Default Folder X vs Hazel
We give Default Folder X and Hazel the same GPA: 2.8 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Default Folder X
Faster Open and Save dialogs and folder access on the Mac
Hazel
Rule-based automatic file organization for the Mac
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADefault Folder XGood | 2.8GPAHazelGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$39.95 once per user, good on every Mac where you're the sole user. That's less than a year of a typical utility subscription, and updates are free until the next major release, which typically comes every 5 to 7 years. Buy 2 or more and they're $34.95 each. | A$42 once for a single-user licence, with free upgrades inside version 6. That's a touch under a year of a typical paid utility here, and you keep it. The Family Pack is $65 for up to 5 people at home. Coming from an earlier version, the upgrade is $20. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free version. You can try it free for 30 days with the download from the vendor's site, and the listing doesn't say a card is needed. After that it's the $39.95 license. | CNo free plan. You get 14 days of Evaluation mode with every feature except rule export. After that an unlicensed copy falls back to Demo mode, which is 1 folder and 2 active rules. |
| Features | AA toolbar in every app's file dialogs, menus of recent and favorite folders with their own shortcuts, a default folder per application, Quick Search on Command-Shift-Space, and a drawer under Finder windows for parking items. It does one job, and it does all of it. | ARules match files by name, date, type, source website and even the text inside PDFs and images. Then Hazel moves, renames, tags, archives or uploads them, or runs a script or Shortcut. It also empties old Trash and offers to clear out the leftovers of apps you bin. That's the whole filing job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record to go by, so a B. It works inside the Open and Save dialogs you already use, so there's no new app to learn. Clicking a Finder window to make the dialog jump there is about as simple as a feature gets. | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. The rules work much like the ones in Apple Mail, so they'll look familiar. One thing to watch: syncing rules to a second Mac overwrites that Mac's rules for the folder. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only. Version 6 runs on macOS 10.13 through 27, and macOS 10.10 to 10.12 need the older version 5.6.6. It works with the Finder, iCloud and AppleScript, and it's on Setapp. | DMac only, and Hazel 6 needs macOS 13.0 Ventura or later. It hooks into Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript, Automator, Photos and Music, and uploads to FTP, SFTP or WebDAV servers. One operating system, though. |
| Best for | faster Open and Save dialogs on a Mac | automatic filing of the folders on your Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Default Folder X and Hazel. How we grade
Where they differ
- Default Folder X starts at $39.95 one-time purchase (single-user license). Hazel starts at $42 one-time purchase (single-user license).
- Default Folder X also covers menu bar app.
- Hazel also covers workflow automation and disk cleanup.
At a glance
| Default Folder X | Hazel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $39.95 one-time purchase (single-user license) | $42 one-time purchase (single-user license) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days with the download from the vendor's site | 14-day Evaluation mode with every feature except rule export, then Demo mode: 1 folder and 2 active rules |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | St. Clair Software | Noodlesoft, LLC |
| Price read from | stclairsoft.com | store.noodlesoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Default Folder X
- Mac users who open and save files across many folders every day
- People who want keyboard shortcuts to favorite and recent folders
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
Hazel
- Mac users whose Downloads and Desktop folders fill up with unsorted files
- Filing scanned bills and statements by the text inside them
- People who want file automation bought once instead of by subscription
Worth knowing
Default Folder X
- macOS only: version 6 runs on macOS 10.13 through 27, and macOS 10.10 to 10.12 need the older version 5.6.6.
- There is no free version; after the 30-day trial a $39.95 license is required.
- A license covers updates until the next major release, which the vendor says typically comes every 5 to 7 years; upgrades after that are paid.
- Licenses are per user, not per computer, so each additional person needs a license of their own.
Hazel
- macOS only; Hazel 6 requires macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later.
- After the 14-day evaluation, an unlicensed copy drops to Demo mode: one monitored folder, two active rules and no import or export.
- A license covers one major version. Moving from any earlier version to Hazel 6 is a $20 paid upgrade.
- Rule sync works per folder and cannot merge rule sets: a second Mac's existing rules for that folder are overwritten.
Key features
Default Folder X
- Enhanced Open and Save dialogs
- Adds a toolbar to file dialogs in every app, with hierarchical menus that expand as the mouse moves over folders and a larger field for typing file names.
- Recent and favorite folders
- Remembers recently used files and folders, re-selects the last file opened, and gives favorite folders their own configurable keyboard shortcuts.
- Click a Finder window
- With a file dialog open, clicking any Finder window makes the dialog jump to that folder, so a file can be opened from or saved to it in one click.
- Quick Search
- Command-Shift-Space opens a search window: typing a few letters of a file, folder or application name brings up recently used items to open in a dialog or the Finder.
- Default folders per application
- A default folder can be set for each application so its dialogs start in the right place, and the app can remember a folder you save into repeatedly.
- Finder drawer and menu bar drop target
- Items can be parked in a drawer below a Finder window, or dragged to the menu bar icon and moved straight to a folder chosen from its menus.
Hazel
- Folder rules
- Hazel monitors the folders you pick and applies rules, much like those in Apple Mail, that match items by name, size, date, type, source website and other attributes.
- File actions
- A matching item can be moved, copied, renamed, sorted into subfolders, tagged, commented, archived or synced, with patterns that build names and tags from its attributes.
- Reading file contents
- Hazel 6 uses on-the-fly text recognition to read text in PDFs without OCR and in image files, and reads encrypted PDFs when you supply a password.
- Trash management and App Sweep
- Deletes items from the Trash by age or when it grows too large. App Sweep notices a discarded application and offers to remove its support files as well.
- Scripts, Shortcuts and uploads
- Rules can run Shortcuts, AppleScript or JavaScript, Automator workflows and shell scripts, and can upload files to FTP, SFTP or WebDAV servers.
- Revert and rule sync
- Revert returns a file to its original place and name, with its tags and comments. A folder's rules can sync through a shared file to other Macs or user accounts.
Plans
Default Folder X
Single-user license$39.95
one-time purchase per user
One license per person, usable on every Mac where that person is the sole user. Updates are free until the next major release.
2+ licenses$34.95
one-time purchase per user, when buying 2 or more
Lower per-license price when two or more single-user licenses are bought together.
Hazel
Hazel 6$42
one-time purchase, single-user license
Includes free upgrades within version 6. The license keeps unlocking the version you bought after a new major version ships.
Hazel 6 Family Pack$65
one-time purchase, up to 5 household members
One license for up to 5 members of your household. For private households only.
Ways to pay less
Default Folder X
- Other savings
$34.95 each for 2 or more licenses
The product page prices a single-user license at $39.95 and drops the price to $34.95 per license when two or more are bought.
- Education
Educational discounts
The product page links to educational discounts, which are sold through the Student App Centre store. The amount is not shown on the vendor's page.
- Other savings
Upgrade pricing for earlier licenses
Version 6 is free for licenses bought on or after March 1, 2023, $9.95 for those bought from September 1, 2022, and $19.95 for older ones.
Hazel
- Other savings
$20 upgrade from any previous version
Owners of any earlier Hazel version can upgrade to Hazel 6 for $20. The price is the same for single-user and family pack licenses.
- Other savings
Volume pricing on request
The store page asks buyers interested in volume pricing or with other special pricing needs to contact Noodlesoft.
