Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer VS ncdu

Compare Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer VS ncdu 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.

ncdu logo ncdu

A disk usage analyzer with an ncurses interface, aimed to be run on a remote server where you...
  • Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-16
  • ncdu Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-10

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.

ncdu features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Ncdu provides a text-based user interface which is easy to navigate and offers clear, color-coded disk usage visualization.
  • Speed
    Ncdu is designed to be fast and efficient, able to quickly scan and index disk usage information even on large file systems.
  • Low Resource Consumption
    The application consumes minimal system resources, making it suitable for use on systems with limited resources.
  • Interactive
    Ncdu allows users to interactively browse through directories, delete files, and drill down to see detailed disk usage statistics.
  • Portability
    Ncdu is available for multiple platforms, including Linux, BSD, macOS, and Windows, making it versatile across different environments.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, users can freely inspect the code, suggest features, and contribute to the project.
  • Remote System Compatibility
    Ncdu can be used over SSH, which makes it convenient for managing disk usage on remote servers.

Possible disadvantages of ncdu

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Ncdu primarily focuses on disk usage analysis and lacks some advanced features found in other tools such as detailed file metadata or advanced filtering options.
  • Text-based Interface Limitation
    While the text-based interface is quick and efficient, it may not be as intuitive or visually appealing as GUI-based disk usage analyzers for some users.
  • No Built-in Reporting
    Ncdu does not offer built-in functionality for generating comprehensive reports. Users have to manually compile data if detailed reports are needed.
  • Potential Learning Curve
    Beginners or users unfamiliar with command-line tools may find it challenging to get started and utilize all of ncdu's features effectively.
  • Lack of Detailed Visualization
    While ncdu offers a visual representation of disk usage, it doesn't provide more advanced visualizations like pie charts or graphs.

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 ncdu

Overall verdict

  • Yes, ncdu is considered a good tool for disk usage analysis due to its efficiency, speed, and ease of use. It is well-suited for users who want a lightweight and straightforward solution without the need for graphical interfaces.

Why this product is good

  • ncdu (NCurses Disk Usage) is a disk usage analyzer with an ncurses interface. It is designed to provide a fast and easy way to view and manage disk space usage on your system. With its simple text-based interface, you can quickly navigate directories and identify which files or directories are consuming the most space. This tool is particularly useful for system administrators and users who prefer working in a terminal environment.

Recommended for

  • System administrators who need to quickly identify disk space usage issues.
  • Users who prefer command-line tools over graphical user interfaces.
  • Anyone managing servers or computers remotely through SSH.
  • Those looking for a lightweight and efficient way to manage disk space on Unix-like systems.

Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer videos

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ncdu videos

ncdu - NCurses Disk Usage Utility - Linux TUI

More videos:

  • Review - Lubuntu Screencast: Showing size of folders with du and ncdu
  • Review - Terminal File Manager - Amazing file manager in Terminal NCDU

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Baobab Disk Usage Analyzer and ncdu)
Disk Analyzer
46 46%
54% 54
Hard Disk Usage
48 48%
52% 52
OS & Utilities
48 48%
52% 52
Hard Drive Tools
44 44%
56% 56

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ncdu seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 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.

ncdu mentions (23)

  • How to clean your virtual server (VPS)
    For an even more detailed analysis, take a look at tools such as ncdu, a disk usage viewer in terminal mode. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: Interesting TUIs (text user interfaces), maybe forgotten ones?
    These certainly aren't forgotten, but I like: * `ranger` file manager: https://ranger.github.io/ * `ncdu` for visualising disk usage: https://dev.yorhel.nl/ncdu * `htop` process monitor: https://htop.dev/ I just find them very intuitive, and information-dense while not being overwhelming. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • What’s using my drive space?
    There are also more user-friendly and interactive tools to do this. I use and like ncdu, but there are others, such as duc. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • The Most Useful Command Line Tools (2023 edition)
    In the same way of Dust, there is also NCDU which is an NCruses-based du interface, i.e. interactive. Source: over 2 years ago
  • ec2 ebs volume getting full
    Or try ncdu if you want a simple TUI style display of what's using what. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Filelight - Filelight is an application to visualize the disk usage on your computer.

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.

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.