Best Mac Cleaner software: Boost performance and disk space with a Mac cleaner app

Macworld

If your Mac is slowing down, frequently freezing, regularly running out of RAM or just not behaving like it used to. Are you short of space on your Mac? Have you spotted the immense amount of room taken up by System Data and are now looking for a safe way to delete some of that data. What you need is a Mac cleaner app that will delete the clutter and digital debris from your system and free your RAM from memory hogs.

Thankfully, there are a wealth of tools available to rectify that can clean up your Mac and get it working properly again. We’ve picked some of the best Mac cleaning software below so you can find one that suits you.

The apps included in the list below all offer free trial versions. Some of these trials will merely show you how much space you can free up, but several are essentially free Mac Cleaners that will allow you to clean your Mac for free, albeit for a limited period. These include the trials for CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk, Parallels ToolBox and MacCleaner Pro featured below. 

Updated: December 2024 to update Onyx and CleanMyMac reviews.

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For more information about why a Mac cleaner app could be useful read: Why your Mac needs a cleaner app. We also discuss Tips for cleaning up your Mac. For more ways to squeeze the most out of your system read our How to speed up a slow Mac guide and How to delete Other on a Mac. We also look at How to delete System storage and How to clear cache on a Mac.

Best Mac Cleaner






1. MacPaw CleanMyMac














Pros

Improved interface and ease of use

Wide range of cleaning tools

Subscription or one-time purchase


Cons

Limited malware features

Some technical knowledge still needed









Price When Reviewed:

Gratuit (puis dès 39,95 €)




Best Prices Today:


Free at MacPaw





Few cleanup apps are as comprehensive as CleanMyMac from MacPaw, which has been updated to version 5.0 (and dropped the X from its name).

CleanMyMac’s tools fall into five main categories that focus on different tasks: Cleanup, Protection, Performance, Applications and My Clutter. A new Smart Care feature gives your Mac a quick check-up and summarises the result of its scans for all five categories.

The Cleanup tools focus on deleting junk. The Protection tools can scan for malware, detecting and quarantining threats. CleanMyMac isn’t a dedicated antivirus program like those featured in our Best Antivirus for Mac round-up, but it’s a nice addition.

The Performance tools help with routine maintenance, such as clearing out DNS cache, or re-indexing Spotlight and Mail to speed up search results.The Applications tools help you delete unwanted applications and left over installation files. 

My Clutter can scan either individual folders or your entire Mac drive to locate old files. Version 5 adds the ability to identify duplicate files, or photos that look very similar, so that you can delete them.

There are also some new diagnostic tools, including the ability to identify apps that are using a lot of battery power.

Version 5.0 also sports a redesigned interface that simplifies things by displaying the results of its scans as a series of tiles that give you a quick summary of each scan. 

You can buy CleanMyMac from MacPaw’s own website, or from the Mac App Store, although the version sold on the Mac App Store omits a few features. You can choose from an annual subscription of $39.95/£30.95, or you can buy it for a one-time fee of $119.95/£101.95. It’s not the cheapest cleanup app, but it provides dozens of different tools for deleting old files and data. 

There’s a free version available to download and a free trial version available on the Mac App Store and from MacPaw’s website, but it restricts the app to only remove files up to a maximum of 500MB – and in the middle of deleting files it will demand you pay the license fee for the app. You can download that limited version and scan your Mac to see just now much space you can save before committing to buying the app. MacPaw is currently running a 30% discount for students – submit your university email address and receive a download code here. 

You can get CleanMyMac here.

Read our full

CleanMyMac X review





2. MacCleaner Pro














Pros

Impressive set of tools

Good tutorials

Good configuration


Cons

Occasionally awkward user interface
















Best Prices Today:


$44.95 at Nektony





MacCleaner Pro from Nektony is divided into a core app and several module apps, namely App Cleaner & Uninstaller, Disk Space Analyzer, Duplicate File Finder, Memory Cleaner, and Funter. The core app can perform an overall disk cleaning and help free up storage space by eliminating extraneous files. 

The App Cleaner & Uninstaller module works well, and allows you to see the app you’re removing as well as its support files. This module has been improved compared to version 3, and now offers you easier access to startup programs and extension files, allowing you to enable, disable, or remove them. A Remaining Files feature allows you to chase down loose files, while an Open With feature lets you assign applications to open certain file types.

