Top Mac Cleaners

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Mar 09, 2021 Best Mac cleaner: Favorite cleaning and optimization tools. With these tools, you can keep them that way. By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes for Hardware 2.0 March 9. The best Mac cleaner should have the analysis, cleanup, and optimization features to really get through the whole idea of removing unnecessary files and speed up the system. FoneDog Mac Cleaner has the complete, comprehensive, and most effective solution, so far. MacClean is a good Mac cleaner that you can trust with restoring your computer to its former glory. Instead of cleaning all junk files in one go, MacClean offers five distinct cleanup options: System Junk, Internet Junk, Malicious Cookies, Privacy Issues, Security Issues.

We clean our rooms and clothes so why not our Macs? But who can waste the entire day digging through folders and files? There are so many places like music, videos, apps and email downloads, and countless more locations on your Mac where junk and clutter accumulates. In 2021 cleaning your Mac is easier than ever. Which is why millions of people download free and low-cost Mac cleaning software.

To start off, we've made a quick comparison chart about the best Mac cleaners for Mac.

A handy cleaner may prove that your Mac is still alive and can actually perform at its best. In this article we’ve brought together some of the best Mac cleaning solutions around to clean, optimize, and maintain Macs that are available in 2021.

Top 12 best cleaners for Mac: Free and premium versions

1. CleanMyMac X

CleanMyMac X takes the first place with good reason — this cleaner combines features of both cleaning software and antimalware tool. Its Smart Scan promises a “nice and thorough scan of your Mac.” It does what it says, detecting junk like user cache files and system logs, checking your Mac for malicious software, and speeding up your MacBook. Looks like, there is a threat in my system, that I need to get rid of:

Frankly speaking, CleanMyMac X is Tesla Roadster among other Mac cleaners. And it does a great job revealing your junk and other clutter, uninstalling unneeded apps and their leftovers, and keeping your Mac’s system clean and optimized. Another pro is that CleanMyMac X is Apple-notarized, which means it’s safe for your Mac. You can download its free version right here.

Price: $39.95
Free version: Available here

2. Disk Doctor

Disk Doctor is developed in the UK and was awarded the 'Mac Gem’ award by MacWorld in 2013. CNET and other tech journalists also praise functionality. As of 2021, it still looks like a useful tool for Mac cleaning that removes junk slowing down and reducing the computing power of your Mac.

Price: $2.99
Free version: N/A

3. Gemini 2

Gemini 2 is the duplicate finder that allows you to free up gigabytes of storage and organize your files. In just a few minutes.

It quickly scans every corner of your Mac and weeds out useless copies. No matter what type of file it is: a photo, music track, or a doc… Gemini will definitely find it. And once the scan is done, you can remove the duplicates in a click. Or review results to make sure nothing important gets deleted.

If you remove something by accident, it takes just a click to put it back. And to make sure things like that never happen again, you can exclude specific files and folders from scan. Try out the free version right here.

The app has seen a major update in 2021 which included a real-time duplicate monitor. This new tool notifies you of duplicates the moment they are created on your Mac.

Price: $19.96
Free version: Available here

4. DaisyDisk

DaisyDisk gives you a visual representation of your Mac folders, making it easy to see what is taking up space and delete the folders you don't need. All you need to do is select a drive, DaisyDisk will scan it, then you can delete everything that is wasting valuable space. It comes with a free and premium version.

Price:$9.99
Free version: Trial version available

5. AppCleaner & Uninstaller

If you only need to uninstall apps on Mac, AppCleaner is a good pick. AppCleaner only removes applications, plugins, and widgets, which are again, small apps. AppCleaner works in a familiar drag & drop mode. Its interface is also clean and easy to understand for a newbie.

After feeding the apps to AppCleaner, you should visit the Leftovers section of the app to erase their remains. Why we place AppCleaner & Uninstaller among free Mac cleaner tools? Because it is 100% free. Whether you will fully clean your Mac using it, is a different question.
AppCleaner & Uninstaller is created by FreeMacSoft, also the makers of LiteIcon, an icon customizer for Mac.
Price: Voluntary donation

6. Smart Mac Care

If you launch Smart Mac Care, it will look hauntingly familiar to other free Mac cleaner apps. Not only features will be called the same, everything up to the fonts, will be identical to some other app you’ve just used. That’s not a minus, though. You can still free up a lot of space with Smart Mac Care.

Smart Mac Care operates by a logic of “scans.” There is a Junk Scan, Malware Scan, Privacy Scan, etc. Just like Mac Booster, Smart Mac Care removes duplicates scattered in various locations on your Mac. There’s also a Memory Optimizer feature that promises to free up RAM on your Mac. In a word, Smart Mac Care resembles every other generic product whose only difference is in packaging. This is supported by the fact that we couldn’t find any credible third-party reviews for this app.

