SiftMac vs Sift: two different Mac apps with similar names
If you searched for “Sift for Mac”, you may have found two apps. SiftMac (siftmac.com, one word) and Sift (sift-mac.com, on the Mac App Store) are made by different people and aren’t connected. Both help you free disk space on a Mac. They go about it differently, and you pay for them differently.
- Choose Sift if you want an App Store app with a map of your whole disk, Family Sharing for up to six people, and no network calls at all, and you’re happy paying yearly.
- Choose SiftMac if you want every item explained (does it come back?) before anything moves, a 7-day way back for anything that can’t rebuild, and to pay once instead of every year.
Side by side
Sift’s details are from sift-mac.com and its Mac App Store page, checked on 25 October 2026. If anything here about Sift is wrong, write to support@siftmac.com and I’ll correct it.
| SiftMac | Sift | |
|---|---|---|
| Website | siftmac.com | sift-mac.com |
| Made by | Mohit Nippanikar, a solo developer in India | Codepad Yazılım ve Dijital Hizmetler Ltd. Şti., Türkiye |
| How you pay | Once. $12 for the first 100 buyers, then $19. Free updates. | Every year. $19.99 a year (“Pro Yearly”) |
| Cost over 3 years | $12–19 in total | About $60 |
| Free to try | Scan and review everything; your first 2 GB of cleaning is free | Scanning and browsing are free; cleaning needs the yearly plan |
| Where you get it | Direct download from siftmac.com | Mac App Store only (sandboxed and notarized by Apple) |
| Macs / people | 2 Macs per licence | Family Sharing, up to six people |
| Before anything moves | Every item gets a verdict (Safe, Rebuilds, You decide) and the reason in plain words | A size map and cleanup categories; nothing is pre-selected |
| Way back | What can’t rebuild waits on the Undo Shelf for 7 days (or 14 or 30); Put back returns it to where it was | Files go to the Trash; ⌘Z puts the last move back |
| Skips files in use | Yes, checked again right before cleaning | Not stated on their site |
| Disk map | Yes, zoomable space map | Yes, a sunburst three rings deep |
| System Data broken down | Yes | Yes |
| Duplicates, large and old files | Yes | Yes |
| AI tool files (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Ollama, Hugging Face) | Yes, by session and model | Not listed on their site |
| Uninstaller, similar photos, Mail & Messages attachments | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| Menu bar | Free space, a disk-full forecast, Quick clean | Free space, fastest-growing folders, a low-space warning |
| Network and data | No account and no usage data; it checks for updates and checks your licence | “Data Not Collected”; no network calls |
| macOS | 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | 14 or later, Apple silicon native |
| Languages | English | English, Arabic, German, Turkish (App Store) |
What SiftMac is built around
One question, asked of every item before anything moves: does it come back?
- A verdict and a reason for everything. Caches rebuild on their own, so they’re marked Safe and cleared right away. Your downloads, apps, duplicates and the Trash don’t come back, so they’re marked You decide and wait 7 days on the Undo Shelf.
- Never what you’re using. Anything an open app or running program is using is left alone.
- Honest numbers. APFS clones and hard links aren’t counted twice, so the number is space you really get back.
- Pay once. Freeing space is something most people need a few times a year. SiftMac is one payment with free updates, and a 14-day refund if it isn’t for you.
When Sift is the better fit
- You only want apps from the Mac App Store, sandboxed and reviewed by Apple. SiftMac isn’t notarized yet, so macOS asks you to confirm it once on first open (how).
- You share with family: Sift covers up to six people through Family Sharing.
- You want an app that makes no network calls at all.
- You think in pictures: Sift’s sunburst map of the whole disk is its centre.
Questions
Are SiftMac and Sift the same app?
No. Different makers, different apps, not affiliated. SiftMac is at siftmac.com (one word); Sift is at sift-mac.com and on the Mac App Store.
Is SiftMac a subscription?
No. You pay once: $12 for the first 100 buyers, then $19, for 2 Macs, with free updates.
Can I use both?
Yes. They don’t get in each other’s way.
Try SiftMac on your own Mac. Scan and review everything for free; your first 2 GB of cleaning is free too. Then it’s $12 once for the first 100 buyers, not a subscription, with a 14-day refund.
Download SiftMac · macOS 14 or later · Pricing