Looking for a Folder Tidy alternative? Declutr, compared
Folder Tidy sorts a folder in one click but hasn't been updated since October 2025. Declutr does the same sort, then keeps the folder sorted. Compared.
Folder Tidy and DeclutrDeclutr do the same first job: pick a messy folder, click once, and every file lands in a subfolder. The difference is what happens next week. Declutr’s Pro upgrade watches the folder and sorts new files as they arrive; Folder Tidy’s App Store page lists no watched folders and no schedule, and the app hasn’t been updated since October 2025. Checked on September 22, 2026.
At a glance
| Declutr | Folder Tidy | |
|---|---|---|
| One-click sort | yes, by file type | yes, by rules |
| Undo | one button, whole sort | undo history |
| Your own rules | Smart Rules: name, extension, age, size, AND/OR (Pro) | custom rules |
| Watched folders | yes (Pro) | not listed |
| Scheduled cleanup | daily (Pro) | not listed |
| Warning before a sensitive folder | yes | not listed |
| Version | 4.2, tested September 2026 | version 2.9.7, October 10, 2025 |
| Price (US) | free, Pro $8.99 once | $2.99 (on sale that day) |
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later | 10.13 or later |
What they share
Both sort by rules, not with AI, on your Mac, without reading what is inside your files. Both create the subfolders for you and let you take the sort back. Both are one-time purchases on the Mac App Store.
1. A folder that stays sorted
A one-click sort fixes today. By next Friday, Downloads is full of loose files again.
Declutr Pro watches the folders you choose and sorts each new file as it lands, and a scheduled cleanup runs once a day. You sort once, and the folder stays that way. Folder Tidy’s App Store page doesn’t list either feature, so each cleanup starts with you remembering to open the app.
2. Built for today’s Mac
Folder Tidy runs on macOS versions as old as 10.13 High Sierra, and it shows: the interface belongs to an older macOS. Its last update, version 2.9.7, dates from October 2025, close to a year before this comparison.
Declutr is a native app for macOS 13 Ventura or later. Each category folder it creates gets its own icon, so Documents, Images, Archives and Code & Scripts are told apart at a glance in Finder.
3. Safety before the sort
Declutr shows what it found before moving anything, and stops to ask before a folder that looks sensitive. After the sort, one Undo puts every file back. It never deletes a file.
Where Folder Tidy wins
- Older Macs: it runs on macOS 10.13 and later. Declutr needs macOS 13 Ventura.
- Price on sale: it was $2.99 on September 22, 2026, shown as a limited-time discount.
- 22 built-in rules out of the box.
If your Mac is stuck on an old macOS, Folder Tidy is the one that will run. On a current Mac, Declutr does the same sort and keeps the folder sorted afterwards.
Switching from Folder Tidy to Declutr
- Install DeclutrDeclutr and run a sort on the folder you used to tidy.
- With Pro, add to the categories any extensions your old rules used.
- With Pro, add your custom rules as Smart Rules and turn on the watched folder.
The full comparison: the best file organizer apps for Mac.
Questions people ask
What is an alternative to Folder Tidy for Mac?
Declutr sorts the Desktop, Downloads or any folder into category folders by file type in one click, with one Undo button, like Folder Tidy. It adds watched folders, a daily scheduled cleanup and Smart Rules in its Pro upgrade, a one-time $8.99 purchase. The sort itself is free.
Is Folder Tidy still updated?
Its last update on the Mac App Store is version 2.9.7, released on October 10, 2025, checked on September 22, 2026.
Can Declutr sort new files automatically?
Yes, with Pro. A watched folder sorts each new file as it lands, and a scheduled cleanup runs once a day. Folder Tidy's App Store page lists neither.