Mint vs Hazel

Hazel is the classic Mac automation tool: you write rules for the folders it watches, and it moves, renames, tags and archives files for you, sweeps an app’s leftovers when you trash it, and empties the Trash by age or size. It is $42 one-time. Mint manages storage with one framework built on each file’s life cycle, and understands and optimizes deeply for AI agents. It organizes folders too, from templates (by type, date or source) instead of rules you write, by hand, on a schedule or as files arrive. And it covers what Hazel does not: space back without deleting anything, cleanup of caches, build output and AI coding tool data, freeing memory, a disk map, an Ignore List and 90 days of Undo. Pick Hazel to write your own rules; pick Mint for one app that keeps both files and space in order. We make Mint.

Side by side

Prices and requirements read on October 11, 2026.
	Mint	Hazel
Organize folders	Yes, pick a template (type, date or source) and see every move first; by hand, on a schedule, or as files arrive	Yes, by rules you write: conditions on name, date, type and source; actions like move, rename, tag, archive or run a script
Write your own rules	No, you choose a template	Yes, that is the heart of it
Runs on its own	Auto Care: cleanup daily or hourly when the Mac is idle, each folder on its own schedule, memory at your line	Yes, rules run as watched folders change; the Trash is emptied by age or size
Space back without deleting anything	Yes, Optimize: duplicate and idle files take less room, and every file stays where it is and opens as before	No
Caches, logs, build output	Yes, each with how it comes back	No
AI coding tool data (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor)	Yes, and it can remove the pictures inside a conversation and keep every word	No
App leftovers	Yes, an uninstaller that finds them (direct download and Setapp)	App Sweep offers an app’s support files when you trash the app
Disk map	Yes, by where space comes from and what you can do with it	No
Free memory	Yes, quits idle apps (direct download and Setapp)	No
Leaves alone what you protect	Ignore List: files and folders no scan, clean or organize run ever touches	It acts only on the folders and files your rules name
Undo	90 days of Undo: moves to the Trash and organizing put back where they were	Not stated
Raycast, menu bar, command line, MCP	All four: a Raycast extension, the menu bar, mint-cli, and an MCP server for AI agents (direct download)	Shortcuts, AppleScript and Automator; no Raycast extension found; no MCP
macOS	14 or later	13 or later (Hazel 6.1)
Price	Free tier; $39.99 one-time for full use (Direct)	$42 one-time; $65 family pack

One app to clean, optimize and organize

Space back without deleting: Optimize stores duplicate and idle files more efficiently, and every file stays where it is.
Cleanup of what comes back on its own: caches, logs, build output and AI coding tool data, each with how it returns.
Folders organized by type, date or source: by hand, on a schedule, or the moment new files arrive.
Auto Care runs it all when your Mac is idle, and nothing on your Ignore List is ever touched.
90 days of Undo, and Mint from Raycast, the menu bar, the command line, or your AI agent over MCP.

Mint, Mole, CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk and Hazel side by side

When Hazel is the better pick

If you like writing rules and want fine control, such as renaming by a pattern, tagging by source or running a script on every new file, Hazel has had many years to get that right, and it never touches files outside the folders you give it.

When Mint is the better pick

Pick Mint if you want one app that thinks about how your whole Mac uses space and gets you the most usable space and the best experience, whether by optimizing, cleaning or organizing. Mint manages your Mac’s storage with one framework, and understands and optimizes deeply for AI agents. The framework sorts what is on your Mac by each file’s life cycle: where it came from, whether it comes back on its own, and whether something is using it right now. Then it handles each layer its own way. You choose a template instead of writing rules, and Mint also looks after the space your files take.

Space back first, losing nothing: duplicates are kept once and idle files are stored smaller. Every file stays where it is and opens as before.
Junk that is safe to clean: caches, logs, build output, and the workspaces and leftovers that AI coding tools such as Codex, Claude Code and Cursor pile up, each with how it comes back. Mint is tuned deeply for these tools.
Your own files gone dormant: old downloads, screenshots and recordings, and files nobody has opened in months, sorted for you to decide on.
Organizing: folders sorted by type, date or source, by hand, on a schedule or the moment new files arrive.
Auto Care keeps all of it running on its own and never touches what is on your Ignore List. Every move to the Trash and every organize run can be undone for 90 days.

Organize your Downloads folder

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Mint and Hazel together?

Yes. Give each different folders, or keep Hazel for the rules Mint’s templates do not cover. Add Hazel’s folders to Mint’s Ignore List if you want Mint to stay out of them.