A CleanMyMac alternative without a subscription: what to look for
CleanMyMac by MacPaw is one of the best known cleanup apps for the Mac and is offered as a subscription. MacPaw's website lists the current plans and prices. If you do not want a subscription, there are alternatives. Before you choose: much of it works without an extra app.
What you can do without an app
- System Settings › General › Storage shows the large categories and macOS's own recommendations, such as “Empty Trash Automatically”.
- Sort Downloads by size in Finder and remove old disk images (
.dmg) and installer packages (.pkg). - Remove old iPhone backups in Finder with “Manage Backups…”.
- Remove apps with their leftovers, as described in How to uninstall Mac apps properly.
How to recognise an honest cleanup app
- It explains what it wants to remove. Every item should say what it is and what happens afterwards.
- It moves to the Trash. So you can undo mistakes.
- It measures honestly. On APFS, space is often freed only once the Trash is empty and no snapshot holds the files. Space macOS frees anyway (“purgeable”) is not the app's achievement.
- No empty promises. Buttons like “free up RAM” or a percentage for your Mac's “health” rarely help. macOS manages memory itself.
- Clear network connections. The privacy policy should say what the app sends to the internet.
- A pricing model that fits you. One-time or subscription, and what stays free after a trial.
Other tools
Depending on the job there are specialised apps: AppCleaner and Pearcleaner are free apps for removing programs with their leftovers, and Pearcleaner is open source. DaisyDisk shows disk usage as a visual map. For keeping apps updated, see MacUpdater is discontinued.
Where Searoom helps
Searoom explains every storage item in one sentence, System Data included, only moves things to the Trash, and lets you put everything back from Cleaned Up until you empty the Trash. It measures the space gained only after that. It also removes apps with their leftovers and keeps your apps updated (Pro). Searoom is a one-time purchase: 14 days with everything, then a free version stays with the overview, the explanations, cleaning caches, logs, the Trash and old installers, and removing apps. Searoom Pro costs €29 once for 2 Macs, with all 1.x updates.
Searoom explains every storage item on your Mac in one sentence, only moves things to the Trash, removes apps with their leftovers and keeps your apps updated. 14 days with everything, then a free version stays, Pro is €29 once.
See Searoom