Best CleanMyMac alternatives (free & paid)
If CleanMyMac alternatives are on your mind, you’re likely choosing between an all-in-one suite and a small toolkit. I ran both styles on my Mac, and after a week of testing, these are the tools that felt fast, safe, and worth recommending.
Top CleanMyMac alternatives at a glance
Hopefully, this table breaks each tool down so you can quickly match your needs with the right software.
|
Tool |
Best For |
Price |
Key Missing Feature |
Type |
|
CCleaner for Mac |
Simple, familiar cleanup if you came from Windows |
Free / Paid |
Limited Mac-specific depth; lighter app management |
All-in-one suite |
|
MacCleaner Pro |
Bundle of focused utilities (uninstall, duplicates) |
Paid |
Multiple mini-apps to juggle; less unified flow |
All-in-one suite |
|
OnyX |
Free power tweaks for advanced users |
Free |
No hand-holding; easy to flip the wrong switch |
Niche utility |
|
DaisyDisk |
Visual disk maps to spot space hogs fast |
Low-cost / Paid |
Identify only; you still need a cleaner or manual delete |
Niche utility |
The best paid alternatives for all-in-one maintenance
1. CCleaner for Mac
If you’ve ever used this on Windows, you’ll feel right at home with this app. The appeal for me here was simplicity. Think quick cache cleanup, recent file traces, and a basic app list. On my machine, it trimmed browser leftovers and some installers sitting in Downloads, which I hadn’t noticed.
2. MacCleaner Pro
Think of a complete toolkit, rather than a single dashboard. You get a load of modules for disk cleaning, duplicate finding, app uninstalls, speed tweaks, and more. I liked the duplicate finder and the clear breakdowns before removal. The catch with this tool is that you open separate mini-apps for each job. Pro and power users might really like the control, but for newer users, this might be a bit overwhelming. I’m someone who tries to keep my apps to a minimum, so all of a sudden, new icons in my Applications folder were a bit jarring.
Ultimately, the all-in-one bundles like MacCleaner Pro go deep, but you do need to switch modules and even mini-apps more. CleanMyMac, on the other hand, with its Smart Care feature, keeps cleanup, protection, and performance inside one panel with a single review list, which is the main efficiency win I still miss when I hop between separate utilities.
Best free CleanMyMac alternatives
1. OnyX
Well, this app truly is 100% free and respected, no add-ons, no sneaky upgrades. It really can do it all, but it’s definitely not for new or novice users. I found that this app has a pretty steep learning curve; you need to be sure you’re focused on using it. comfortable reading each checkbox twice, because there’s no guardrail if you click wildly.
2. DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk is polished and fast; it builds a map of your drive so you can actually see where the space really went. I always learn something from these maps; for me, it was an ancient Final Cut cache eating tens of gigabytes.
If you love the map view but want action in the same place, CleanMyMac’s Space Lens lets you browse the largest folders and remove items from that visual view, without hopping back to Finder.
Tools: Uninstallers and speed boosters
1. App Cleaner & Uninstaller (Nektony)
Great for hunting down leftovers after you dragged an app to the Trash. It expands the app bundle to show launch agents, caches, and support folders, then removes them all. When I tested it on an old editor I’d deleted, it found another 600 MB in support files, which I was really pleased with.
2. iBoysoft DiskGeeker
This tool is more focused on disks than daily cleanup tasks, but it does come in useful if you juggle external drives and want a tool that can also surface large files and basic cleanup options. I’d say this one is handy for people dealing with multi-disk workflows.
I will add, if your main headache is stubborn apps, then for me CleanMyMac’s Uninstaller (within the Applications feature) groups related files and also surfaces leftovers from apps you deleted ages ago, which is where I usually claw back surprise space.
How to choose: Budget vs. functionality
Putting this article together wasn’t just a case of downloading apps and seeing which one looked nice. When I tested these CleanMyMac alternatives, there were a couple of areas that I really honed in on:
📌 Depth of scans
Can the tool locate all the 500 MB of leftover caches and annoying launch agents still lurking? Suites and dedicated uninstallers usually win here.
📌 Reputation and review
Apple notarization matters. I also want clear previews before anything is removed. Tools that show me exactly what’s going on and offer a one-click restore earn trust.
📌 Time vs money
Free often equals more manual work; there’s just no getting away from it. Sometimes, a paid tool works out in the long run.
If you need more than cleanup, like malware checks, maintenance tasks, and a live menu readout, then for me, there is no better tool than CleanMyMac. It functions as a single hub. CCleaner I’m not in the mood to play IT, the one-panel flow is why I stick with it for my own Mac, even while I test alternatives.
So here’s my final take on CleanMyMac alternatives. If you want one app that does nearly everything, CCleaner is the closest rival to a full suite and brings a junk cleaner and duplicate finder to the table. If you prefer a toolkit, MacCleaner Pro gives you separate tools you can open as needed.