- Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Disk Cleaner - Free HD Space. Download Disk Cleaner - Free HD Space for macOS 10.10 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. #1 Customizable disk cleaner on Mac App Store The only fully optimized and customizable disk cleaner Featured on EatAppleNews, Brothersoft.
- Best free PC cleaner in 2020. Optimize and clean my PC. Keep your computer clean and fast with Total PC Cleaner. It lets you clean your PC's cache and big files. It has everything you need for a free computer cleaner. User comments 'This is the best pc cleaner in Microsoft store'.
If you manually try to keep your Mac tidy and clean, you'll be wasting endless hours deleting files, folders, images, and videos. Plus there are countless places where junk accumulates on a hard drive, and those places will be very difficult to find the manual way.
But luckily, there are better ways: Enter Mac cleaners!
A Mac cleaner saves you from all this tedious cleaning. And today, millions of users benefit from affordable cleaning software to save valuable time.
And did you know most Mac users can have up to 62 GB of junk on their devices? That's definitely an alarming figure. And this might be one of the reasons why your Mac does not run at its peak.
Now, let's check out some of the best Mac cleaner apps on the market. Starting with the best one:
Best Mac Cleaner Software in 2020: CleanMyMac X
In our 2015 review of the top free PC cleaning programs we found several we could recommend with the best of these as good as any commercial product. Read this article in Spanish Introduction Over time unnecessary files accumulate, which can be removed with a disk cleaner.
CleanMyMac X grabs the winning spot with its multi-faceted features and intuitive dashboard. Not surprisingly, since the developers knows the ins and outs of how a Mac works, and how it can be cleaned most effectively.
First, let me say I loved the one-button cleaning system, which mechanically cleans selected parts of my Mac. In addition to meticulous cleaning operations, CleanMyMac X also offers valuable monitoring and maintenance features, making it easier to uninstall applications. No residue files are left behind as it takes care of plugins, widgets, and extensions!
Secondly, the Smart Cleanup function scanned my Mac in less than a minute. Now that's pretty impressive considering I have a 500GB solid-state drive! Not only is it fast, but it easily detected heaps of junk, and swiftly got rid of all types of junk files.
Another feature I like is Large & Old Files, a scan that sorts your files into different groups. This is great since you don't have to check every folder manually to ensure thorough cleaning.
Furthermore, you can easily eliminate several broken items, old logs, and outdated caches. And it will also get rid of all localization files for the languages you don't need. There's no other tool that promises a more convenient way to remove broken downloads, old software updates and device backups. And you're probably not aware of the cache files hidden in your photo library. CleanMyMac takes care of that too! Mac users can save gigabytes without ever losing a single image.
CleanMyMac X continues to dominate the Mac cleanup software industry and enjoys a strong reputation in a competitive market. The software has a free trial for a limited time. However, a single full license is going to cost you a little under $40.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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Best Mac Cleaner Runner Up's
The following tools will also do a good cleaning job. However, they may not always be as efficient as CleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac X s the only tool that completely eliminates all junk, uninstalls unnecessary applications, plus deletes any unwanted files they leave behind. And in combination with its superior features and sleek interface, there's just no other Mac cleaning apps that come close.
But let's have a look at the alternatives. Starting with Drive Genius 5:
Runner Up #1: Drive Genius 5
Drive Genius 5 does a great job using its optimization and de-fragging tools. The software automatically scans your system to identify malware, making it easy to get rid of duplicate files and identify a lot of hardware-related problems.
Furthermore, the cleaner software repairs most kinds of folder errors and logical files to prevent future problems. Users can explore through 3 functional modules; Protect, Speed Up and Clean Up:
- The Speed Up module offers two features: Defragment and a Speed tab.
- The Clean Up module has several different tools, including Repartition which shows you all of your Mac partitions so you can delete or organize them to free up space on your Mac. However, this feature is not available on macOS High Sierra.
- The Protect module offers functional features, such as Malware Scan to inspect all your files in search of any malware. This list is updated daily. The Physical Check feature fixes all kinds of hardware issues that could lead to any damage.
