Wise Duplicate Finder Review, Instructions and Alternatives
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Key Takeaways
Wise Duplicate Finder is compatible with Windows 7 or later.
Wise Duplicate Finder is free to use, but you need to pay to be able to delete duplicates in bulk.
If you need a simple tool to easily remove duplicate files, Wise Duplicate Finder can be a good choice. However, if you want more features, such as support for cloud storage, you can consider its alternative, which is equally easy to use yet more powerful.
Duplicate files can accumulate on your computer over time, leading to disorganization and taking up space. Is Wise Duplicate Finder a good tool to help you remove duplicate files? Is it worth $19.95 a year? Read this Wise Duplicate Finder review to find out.
Cisdem Duplicate Finder
Not Satisfied with Wise Duplicate Finder? Try This
- Identify duplicate photos, videos, documents, audio files, and all other files
- Identify duplicate folders
- Detect similar images
- Support Windows PC, Mac, external storage devices, and cloud drives
- Find duplicate files in folders, iTunes, Apple's Music, and Mac's Photos
- Provide 3 modes for viewing duplicates, along with side-by-side photo previews
- Automatically select all but one file for removal in each group of duplicates, enabling you to delete all duplicates at once
- Allow you to adjust selections manually or choose from 8 rules, such as Select Newest
- Easy to use for everyone
- $19.99/year, or $39.99/lifetime (with free updates)
Wise Duplicate Finder review
What is Wise Duplicate Finder?
Wise Duplicate Finder is a piece of software designed to scan for and delete duplicate files on Windows computers. It's compatible with Windows 7 or later. The latest version is 2.1.9.
Pros
- Scan for various types of duplicate files, such as duplicate photos, songs, and documents
- Provide fast scan speed
- Provide a feature to help users select all unwanted duplicates for one-click removal
- Offer basic customization options for a safer and more personalized experience, helpful enough for many users
- Simple, straightforward user interface
Cons
- May lack features and options needed by advanced users
- Require a yearly subscription to access all features, without a one-time purchase option
Verdict
Wise Duplicate Finder is user-friendly and can help average users easily remove duplicate files from their PCs. However, you may need a more powerful tool if you are looking for more advanced features, such as support for cloud storage and duplicate selections by folder.
Is Wise Duplicate Finder free to use?
Yes, it's free to use.
What is the difference between Wise Duplicate Finder Free and Pro?
The free version automatically finds duplicate files and displays them for you to view. However, you need to upgrade to the paid version to use the feature that automatically selects duplicates for one-click deletion.
The paid version costs $19.95 per year. There isn't an option for one-time purchase.
Is Wise Duplicate Finder safe to use?
Yes. It is safe to download, without any viruses, bundled software, or adware. But make sure that you download it from its official website. It's also safe to use due to the back up feature and deletion confirmation message to prevent accidental deletions.
Wise Duplicate Finder main features
3 compare modes
Wise duplicate finder has three compare modes for you to choose, which are "Match Name and Size ", "Partial Match" and "Exact Match".
Match Name and Size: In this mode, Wise Duplicate Finder will compare the duplicates based on file name and size, regardless of the file content. This means that, even if the file content is different, as long as the file name & size is the same, the mode will treat them as duplicate files.
Partial Match: Wise Duplicate Finder match part contents of the file with this mode, and match MD5. This means it’ll not only consider whether the filenames and sizes are the same, but also compare part file contents. Search speed will be slower with the Partial Match mode.
Exact Match: In this mode, Wise Duplicate Finder will compare the file contents to see if they are duplicates, and neither the file name nor the file size will affect the comparison result. The scan results of the Exact Match mode are more accurate than other modes, but its scanning speed is the slowest. I tested these 3 modes, it only took a few seconds to scan my entire C drive in Match Name and Size mode. However, in Exact Match mode, it took nearly 5 minutes.
File size filter and exclusion list
Wise Duplicate Finder offers file size filter feature. It allows users set the minimum and maximum size range of files to scan. For example, you can choose to only search for duplicate files larger than 10 MB and smaller than 1 GB. Also, the Exclusion button (under the Options tab) can let you you exclude some files or folders from search results. And this prevents some important files on your computer from being deleted maybe.