With Duplicate File Finder it’s easy to specify file types to look for, such as audio and photo files, with an impressive level of precise control. Memory Cleaner module offers an easy interface to show which applications and processes are consuming the most RAM. Funter module finds hidden files within your operating system. 

The Fast Cleanup option was able to clear up 11.4GB of drive space, most of these being application cache files, while the Deep Cleanup feature helped reclaim 65.4GB of drive space. 

We did have some peculiar instances in which a reminder poped up advising us to clear disk space for a macOS Sonoma (which was already installed). On another occasion when we paused scanning after half an hour we saw a request for full access to the hard drive. 

MacCleaner Pro is easy to install, runs well and has a good feature base. You can buy it on an annual or monthly subscription or as a one-time purchase.

The free trial version is fully functioning for two days and will actually perform some of the tasks you need to do, rather than ask you to buy the full version.

You can get MacCleaner Pro here.

Read our full

Nektony MacCleaner Pro review





3. Cleaner One Pro for Mac














Pros

Quick, stable performance

Handles duplicate files and cleanup well

Good value


Cons

Subscription only

Certain features require subscription version

















Cleaner One Pro for Mac is easy to download and install. The software requires is available in both free and paid subscription-based tiers. For the free tier, the software offers basic scanning and no user limits while requiring no credit or debit card to be stored with Trend Micro. The Basic tier, requires a payment method to be stored with Trend Micro, offers support for one device, access to additional tools, and easy uninstallation if desired. The Advanced tier requires a payment method to be stored with Trend Micro, and offers support for five devices, macOS and Windows support, quick uninstallation, and access to additional tools. 

Cleaner One Pro is designed around an assortment of modules including Smart Scan, which looks over your storage, diagnostics, and applications, Junk Files, Big Files, Disk Map, Startup Manager, Duplicate Files, Similar Photos, App Manager, and File Shredder. The modules performed well during testing, and were able to locate large files and duplicates to be disposed of.

The Junk Files module found a variety of unused disk images and installers. An interface along the Menu Bar tracked memory usage, CPU usage, network usage, and hooked into Dropbox to help put files up on the cloud.

There are some elements that require some attention. One annoyance was that you can’t navigate through module windows using the page up and page down keys, only a mouse will suffice. And we encountered a lack of communication from Trend Micro itself for product and technical questions, which was a concern. 

Cleaner One Pro is useful, lives up to its description, and offers an elegant and easy to navigate user interface that lets you prune your Mac down effectively. This useful set of Mac cleaning tools comes at a good price, and if you’re looking for something reliable in this field, it’s worth your consideration.

You can purchase from Trend Micro, or via the Mac App Store and an iOS version on the iOS App Store. 

You can get Cleaner One Pro here.

Read our full

Cleaner One Pro for Mac review





4. Onyx














Pros

Excellent utility

Good customization

Reliable bug fixes and updates


Cons

Scheduling feature needs refinement

Intimidating
















Best Prices Today:


Free at Titanium Software (Donationware)





Onyx, which presently stands at version 4.7.1, is one of the best utilities on the market, and it’s free! OnyX is Donationware, with users asked to send along whatever they believe the program is worth.

It provides easy access to the powerful underlying tools within the macOS operating system. You can run powerful sets of customizable scripts to perform functions such as checking volume structures, getting low-level system specifications, repairing permissions, cleaning up system databases, and sorting out under-the-hood level system details. 

it’s easy to access complex system functions such as security, login options, Display Calibrator, Keychain Access and so on., 

Our only criticism would be that the Scheduling feature is a bit vague and seems to only function around specific days, hours, and minutes. And a set of tutorial videos would be useful. Users have complained that support is slow in getting back to them – but this is donationware, so, to be fair, it’s understandable. 

You can get Onyx here.

Read our full

Onyx review





5. Daisy Disk














Pros

Quickly scans storage and finds large files

Graphical representation

File name previews

Can check cloud storage


Cons

Some user-interface quirks
















Best Prices Today:


€11.99 at Daisy Disk





DaisyDisk incorporates a clean, fun, interesting user interface via which it sets out to help you visualize the data on your Mac and its local, network, and cloud-based volumes, map it out, see which files are taking up the most space, and help you free up gigabytes of drive space.