Drive Genius 5 also finds duplicates and larger files that you probably don't need. And thanks to its Clone features, the cleaner figures out your drive configuration, in case you need to copy it's content to a new drive. Finally, there's a handy Repair and Rebuild features to give you more control over the cleaning process.
Unfortunately, there's no possibility of recovery.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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|
Drive Genius 5 is not free, and you need to make a one-time payment to use any of the three plans:
- Standard With BootWell Drive: $94
- Standard: $79
- Professional: $299 (annual fee)
Runner Up #2: iMobie MacClean
MacClean guarantees a secure, fast, and meticulous cleaning, thanks to its cutting-edge technologies and services. The cleaner features standard Mac cleaning and OS system maintenance features, but also de-clutters your Mac so you can increase your device's efficiency. No more cleaning your Mac manually as the new Junk Cleanup feature promises in-depth cleaning by deleting all developer-oriented and unused data.
Furthermore, MacClean is a great way to shield your internet activities from prying eyes. Thanks to its quick Internet Cleanup feature, you stay protected from all kinds of online privacy threats. The cleaner removes all cookies, saved passwords, caches, and useless website data on all your browsers. Mac users can erase all traces of recently opened files, docs, apps, and web servers they have been connected with.
Finally, MacClean fixes several other issues that compromise a user's privacy. For example, cleaning up malware so your computer is safe, and make sure there are no unwanted files and folders that can adversely affect your Mac's performance.
Users can purchase a personal license for just about $30 and a family license for almost $40. You will also get responsive support via tickets or emails.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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Runner Up #3: MacBooster 7
MacBooster 7 is another beneficial Mac cleaner which leaves a good impression. The cleaning app offers plenty of useful tools to identify and fix your Mac storage issues. Every tool is specifically named so you know what to expect from each feature.
First, the Scan/Fix button is accessible at all times, and the system status is blended in with the UI. However, some beginners might find it difficult to use as there's no backup, which means all changes are permanent. Make sure you click the '>' button which is next to each category so you can carefully review the findings.
Secondly, the tool also offers an impressive Performance Boost tool. This feature enables you to shutdown low-level services so you can speed up your Mac further. There's also a handy toolbox that features five cool tools: Duplicates finder, memory cleaner, large files cleaner, startup optimization, and uninstaller.
Mac users can delete up to 20 different types of junk files, and remove viruses and malware to protect the device. In addition to that, this advanced mac cleaner also optimizes the hard disk to improve your Mac's performance.
These five cleanup tools can easily remove gigabytes of junk from the computer. Cleaning up and de-cluttering your Mac is crucial for Mac users who have smaller SSD hard disks. Users can also choose between these options, according to their preferences:
- Complete Remove: This option lets you remove an entire application along with its library files and system files
- Application Reset: The reset only removes customization and settings to take the application to its initial state.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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Runner Up #4: MacCleanse
Next on my Mac cleaner review list is MacCleanse, another functional Mac storage cleaner which guarantees an efficient cleaning process. The app is engineered to dig through all the contents in your Mac to get rid of all unwanted stuff. And the best thing is that it does everything fairly quickly and easily.
With a simple and unique interface, users can easily choose from various options to identify and clean their devices. Since each tab provides a brief and easy to understand explanation, you know what you're clicking on to start the cleaning process.
For that very reason, this advanced Mac cleaner software is one of the best for beginners who are not too familiar with cleaner tools. Thanks to its customization and in-depth scanning, you can easily delete useless language packs that are installed on your Mac. To a lot of users, this might not seem like a big deal. However, computer experts know how much disk space they can take.
Furthermore, you also have the uninstaller feature. While most users easily remove a program from Mac, there may be a bunch of random unwanted files and folders that are scattered around your computer. To make sure you remove a program completely, you can easily delete it using this app.
Users can opt from a variety of erasure types and upgrade to military-grade later. This is a great app to disable unwanted login items that usually slow down your system startup or hog background CPU usage. MacCleanse is relatively cheaper than many popular Mac cleaner apps and costs just about $20.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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Runner Up #5: DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk is popular for its intuitive and simple interface. Not only can users view large files, but they can also delete all irrelevant data through a simple process.