On another skeptical note: to uninstall Smart Mac Care you have to enter your admin password. This is not the case with other Mac cleaners we’ve used.
Price: $56.62 per year
Free version: Demo available

7. Drive Genius

Drive Genius is labeled a “Mac monitoring software.” It’s a whole suite of tools that provide powerful disk diagnostics. It’s hard to list a thing that this software doesn’t do. You can scan for malware, secure-erase files, customize icons — it’s dozens of apps in one body. What makes Drive Genius unique is, probably, its search for corrupted files and inconsistencies on your drive. If your Mac is an old one, keeping it in good health will be easier with Drive Genius.

In a free version, you can use just a fraction of tools, notably a DiskPulse utility. This is an automatic Mac health checker that notifies you before your hard drive fails. Unlike Mac cleaners that merely scan, it is able to repair damage on your disks, which makes it a real deal. Be prepared that hard drive scan may take some time, but the results are worth it. The latest version of Drive Genius released in 2020 adds long-awaited support for macOS Big Sur.

Price: $299 for Professional edition
Free version: Limited Lite edition is available

8. CCleaner

Originally created in 2004 by Piriform, CCleaner comes with a free and professional version, focusing on businesses and business customers. CCleaner is a cross-platform tool, for PCs, Macs, Android, and it has a Cloud, Network and Technician tool, depending on what you need and the platform/software you use.

The premium version comes with a lot more features, including real-time alerts, free updates, and dedicated support. Although created for PCs in the early days, CCleaner does well to identify unwanted files on a Mac, so that users can select and delete the files and folders they don't need to free up space. As a cleaner for Mac, customers are pretty happy with the results of CCleaner.
Price: $19.95
Free version: Available

9. Sensei

The Sensei app is a relatively new app on the market, but it can be another useful tool for your Mac. The Sensei software developers call the app “Pro Mac Cleaner” on their website. I would call it a performance controlling tool.

Sensei presents a detailed picture of how your Mac performs. In the Dashboard, you can find out information about your MacBook, check your CPU’s current temperature, and see how much of your RAM is used. Cooling gives you exact information on your Mac’s fans' speed.

Its Clean option helps to get rid of user cache, logs, large files, etc. The Uninstaller feature allows you to delete apps from your Mac and remove their traces. It doesn’t list pre-installed apps from Apple, such as Safari or Calendar, but it shows every app you have installed on your Mac.

Surely, you can clean up your Mac manually, but using dedicated software will save you tons of time.

Price: $29 per year
Free version: Available

Free Mac cleaners review

The following Mac cleaning apps are either completely free or donation-based. You won’t find any trial limitations here. If you’re looking for a no thrill basic cleanup, these free Mac cleaners might help you.

10. Onyx

OnyX is a french Mac cleaning solution developed by Titanium software. It weighs only 5 MB but that doesn’t mean its capabilities are limited. OnyX is a tool that programmers will have a lot of fun with. With it, you can peek under the hood of your macOS and automate a whole list of jobs, like disk cleanup and cache removal. You can even tweak the color of folders on your Mac, and even make them invisible. Deservedly, it's among the best free Mac cleaners.

OnyX is one of the best Mac cleaners because it cleans many specific under-the-surface files, like inner databases and logs. If you know what is XPC cache is, you’ll probably like this app. But for us, ordinary Mac users who came here for the design and glossy buttons, OnyX will require some learning time.
Those who use OnyX say it is stable and reliable. There is no dedicated customer service (because OnyX is free software), but you shouldn’t be worried. The only likely damage is you accidentally deleting files by yourself.
Price: Free cleaner

11. Clean me

Top Mac Cleaners

This open-source app that only exists in the form of GitHub download is good enough for cleaning caches and logs. It’s so small its ZIP file weighs only 1.3 MB.
Clean me shows the size of each category of cache files. It analyzes such junk as Application Cache, User Cache, and more temporary files

The developer recommends that you start your cleanup with auto-selected options. Otherwise, you may delete something valuable by accident. So treat is as an analyzer and you’ll be safe.
Price: Free cleaner

12. Native macOS cleaner (Optimize Storage)

Your macOS has its own cleaner of sorts. You’ve probably come across it when checking your occupied disk space.
Go to Apple menu.
Now, click About this Mac > Storage > Manage.

In the sidebar you’ll see the main categories of files on your Mac. Going through Documents is likely to be the most fruitful option. Check the Size and click on Last Accessed. Now you’ve found all those movies gathering dust in your Downloads.
In the same way you can delete some old apps. This feature is could be an alternative to a free Mac cleaner; the only problem is it works largely on the surface. You won’t be able to remove System Junk or analyze the grey areas occupied by “Other.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Can’t my Mac clean itself?

Your macOS also has a built-in Mac cleaner, which Apple called Optimized Storage. Though its capabilities are limited, it gives you basic directions on where to start the cleanup. But for a thorough system cleanup and removing malware, you’ll need a dedicated Mac cleaner app.

Can Mac cleaner apps delete my important files?

Typically, best Mac cleaner apps have a protection built-in. They will usually select only those files that are safe for deletion.

Will Mac cleaners slow down my Mac?

Some cleaners try to get into your Login items, thus creating an extra burden on the processor. On a flip side, the reliable Mac cleaner apps might even speed up your Mac. They remove all the outdated junk files giving your Mac an extra boost.