DaisyDisk supports a number of file formats and file systems, as well as network volumes, virtual elements and disk images, and can mount and scan just about anything as long as the volume itself is operational. 

It can also mount cloud-based services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and Box so you can find ancient files to be deleted. I was able to clear up dozens of gigabytes of space in the process. See our round-up of the best cloud backups for Mac.

We did have some difficulties with Google Drive, which refused to allow DaisyDisk access, stating that the app was blocked and “tried to access sensitive info in your Google Account. To keep your account safe, Google blocked this access.” This appears to be a conflict between DaisyDisk’s developers and Google and hopefully it will be sorted out soon.

DaisyDisk users are also currently unable to add and sort through Apple’s iCloud Drive accounts given Apple’s sandboxing of the environment. You can scan a local copy of your iCloud Drive contents using the “Scan Folder…” button but not the web-based data, which is frustrating.

In addition to being able to scan entire volumes at once, you can click the “Select Folder…” button and navigate to a custom folder. 

With DaisyDisk it’s entirely up to your own discretion as to which files and folders to delete, with nothing more than a five-second countdown clock and time period in which to cancel the decision.

Apple’s Disk Utility app can be accessed from the Menu bar to perform disk repairs on the fly. 

Unlike so many apps you don’t have to sign up for a subscription package: the app retails for a one off fee of $9.99/£9.99, which is excellent value. 

You can get Daisy Disk here.

Read our full

Daisy Disk review





6. Intego Washing Machine














Pros

Reclaim drive space and remove duplicate files

Good customization, filters, and settings


Cons

Annoying pop-ups

Installation difficult

















Intego’s Washing Machine X9 is a handy cleaning utility for the Mac that focuses on reclaiming disk space via the Reclaim tool, removing duplicate files on your Mac’s hard drive with the Duplicates tool, and organizing folders using the Organize tool.

As is standard, the software (compatible with macOS 13 High Sierra or later) requires that you grant it full access to your hard drive though your Mac’s Privacy and Security settings. Less standard was that we had to locate the Intego Washing Machine X9 app in the Applications folder and drag it into Full Disk Access in Privacy and Security settings to get it to function. It is more common that an installer will add an easy icon that can be dragged into the macOS Full Disk Access pane to complete the installation.

There’s a good level of customization. Like similar applications, the Reclaim tool can chase after caches, downloads, language files, logs, and trash files to help clean up disk space. The initial run cleared approximately 24GB of drive space from my M2 MacBook Pro’s SSD.

The Duplicates tool took about five hours to create an initial index for my 1TB SSD. It offered control over duplicates that can be selected and specific options and naming filters.

The Organize feature can help organize messy folders into a Snapshot folder for reorganization later. This tool can work with specific folders such as the ever-messy Desktop folder, your Home folder, and macOS’ Smart Folders, and help pull things into order. This Organize feature does feel like slapping a band-aid on the larger problem of a folder’s disorganization though.The Scheduling option only allows for a specific week or month to be chosen, and it would have been nice to be able to schedule a process for a few minutes from now, as is common with similar software.

While it’s nice to be able to reclaim a few dozen gigabytes of drive space and have control over the duplicate files on your Mac, Washing Machine offers nothing groundbreaking.

With the current discounts and its attractive user interface it’s worth a look though. Alternatively, Intego’s Washing Machine X9 is bundled with Intego’s larger security suite so you could take advantage of that and get a Mac Cleaner with Intego’s Antivirus solution. The Mac Premium Bundle costs from $84.99/£84.99 (currently discounted to $39.99/£33.99) and includes VirusBarrier, NetBarrier, Content Barrier, and Personal Backup solutions.

You can get Washing Machine here.

Read our full

Intego Washing Machine X9 review





7. MacPaw Gemini














Pros

Capable of finding multiple duplicate types

Excellent search customization

Handy preferences and options


Cons

Lack of additional filters makes sorting located duplicates tedious

Needs a scheduling feature

















Though not strictly a Mac cleaner, like other apps in this round-up, MacPaw’s Gemini 2 can certainly help you get back some disc space. It is a duplicate removal tool that focuses specifically on reducing the thousands of duplicate photos in your Photos library. It also hunts down duplicate files within Apple Music and across the macOS operating system. The app is available through Apple’s App Store and MacPaw’s SetApp application, which grants access to Gemini and other apps for $9.99 (£7.60) a month. It is easy to install and offers a seven-day free trial in exchange for either your credit or debit card information.

