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Best Free Alternatives to CleanMyMac (v5.0)

Stop paying $39.95 - $127.80/year. Discover professional-grade tools that won't break your budget.

Category: UtilitiesVerified for 2025

Top Recommended Replacements

OnyX

FREE

Best for Advanced Maintenance

Why we like it

Deep system-level maintenance; allows access to hidden macOS parameters; rebuilds search indexes and repairs file permissions; 100% free with no tracking.

Keep in mind

Highly technical interface; can be dangerous if used without understanding the scripts; requires a specific version for every macOS update (e.g., Sequoia vs. Tahoe).

Pearcleaner

FREE

Best Modern Open-Source Alternative

Why we like it

A beautiful, minimalist UI inspired by AppCleaner; built with Homebrew integration; lightweight and incredibly fast; handles leftovers and orphan files flawlessly.

Keep in mind

Requires 'Full Disk Access' to be effective; newer community with fewer legacy support documents.

AppCleaner

FREE

Best for Simple App Uninstallation

Why we like it

The industry standard for removing apps and their hidden library leftovers; dead-simple drag-and-drop workflow; incredibly small file size.

Keep in mind

Does not include system-wide junk cleaning, malware scanning, or performance monitoring; focused solely on uninstallation.

CCleaner for Mac

FREE

Best for Familiar User Experience

Why we like it

Excellent at clearing browser caches and cookies across all browsers; reliable 'Health Check' feature; automated cleaning available in the Pro version.

Keep in mind

The free version is a 'teaser' for the paid tier; history of ownership changes has led some privacy-conscious users to be cautious.

DaisyDisk

Best for Storage Visualization

Why we like it

Stunning interactive circular map of your storage; makes it fun to find and 'drag-to-delete' massive hidden files; one of the fastest disk scanners available.

Keep in mind

Does not feature 'cleaning' automation; purely a visual analysis tool to help you delete files manually.

BuhoCleaner

FREE

Best Budget All-in-One Alternative

Why we like it

Faster than CleanMyMac for simple junk scans; lifetime license is significantly cheaper than a single year of MacPaw; native support for Apple Silicon.

Keep in mind

Malware database is not as frequently updated as CleanMyMac's; fewer 'Menu Bar' monitoring widgets.

Clean Me

FREE

Best Lightweight Open Source Cleaner

Why we like it

Extremely minimal; focuses on clearing logs, caches, and trash; no background processes; totally transparent code.

Keep in mind

Lacks a fancy UI; no real-time protection or automatic updates; requires manual running of the app.

GrandPerspective

FREE

Best Free Storage Visualizer

Why we like it

Classic 'treemap' view of your disk; reveals exactly where every gigabyte is going; lightweight and open-source.

Keep in mind

The interface looks like it’s from the early 2000s; not as intuitive as DaisyDisk.

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