Pearcleaner vs CleanMyMac

Purpose-built to be exhaustive. Scans Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Saved Application State, Containers, Group Containers, LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, login items and browser plugins. Reverse search finds leftovers from apps already deleted. Lets you preview every file before deletion and can empty trash in one step.

Solid uninstaller inside a larger suite. Finds associated files and offers leftover detection, but its scan is less exhaustive than PearCleaner's Finder-level sweep for certain edge locations. Strength is convenience rather than surgical depth.

Focused scope, app uninstallation, leftover search and optional Homebrew leftover cleanup. Does not attempt system junk, mail attachments, photo duplicates or malware scanning. Does one job exceptionally well by design.

Full suite: System Junk, Mail attachments, Trash cleanup, Large & Old Files, Space Lens, MyClutter, Privacy, Optimisation, Malware Removal and Updater. One click runs dozens of maintenance scripts and safely clears logs and universal binaries.

Native SwiftUI app under 15 MB, no background daemon, no menu bar resident. Launches instantly on M-series Macs, scans synchronously and quits cleanly. Zero impact on battery or idle CPU.

Larger Electron-native hybrid with optional menu bar helper and background notifications for disk space and malware. Heavier install (200+ MB) and modest idle footprint, but well-optimised for Apple Silicon and Tahoe 26.x.

Zero telemetry, fully offline, source-available on GitHub, no account required. Requests file access only for the locations it scans, with transparent permission prompts.

Privacy-respecting commercial software, notarized by Apple and independently certified for malware detection, but it is closed source and requires a MacPaw account for subscription activation. No ad tracking, but not auditable.

Not a security tool, it has no malware engine, no real-time protection and no vulnerability scanning. Relies on macOS Gatekeeper and XProtect.

Integrated Malware Removal with regularly updated definitions, background monitoring and certification in independent tests. Includes privacy cleanup for browsing data and shredder for secure deletion.

Completely free, including all features and future updates. No subscription, no paywall, no Pro upsell inside the app. Donations optional via GitHub Sponsors.

Subscription typically $39.95 per year for one Mac, $89.95 per year for multi-Mac or family, with occasional one-time lifetime licenses at higher upfront cost and availability via Setapp ($9.99 per month for 250+ apps). Renewal brings continuous updates and malware definition support.

Native SwiftUI design that feels at home on Tahoe 26.x: translucent sidebar, native search, drag-and-drop and Homebrew cask support. Notarized and Apple Silicon-native with no Electron overhead.

Polished, illustration-rich interface with menu bar integration, notifications and Smart Care one-click flow. Also notarized and Apple Silicon-native, with deeper Shortcuts and system monitoring hooks.

No software updater or system maintenance beyond app leftovers. Updates ship via GitHub releases and Homebrew; Homebrew leftover cleanup is a nice extra but limited.

Built-in Updater handles both Mac App Store and non-store apps, plus maintenance scripts for Time Machine snapshot thinning, DNS cache flush and Spotlight reindex, useful monthly hygiene.