Best Duplicate File Finder for Mac
Your photo library is a complete mess. Your downloads folder is a mess. Your music folders are riddled with so many duplicates that you can’t tell what’s new and what’s left of Napster. We all have too many duplicate files on our computers that we don’t need. To get rid of them on your Mac, we recommend Gemini.
Twins
Platform : Mac Price : $ 10 Download Page
Functions
- Fast scan algorithm
- Integrates with iTunes and iPhoto libraries.
- Works with external drives and network volumes
- Automatic selection of files in large quantities
- Tons of filtering options
- Data table separates your duplicates by type
- Finder Integration
- Preview mode for double checking files before deleting
- Ignore lists
Where is it best
Gemini is the fastest duplicate file finder we’ve tested on OS X, which in itself is a great feature if you’re looking for duplicates quite often. Beyond that, it’s about design and usability. Gemini is easy to use, whatever your skill level. When you select a hard drive or folder to scan, Gemini categorizes your duplicates by file type so you can easily delete unneeded files. The search algorithm is smart enough to find duplicate images with different filenames.
Also a bonus is deep integration with OS X. You can search for duplicates right from the Finder, preview selected items from within the app, and Gemini has a handy recovery option if you encounter an error at the last second. Gemini also has a pair of handy fail-safe devices. If it catches a duplicate audio file, it will only delete the one that is not in your iTunes folder. It’s the same with any iPhoto file.
Gemini is incredibly easy to use, but still has ample options for advanced users to customize to suit their needs. Once you find your duplicates, you can delete them and Gemini will offer a satisfying paper shredding animation so you know that all of these files are gone.
Where it fails
Gemini has tons of options, but it’s still not the most fully featured duplicate file finder. You don’t have a ton of minute control, so if you’re looking for something very specific, Gemini won’t help you. Gemini’s auto-selection tool is a curse too, as it is very easy to accidentally delete an important file if you are not really paying attention to it. This is the case with any of these duplicate finder tools, but Gemini seems to be making the mistake a little easier.
The $ 10 price tag may also be off-putting to some, but Gemini tends to be sold a lot or come in kits, so it’s easy to get them cheap (or even free) if you don’t mind waiting. You can also find a demo version that will scan files, but not delete them if you are stranded.
Competition
You have tons of options for finding duplicate files, but few of them really stand out from the rest. If Gemini’s $ 10 price tag is too high for you, dupeGuru (Free) is the best free alternative (it’s also our pick on Windows ). DupeGuru is slightly slower than Gemini, forces you to download three different releases for different file types, and has no interface available, but gets the job done.
If you’re more interested in a ton of filtering options, Tidy Up 4 ($ 30) is expensive but easily one of the most customizable duplicate file finders around. You can search for files using just about any parameter you can think of, including file size, tags, creation time, and more. The Chipmunk ($ 15) is similar and worth seeing for the same reason.
If you don’t like something about Gemini’s interface, Duplicate Finder ($ 10) does almost everything Gemini does, with a slightly different interface.
Also worth noting is CCleaner ($ 25), which is more about system optimization, but also includes a duplicate finder if you’re not looking for anything too complicated.