The app includes scripts for easy scanning of the Photos library and your Music library, as well as custom folders and external volumes that can be chosen from a menu or dragged, dropped, and quickly scanned. Other features include Menu Bar elements, whitelists that can be created that are exempt from being scanned, and a Duplicate Monitor feature that helps compare files and heads off duplicates before they begin to pile up.

In testing, Gemini 2 quickly sought out duplicates, offered the option to remove them, and eradicated them from our hard drive. This also applies to music files and other document types, and the Duplicate Monitor warns you about possible duplicates that have been carried over to your hard drive.

However, there are some caveats, such as confusion about account registration and permissions after downloading and installing Gemini 2 from the App Store. MacPaw is urging its clients towards SetApp subscriptions, which offer full access to the company’s apps for a given rate per month.

While Gemini 2 runs well, a scheduling feature for folder or volume scans would not go amiss. An improved filter for locating duplicate items would be more helpful.

Despite some minor hurdles, Gemini 2 is well-written, sharp, helpful, fast, works well with all kinds of duplicates, and lends a good feature set to the macOS operating system without being overbearing. It hones in on its tasks and performs them well enough to earn the trust of users.

You can get MacPaw Gemini 2 from the Mac App Store or from MacPaw here.

Read our full

MacPaw Gemini review





8. Parallels Toolbox














Pros

Full suite of Mac tools

Fully featured free trial


Cons

May be more than you require









Price When Reviewed:

Gratuit (puis 24,99 €/an)




Best Prices Today:


€24.99 at Parallels





Parallels Toolbox is a bunch of tools that can be used to perform various actions on your Mac – such as Download Video, Record Audio, Hide Desktop Files, Resize Image, Clipboard History, Find Duplicates, Free Memory, and even the ability to set alarms. Among all these tools is one that can be used to clean your Mac.

Mac cleaning tools provided in Parallels Toolbox that could also be useful when cleaning a Mac include Clean Drive, Uninstall Apps, Find Duplicates, and Free Memory. The Clean Drive tool scans your drive and then lets you choose what to delete.

You can delete applications by dragging them to the trash, but this doesn’t always completely delete them. Often files and folders can be left scattered around your system that were related to that now gone app. Parallels’s Uninstall Apps tool will remove apps and their associated files from your Mac.

Similarly, you can run Find Duplicates to dig out any identical files – even ones that have different file names.

Parallel’s Toolbox costs $24.99/£20.99 a year, but the free 14-day trial will actually delete files, free memory and do all those other useful things without you buying the app!

You can get an overview of Toolbox’s various features, and download the seven-day trial, from the company’s website.

You can get Parallels Toolbox here.

Read our full

Parallels Toolbox review





9. Nektony App Cleaner & Uninstaller














Pros

Simple user interface

Free (with Pro upgrade)


Cons

Not as full-featured as alternatives

















Also from Nektony, is the simple and easy to use App Cleaner & Installer. This lightweight app is actually bundled with MacCleaner Pro (above), but this version focuses on clearing out the broken links, files, and other gubbins that get left behind when apps are uninstalled.

It also, as the name suggests, allows you to uninstall apps cleanly from the get-go, and set which ones launch at start up.  

There is a free version that does most of these tasks, but if you pay $9.99/£9.99 for the Pro upgrade you’ll also be able to remove system extensions, executable parts of files, and uninstall apps, plus the ads that adorn the free version disappear.

Easy to recommend due to both its price and quality.

You can get App Cleaner & Uninstaller here.






You may also like to consider:

Cleanup Premium for Mac. $29.88/£24.99 a year.Disk Doctor, $2.99/£2.99 a year.Gemini 2, $19.95/£15.95 a year.Cleaner One Pro,$19.99 a year.Tuneup for Mac, $65.99/£54.99 a year.

We have also looked at MacBooster, find out why we don’t recommend it here: MacBooster Review: it’s no surprise people think it’s malware.