A 2 TB M.2 SSD on a NAS costs less than a year of cloud storage, and yet a 256 GB phone still fills up monthly. The “Other” category in the device settings panel is the worst offender, hiding caches, WhatsApp media, leftover downloads, and APK installers. The apps below show you exactly what is using the space, find the duplicates, and clean caches without installing the noisy “junk cleaner” suites that tend to come with their own bloat. Every pick is on the Play Store and Aptoide, and one is also open source on F-Droid.
What to look for in a storage analyzer app
A good analyzer earns its place with three jobs:
- Visualisation. A treemap or sunburst makes the offender obvious. Tables work but trees are faster.
- Cleaning safely. Caches, thumbnails, and leftover APKs are safe to delete. App data and OS files are not. The good apps respect that line.
- Duplicate detection. Hash-based duplicate matching beats name-based by a wide margin. Photos taken twice and downloads pulled twice add up fast.
Things to watch out for:
- Permissions creep. Some cleaners ask for accessibility services or device admin rights. Decline unless you understand why.
- Built-in advertising. Several of the most-marketed cleaners ship with ads that obscure the actual analysis.
- Android version. Scoped storage on Android 11 and later changed how third-party file managers reach external storage. Older apps may show only what they can read.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Visualisation | Cleaning | Open source | Aptoide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage | Treemap of the entire phone | Treemap | Manual | No | Yes |
| DiskUsage | Classic visual disk map | Treemap | Manual | Yes (F-Droid) | Yes |
| SD Maid | Cleaner with deep analyzer | Sortable lists | Auto and manual | No | Yes |
| Files by Google | Smart suggestions for cleanup | Categories | Auto and manual | No | Yes |
| Solid Explorer | File manager with usage view | Pie chart | Manual | No | Yes |
| Cx File Explorer | Free file manager with usage | Pie chart | Manual | No | Yes |
| Total Commander | Power-user file manager | Lists | Manual | No | Yes |
The 7 best disk and storage analyzer apps for Android
1. Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage — best overall
Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage from Mobile Infographics Tools is the most readable analyzer on the platform. The treemap view colours folders by size, the sunburst view nests categories by depth, and the duplicate finder spots files by name and size. A pie-chart drill-down across mounted storage and SD card means external storage gets the same attention as internal.
Where it falls short: Ads in the free tier. Some advanced features sit behind a paid Pro upgrade.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, ad supported
- Paid: Pro upgrade for ad removal and extras
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: The default pick. Install this first when “Other” needs an explanation.
2. DiskUsage — best open-source classic
DiskUsage is the original Android visual disk analyzer. It draws every folder on the device as a rectangle proportional to its size, tap to drill in, long-press to launch the system delete dialog. The app has been kept minimal on purpose, and the F-Droid build adds no telemetry.
Where it falls short: The UI has not changed in years. Scoped storage on Android 11 and later limits the picker without granting MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE.
Pricing:
- Free: Open source, no ads
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: The pick for users who want zero ads and a clean F-Droid install.
3. SD Maid — best cleaner with an analyzer
SD Maid from darken does the cleanup half of the job. It scans for app caches, orphaned files, system leftovers, and large media files, then offers a one-tap clean for each category. SD Maid 1 is the long-running stable version; SD Maid 2 has been rebuilt with a more modern UI. Both are available, and SD Maid 1 still ships free for personal use.
Where it falls short: Some advanced functions need accessibility permissions or root. The premium version unlocks the deeper schedulers.
Pricing:
- Free: Core scanning and cleanup
- Paid: Pro upgrade for scheduled scans, full app database, and CorpsefFinder Pro
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: SD Maid is the cleaner pick. Pair it with a visual analyzer for the full picture.
4. Files by Google — best built-in option
Files by Google ships on most stock and Pixel devices and is one of the better default file managers on the platform. The Clean tab surfaces space-eating categories (junk, duplicates, large files, unused apps) without aggressive prompts, and the categories view splits storage by media type. Nearby Share is in the same app, which is convenient.
Where it falls short: No treemap. The cleanup suggestions are good but conservative.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: Already installed on most phones. Worth a glance before installing anything else.
5. Solid Explorer — best file manager with usage view
Solid Explorer is the dual-pane file manager that doubles as a storage tool. Its storage analyzer view shows a pie chart by category (Apps, Documents, Music, Pictures, Video, Other) for each mounted volume, and the manager lets you act on the offenders without leaving the app. SMB, FTP, SFTP, and cloud support are first class.
Where it falls short: Paid app after the trial period. The analyzer is a feature of the manager, not a focus.
Pricing:
- Free: 14-day trial
- Paid: One-off purchase
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: Worth the one-off price if you also want a real file manager. Pair with DiskUsage for treemap views.
6. Cx File Explorer — best free file manager with usage view
Cx File Explorer matches Solid Explorer’s storage view for free. The Analyze tile inside the app breaks storage down by category and large files, and the file manager lets you clean from the same screen.
Where it falls short: Some menus carry adverts. The analyzer is a side tool rather than the headline feature.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, ad supported in select menus
- Paid: Ad removal as IAP
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: Free alternative to Solid Explorer with the same storage analyzer feature.
7. Total Commander — best power-user pick
Total Commander is the long-running power-user file manager ported from desktop. Two-pane navigation, scripting via plugins, FTP and WebDAV through add-ons, and a built-in “calculate sizes” command that recursively measures every folder. The app is free and ad free.
Where it falls short: Desktop-style UI takes a session to learn. Plugins are separate installs.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, no ads
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Android
Bottom line: Free, ad free, and powerful. The pick for desktop power users coming over from Windows.
How to pick the right one
- First scan, biggest offenders: Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage for the treemap, or DiskUsage for an open-source equivalent.
- Cache and leftover cleanup: SD Maid.
- Built-in fallback already on the phone: Files by Google.
- File management plus storage view in one app: Solid Explorer (paid) or Cx File Explorer (free).
- Power-user shell: Total Commander.
A practical loop: run Storage Analyzer to see where the gigabytes went, run SD Maid to clean caches, and use Cx File Explorer or Solid Explorer for the day-to-day file work. Avoid bundled “all-in-one” cleaners that demand accessibility permissions; the apps above do not.
FAQ
What is the best storage analyzer app for Android?
Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage for the treemap view. DiskUsage if you want an open-source pick on F-Droid.
Why is “Other” using so much storage on Android?
“Other” usually combines app caches, WhatsApp media, downloaded files outside the standard folders, and leftover installers. Storage Analyzer or SD Maid will surface the actual files.
Is SD Maid safe?
Yes. SD Maid is widely used and respects Android’s permission model. The CorpseFinder feature only deletes files the app classifies as orphaned, and you confirm before each clean.
Can I find duplicate files on Android?
Yes. Storage Analyzer & Disk Usage and Files by Google both include duplicate finders. SD Maid Pro has a more thorough hash-based duplicate scan.
Should I use a cleaner app on Android?
Most modern phones do not need an aggressive cleaner. A storage analyzer plus SD Maid handles the legitimate work. Skip cleaners that demand accessibility permissions, sell antivirus add-ons, or insist on running in the background.
