Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

dua-cli VS ncdu

Compare dua-cli VS ncdu and see what are their differences

dua-cli logo dua-cli

dua (-> Disk Usage Analyzer) is a tool to conveniently learn about the usage of disk space of a given directory. It's parallel by default and will max out your SSD, providing relevant information as fast as possible.

ncdu logo ncdu

A disk usage analyzer with an ncurses interface, aimed to be run on a remote server where you...
  • dua-cli Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-10-03
  • ncdu Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-10

dua-cli features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

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 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.

dua-cli 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 dua-cli and ncdu)
Hard Disk Usage
5 5%
95% 95
Disk Analyzer
5 5%
95% 95
OS & Utilities
5 5%
95% 95
Hard Drive Tools
22 22%
78% 78

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.

dua-cli mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of dua-cli yet. Tracking of dua-cli recommendations started around Oct 2025.

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 / 8 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 / over 1 year ago
  • Whatโ€™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: over 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
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing dua-cli and ncdu, you can also consider the following products

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.

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

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

SquirrelDisk - Discover what files are taking up your hard disks.

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

DiskPoint - Cross-platform disk cleaning tool offering private, local file operations with no data tracking, no cloud uploads, no ads, no cost, and an intuitive interface.