Capability comparison
| Capability | TreeSize Free | TreeSize Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Folder tree view with sizes | Yes | Yes |
| Chart / treemap visualization | Yes | Yes |
| Scan scope | Local drives and folders | Local drives, network shares, servers, larger multi-drive jobs |
| Search and advanced filters | Basic | Extended search and filtering options |
| Duplicate file detection | No | Check current edition notes |
| Scheduled / automated scans | No | Check current edition notes |
| Export and report formats | Limited | Broader export formats aimed at ongoing reporting |
| Network / server reporting tools | No | Yes, this is a core positioning of the edition |
| Licensing context | Generally positioned for private, non-commercial use | Commercial licensing intended for business and administrative use |
Vendors add and retire features with each release. Do not plan a purchase around a row in this table without checking the current listing on JAM Software's own site first.
Why these differences matter in practice
The gap between the two editions is less about the tree view — both show a folder hierarchy sorted by size — and more about what happens after the first scan. Free is designed to be opened, used once, and closed. Professional is designed to sit on an admin's toolbar and get reused weekly.
Duplicate detection and scheduled scans are the two capabilities that most change a workflow. Without scheduling, every repeat scan is a manual chore. Without duplicate detection, finding copies of the same file scattered across a drive means eyeballing file names and sizes by hand, which does not scale past a handful of folders.
For a deeper look at what a scan actually measures and how to read the results regardless of edition, see how to use TreeSize.
Which edition fits you
The home user clearing space on one PC
If you are trying to free up room on a single Windows 11 or Windows 10 machine and you will run the scan once or twice a year, the free edition covers the job. You need a tree view and a way to spot the largest folders — nothing in Professional changes that outcome for a one-time cleanup. Start with TreeSize Free.
The IT administrator managing several machines or a file server
If you scan the same shares repeatedly, need to export a report for a department, or want to schedule the job so it runs unattended overnight, the free edition will start to feel limiting fast. This is the profile Professional is built for — see TreeSize Professional for what the edition targets.
The person auditing an external or backup drive once
A single pass over an external disk to find what is worth keeping is a good match for the free edition, since the job does not repeat and duplicate detection is a nice-to-have rather than a requirement. Our guide to scanning an external drive walks through the process either way.
Always confirm before you buy
Because both editions get updated on their own schedules, a feature marked unavailable today may appear in a later release, and the reverse can also happen. Before purchasing a license, check the current feature list and pricing directly with JAM Software rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.
Questions about choosing an edition
Can I upgrade from Free to Professional later without losing settings?
Upgrade behavior and pricing are set by the developer and can change between releases. Check the current upgrade path on JAM Software's product pages before assuming settings carry over.
Does TreeSize Free expire or turn into a trial?
Is Professional required to scan a network share at all?
Which edition finds duplicate files?
Continue reading
Last reviewed by the jam-software.org editorial team on . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.