including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and VLC, along with system logs and temporary files. Windows users can add cleaners through winapp2.ini, which the maker says provides access to thousands of additional cleaners. Advanced users can write custom cleaners using CleanerML; Linux cleaners include package-manager cleanup for APT, Pacman, Snap, Yum, and DNF. A command-line interface supports scripts and automated cleanup. BleachBit is licensed under GPLv3 and costs nothing, with no payment or registration required. The maker says it has no adware, spyware, telemetry, malware, bloatware, backdoors, or browser toolbars. Support options include documentation, videos, GitHub reports and questions, and feature requests; the help page asks users not to email technical support directly.

FolderSizes is a Windows tool for examining file and folder space across local and network storage. It scans local drives, external drives, mapped network drives, UNC paths, and network shares, then presents results as treemap, sunburst, bar, and pie charts. Searches can be narrowed by age, name, attributes, size, owner, date, or depth-related criteria. Reports export to Excel, PDF, HTML, CSV, and XML; recurring scans can also send automated email reports. Disk and folder usage tracking, along with file system snapshots, can show changes over time. The free edition has no time limit and includes four visualizations, reports, advanced search, and scan filtering. The free trial has no feature limitations. A Personal Edition license costs $30 as a one-time purchase and is limited to personal and home network use; a Single-User Pro license costs $60 as a one-time purchase. Pro upgrades include priority technical support and free minor version upgrades. The maker says FolderSizes has been continuously developed since 2003.