Free Disk Cleaner Mac
When you launch this Mac storage cleaner, the first screen you will see represents an overview of the disks that are attached to your device. It mechanically displays the amount of space that is left on each of your drives. And you can easily scan your drives to identify the data that you need to delete. However, you can skip this scan and scan an individual folder as well.
The tool lets you view a unique representation of all the files on your system using a daisy wheel-like image. You also get a clever color-coding, that shows exactly how much memory is consumed by each block. While this representation gives you an inclusive overview of your disk's hierarchy, it does not narrow down the items you intend to get rid of.
When you click on any block, it opens up into another daisy wheel to provide similar information about the particular block. This feature allows you to keep clicking so you can dig deeper into your device's content. You can easily navigate your way in or out of the screen by clicking on arrows. Users can easily find a large file to preview and delete its content, in case they don't need it anymore.
DaisyDisk is an ideal choice for photographers, artists, and IT professionals worldwide when it comes to cleaning Mac computers. Since all displayed data is in real-time, there's always an opportunity to see if there's enough space to download an HD movie or install a new game.
The time needed to scan the drive usually varies on the size, but it normally takes 10 to 15 seconds to scan 100GB of data. You can enjoy a free version or buy it for just around $10.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
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Who Should Use a Mac Cleaner?
The main reason why people get a Mac cleaner is because they want to reclaim storage space. But there are other reasons, and you may need a cleaner if:
- You're a new Mac user and don't know how to properly manage your device.
- You don't want to clean your Mac manually.
- Your Mac frequently runs out of disk space.
However, a cleaner app may not help older Macs that are already running a lot slower than most modern devices. Remember that cleaning your computer will not help if it has some general performance issues.
How to Choose the Best Mac Cleaner Apps in 2020
Before we review this year's best Mac cleaners, let's briefly discuss the crucial factors we need to consider when choosing the best app for cleaning your Mac.
- Core functions: The basic goal of using Mac clean up tools is to free up storage space. That's why you need to choose a one-stop solution that cleans all the unwanted and junk files from your computer without having to install third-party utilities. Downloading software that eats up memory is definitely a big no.
- Effectiveness: Effectiveness is another crucial factor. Sadly, most Mac clean up software fails to deliver what they claim. The best disk cleaner for Mac OS X should save a significant amount of disk space by deleting all junk and old iOS backups. And the software should also be able to identify duplicate photos and successfully un-install all third-party apps, for a thorough cleaning job.
- Ease of Use: You shouldn't have to be a technical wizard to use a Mac cleaner app. Today, developers incorporate usability and intuitive features to ensure every app is easy to understand and use. There's no need for a flashy or sleek user interface. All you need is a tool that comes with basic features and is easily accessible via navigation buttons.
- Cost: Who doesn't want a free Mac cleaner? But, cheap Mac cleaning software is only great if they do a great job. Let's face it. Paid Mac cleaner apps have more to offer to make your life easier. As pricing options vary, you can choose an app that best suits your needs and fits into your budget. Let's take the example of CleanMyMac X which costs just under $40. However, that's a one-time fee. Other apps may charge you an additional annual fee.
- Customer Service: What if you need to ask a technical question related to your app? Luckily, most developers and companies can be easily reached. But if a developer fails to give their contact information, such as live chat, email, or phone, it's best to find an alternative. Most paid cleaning tools guarantee a swift customer service experience so you don't have to wait for answers.
Best Cleaners For Mac
What Is The Best Mac Cleaner in 2020?
Hard drives are vulnerable to damage if not cleaned for longer periods. And to ensure your Mac keeps running swiftly and smoothly for years, you should use a powerful cleaning tool like CleanMyMac X to get rid of files associated with junk.
CleanMyMac X offers a convenient one-button cleaning system, which mechanically cleans the parts that need to be optimized. How to repair external hard drive mac. And users also have the option to manually control the cleanup process.
