What is the best duplicate file finder for Mac in 2024

Marat Kornyev
A tech-writer loving to find the best applications for Mac
June 14, 2023
18 minutes to read

In this article, we tested the most popular duplicate finder software for Mac and prepared a comparison chart of them to help you find the best option for you. Since, searching for duplicate files on a Mac is not a quick and simple task, we hope this variety of special duplicate file finders will make this process faster and easier for you.

Best duplicate file finders for Mac in 2024

Features
Duplicate File Finder icon
Duplicate File Finder
Gemini 2 icon
Gemini 2
Disk Drill icon
Disk Drill
Duplicate File Fixer icon
Duplicate File Fixer
Duplicate Sweeper icon
Duplicate Sweeper
Cisdem icon
Cisdem Duplicate Finder
Rating on App Store
4.7 4.0 3.9 4.0 1.0 3.8
Free Trial

(2 days with unlimited features, then free for limited features)

(allows to clean up 500 MB of duplicate files only)

(basic version allows to delete duplicate files for free)

(allows only to view duplicates)

(allows only to view duplicates)

Lifetime license
$34.95 $44.95 $39.99 $8.99 $13.99 $29.99
License for subscription
$14.95 $19.99 $19.99
Scanning speed (130GB)
5 sec
35 sec
5 sec
30 sec
35 sec
2+ min
Additional features
Finding similar pictures
Finding similar folders
Merging similar folders

Video Guide

The methodology used to compare Mac duplicate finder software
All the duplicate finders that are mentioned in this article were tested on MacBook Pro 2020 with an M1 processor.

When making a research and comparing applications to find unwanted duplicate files on a Mac, we paid attention to the following criteria:

  1. Ease of accessing the application – distribution on the App Store or on the developer’s website.
  2. Prices and pricing policy: one-time purchase or a subscription.
  3. Ease to use: interface, intuitive usability, clearness of the features’ names.
  4. Usefulness and uniqueness of the features.
  5. Files scanning time speed.
  6. Availability of the Auto-select option and diversity of its rules.
  7. Availability of the developer’s team support and the speed of responses.
  8. Applications built-in tips and help guides on the developer’s website.
  9. Information about the last five updates.
Read More


Duplicate File Finder icon

Duplicate File Finder

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $14.95
Compatibility: macOS 10.13 or later
Size: 85.1 MB
Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.7

Duplicate File Finder window

Pros

  • Free version.
  • Fast Hard Drive scan time.
  • Scan of external drivers.
  • Merges similar folders in PRO version.
  • Finds similar and duplicate photos in the Photo Library.
  • Option to restore accidentally deleted files.
  • Finds similar pictures and audio files.
  • Compares two folders for duplicate content
  • Compares two files to check whether they are dupes or not

Cons

  • 𐄂 Have to pay for additional functionality.
  • 𐄂 No dark mode.
  • 𐄂 For some functions, you may need a tutorial.

Overview

Duplicate File Finder by Nektony helps you delete duplicates on Mac and on any external storage. It has the fastest scanning speed when finding duplicate files in comparison with other duplicate file finders for Mac we tested on MacBook Pro 2021.

Also, Duplicate File Finder detects similar folders, which have both equal and unique files, and provides you with an option to merge them, which helps you quickly organize your files. Moreover, Duplicate File Finder detects similar photos and audio files. It scans your Photo Library and then shows similar photos helping you to choose a photo with the best quality and offering you to delete all the unneeded ones. This feature helps you to make your clean-up process as easy as possible.

Pricing and Evaluation policy

Duplicate File Finder provides three options. First, the free version from the App Store with limited features, the Pro (paid) version with additional features, and the application’s website version which comes with a free 2-day trial. The Pro mode with advanced features like removing duplicate files in bulk, comparing similar folders, or merging folders, costs $14.95.

Unique features

Select Duplicates in Folder – it allows you to quickly select unneeded duplicate files in a particular folder. You will need a Pro mode to use this option.

Merge Folders – you can merge folders to organize your Mac storage. Choose the source folders and a destination folder and click to merge all content inside these folders. You can set up whether the unique files will be copied or moved from one folder to another one. Merging is available in the Pro version.

