The best CleanMyMac alternatives in 2026 (free and cheaper)

CleanMyMac is the best-known Mac cleaner, and it's a capable app. But it's also a subscription — about $40 a year for one Mac at the time of writing — and most people use only a small part of it: freeing up disk space and uninstalling apps. If that's you, there are cheaper and free tools that do those jobs just as well. Here's an honest look at the options, including our own.

We make SpaceSweep, one of the apps below. We've tried to be fair: each entry says what the app is good at and what it doesn't do. Prices were checked in November 2026 and change often, so confirm on each developer's site.

First: which part of CleanMyMac do you need?

CleanMyMac bundles several tools into one app. Before picking an alternative, it helps to know which of them you'd miss:

• Junk cleanup — caches, logs, Xcode files, Mail downloads, the Trash.
• Seeing what's using space — CleanMyMac's Space Lens map and large-file finder.
• Uninstalling apps along with their leftover files.
• Malware scanning, login-item management and maintenance scripts.

Most people who search for an alternative want the first three. No single cheap app replaces everything, but two or three free or low-cost apps get you very close.

Quick comparison

SpaceSweep — cleanup and storage explorer

SpaceSweep covers the part of CleanMyMac most people pay for: finding and clearing junk. It measures the Trash, Xcode junk, Mail attachment downloads, your Downloads folder, caches, logs and more, shows them on one chart, and clears what you select. Its Storage Explorer lists your home folder by size — hidden folders included — so you can find what macOS lumps into "System Data".

• Good: scanning and Storage Explorer are free; risky categories (caches, logs, the Spotlight index) stay locked in an Advanced section until you opt in; nothing about your files leaves your Mac.
• Doesn't do: app uninstalling, malware scanning, duplicate finding or a disk map like Space Lens.
• Price: free to scan. Cleaning needs Pro: $0.99 a month, $6.99 a year, or $24.99 once — each for up to 3 Macs.

AppCleaner and Pearcleaner — uninstalling apps

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its preferences, caches and support files behind. AppCleaner (from FreeMacSoft) finds those files when you drop an app onto it and removes them together. It's free and has been the go-to recommendation for years.

Pearcleaner does the same job and is open source. It can also find leftover files from apps you've already deleted.

Pair either one with SpaceSweep and you've covered CleanMyMac's cleanup and uninstaller features.

OnyX — maintenance for power users

OnyX, from Titanium Software, is a free utility that runs macOS's maintenance scripts, rebuilds caches and indexes, and exposes hidden settings. It's powerful and free, but its interface assumes you know what each option does — some can slow your Mac down for a while or reset settings. It isn't a "find the junk" app; think of it as a toolbox.

DaisyDisk and GrandPerspective — seeing what's using space

If the part of CleanMyMac you liked was Space Lens, you want a disk map. DaisyDisk draws your disk as an interactive ring you can click into, and costs $9.99 once. GrandPerspective draws a treemap — every file is a block sized by how much space it uses — and is free from its website. See our DaisyDisk alternatives guide for more options.

What macOS already gives you

Open System Settings › General › Storage. It lists recommendations — store files in iCloud, empty the Trash automatically, review large files — and the ⓘ button next to each category opens a list you can sort by size. It's limited (it won't break down "System Data"), but it's free and safe. Our guide to freeing up space on a Mac walks through it.

Which should you choose?

• You mainly want disk space back: SpaceSweep, plus macOS Storage settings for large files.
• You also uninstall apps a lot: add AppCleaner or Pearcleaner — both free.
• You want to see where space went, visually: DaisyDisk ($9.99) or GrandPerspective (free).
• You're comfortable with system maintenance: OnyX.
• You want malware protection and everything in one app: CleanMyMac is still a reasonable choice — the alternatives above don't scan for malware.

Questions

Is there a free alternative to CleanMyMac?

Not one app that does everything, but free tools cover most of it: AppCleaner or Pearcleaner for uninstalling apps, GrandPerspective for a disk map, OnyX for maintenance and macOS Storage settings for large files. SpaceSweep scans for free and charges only to clean.

What is the cheapest alternative to CleanMyMac?

For disk cleanup, SpaceSweep Pro costs $6.99 a year or $24.99 once and covers up to 3 Macs, compared with about $40 a year for one Mac with CleanMyMac at the time of writing.

Do I need a Mac cleaner at all?

Not to keep a Mac running — macOS manages itself well. A cleaner is useful when your disk is nearly full and you want to find and remove large, safe-to-delete files quickly rather than hunting through Library folders by hand.