Does Dusty need my admin password like OnyX does?

No. Dusty never runs as root and never asks for sudo. It stays inside user-level paths plus one age-filtered diagnostic log folder, and macOS Full Disk Access is only needed for that single Deep-level case.

Is Dusty open source? Is OnyX?

Dusty is MIT licensed with the full source, including every deletion rule, on GitHub. OnyX is free to download but its source is not public, so its cleanup logic cannot be audited directly.

Which is safer for a non-expert?

Dusty is built for that case: it deletes only from a fixed allowlist, shows every path and size before removal, parks deletions in the Trash with an undo window, and writes a local log. OnyX is a power tool with many switches, which is its appeal and its risk.

Free open-source macOS disk cleanup

Dusty vs OnyX: a narrow cleaner against a maintenance multi-tool.

Q: Is Dusty an OnyX alternative?

For disk cleanup, yes. Dusty covers caches, logs, developer junk, old installers, and Time Machine local snapshots with a preview of every path. It does not replace OnyX's maintenance scripts, hidden-setting tweaks, or rebuild utilities, and it does not try to.

OnyX has earned its reputation over two decades. It is also a power tool: maintenance scripts, hidden settings, rebuild utilities, and an admin password at the door. Dusty takes the opposite bet for disk cleanup: one job, an open allowlist, a preview of every path, and no root, ever.

Download Dusty Star on GitHub

Free and MIT licensed No sudo, no admin password Preview every path first

Dusty scanning reclaimable disk space in the macOS menu bar panel

Short answer

Want disk space back, safely? Dusty. Want to tune macOS itself? OnyX.

OnyX bundles cleanup with system maintenance: rebuild databases, run periodic scripts, flip hidden settings. If that toolbox is why you open it, keep it. If you only open it to clear caches, Dusty does that one job with open-source rules, per-path preview, undo, and no admin password.

$0price

0sudo prompts

MITlicense, full source

Comparison

The trade is power for inspectability.

OnyX can do far more to your system. Dusty can prove far more about what it will and will not touch. Which trade is right depends on which question keeps you up at night.

Decision point	Dusty	OnyX
Price	Free. MIT licensed.	Free. Donation supported.
Source transparency	Open source. Every deletion rule is public and unit tested.	Closed source. Trusted by reputation, not auditable directly.
Privileges	No root, ever. User-level paths only; one diagnostic log folder needs Full Disk Access.	Asks for the admin password; many functions run privileged.
Scope	Disk cleanup only, from a fixed allowlist of targets.	Cleanup plus maintenance scripts, rebuilds, and hidden-settings panels.
Preview before deleting	Yes. Every path with its size, plus a dry-run mode.	Category-level choices; per-path preview is limited.
Undo	Yes. Cleans pass through the Trash with an undo window, and every deletion is logged locally.	No. Cleanups are immediate.
macOS version coverage	One app for macOS 13 and later, updated continuously.	A separate OnyX build per macOS version; new macOS releases wait for a matching build.
Lives in	The menu bar, with free-space monitoring and optional background scans.	A utility app you open for maintenance sessions.

Safety model

Narrow on purpose.

OnyX's power comes from running privileged operations across the system. Dusty's safety comes from refusing to: fixed rules, explicit validation, visible paths, local logs, no root.

Allowlist-only cleanup

Targets are explicit entries in an open registry. Dusty does not crawl your system looking for things that seem removable.

Preview and undo

Every scan shows exact paths and sizes first. Every clean parks items in the Trash with an undo window before anything is purged.

No admin password

No sudo, no privileged helper. Protected folders like Documents, Photos, and Mail are rejected even as path prefixes.

validator.canDelete(path)
  -> must descend from an explicit cleanup target
  -> must not be inside protected folders
  -> must pass symlink and prefix checks
  -> then Dusty can move it to Trash or delete it

Result: the cleanup engine is narrow, testable, and reviewable.

FAQ

Honest answers before you switch anything.

Is Dusty an OnyX alternative?

For the cleanup part, yes: caches, logs, developer junk, old installers, and Time Machine local snapshots, each previewed before deletion. For maintenance scripts, rebuilds, and hidden settings, no. Dusty deliberately does not do privileged system maintenance.

Does Dusty need my admin password?

No. Dusty never runs as root and never asks for sudo. macOS may ask you to grant Full Disk Access for one age-filtered diagnostic log folder in the Deep level; everything else works without it.

Is OnyX safe?

OnyX has a long, solid reputation and this page is not here to scare you off it. The honest difference is auditability: OnyX asks you to trust its reputation, while Dusty's every deletion rule is public, unit tested, and small enough to read in an afternoon.

Do I have to wait for a new Dusty after each macOS release?

No. OnyX ships a separate build per macOS version; Dusty is one app for macOS 13 and later, and the allowlist model does not depend on macOS internals that shift between releases.

Where can I audit the code?

The app, cleanup engine, and rules live in the public GitHub repository. The deeper safety breakdown is at toprak.sh/dusty/safety/.

Try it

Clean your Mac with rules you can read.

Install Dusty, run a scan, and inspect every path before you remove anything. No admin password required.

Download Dusty Star on GitHub