Better served by Pearcleaner
Choose Pearcleaner if you want a free native uninstaller with a right-click Finder extension, an orphan search and Homebrew and plugin managers in one app.
All comparisons
COMPARE · 06 / 12
Pearcleaner or macleanup.
A free, source-available Mac app uninstaller with an orphaned file search, a Homebrew manager and a development environment manager.
Last checked
PRICES AS READ2026-11-07
Pearcleaner
Free$0
Source-available under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause
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 also need caches, logs, Docker, Xcode and stale builds handled, an actively released command line under MIT, and a dry run you can read before deciding.
Feature by feature.
Each Pearcleaner answer is what its own pages state; follow the source to read it. Our answers come from the script and the app.
| What | Pearcleaner | macleanup |
|---|---|---|
| Clears caches | Not stated on the pages we checked | Yes Sections 3, 5 and 19. |
| Clears logs | Not stated on the pages we checked | 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 | Yes source | Yes The command line has no limit. The app has a Free plan with a monthly run limit. |
| Mac App Store or notarised | Not stated on the pages we checked | No Not notarised by Apple and not on the Mac App Store. |
| Open source | Partial Source-available under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause. source | 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. 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 Pearcleaner.
The guide maps what you use there to numbered sections, with a preview before anything changes.