Better served by CleanMyMac
Choose CleanMyMac if you want malware scanning, software updates and performance tools in the same window as the cleanup.
All comparisons
COMPARE · 01 / 12
CleanMyMac or macleanup.
A paid all-in-one Mac maintenance app from MacPaw that cleans junk, checks for malware and manages performance.
Last checked
PRICES AS READ2026-11-07
CleanMyMac
1 Mac, annual$39.95 a year
Store shows a coupon applied; discounts apply to the first year only
1 Mac, monthly$9.95 a month
1 Mac, one time$119.95 once
macleanupFree$0 always
Pro$4 a month
or $36 a year
Team$3 a seat a month
from 3 seats · $30 a seat a year
Plan names as each maker writes them
Who each one serves better.
Better served by macleanup
Choose macleanup if you want to preview every path before anything moves, keep the command line free with no limits, and pay for the app only when the Free plan's monthly runs are not enough.
Feature by feature.
Each CleanMyMac answer is what its own pages state; follow the source to read it. Our answers come from the script and the app.
| What | CleanMyMac | macleanup |
|---|---|---|
| Clears caches | Yes source | Yes Sections 3, 5 and 19. |
| Clears logs | Yes source | Yes Section 7. |
| Finds orphan files from removed apps | Yes source | Yes Section 12. |
| Uninstalls apps | Yes source | Yes Section 21, moved to the Trash. |
| Disk usage map | Not stated on the pages we checked | Partial A text report from section 26. No visual map. |
| Free to use | Partial The download is free. The pages do not state what runs without a plan. source | Yes The command line has no limit. The app has a Free plan with a monthly run limit. |
| Mac App Store or notarised | Yes source | No Not notarised by Apple and not on the Mac App Store. |
| Open source | Not stated on the pages we checked | Partial The command line is MIT and public. The desktop app source is private. |
Where macleanup falls short.
Read these before you choose it.
- Not notarised by Apple, and not on the Mac App Store. The first time you open the app, macOS stops it and you choose Open Anyway in Privacy & Security. CleanMyMac states one or the other. The steps
- A text disk report, not a visual map. Section 26 prints folder sizes for your home folder and
~/Library. - No undo. Sections 12, 21 and 24 move items to the Trash. Anything else deleted directly needs a backup to recover. What gets deleted
- A run limit in the app. The Free plan gives 15 real runs a month on each Mac. The command line has no limit.
- The app's source is private. The command line is MIT licensed and public; the desktop app is not.
Moving from CleanMyMac.
The guide maps what you use there to numbered sections, with a preview before anything changes.