Mint vs Hyperspace
Hyperspace does one thing well: it turns identical files into APFS clones, so the space comes back and every file stays. Mint manages storage with one framework built on each file’s life cycle, and understands and optimizes deeply for AI agents. It also gets space back without deleting anything, by optimizing how duplicate and idle files are stored, and then goes further. It cleans caches and AI coding tool data, organizes folders by hand, on a schedule or as files arrive, frees memory, and runs all of it on its own with Auto Care, while an Ignore List keeps out what you protect. Pick Hyperspace for one focused job; pick Mint for one app that keeps the whole Mac in order. We make Mint.
How Hyperspace frees space
On an APFS disk, two files with the same contents can point at the same blocks. Each file keeps its own name, location, dates and permissions, and writing to one copy never changes the other. Replacing a duplicate with a clone gives back the space of that copy without removing a file.
The saving is real only while both files stay on the same volume. Copying a clone to another disk, or a sync client uploading it, writes a full copy again. Eclectic Light covers this in detail in the articles listed below.
Side by side
| Mint | Hyperspace | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Duplicates only (APFS clones) |
| Looks in ~/Library and other apps’ containers | Yes, containers with Full Disk Access | Skips Library by default |
| Files in iCloud and other synced folders | Left out, so a sync client never re-uploads them | Skipped by default |
| Caches, logs, build output, app leftovers | 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 |
| Disk map | Yes, by where space comes from and what you can do with it | No |
| App uninstaller with leftovers | Yes (direct download and Setapp) | No |
| Organize folders | Yes, by type, date or source: by hand, on a schedule, or as files arrive | No |
| Free memory | Yes, quits idle apps, and Auto Care can do it when memory passes a line you set (direct download and Setapp) | No |
| 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 | Through Shortcuts |
| Leaves alone what you protect | Ignore List: files and folders no scan, clean or organize run ever touches | You pick the folders it scans; it skips Library and cloud folders by default |
| Undo | 90 days of Undo: moves to the Trash and organizing put back where they were | Trash option, no undo |
| 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 only |
| Where to get it | Direct download, Mac App Store, Setapp | Mac App Store |
| macOS | 14 or later | 15 or later |
| Price | Free tier; $39.99 one-time for full use (Direct) | Free to scan; $9.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $49.99 lifetime to reclaim |
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.
When Hyperspace is the better pick
If you only want to deduplicate, and you like a small tool that does one job, Hyperspace is focused, well reviewed and written by John Siracusa. Its scan is free, so you can see the number before paying anything.
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. It also reaches places Hyperspace does not look by default, such as app containers, model folders and build output.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning duplicates into clones delete anything?
No. Every file stays at its path with its contents. Only the storage underneath is shared, and editing one copy gives it its own blocks again.
Can I use both apps?
Yes. Mint counts only the space it can still give back, so what Hyperspace already saved is not counted again.
Why is the saving smaller after I copy the files elsewhere?
Clones only share space on one APFS volume. A copy on another disk, or in a cloud service, is a full copy.
See how much your Mac already has twice
Mint’s scan is free and shows the Optimizable total before you change anything.