Update history

The application is being updated pretty frequently and the updates are not just bug fixes but the team also adds new and interesting features. See the update history of Duplicate File Finder.


Gemini 2 icon

Gemini 2

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $19.99/yr
Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later
Size: 46.2 MB
Rating: ★★★★☆ / 4.0

Gemini duplicate finder

Pros

  • Has a free option with the majority of features being available.
  • Dark mode.
  • Amazing design.
  • Different paying options.
  • Option to restore accidentally deleted files, before you clean the Trash.

Cons

  • 𐄂 Free version does not allow you to delete files automatically.
  • 𐄂 Slow scanning.
  • 𐄂 High price.
  • 𐄂 Cannot select in one folder.
  • 𐄂 Cannot merge similar or identical folders.

Overview

Gemini 2 is a duplicate image finder created by the MacPaw company. This app scans files and folders on your disk and detects twin and similar media files. Gemini 2 can find duplicate photos and other types of duplicate files on your Mac, including the Photos Library and iTunes Media folders. It has a straightforward interface, which is similar to Finder’s design.

Pricing and Evaluation policy

The free trial of Gemini 2 has some limitations. It allows you to clean up 500 MB of duplicates only. The paid version can be downloaded from the App Store for $19.99 for a one-year subscription or $44.95 for a one-time purchase.

Update History

From the update history, it can be seen that the Gemini’s team is working very hard on this duplicate photo cleaner and keeps on making it better and better. The updates are pretty frequent and are not just bug fixes. For instance, the last major update was in March 2021 and now, Gemini 2 moves images to the Recently Deleted album in Photos app.

Disk Drill icon

Disk Drill

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $39.99
Compatibility: macOS 10.11 or later
Size: 16.8 MB
Rating: ★★★★☆ / 3.9

All duplicate files section in Disk Drill

Pros

  • More than just a duplicate file remover, it is also an application for junk removal
  • Modern design
  • FIle recovery features
  • Great auto select options

Cons

  • 𐄂 High price, if used only as duplicate remover

Overview

Unlike other best duplicate photo finders, Disk Drill is not just an app to delete duplicate photos and other files. This application was designed to help you restore the information you have recently deleted. However, it has an option to check your Mac for duplicates, which will be the feature of our focus today.

Pricing and Evaluation policy

Here is the good news. You can try Disk Drill absolutely for free, or you can go ahead and get it for only $39.99.

Update History

From the update history, it can be seen that the updates were major. However, the last update was at the beginning of 2021.


Duplicate File Fixer icon

Duplicate File Fixer

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $8.99
Compatibility: macOS 10.8 or later
Size: 2.5 MB
Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.1

scan window duplicate file fixer

Pros

  • Frequent updates
  • M1 support
  • Great price
  • Small size of the application
  • Works on older MacOS versions

Cons

  • 𐄂 Updates are minor
  • 𐄂 Cannot work with duplicate folders
  • 𐄂 Limited auto-select options

Overview

Duplicate File Fixer is an application developed by Systweak Software. Like any other application from the list, this is an application that removes duplicate photos and other types of files on your Mac hard drive. The price is $8.99 on the App Store. The requirements work on Macs with macOS 10.8 + and have an excellent 4.1 rating on App Store.

Update History

From the update history, we can see that the team is constantly working on improving Duplicate File Fixer. However, most of their updates mostly include bug fixes and they are not providing users with great new features. The app is usually updated once in three month, but each update is followed by one or two more in the next few days, with even more bug fixes.

Cisdem icon

Cisdem Duplicate Finder

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $29.99
Compatibility: macOS 10.10 or later
Size: 2.5 MB
Rating: ★★★★☆ / 3.8

After scan window in Cisdem Duplicate Finder

Pros

  • M1 optimized
  • Frequent updates
  • User-friendly interface
  • Small application size

Cons

  • 𐄂 Long scan time
  • 𐄂 Similar photos might not really be similar

Overview

The Cisdem company provides different types of applications for Mac users, including the Cisdem Duplicate Finder app. This application scans your Mac for duplicate photos and similar photos. It also can find twin files in the Photos Library and iTunes Media folders on your Mac. The app has a simple interface, takes up 8.9 MB, and is suitable for macOS 10.10 or later.