Why CleanMyMac X is better than other cleaners:
- Best performer. Eliminated all junk from my system
- The smart cleanup feature is launched with a single click
- The privacy feature clears all data about your computer usage
- Features both Smart Cleanup and Deep Cleaning
- Offers other useful features, such as Uninstaller and Shredder
- Incredibly easy to use with an intuitive and sleek user interface
- Smart dashboard that presents all information in one place
CleanMyMac X will also be beneficial when you're preparing your device for sale. Thanks to this software, you can remove junk with just a click. There's no need to worry about visiting each individual directory and getting things cleaner. So, in short, CleanMyMac will help you optimize your Mac in every manner.
Highly recommended!
Cheers!
Tim
In closing, I hope my best mac cleaning software review was helpful when you're making your choice. I also recommend that you look around our site to learn about other online software for small business owners. For example, our CleanMyMac X review and dr.fone review articles. Also, if you have any questions about this Mac tuneup reviews or something else, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail using my contact form.
Tim is an engineer and small business owner from Northern California. He's an outgoing creative writer and tech blogger who has a passion for helping people and building creativity in the mind, through outstanding how-to guides, articles, and honest software reviews.
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 2020 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 best Mac cleaners for Mac.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Best Mac Cleaner Runner Up's
The following tools will also do a good cleaning job. However, they may not always be as efficient as CleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac X s the only tool that completely eliminates all junk, uninstalls unnecessary applications, plus deletes any unwanted files they leave behind. And in combination with its superior features and sleek interface, there's just no other Mac cleaning apps that come close.
But let's have a look at the alternatives. Starting with Drive Genius 5:
Runner Up #1: Drive Genius 5
Drive Genius 5 does a great job using its optimization and de-fragging tools. The software automatically scans your system to identify malware, making it easy to get rid of duplicate files and identify a lot of hardware-related problems.
Furthermore, the cleaner software repairs most kinds of folder errors and logical files to prevent future problems. Users can explore through 3 functional modules; Protect, Speed Up and Clean Up:
- The Speed Up module offers two features: Defragment and a Speed tab.
- The Clean Up module has several different tools, including Repartition which shows you all of your Mac partitions so you can delete or organize them to free up space on your Mac. However, this feature is not available on macOS High Sierra.
- The Protect module offers functional features, such as Malware Scan to inspect all your files in search of any malware. This list is updated daily. The Physical Check feature fixes all kinds of hardware issues that could lead to any damage.
Drive Genius 5 also finds duplicates and larger files that you probably don't need. And thanks to its Clone features, the cleaner figures out your drive configuration, in case you need to copy it's content to a new drive. Finally, there's a handy Repair and Rebuild features to give you more control over the cleaning process.
Unfortunately, there's no possibility of recovery.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Drive Genius 5 is not free, and you need to make a one-time payment to use any of the three plans:
- Standard With BootWell Drive: $94
- Standard: $79
- Professional: $299 (annual fee)
Runner Up #2: iMobie MacClean
MacClean guarantees a secure, fast, and meticulous cleaning, thanks to its cutting-edge technologies and services. The cleaner features standard Mac cleaning and OS system maintenance features, but also de-clutters your Mac so you can increase your device's efficiency. No more cleaning your Mac manually as the new Junk Cleanup feature promises in-depth cleaning by deleting all developer-oriented and unused data.
Furthermore, MacClean is a great way to shield your internet activities from prying eyes. Thanks to its quick Internet Cleanup feature, you stay protected from all kinds of online privacy threats. The cleaner removes all cookies, saved passwords, caches, and useless website data on all your browsers. Mac users can erase all traces of recently opened files, docs, apps, and web servers they have been connected with.
Finally, MacClean fixes several other issues that compromise a user's privacy. For example, cleaning up malware so your computer is safe, and make sure there are no unwanted files and folders that can adversely affect your Mac's performance.
Users can purchase a personal license for just about $30 and a family license for almost $40. You will also get responsive support via tickets or emails.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Runner Up #3: MacBooster 7
MacBooster 7 is another beneficial Mac cleaner which leaves a good impression. The cleaning app offers plenty of useful tools to identify and fix your Mac storage issues. Every tool is specifically named so you know what to expect from each feature.
