Looking for a Hazel alternative? Declutr, compared
Hazel is $42 and you write every rule. Declutr sorts a folder in one click for free, with one Undo, and its Pro rules cost $8.99 once. Compared, Sept. 2026.
Most people who look for a Hazel alternative want the same thing: a Downloads folder and a Desktop that sort themselves, without spending an evening writing rules. DeclutrDeclutr does that in one click, for free, with one Undo button. Its Pro rules, watched folders and daily cleanup cost $8.99 once, against $42 for Hazel. Prices checked on September 22, 2026.
At a glance
| Declutr | Hazel | |
|---|---|---|
| First result | one click, sorted by file type | after you write your rules |
| Undo the whole sort | one button | no |
| Rules | name, extension, age, size, with AND/OR (Pro) | dozens of conditions |
| Actions | move into folders | move, rename, tag, archive, delete, run scripts |
| Watched folders | yes (Pro) | yes |
| Scheduled cleanup | daily (Pro) | yes |
| Price (US) | free, Pro $8.99 once | $42 once, $65 family |
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later | 13 Ventura or later (Hazel 6) |
What they share
Both are native Mac apps that sort files by rules, not with AI. Neither reads what is inside your files to guess where they go, and both work on your Mac without uploading your files. Both are one-time purchases, with no subscription.
1. One click instead of an empty rule list
Hazel starts empty. Before a single file moves, you add a folder, write a rule, pick its conditions and its action, then do it again for the next kind of file. Sorting Downloads into eight categories means eight rules.
Declutr starts with the categories already made: Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Archives, Apps, Code & Scripts, 3D Models and more. Pick a folder, click once, and every file is in its category folder. With Pro, the extensions of each category are yours to change.
2. An Undo button for the whole sort
A Hazel rule acts in the background as files arrive. If a rule is wrong, it’s wrong on every file it touched, and you find them one by one.
Declutr shows you what it found before it moves anything, stops and asks before a folder that looks sensitive, and after the sort one Undo button puts every file back where it was. It never deletes a file.
3. $8.99 instead of $42
Hazel is $42 for one user, $65 for a family, $20 to upgrade from Hazel 5. Declutr’s sort is free, and Pro is $8.99 once in the US: Smart Rules (name, extension, age, size, combined with AND/OR), watched folders that sort new files as they land, and a daily scheduled cleanup.
Where Hazel wins
Hazel is the deeper tool, and it’s fair to say so:
- More conditions: the website a download came from, tags, dates of every kind, text inside a PDF.
- More actions: rename with patterns, tag, archive, delete, upload, run a shortcut, an AppleScript or a shell script.
- Extras: App Sweep cleans up after apps you delete, and Hazel can empty the Trash on its own.
If you want to rename every invoice with its date and move it to a client folder, or delete old downloads on a schedule, Hazel is the right tool. If you want messy folders sorted, it’s a lot of setup for a job Declutr does in one click. More about Hazel: Hazel for Mac.
Switching from Hazel to Declutr
- Install DeclutrDeclutr and run a sort on Downloads to see the categories.
- With Pro, adjust the extensions of each category in Declutr’s settings if yours differ.
- With Pro, recreate the Hazel rules you actually use as Smart Rules (for example “name contains Invoice”) and turn on the watched folder.
- Pause the matching rules in Hazel so both apps don’t move the same files.
The full comparison, AI organizers included: the best file organizer apps for Mac.
Questions people ask
What is a good alternative to Hazel on Mac?
Declutr, if what you want is Downloads and the Desktop sorted: it sorts any folder into category folders by file type in one click, with one Undo button, for free. Its Pro upgrade adds rules, watched folders and a daily cleanup for $8.99 once, against $42 for Hazel.
Is there a free alternative to Hazel?
Declutr's one-click sort by file type is free. Its rules and watched folders are in Pro, a one-time $8.99 purchase. macOS also has Smart Folders and, on macOS 26 Tahoe, Shortcuts folder automations, but every rule is built by hand.
Can Declutr rename or delete files like Hazel?
No. Declutr moves files into folders and never renames or deletes them. If you need rules that rename files, delete them on a schedule, or run scripts, Hazel is the tool for it.
Does Hazel have an undo button?
Hazel runs its rules in the background as files arrive. Declutr shows you the result of a sort and lets you undo the whole sort with one button, which puts every file back where it was.