29 apps4 best-of guides17 free to start
Files, backup and storage
Move, compress, back up and clean up files, and handle PDFs without paying for Acrobat.
The top 3
Our highest-rated picks in Files, backup and storage right now.
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DaisyDiskShows your whole drive as a clickable ring map, so the biggest space hogs stand out right away.$9.99 once - 2
HazelSet rules once and your Mac renames, files and cleans up downloads on its own, even reading the text in scanned PDFs.$42 once - 3
LocalSendAirDrop-style file sharing between iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and Linux, free, encrypted and with no account or internet needed.Free, open source4.5
Best-of guides
Each one names 1 winner, the best free pick and who should choose something else.
All 29 apps in Files, backup and storage
29 apps
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Price
Trial
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DaisyDiskShows your whole drive as a clickable ring map, so the biggest space hogs stand out right away.$9.99 once
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HazelSet rules once and your Mac renames, files and cleans up downloads on its own, even reading the text in scanned PDFs.$42 once
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LocalSendAirDrop-style file sharing between iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and Linux, free, encrypted and with no account or internet needed.Free, open source4.5
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BackblazeSet-and-forget offsite backup for your whole Mac and its external drives, at a flat price with no storage cap.From $9 -
PDF ExpertRead, sign and fill PDFs free on every Apple device, with real text editing once you pay.Free to start4.7 -
Carbon Copy ClonerScheduled, verified backups to your own external drive, with snapshots for older file versions and 1 license for the whole household.$49.99 once -
ArqEncrypted, versioned backups sent to the cloud storage or drive you pick, locked with a password only you know.$59.99 once -
CleanMyMacOne scan that clears junk, malware and forgotten files from your Mac and your cloud drives, for people who'd rather not dig.From $9.95 -
DropoverShake while dragging to open a floating shelf that holds files, links and images until you drop them somewhere.Free to start -
AppCleanerDrop an app on it and it deletes the app plus every cache and settings file it left behind, free.Free -
KekaOpens 30+ archive formats and makes password-protected or split archives, free from the developer's site.Free -
YoinkA drag-and-drop shelf that appears at the edge of the screen so you can park files mid-drag and finish later.$8.99 once4.7 -
DropzoneStart dragging any file and a grid of actions appears, ready to move, AirDrop, resize or upload it in one motion.Free to start -
ForkLift2 panes side by side, with servers and cloud drives opened like local folders, for $19.95 once.$19.95 once -
HyperduckSends any link from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac's browser through iCloud, for $5 once.$5 once4.9 -
SkimA free PDF reader for long papers that collects every highlight and note in one list you can export.Free, open source -
SuperDuper!A complete, restorable copy of your Mac on an external drive, free for full copies and $43.95 for smart updates.Free to start -
ClopShrinks screenshots, recordings and PDFs the moment you copy or save them, so files fit under upload limits without extra steps.Free to start -
PeelA free, open-source uninstaller that removes leftover files and explains why each one belongs to the app.Free, open source -
A Better Finder RenameA batch file renamer for Mac with a live preview, $29.95 once.$29.95 once -
GrandPerspectiveA free, open source map of your disk where the biggest files show up as the biggest blocks.Free, open source -
HookmarkHooks your files, emails and web pages together, so everything for a project is one shortcut away.Free to start -
SmolA Mac compressor for images, PDFs and video, $29 once.$29 once -
App Cleaner & UninstallerUninstalls Mac apps with their caches and support files, and manages startup items and extensions.Free to start -
MacMD ViewerPreview for Markdown: tables, code and Mermaid diagrams rendered in a window or in Finder's Quick Look.$19.99 once -
DigUpA free, open-source menu bar app that finds photos, PDFs and recordings by describing what's in them.Free, open source
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FileTypeGuardLocks every file type to the app you chose and undoes any app that changes it.Free, open source
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SortioType how you want files sorted, preview the moves and undo them, with a free rule-based tier.Free to start -
RefolderAn AI file sorter for Downloads and Desktop that shows you every move before it makes one.Free to start
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