First, the Scan/Fix button is accessible at all times, and the system status is blended in with the UI. However, some beginners might find it difficult to use as there's no backup, which means all changes are permanent. Make sure you click the '>' button which is next to each category so you can carefully review the findings.
Secondly, the tool also offers an impressive Performance Boost tool. This feature enables you to shutdown low-level services so you can speed up your Mac further. There's also a handy toolbox that features five cool tools: Duplicates finder, memory cleaner, large files cleaner, startup optimization, and uninstaller.
Mac users can delete up to 20 different types of junk files, and remove viruses and malware to protect the device. In addition to that, this advanced mac cleaner also optimizes the hard disk to improve your Mac's performance.
These five cleanup tools can easily remove gigabytes of junk from the computer. Cleaning up and de-cluttering your Mac is crucial for Mac users who have smaller SSD hard disks. Users can also choose between these options, according to their preferences:
- Complete Remove: This option lets you remove an entire application along with its library files and system files
- Application Reset: The reset only removes customization and settings to take the application to its initial state.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Runner Up #4: MacCleanse
Next on my Mac cleaner review list is MacCleanse, another functional Mac storage cleaner which guarantees an efficient cleaning process. The app is engineered to dig through all the contents in your Mac to get rid of all unwanted stuff. And the best thing is that it does everything fairly quickly and easily.
With a simple and unique interface, users can easily choose from various options to identify and clean their devices. Since each tab provides a brief and easy to understand explanation, you know what you're clicking on to start the cleaning process.
For that very reason, this advanced Mac cleaner software is one of the best for beginners who are not too familiar with cleaner tools. Thanks to its customization and in-depth scanning, you can easily delete useless language packs that are installed on your Mac. To a lot of users, this might not seem like a big deal. However, computer experts know how much disk space they can take.
Furthermore, you also have the uninstaller feature. While most users easily remove a program from Mac, there may be a bunch of random unwanted files and folders that are scattered around your computer. To make sure you remove a program completely, you can easily delete it using this app.
Users can opt from a variety of erasure types and upgrade to military-grade later. This is a great app to disable unwanted login items that usually slow down your system startup or hog background CPU usage. MacCleanse is relatively cheaper than many popular Mac cleaner apps and costs just about $20.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Runner Up #5: DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk is popular for its intuitive and simple interface. Not only can users view large files, but they can also delete all irrelevant data through a simple process.
Free Disk Cleaner Mac
When you launch this Mac storage cleaner, the first screen you will see represents an overview of the disks that are attached to your device. It mechanically displays the amount of space that is left on each of your drives. And you can easily scan your drives to identify the data that you need to delete. However, you can skip this scan and scan an individual folder as well.
The tool lets you view a unique representation of all the files on your system using a daisy wheel-like image. You also get a clever color-coding, that shows exactly how much memory is consumed by each block. While this representation gives you an inclusive overview of your disk's hierarchy, it does not narrow down the items you intend to get rid of.
When you click on any block, it opens up into another daisy wheel to provide similar information about the particular block. This feature allows you to keep clicking so you can dig deeper into your device's content. You can easily navigate your way in or out of the screen by clicking on arrows. Users can easily find a large file to preview and delete its content, in case they don't need it anymore.
DaisyDisk is an ideal choice for photographers, artists, and IT professionals worldwide when it comes to cleaning Mac computers. Since all displayed data is in real-time, there's always an opportunity to see if there's enough space to download an HD movie or install a new game.
The time needed to scan the drive usually varies on the size, but it normally takes 10 to 15 seconds to scan 100GB of data. You can enjoy a free version or buy it for just around $10.
What's Good: | What's Bad: |
|
|
Who Should Use a Mac Cleaner?
The main reason why people get a Mac cleaner is because they want to reclaim storage space. But there are other reasons, and you may need a cleaner if:
- You're a new Mac user and don't know how to properly manage your device.
- You don't want to clean your Mac manually.
- Your Mac frequently runs out of disk space.
However, a cleaner app may not help older Macs that are already running a lot slower than most modern devices. Remember that cleaning your computer will not help if it has some general performance issues.
