Your AI and dev tools ate your disk. Get it back.

Ollama and LM Studio models, Hugging Face downloads, node_modules, Xcode builds, npm, pip and uv caches. Sparebyte finds them, explains each one in plain English, and cleans what rebuilds itself.

Download free Pro from $15 First 100

macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon & Intel

Watch the 45‑second demo

Scan, explain, clean and undo, on a real Mac. Captions are burned in, so it works with the sound off too.

We scanned a developer’s MacBook: 22 GB of npm cache, 35 GB of Docker, and 26 GB of wallpaper videos nobody chose.

The MacBook belongs to Sparebyte’s founder: 494 GB, 26 GB free, almost full. macOS Storage settings filed 127 GB under “System Data” and stopped there. Sparebyte opened it up.

Macintosh HD468 GB used of 494 GB · 26 GB free
  • Wallpaper videos26 GBmacOS Aerials: 45 downloaded, 1 on screen. Safe to clean.
  • Docker & virtual machines35 GBOrbStack’s disk: images, containers, volumes. Cleaned in OrbStack itself.
  • App data30 GBWhat apps keep in your Library: AI assistants, databases, IDEs.
  • Caches7 GB38 apps’ caches. They rebuild themselves.
  • Swap & sleep image6 GBmacOS manages this. It shrinks after a restart.
  • Mail & Messages attachments4 GBFiles people sent you.
  • Logs, backups & more7 GBLogs 1.2 GB, no iPhone backups, other system files.
  • Can’t be explained12 GBPurgeable space and APFS overhead macOS keeps to itself. Sparebyte says so instead of guessing.

What Sparebyte found to clean

64 GB

safe to get back right away, taking this Mac from 26 GB free to 90 GB.

Another 41 GB is worth a look, like Docker images and leftovers from deleted apps. Sparebyte lists it, but never ticks it for you; Docker is cleaned in OrbStack or Docker itself.

The biggest findings from that scan, in Sparebyte’s own words
FindingSafetySize
Wallpapers you’re not usingmacOS Aerial videos. Re-downloaded if you pick one again.Safe26 GB
npm download cache~/.npm, rebuilt on your next install.Safe22 GB
App cachesTemporary files apps rebuild. Open apps are skipped.Safe7 GB
node_modules in 11 idle projectsUntouched for 60+ days. npm install brings them back.Safe5.9 GB
Docker images and volumesShown with sizes. You clean them in OrbStack or Docker.Review35 GB
Leftovers from deleted apps12 apps you removed left data behind. Goes to the Trash.Review3 GB
64 GB safe · 41 GB more to review · 14 findings in all

Built for the way developers fill a Mac

One scan, two lists, every item named in plain English with a safety level. The developer list appears as soon as Sparebyte finds your tools.

AI and developer tools

The gigabytes most cleaners don’t explain.

  • AI models: Ollama, LM Studio, Hugging FaceReviewListed one model at a time with its size, so you keep the ones you use.
  • AI coding tools you stopped openingReviewWindsurf, Kiro, Trae, Qoder, Antigravity and old Codex sessions, untouched for 90 days.
  • Python and ML package cachesSafepip, uv and conda packages. Downloaded again when you install.
  • node_modules in idle projectsSafeActive projects stay unticked. npm install brings them back.
  • npm, pnpm, Yarn and Bun cachesSafe~/.npm, ~/.bun and friends. Re-downloaded when needed.
  • Xcode build files and Simulator cachesSafeDerivedData, rebuilt next time you build. Old archives and device support too.
  • Docker and OrbStack images and volumesReviewHow much they use, and where to clean them: in OrbStack or Docker itself.
  • Gradle, Maven, Cargo, Go and Homebrew cachesSafeDownloaded again on the next build.

Keep  Your databases (DBngin, Postgres.app) are shown so you know they’re there, and are never touched.

Everything else

What quietly fills any 256 or 512 GB Mac.

  • Duplicate filesReviewMatched by their full contents. Finder copies that share their space are flagged, so the number you see is what you get back.
  • Old installers and screenshotsReviewDisk images in Downloads and screenshots on your Desktop you’re done with, with where each download came from.
  • Wallpaper videos you’re not usingSafemacOS Aerials, minus the one on your screen.
  • App cachesSafeTemporary files apps rebuild on their own. Open apps are skipped.
  • Leftovers from deleted appsReviewData apps leave behind after you drag them to the Trash.
  • Old iPhone and iPad backupsReviewMoved to the Trash, so you can undo.
  • Apps you don’t useReviewTheir true size, including what they keep in your Library.
  • Your biggest filesReviewWith the date you last opened each one.

Honest by design

No scare banners, no inflated numbers, no nagging. Four promises shape every screen.

Anything that won’t come back on its own gets a 7-day Undo.

Caches, build files and anything you can simply download again are deleted right away, so the space really comes back. Everything else goes to the Trash, and Undo puts it back for 7 days.

The big number counts Safe items only.

Things worth a second look are listed on their own and never added to the headline.

No subscription.

Pay once for Pro on 1 or 3 Macs and get every 1.x update. Free never expires.

Your files and their names stay on your Mac.

Sparebyte measures and compares files on your Mac to explain them. None of that is uploaded.

