# Disk Census vs Pretty Clean

Pretty Clean is a small, free cleaner with a Developer Mode for the caches development tools leave behind. Disk Census names each tool it covers, tags every item Safe, Review or Keep, and says what regenerates it.

Checked 9 October 2026. Canonical page: https://diskcensus.com/compare/prettyclean

## In short

- Pretty Clean is a free, small cleaner with a Developer Mode. Disk Census names the tools it covers and says what each item is and whether it rebuilds.
- Disk Census sorts everything into Safe, Review and Keep, and also cleans AI coding agents’ leftovers.
- Disk Census has a command line with JSON on every command, for scripts and AI agents. Pretty Clean’s site doesn’t mention one.
- Pretty Clean is free and its installer is under 6 MB. Disk Census is a one-time purchase with every future version.

## Only in Disk Census

- **The tools, named:** Xcode, Homebrew, npm, pnpm, Yarn, Bun, Cargo, Go, Gradle, CocoaPods, pip, uv, conda and more, with node_modules, target and .venv folders grouped by project.
- **It says what’s safe to clear:** Every item is tagged Safe, Review or Keep, with what regenerates it. Keep items are shown with their size and never offered.
- **AI coding agents’ leftovers:** Old versions, caches and logs of Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others, with their history kept.
- **A command line for scripts and agents:** census ships inside the app with JSON on every command and stable exit codes.

## Side by side

| | Disk Census | Pretty Clean |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Developer caches and build output | Yes: Caches and build output of Xcode, Homebrew, npm, pnpm, Yarn, Bun, Cargo, Go, Gradle, CocoaPods, Swift Package Manager, pip, uv, Poetry, conda and more, with node_modules, target and .venv folders grouped by project. | Yes: Developer Mode cleans the compilation caches major development tools leave behind, without naming the tools. ([Pretty Clean website](https://www.prettyclean.cc/en)) |
| Saying what’s safe to remove | Yes: Every item is tagged Safe (rebuilds itself), Review (costs time or data to restore) or Keep, and the tag says what regenerates it. | Not stated on their site: Its site doesn’t describe risk levels. |
| AI coding agents’ leftovers | Yes: Old versions, caches, temporary files and logs of Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, Warp, Kiro, Antigravity, Goose and more. History, settings, credentials, plugins and skills are never offered. | Not stated on their site: Its site doesn’t mention AI agents. |
| Command line for scripts and agents | Yes: census ships inside the app, at the same version, with JSON on every command and stable exit codes. | Not stated on their site: Its site doesn’t mention a command line. |
| Where deleted items go | Deleted permanently, never to the Trash, and only after a person approves the exact items. Every confirmation says so. | Not stated on their site: Its site doesn’t say whether cleaned files go to the Trash. |
| What leaves the Mac | Files and scan results never leave the Mac. No analytics and no crash uploads. | Promises not to upload any scanned information. ([Pretty Clean website](https://www.prettyclean.cc/en)) |
| Requirements | macOS 12 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. Mac only. | Not stated on their site: Its site doesn’t state a macOS version. |

## Price

- Disk Census: **$3.99** ~~$10~~, one-time. Launch offer: Save 60%. Limited seats, offer ends soon. Then it’s $4.99. Up to 3 Macs.
- Pretty Clean: **Free**. A free download. The installer is under 6 MB. ([Pretty Clean website](https://www.prettyclean.cc/en), checked 9 October 2026)

Disk Census launch prices, by copies sold, in US dollars:

1. $3.99 · Save 60% · first 100 copies · now
2. $4.99 · Save 50% · next 150 copies · later
3. $6.99 · Save 30% · next 250 copies · later
4. $10 · regular price

## When Pretty Clean is the better pick

- You want a free cleaner: Pretty Clean costs nothing.
- You want a very small download: its installer is under 6 MB.

## Questions

### Is Disk Census a good Pretty Clean alternative for developers?

If you want to know exactly what is being cleaned, yes: Disk Census names each toolchain it covers, tags every item Safe, Review or Keep, and also cleans AI coding agents’ leftovers. If you want a free, light cleaner, Pretty Clean is that.

### Which developer tools does Disk Census clean?

Xcode, Homebrew, npm, pnpm, Yarn, Bun, Cargo, Go, Gradle, CocoaPods, Swift Package Manager, pip, uv, Poetry, conda and more, with node_modules, target and .venv folders grouped by project.

### Do Pretty Clean or Disk Census upload my files?

Disk Census doesn’t: files and scan results never leave the Mac, and it sends no analytics or crash reports. Pretty Clean promises not to upload any scanned information.

## Sources

- [Pretty Clean website](https://www.prettyclean.cc/en)

Checked 9 October 2026. Spot something out of date? Write to support@diskcensus.com.

Pretty Clean is a trademark of its owner. Disk Census isn’t affiliated with it.