How to Choose the Best Mac Cleaner Apps in 2020
Before we review this year's best Mac cleaners, let's briefly discuss the crucial factors we need to consider when choosing the best app for cleaning your Mac.
- Core functions: The basic goal of using Mac clean up tools is to free up storage space. That's why you need to choose a one-stop solution that cleans all the unwanted and junk files from your computer without having to install third-party utilities. Downloading software that eats up memory is definitely a big no.
- Effectiveness: Effectiveness is another crucial factor. Sadly, most Mac clean up software fails to deliver what they claim. The best disk cleaner for Mac OS X should save a significant amount of disk space by deleting all junk and old iOS backups. And the software should also be able to identify duplicate photos and successfully un-install all third-party apps, for a thorough cleaning job.
- Ease of Use: You shouldn't have to be a technical wizard to use a Mac cleaner app. Today, developers incorporate usability and intuitive features to ensure every app is easy to understand and use. There's no need for a flashy or sleek user interface. All you need is a tool that comes with basic features and is easily accessible via navigation buttons.
- Cost: Who doesn't want a free Mac cleaner? But, cheap Mac cleaning software is only great if they do a great job. Let's face it. Paid Mac cleaner apps have more to offer to make your life easier. As pricing options vary, you can choose an app that best suits your needs and fits into your budget. Let's take the example of CleanMyMac X which costs just under $40. However, that's a one-time fee. Other apps may charge you an additional annual fee.
- Customer Service: What if you need to ask a technical question related to your app? Luckily, most developers and companies can be easily reached. But if a developer fails to give their contact information, such as live chat, email, or phone, it's best to find an alternative. Most paid cleaning tools guarantee a swift customer service experience so you don't have to wait for answers.
Best Cleaners For Mac
What Is The Best Mac Cleaner in 2020?
Hard drives are vulnerable to damage if not cleaned for longer periods. And to ensure your Mac keeps running swiftly and smoothly for years, you should use a powerful cleaning tool like CleanMyMac X to get rid of files associated with junk.
CleanMyMac X offers a convenient one-button cleaning system, which mechanically cleans the parts that need to be optimized. How to repair external hard drive mac. And users also have the option to manually control the cleanup process.
Why CleanMyMac X is better than other cleaners:
- Best performer. Eliminated all junk from my system
- The smart cleanup feature is launched with a single click
- The privacy feature clears all data about your computer usage
- Features both Smart Cleanup and Deep Cleaning
- Offers other useful features, such as Uninstaller and Shredder
- Incredibly easy to use with an intuitive and sleek user interface
- Smart dashboard that presents all information in one place
CleanMyMac X will also be beneficial when you're preparing your device for sale. Thanks to this software, you can remove junk with just a click. There's no need to worry about visiting each individual directory and getting things cleaner. So, in short, CleanMyMac will help you optimize your Mac in every manner.
Highly recommended!
Cheers!
Tim
In closing, I hope my best mac cleaning software review was helpful when you're making your choice. I also recommend that you look around our site to learn about other online software for small business owners. For example, our CleanMyMac X review and dr.fone review articles. Also, if you have any questions about this Mac tuneup reviews or something else, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail using my contact form.
Tim is an engineer and small business owner from Northern California. He's an outgoing creative writer and tech blogger who has a passion for helping people and building creativity in the mind, through outstanding how-to guides, articles, and honest software reviews.
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 2020 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 best Mac cleaners for Mac.
| Rating | Name | Features | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CleanMyMac X | Best cleaning and antimalware functionality in one tool | Link |
| 2 | Disk Doctor | Quick scan and deep cleaning of all kinds of junk | Link |
| 3 | Gemini 2 | Finds duplicate and similar files everywhere on your Mac, including Photos, iTunes, and external drives. | Link |
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 2020.
Top 10 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 2020, 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.
Price: $19.96
Free version: Available here
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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. Also note that Drive Genius is not available for macOS Catalina (as of the beginning of 2020).
Price: $299 for Professional edition
Free version: Limited Lite edition is available
9. 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
10. 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
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. How install mac os mojave. 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 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 page
Be safe and happy cleaning.
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