Similiter
Mac · Free · Same content, different filesFind duplicate videos on Mac, even when the name, format, or resolution changes.
Similiter is an app for macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon Macs. It finds identical copies and visually matching full-length videos in selected folders and external drives. Analysis stays on the Mac: compare frames, quality, size, and path, then move only approved files to Trash, with no online upload.
- Exact duplicates
- Matching full-length videos
- Visual proof
Verified release 1.0.5, build 8. Signed and notarized DMG, 6.9 MB, for macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.
Which duplicate videos Similiter can find
Similiter confirms byte-identical files and visually compares copies of the complete video when the name, container, codec, compression, or resolution changes. Visual results remain candidates to review: temporal or geometric edits can reduce reliability, and two different but visually similar videos may still require a manual decision before cleanup.
| Case | Status | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Byte-identical file, even after renaming or moving | Detects | Confirmed with SHA-256 over the complete file. |
| Same complete video re-encoded, resized, or stored in another format | Detects | Compares visual fingerprints distributed across the same duration. |
| Color grading, overlays, or small intro and outro changes | Review required | May produce a probable match; inspect proof frames and file details. |
| Segment inside a longer video, trimmed clip, or time offset | Not reliable | The current version compares complete videos and does not search for subsequences. |
| Crop, reframing, mirror, reverse, or speed change | Not reliable | Geometric and temporal transformations are not normalized. |
| Same audio with different images or audio-based matching | Does not detect | Audio tracks are not part of current matching. |
How visual comparison works
The pipeline reduces work in stages and spends more only on plausible candidates. It confirms exact duplicates first, then uses progressively denser visual samples at aligned temporal positions. An incomplete result is never promoted to a verified match: Similiter preserves uncertainty instead of turning a partial analysis into a cleanup decision.
- Exact hash
A sampled prefilter groups candidates; full-file SHA-256 confirms byte-identical copies only.
- Quick screening
Five frames distributed through the video reject visually incoherent candidates early.
- Complete fingerprint
Twenty-four temporal samples build the visual fingerprint used to classify a complete-video match.
- Final verification
Forty-eight samples verify visual matches before they are presented as actionable results.
What the current version does not compare
Similiter is neither a sequence search engine nor an integration with editing software. It does not interpret audio, timelines, relinking, or project dependencies, and it does not normalize crops, mirrors, reverse playback, or speed changes. It scans accessible files in selected folders and compares copies of the complete video with temporally coherent duration.
- Segments and clips contained in longer videos.
- Audio tracks, dialogue, music, or sound-only matches.
- NLE timelines, events, proxies, missing media, and project relinking.
- Crop, reframing, rotation, mirroring, reverse playback, and speed changes.
- Edits with substantially different scene order, intros, outros, or duration.
How Similiter avoids risky deletion
Similiter separates detection from removal. It shows groups, proof frames, quality, size, and path before selection; Smart Select proposes choices without hiding them. Protected folders, Finder tags, and media bundles receive cautious treatment. Immediately before moving anything, file identity is checked again, and any change blocks the operation until a new scan.
- Manual review
- No visual match is removed merely because it passed a threshold.
- Explicit selection
- Only confirmed copies move, and at least one item remains in each group.
- Protections
- Protected folders, Finder tags, and files in media bundles are skipped by cautious defaults.
- Final identity check
- If size, identity, or sampled content changed after scanning, a new scan is required.
- macOS Trash
- Files remain recoverable until Trash is emptied; storage has not yet been permanently reclaimed.
Similiter, Apple Photos, and hash-only comparison
These tools cover different scopes. Photos automatically finds duplicates inside its own library and merges them; Similiter compares video files in selected folders and drives without understanding the Photos library. A hash-only check recognizes files with identical bytes and cannot connect a re-encoded or resized copy to its visual source.
| Aspect | Similiter | Apple Photos | Hash only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Video files in selected folders and drives. | Photos and videos inside the Photos library. | Files accessible to the hashing tool. |
| Re-encoded copy | Can connect the same complete video through visual fingerprints. | Apple’s user guide does not document the technical detection method. | No: different bytes produce a different hash. |
| Decision | Review and select the files to move. | Select duplicates and use Merge. | Depends on the tool using the hash. |
| Recovery | The volume’s macOS Trash until it is emptied. | Recently Deleted, recoverable for 30 days according to Apple. | Depends on the tool. |
Requirements, privacy, and availability
The verified public release is Similiter 1.0.5, build 8, now part of Similiter’s product continuity. The signed and notarized DMG requires macOS 14 or later and Apple Silicon (arm64). Version, build, size, checksum, dates, and URL come from the distributed artifact rather than the development checkout, which can move ahead without having been published.
- Published version
- 1.0.5Build 8
- Published app name
- SimiliterName shown by the signed app
- Bundle ID
- com.theusualnext.FrameSweepTechnical identity retained
- System
- macOS 14 or later
- Processor
- Apple Silicon (arm64)Intel is not supported
- Download size
- 6.9 MB (6,923,034 bytes)Verified public DMG
- SHA-256
- edd06a807220896ad97068c4813d640c5d69932cb69d4075f3268dac80c75fa5Hash of the published DMG
- Published / modified
- 2026-08-252026-08-25T02:03:16Z
- Analysis and data
- On the Mac onlyNo account, upload, or in-app tracking
The verified Similiter release can be downloaded directly. Version 1.0.5, build 8 was signed, notarized, and checked again from the public download.
Frequently asked questions about Similiter
These answers define the current version, not planned capabilities. Similiter works on complete video files in authorized folders, keeps analysis on the Mac, and requires human review before Trash. When a transformation falls outside this scope, treat the result as unsupported or requiring verification rather than assuming a match.
Can it find the same video after format, codec, or resolution changes?
Yes, when it is the same complete video and its temporal sequence remains coherent. Review the visual result before removal.
Can it scan an external SSD or drive?
Yes. It scans selected folders on connected volumes. Keep the volume available during scanning, review, and the move to Trash.
Does it scan the Photos library directly?
No. It scans reachable files in authorized folders and does not interpret Photos albums, edits, references, or internal library structure.
Does it understand Final Cut Pro, iMovie, or DaVinci Resolve projects?
No. It does not read timelines, events, proxies, dependencies, or relinking. It only compares accessible video files in selected folders.
Can it find a trimmed clip inside a longer video?
Not reliably. The current version compares copies of the complete video and does not search for segments or subsequences.
Are videos or results uploaded?
No. Videos, hashes, visual fingerprints, thumbnails, cache, and preferences stay on the Mac; no account is required.
Can it produce false positives?
Yes. Different but highly similar footage may appear as a probable match. Similiter therefore shows evidence and never removes it automatically.
When is disk space actually reclaimed?
After the relevant Mac or volume Trash is emptied. Before that, files remain recoverable and continue to occupy storage.
Video-first interface
These screenshots show the actual macOS flow: choosing folders, following scan progress, and reviewing the groups found. They clarify that Similiter works on accessible files and presents evidence before selection; they do not demonstrate support for Photos libraries, NLE timelines, or performance on archive sizes that have not yet been measured reproducibly.
Have a video library to clean up?
Similiter is for creators, editors, photographers, families, and anyone who has copied, exported, downloaded, or backed up the same videos more than once.