All file types
The File type menu on the tool bar lets you sort the found duplicates by file types. You can also filter the file types before scanning. There’re 10 options for you: Audio files, Compressed files, Graphic files, Help files, Internet files, Mail files, Official files, Temporary files, Text files and Video files.
Preview pane
The preview pane can be opened or hidden from the right column. Compared with other duplicate finders, the preview function of Wise Duplicate Finder is not very well. I prefer those duplicate finders that allow me to compare duplicates side by side. The preview pane is also a bit small and cannot be zoomed in for viewing. What’s more, not all types of files can be previewed.
Keep one
If you don’t have too many duplicate files on computer, you can manually select duplicates to delete after viewing. This also ensures that the deleted files are the ones you don't need. The Keep one feature is available for pro users and can help you select all copies in batches except only one. And there’re 4 options: keep the oldest, newest created, oldest modified or newest modified.
Backup and restore
Wise Duplicate Finder provides 2 methods to protect user’s data. You can choose to delete files to Recycle Bin. That way, you can easily get back the important file from Windows Recycle Bin if accidentally delete it. It also supports backing up files before permanently deleting. But the backup process will be long if you removed too many duplicates.
How to use Wise Duplicate Finder on Windows?
1. Download and install this tool on your computer.
2. Launch it. Under Home tab, select a Compare mode as your need.
3. Go to the Filter section, set the Minimum and Maximum file size to be found.
4. Click the drop down menu of File Type and select one to scan, such as Graphic. You can also choose to scan All files.
5. If necessary, under the Options tab, check the box next to Back up files before permanently deleting. Select a backup folder.
6. Click the folder icon on the main window and select drives/folders to scan.
7. Click the Scan button.
8. Wise Duplicate Finder will display the duplicates in groups. You can view their details in the preview pane one by one and manually select duplicate files to delete.
If you are Pro user, this tool can help you quickly select duplicates to remove in bulk. In the Home tab, click the drop down menu of Keep One. Then choose a selection rule.
9. Tap on Delete Selected on the top right corner. Then, click Yes in the confirmation message that appears.
The best Wise Duplicate Finder alternative for Windows and Mac
Cisdem Duplicate Finder is also a user-friendly and powerful tool for cleaning up computer space. As one of the best Wise Duplicate Finder alternative apps, it has some more advanced features that might suit your needs. First let's do a simple comparison of these two duplicate finder apps:
| Cisdem Duplicate Finder | Wise Duplicate Finder | |
|---|---|---|
| Supported OS | Windows, Mac | Windows |
| Subscription | $19.99/year | $19.95/year |
| One-time purchase | $39.99 | Not available |
| Supported file types | Image, audio, video, doc, etc. | Image, audio, video, doc, etc. |
| Multi-language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Find similar images | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ignore list | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scan modes | File content, file name | File content, file name |
| Supported cloud drives | Dropbox, OneDrive | - |
| Preview Pane | ✓ | ✓ |
| Preview modes | 3 modes: Thumbnail, List, Info | 1 mode |
| Auto selection | 8 selection rules | 4 selection rules |
| Select duplicates by time | ✓ | ✓ |
| Select duplicates by folder | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scan speed | Good | Good |
| Scan accuracy | Excellent | Good |
With a great UI, this Wise Duplicate Finder alternative app also does good job of searching for duplicate files including images, music, videos, documents and more on computer.
1. Download and install this alternative app on your Windows/Mac.
Free Download
Free Download2. Drag drives/folders to scan for duplicates. Click Scan.
3. View each type of duplicates under its tab.
Change the preview mode to view files’ details such as created time, size, resolution and path.
4. Select unwanted files to delete. You can also mass select duplicates with the help of auto-selection rules.
5. Click Delete and then confirm it.
Conclusion
To sum up, Wise Duplicate Finder is worth a try as a duplicate finder tool for Windows. Its free version can also help users find a large number of duplicate files, even without activating the pro version. However, it is not a good choice for users who have a lot of duplicate images or videos. Its alternative app has a better preview feature.
With a passion for tech and writing, Sarah joined Cisdem, where she focuses on creating articles about using utility tools to enhance file management and simplify contact management.
Adrian Li is Cisdem’s Chief Engineer and serves as the editorial advisor for Duplicate Finder and ContactsMate. His work and insights have been featured in leading tech publications such as Fossbytes, TUAW, Redmond Pie, SafetyDetectives, and BestForAndroid.