A clean, simple macOS app for comparing folders side by side.
Verify that multiple drive locations or backups are truly identical. No more relying on "Get Info" for comparison.
Verifying that a folder copied correctly usually means selecting each subfolder, hitting ⌘ I, and squinting at file counts and sizes one at a time. Final Count replaces that tedium: drop two (or more) folders into side-by-side columns and instantly see every subfolder's count, file count, and total size — with any mismatches highlighted automatically.
It's built for photographers, Digi-tehs, DITs, editors, and anyone who keeps mirrored backups and needs a fast, no-fuss way to confirm two locations match.
- Side-by-side columns — compare two or more folders at once
- Per-subfolder breakdown — subdirectory count, file count, and total size for each
- Automatic mismatch detection — differing subfolders flagged in orange, missing ones in red
- Catches renamed and moved files — folders are compared on file names and folder layout as well as file counts and sizes, so two folders with the same totals but different contents still get flagged
- Same-folder warning — if two columns point to the same folder on disk (even through an alias, symlink, or a different path), Final Count warns you instead of calling it a match; it also notes when two copies sit on the same drive
- Show only differences — hide every subfolder that matches so the problems stand out
- Expandable rows — click into any subfolder to inspect its nested contents; all columns expand together and nested folders carry the same mismatch flags, so you can drill straight to the folder that differs
- Drag & drop — drop a folder onto any column, or onto the Add Folder area to add a new one
- Resizable columns — drag the dividers to fit long folder names
- Quiet update check — looks for a newer release at launch (at most once a day) and just swaps the About label to "Update available"; no popups. Turn it off in About
- One-click refresh — re-scan every folder after making changes
- Export report — save a plain-text report verifying whether all locations are identical, listing every difference down to the exact folder and file names
- Ignore patterns — leave files and folders with certain names out of the comparison (
.DS_Store, a Capture OneCachefolder,*.tmp, and so on). Choose from presets or add your own names with*/?wildcards. Off by default, and anything skipped is called out in the status banner and the exported report so a match never looks stricter than it is - Hidden files option — include dot-files in the counts when you need them (skipped by default)
- Keyboard shortcuts — ⌘O add a folder, ⌘R refresh, ⌘E export, ⇧⌘D show only differences, ⇧⌘. hidden files
- Clean, native interface — follows macOS light/dark mode, nothing to configure
The easiest way to get started is to download the pre-built app directly from the Releases page. No Xcode required.
- Download
Final Count.zipfrom the latest release - Unzip and move
Final Count.appto your Applications folder - Launch it
Since Final Count is not distributed through the App Store, macOS may block it on first launch. If that happens:
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
- Scroll down and click Open Anyway next to the Final Count message
- You'll only need to do this once
When you pick a folder for the first time, macOS will ask if Final Count can access it. Click Allow. That's the only permission it needs — no Full Disk Access required.
Requires macOS 14.0+ and Xcode 15+.
- Clone the repo
- Open
Final Count.xcodeprojin Xcode - Set your development team in Signing & Capabilities
- Build & Run (
⌘R)
- Add folders — drop a folder onto a column, click Browse, or use the + Add Folder area on the right
- Read the breakdown — each row shows a subfolder's subdirectory count, file count, and size; the footer totals everything up
- Spot differences — when comparing two or more folders, mismatched subfolders are tinted orange and missing ones red; tick Only Differences to hide everything that matches
- Dig deeper — click the chevron beside any subfolder to expand its nested folders; the mismatch flags follow you down, level by level, to the exact folder that differs
- Ignore noise — click Ignore to skip files like
.DS_Storeor cache folders you don't want counted; the status banner always shows what was left out - Refresh — made changes on disk? Hit Refresh to re-scan all folders
- Export — click Export Report to save a
.txtsummary confirming whether the locations are identical; any differences are traced down to the exact folders and files
Final Count compares file names, folder layout, file counts, and file sizes at every level (minus any names you've chosen to ignore). That catches missing, extra, renamed, moved, and truncated files. It does not read or checksum file contents, so a file that was corrupted without changing size would not be detected.
Final Count is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. You're free to use, study, share, and modify it — derivative works must also be released under the GPL. See the LICENSE file for the full text.
If you find Final Count useful, consider supporting development:
By FAINI MADE