Sent, only when needed

  • License key and a hashed Mac ID, to turn on Pro
  • Crash reports and usage totals, if you opt in

Never sent

  • File names
  • Paths
  • File contents

How Sparebyte compares

Features and prices only, taken from each vendor’s own website. Where a vendor’s site doesn’t say, the table says so instead of guessing.

Feature Sparebyte CleanMyMacby MacPaw DaisyDisk macOS Storage settingsSystem Settings › General › Storage
PriceFree, Pro from $29 one-timeFrom $15 for the first 100 buyersFrom $3.33 a monthSubscription; a one-time purchase is also sold$9.99 one-timeIncluded with macOS
Try before you payFree version, no time limitFree trialFree trial downloadBuilt in
Macs per license1 or 3Not statedUp to 5 personal MacsNot applicable
Visual disk mapYes, home folder or whole diskYes, Space LensYesNo, a list of categories
Breaks down “System Data”Yes, piece by piece, with what you can do about eachNot statedShows hidden space in “Other”Per its App Store listingOne combined category
Uninstall apps with their leftoversYes, in Pro, to the Trash with UndoYes, UninstallerNot statedNot stated
Malware removalNo, not what Sparebyte is forYesNot statedNot stated
Mac App StoreNo, sold directly (see FAQ)Yes, and sold directlyYes, and sold directlyPart of macOS
Prices checked October 2026 “Not stated” means the vendor’s own site doesn’t say. Sources: macpaw.com, daisydiskapp.com, Apple Support

Pay once. No subscription.

No subscription and no account. Free shows everything Sparebyte finds; Pro adds the Clean button and the tools around it.

  1. Early bird · $15 First 100 buyers
  2. Then · $29 after that

Sparebyte Pro

One license key for 1 or 3 Macs

Early-bird
How many Macs

$15$29

One-time payment · no subscription

  • Clean from inside Sparebyte, with a 7-day Undo for anything that goes to the Trash
  • Developer and AI cleanup: node_modules, Xcode, package caches, AI models
  • App uninstaller that finds the leftovers
  • Duplicates, weekly auto-clean and “what grew” history
  • Move to a new Mac anytime: turn Pro off on the old one
  • Every 1.x update included

Early-bird price for the first 100 buyers

Secure checkout by Stripe · 30-day refunds, no questions

Not ready to buy? Download Sparebyte free: it shows everything and you clean by hand. macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon & Intel

Compare Free and Pro
FeatureFreePro
Full scan including hidden files, findings list, drill-down and map
Plain-English explanations and safety levels
Reveal in Finder, Quick Look
Menu-bar free-space indicator
Clean from inside Sparebyte: things that rebuild are deleted now, everything else goes to the Trash with a 7-day Undo. Includes duplicates and weekly auto-clean
Developer cleanup: node_modules, npm, pnpm, Yarn and Bun caches, Xcode build files, Simulator caches and device support, old Xcode archives, Gradle, Maven, Cargo, Go and Python caches, Homebrew downloads, AI models and unused AI tools
App uninstaller with leftovers
“What grew since last scan” history
Notifications: low disk, leftovers after you trash an app, weekly space check (opt-in)

Questions

Why does Sparebyte ask for Full Disk Access?

macOS hides some folders from every app until you say otherwise: Mail and Messages, app containers, Docker’s data and more. Without access, Sparebyte still scans everything it can see and tells you what’s hidden. With access, it can explain the whole picture.

Sparebyte uses that access only on your Mac. It never uploads your files or their names. To turn it on, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access and switch on Sparebyte. Sparebyte notices and rescans by itself. Step-by-step guide

Why isn’t Sparebyte on the Mac App Store?

Apps on the Mac App Store must run in Apple’s sandbox, which doesn’t allow the Full Disk Access and cleaning Sparebyte needs. So Sparebyte is sold directly. Sparebyte is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple.

How do refunds work?

Within 30 days of buying Pro, email [email protected] from the address you bought with and ask for a refund. No questions, no forms. The money goes back to your original payment method and the license key stops working. Refund policy

What does Sparebyte send over the network?

Very little, and never anything about your files:

  • License: when you turn on Pro, and about every 14 days after, your license key, a hashed Mac ID, app version, macOS version and Mac model.
  • Updates: a check for new versions of Sparebyte and a weekly download of its cleaning rules.
  • Only if you opt in: crash reports and usage totals (launches, scan size and time, which rules matched and how many GB were cleaned), with your hashed Mac ID. Both are off by default.
  • Only when you press Send: feedback you write, with app version, macOS version, Mac model, license status and category totals. Folder names only if you tick “Include folder paths”.

File names, paths and contents are never sent. Privacy policy

Could Sparebyte delete something I need?

Sparebyte is built so that it can’t do that quietly. Only items that rebuild themselves are pre-ticked. Items marked Review are never ticked for you. Things like your databases are shown as Keep and can’t be selected. System folders, Keychains, Mail and Photos libraries are blocked, whatever you pick, and git repositories are never cleaned automatically. Anything you can’t simply download or rebuild again goes to the Trash with a 7-day Undo.

How long does a scan take?

Findings start appearing within seconds, biggest first, while the scan keeps running. A full scan of a large disk takes about 30 seconds on Apple silicon; Sparebyte reads around 145,000 files a second in our tests.

See what’s filling your Mac.

Free shows you everything. Pro cleans it in one click, with a way back.

Download free Pro from $15 First 100