Pricing and Evaluation policy

The free trial of the app does not allow you to remove duplicate files. It is only possible in the paid version. The lifetime license costs $29.99 and a subscription plan is starting from $19.99 for one-year use.

Important notes when using the application

  • Check Preferences before the scanning process. You can scan by File Content or File Name and vary the size of scanning files.
  • Also, be careful while using the Similar Photos option because the app finds files that differ quite a bit, and it can be a potential issue. You can accidentally delete different photos.

Update History

From the update history, it can be seen that the application is being frequently updated and each update provides both bug fixes and new features, or extensions for the old features. The developers provide us with updates every two to three month and they make each update special by adding new and amazing features to the app.


Duplicate Sweeper icon

Duplicate Sweeper

Cost: Free, Pro mode for $4.99
Compatibility: macOS 10.8 or later
Size: 3.9 MB
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ / 0

Duplicate files after scan in Duplicate Sweeper

Pros

  • Dark mode support
  • Wide set of auto-select rules
  • Auto-select right from the scan
  • M1 optimized

Cons

  • 𐄂 Rare and minor updates
  • 𐄂 No AppStore ranking
  • 𐄂 Limited functionality of settings

Overview

The Wide Angle Software company created the Duplicate Sweeper. The company specializes in applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Duplicate Sweeper is another yet practical application that scans folders on your Mac and detects all sorts of duplicates.

Pricing and Evaluation policy

You can try this duplicate file remover by downloading its free trial from the developer’s website. However, the free version only detects duplicates and doesn’t allow deleting them. The full version costs $9.99.

Important Note

Duplicate Sweeper can detect duplicates within applications. This means that if you accidentally delete some critical content of the application. As a result, the app might not function correctly. To avoid this, please, carefully review all the items on the Other tab and deselect those items with which you are not familiar.

Update History

From the update history, it can be seen that the updates are rare and minor, they only include bug fixes. The app’s update history is almost spontaneous and extremely minor. The last five updates included only bug fixes.

Conclusion

Let’s just sum it up a little. All six applications are great because they have made it to the best Mac Duplicate File Finder apps list. Each application has its ups and downs. Below, you can see a more detailed comparison chart of top Mac duplicate finders with the list of available features in each of them.

A detailed comparison chart of Mac duplicate finders’ features

Features
Duplicate File Finder icon
Duplicate File Finder
Gemini 2 icon
Gemini 2
Disk Drill icon
Disk Drill
Duplicate File Fixer icon
Duplicate File Fixer
Duplicate Sweeper icon
Duplicate Sweeper
Cisdem icon
Cisdem Duplicate Finder
Free trial
Free version limits Can’t remove folders Remove only 500MB Can’t remove files, folders Can’t remove folders Can’t remove files, folders Can’t remove files, folders
Scanning speed (130GB)
  • Duplicate files
  • Duplicate folders
  • Similar folders
  • Similar pictures
  • Copies in Photos Library
  • Copies in iTunes
  • Similar audio files*
5 sec
35 sec
5 sec
  • 30 sec
  • 35 sec
    2+ min
    Notarized by Apple
    Notarization means developer ID-signed software has been checked by Apple for malicious components.
    The software passed Apple rules of privacy, safety and security.
    Overview report
    Built-in search
    Auto-select duplicates
    Auto select rules
  • Customized auto-select rules
  • Compare two folders and locate duplicate files
  • Keep in the folder…
  • Select by name
  • Select by path
  • Select by date
    Built-in file preview
    Priview files by types
    Restore function
    Restore accidentally deleted YES YES YES YES No YES
    Advanced features
    This depends on the application and each application is unique, the unique features will be described in the detailed review.
    • Replace files with links
    • Find hidden duplicates
    • Scan multiple folders
    • Select duplicates in bulk
    • Select Duplicates in Google Drive
    • Find similar folders
    • Merge duplicate folders
    Score 27 19 11 15 14 15

    It can be seen that Duplicate File Finder by Nektony justly takes first place in this list of applications as it has tons of features that will help you get rid of duplicates and organize your files.


    FAQ about duplicate finder for Mac

    What is the best duplicate file finder for Mac?
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