Mac cleaning apps you should avoid

Above we've touched the trusted Mac cleanup solutions but there are many that work on the dark side. Malwarebytes lists Advanced Mac Cleaner Pro and similar tools as unwanted applications. Here are some signs that should warn you against using scam Mac cleaners.
Signs of Mac cleaner scam:

• 'Your Mac is infected' intrusive message
• An app is installed as part of different app
• An app finds 2323 (the number is an example) threats on your Mac
• Mac cleaner redirects your search engine page

Be safe and happy cleaning.

You can read on this post – Top 5 Mac cleaner reviews – to find out what is the best Mac cleaner for your Macbook, iMac or Mac mini to run more smoothly.

Mac Tips & Issue Fixes

In fact, even Apple Macs need regular clean up like any other Windows computers. To clean up Mac manually is a laborious task, and it is not nearly enough. That’s how some professional Mac cleaner software comes. An old Mac can store gigabytes of junk files and which can not only take up space but also slows your Mac.

In this article, we have rounded up 5 of the best Mac cleaner software with their reviews and screenshots for you to speed up your Mac by cleaning up all unnecessary junk files on your device. Please check out and find a suitable one for your Mac.

1. Best Mac Cleaner – MacClean 3

Price: $19.99

MacClean offers you “60-Days Money Back Guarantee”, you can ask a refund if you find it doesn’t work well. Get It Now

MacClean is the best Mac cleaner for all Mac desktops and laptops. It is mainly for Mac users who want to clean up and free up Mac hard drive with no effort.

Top Ten Mac Cleaners

Main Features of MacClean

1. It is fully capable of detecting and removing all types of junk files – Internet Junk, User Junk, System Junk, Development Junk, and Application Junk from Mac.
2. It wipes out malicious cookies and malware from Mac to keep your Mac safe.
3. It provides you with 10 useful tools like Duplicates Finder, Old & Large Files Finder, File Eraser, App Uninstaller, and Extension Manager, etc.
4. It works all Macs including MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, etc.

Related Reading: Download MacClean Now >

2. MacPaw CleanMyMac 3

Price: $39.95

CleanMyMac 3 as its name expresses, is an easy to manage Mac cleaning software that made to clean and maintain your Mac. There is a free trial but you need to buy it for $39.95 (License for 1 Mac).

Main Features of CleanMyMac 3

1. It helps clean the junk files from your Mac like user cache files, user log files, system log files, broken preferences, iOS software updates, etc.
2. It finds out and removes old files from Mac to free up space.
3. It manages to delete entire applications, including all the extra files.
4. It empties the trash can on Mac and makes it unrecoverable.

Mac Cleaning Software – CleanMyMac 3

Also Read: 11 Ways to Make Your Mac Faster >

Top 10 Mac Cleaners

3. Mac Cleaning Software – Smart Mac Care

Price: $49.95

Smart Mac Care is an all-in-one tool to keep your Mac healthy and secure by removing malware infections, unwanted junk files and privacy traces.

Main Features of Smart Mac Care

1. Malware Scan: It helps you detect and remove malware infections provide security to your system, eliminating unwanted system crashes and abnormal functioning.
2. Junk Scan: It can smartly detect cache files, log files, trash etc. that are no longer in use and delete them in few clicks.
3. Privacy Scan module scans all the browsers installed on your Mac for Internet history, cookies and application cache.
4. It includes some tools like Uninstaller, Duplicate Finder, Failed Downloads and Login Items etc. All of them can help boost system performance and recover considerable hard disk space.

4. Mac Cleaning Software – Detox My Mac

Price: $24.95

Detox My Mac is basically the Mac software cleaner. It is designed to clean up junk stored in the storage space on the Mac and makes the memory space free. There is a free trial of Detox My Mac which allows you to scan and remove logs and trashes like user logs, trash bin, etc. And you need to unlock the full version for $24.95 for more functions.

Main Features of Detox My Mac

1. It’s quite simple and easy to use.
2. It helps remove only those unused files and documents that clutter your Mac, letting you with a lot of free memory on your Mac.
3. It removes unused language files for applications and systems helping free up more disk space.
4. It manages to delete unused history files for browsers and applications.

Mac Cleaning Software – Detox My Mac

5. Mac Cleaning Software – AppZapper

Price: $12.95

Removing applications from your Mac is an easy job, however, the leftovers like behind folders and preference files still take hard drive space and generally clutter your system. AppZapper allows you to uninstall application as well as the app left – just drag and drop.

Main Features of AppZapper

1. It is very easy to use, you can uninstall any app by dragging the app onto AppZapper.
2. It finds all the extra files left on your Mac and allows you to remove them in a single click.
3. It remembers which apps you want to keep safe, and the log tracks all the files you’ve zapped.

You May Like: How to Make Mac Faster in Three Methods >

The Bottom Line

If your Mac computer is getting sluggish, that means its time to clean out it with some Mac cleaner. You can choose one from the above mentioned tools. If you have any good ideas about the best Mac cleaning software, please share it with us in the comment section.

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