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Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer VS Filelight

Compare Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer VS Filelight and see what are their differences

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer logo Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer is one of the light-weight disk analyzers that offers you a chance to view and monitor the disk usage & folder structure without any hassle.

Filelight logo Filelight

Filelight is an application to visualize the disk usage on your computer.
  • Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-16
  • Filelight Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-19

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Baobab offers a graphical representation of disk usage, making it easy for users to understand how their disk space is being utilized. The visual approach helps in quickly identifying large files and directories.
  • Integration with GNOME
    As a part of the GNOME project, Baobab integrates seamlessly into GNOME-based desktop environments, providing a consistent user experience and easy access.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    Baobab allows for real-time monitoring of disk usage, helping users track changes as they happen without needing to refresh or restart the application manually.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Although it is designed for Linux, Baobab can be compiled and run on other Unix-like operating systems, making it a versatile tool for a variety of environments.
  • Customizable Scanning Options
    Users can choose to scan entire filesystems, specific directories, or even remote locations via SSH, providing flexibility in how disk usage is analyzed.

Possible disadvantages of Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer

  • Resource Intensive
    Baobab can be resource-heavy, particularly when scanning large filesystems. This might slow down the system or cause other applications to lag.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it is user-friendly, Baobab may lack some advanced features that power-users or system administrators might need, such as detailed reporting or automated cleanup options.
  • GNOME Dependency
    Baobab is tightly integrated with GNOME, which means it might not be the best choice for users of other desktop environments. Installation on non-GNOME systems might require additional dependencies.
  • Graphical-Only
    Being a GUI-based tool, Baobab does not provide a command-line interface, which could be a limitation for users who prefer or need command-line operations for scripting or remote management.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Some users have reported occasional crashes or instability when scanning very large directories or filesystems, which could disrupt workflows.

Filelight features and specs

  • Visual Representation
    Filelight provides a visual representation of disk usage using concentric rings, making it easy to identify large files and directories that are taking up space.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly understand their disk usage without steep learning curves.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Being part of the KDE suite, Filelight is available on various platforms including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
  • Open Source
    Filelight is open source, allowing users to study, modify, and distribute the software according to their needs.
  • Integration with KDE
    Filelight integrates well with other KDE applications, providing a seamless user experience for those using KDE Desktop Environment.

Possible disadvantages of Filelight

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to some other disk usage analyzers, Filelight has limited features and may not have advanced options like automatic cleanup tools.
  • Performance on Large Filesystems
    Some users report performance issues when scanning very large filesystems, as the visualization can take significant time to generate.
  • Dependency on KDE Libraries
    Filelight requires KDE libraries to be installed, which might be cumbersome for users not using the KDE desktop environment.
  • No Real-time Monitoring
    Filelight does not provide real-time disk usage monitoring, which can be a downside for users needing continuous tracking.

Analysis of Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer

Overall verdict

  • Baobab is considered a good tool for users looking to manage their disk space efficiently. Its ease of use, visual representation of data, and the ability to handle multiple file systems make it a reliable choice for many users.

Why this product is good

  • Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer is a popular tool because it provides a comprehensive graphical view of disk usage. It is appreciated for its user-friendly interface, which allows users to easily identify which files and directories are taking up the most space. The tool is integrated with the GNOME desktop environment and can scan both local and remote file systems, making it versatile for different use cases.

Recommended for

    Baobab is recommended for users who are on the GNOME desktop environment and need a straightforward way to understand and manage disk space. It is suitable for both casual users who want an easy way to reclaim disk space and more advanced users who require detailed analysis of disk usage patterns.

Analysis of Filelight

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Filelight is generally considered a good tool for users who want to analyze disk usage effectively and visually. It is user-friendly, efficient, and provides detailed insights into how space is being used on a drive, which is particularly useful for users looking to manage their storage more effectively.

Why this product is good

  • Filelight is a disk space analyzer that provides a visual representation of disk usage. It is appreciated for its intuitive interface and interactive sunburst chart that makes understanding disk space distribution easier. It integrates well with the KDE environment and supports a wide variety of file systems, making it a versatile tool for users who need to quickly identify large files or directories that consume a lot of space.

Recommended for

    Filelight is recommended for users who prefer graphical representation of disk usage and are comfortable in the KDE desktop environment. It is also suitable for users who need to manage disk space across different file systems and those who want an easy way to identify space-consuming files and directories.

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer videos

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Filelight videos

Filelight : Shows where your diskspace is being used in Linux Mint (Ubuntu)

More videos:

  • Review - Plasma 5.18: Installing apps from Dolphin Menus (Filelight app)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer and Filelight)
Disk Analyzer
54 54%
46% 46
Hard Disk Usage
55 55%
45% 45
OS & Utilities
54 54%
46% 46
Hard Drive Tools
48 48%
52% 52

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Filelight seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer yet. Tracking of Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer recommendations started around Aug 2021.

Filelight mentions (11)

  • WinDirStat – Windows Directory Statistics
    Many good alternative listed already. But I have quite liked FileLight which is cross platform https://apps.kde.org/filelight/ Likely not as fast as WizTree though. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Where to check wheres everything installed?
    You’ll need to boot into Desktop Mode to drill deeper regarding what’s installed on your SD card or internal storage. In Desktop Mode, you can navigate around using the built-in file explorer, Dolphin. You can also download and install Filelight from the Discover app store, if you want more of a visual aid while sifting through your files and directories. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • This doesn’t seem normal?
    I would open the Discover store in Desktop mode and download Filelight, which will help visualize the used space on your drive. It might help illuminate what’s taking up so much space, pun intended. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Microsoft Edge takes up how much space?
    Use KDE Filelight, it's actively maintained unlike SpaceMonger. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Firefox eating SSD space after Windows 10 update.
    Run this before assuming that it's some random program https://apps.kde.org/filelight/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer and Filelight, you can also consider the following products

ncdu - A disk usage analyzer with an ncurses interface, aimed to be run on a remote server where you...

DiskUsage - DiskUsage provides a way to find out which files and directories on the SD card of your Android...

WinDirStat - WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool, inspired by KDirStat.

WizTree - WizTree quickly finds the files and folders using the most space on your hard drive. It scans the MFT (Master File Table) instead of crawling the entire disk which makes it very fast.

TreeSize - TreeSize tells you where precious disk space has gone to.

Gdu - Gdu is one of the smart open-source disk analyzers specially designed for Linux that provides you complete information related to the disk space.