CleanMyMac Reviews
Pros
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User-friendly dashboard
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Effective scanning and cleaning options
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Various maintenance tools
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Built-in malware remover
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Free version
Since its foundation in 2009, MacPaw has become one of the leaders of the computer optimization market – and it has done so for very good reasons. The prime reason for its success is CleanMyMac X, which is so much more than just a simple and straightforward Mac optimizer. With this software, you can delve deep into your device, searching for and removing pesky junk files in just a matter of seconds. CleanMyMac X is equipped with a wide variety of extras that includes privacy management, malware removal, and many other maintenance options to wipe away anything you don’t want on your Mac and improve its overall performance. All of this is available for very reasonable prices and all purchases come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
40% Discount on CleanMyMac X
Switch your current Mac optimizer or antivirus for CleanMyMac X, and the company will offer you a tasty 40% discount.
Save 40% on CleanMyMac X
Features
As is the case for a lot of modern software, CleanMyMac X is very simple and easy to use. For starters, all features are properly categorized, meaning the cleanup, protection, optimization, and maintenance tools are quick to find and access. Then, there’s the most important feature, Smart Scan, which is the default option and performs cleaning alongside minor maintenance tasks all at once. Whether you use Smart Scan or any of the software’s other features, the program guides you through the various steps, ensuring that no required item is deleted by accident.
Additionally, CleanMyMac X comes with a built-in virtual assistant, which provides shortcuts to certain features, reminding users about regular cleanups. This assistant also sits in the menu bar to make it easier for you to see an overview of your device and what you should clean up next. What’s more, the assistant notifies you of any important cleanups.
Dashboard
Interface
Virtual assistant
Cleaning
Cleaning
System cleanup
Cleanup customization
Trash cleanup
Browser cleanup
Photo cleanup
Language removal
Cache cleanup
Mail cleanup
iTunes cleanup
Log cleanup
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The scanning process is very reliable, both in terms of speed and thoroughness. In fact, CleanMyMac X only needs seconds to find junk data, whether through separate cleanup tasks or the complete Smart Scan option. The second option goes over your Mac’s system folders, mail attachments, and Trash all at once.
But it’s particularly impressive how the software is intelligent enough to overlook files kept in cloud storage apps and doesn’t require many resources to work. In fact, our CPU usage stayed the same while CleanMyMac X Smart Scan was running, and it only slightly increased during the deletion process.
Smart scan
Optimization
System junk
One small nuisance is the lack of restore points to go back to, should something go wrong. Still, CleanMyMac X does its job well when it comes to cleaning, since it takes no time at all and gives users the choice over how scanned files are dealt with, helping to prevent accidental deletions.
Utilities
Utilities
Uninstaller
Shredder
Startup optimizer
Memory optimization
Privacy protection
Reindex Spotlight
Mail optimization
Duplicate file removal
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CleanMyMac X comes with so many non-cleaning features that it’s impossible to do justice to them all. Some notable extras are the ability to remove malicious files from the system and the fact that the software can update apps installed on your Mac with a single click. However, with CleanMyMac X’s slew of related functions – particularly the uninstaller, shredder, and large file remover – completely destroying anything that you no longer want on your Mac is effortless and leaves behind no traces. CleanMyMac X is capable of further improving the computer’s performance by wiping clean the Mac’s search history and dealing with slow, hanging, or unnecessary apps.
Malware
Maintenance
Privacy
Space lens
Uninstaller
The best way of seeing how much space is being consumed on your computer is with CleanMyMac X’s Space Lens, which is a unique way of visualizing your storage. Space Lens displays your folders as bubbles and sorts them by size. The bigger the bubble, the bigger the folder. You can easily move between them all to see which files are taking up your precious space.
Still, the most complete feature is Maintenance, where you’ll find scripts for flushing your DNS cache, improving your email inbox performance, reindexing Spotlight, repairing disk permissions, and verifying the startup disk.
Pricing
Since the free version of CleanMyMac X is heavily limited, buying an annually renewed license for $39.95 is pretty much a must. Customers can opt for a lifetime license for $89.95, but they won’t receive major software updates like annual subscribers unless additional fees are paid. It’s worth noting that the company’s website has regular sales, so there’s also a chance to get a subscription for less. This is especially true for anyone wanting to get licenses for more than one computer, as multiple licenses are regularly discounted.
Unlimited scans
500MB of junk removal
Malware scanner
One-time removal of privacy items
Update of 2 apps
One-time RAM optimization
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Subscription
$39.95/yr
Billed annually
Unlimited scans
Unlimited junk removal
Malware scanner & removal
Unlimited removal of privacy items
Update unlimited apps
Unlimited RAM optimization
Unlimited software updates
Lifetime License
$89.95/unit
One-time payment
Unlimited scans
Unlimited junk removal
Malware scanner & removal
Unlimited removal of privacy items
Update unlimited apps
Unlimited RAM optimization
Pay-only software updates
What’s noteworthy is that the company values its customers’ loyalty, providing a 30% discount to those who have purchased a MacPaw product before and halving the price of CleanMyMac X for those who upgrade from a previous version. It’s also important to mention that people who are currently using a different Mac optimizer or antivirus can also get a 40% discount.
Payments can be made through all the major credit cards and PayPal. CleanMyMac X comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, as well. Alternatively, you can download the free version to get a clear picture of whether or not this Mac optimizer is the best choice for you.
Payment options
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
PayPal
Wire transfer
Check
Cryptocurrency
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Customer service
Customer support
24/7
Live chat
Email
Phone
Community
FAQs
Video tutorials
Remote desktop
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
X
YouTube
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Although the direct contact is limited to an email form, MacPaw pays great attention to customer feedback by providing 24/7 support via a dedicated web page or the software’s built-in virtual assistant. However, this isn’t the only way that MacPaw aids its customers: the company provides a knowledge base and an FAQ that answer the most important questions related to CleanMyMac X, while users can also turn to a how-to page that is basically a blog with tips and tricks detailing how to make a Mac run better. It’s also worth mentioning that the company maintains constantly updated Facebook and Twitter channels, but they are mostly used for advertising and more lighthearted posts.
Bottom line
CleanMyMac X is the ultimate proof of why MacPaw and its other solutions are true market leaders. For a relatively affordable price, which can be further reduced by buying licenses in bulk, you’ll get access to a very simple and straightforward Mac optimization tool capable of performing all the tasks that users would expect from such programs – and much more. Although the software doesn’t include restore points, this negative is easily compensated by everything else that it achieves. CleanMyMac X can search deep inside your hard drives and wipe away everything that might slow down your computer, regardless of the type of file you’re dealing with. This program can also aid you in a faster and safer web surfing experience, making CleanMyMac X a must for devoted Mac users. The best part is that you can try it all risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee.
CleanMyMac FAQ
Is CleanMyMac safe?
Although the software is heavily promoted through various means – Google ads included – and this might raise a red flag among hardcore Mac users, MacPaw’s CleanMyMac software is absolutely safe to use.
But that wasn’t always so, and ignoring that would be irresponsible of us. Since CleanMyMac’s inception, MacPaw has released a few updates to the Mac optimization software, fixing various issues that users and developers had discovered.
Since the internet is not a forgiving place, you’ll find user reports from previous years talking about the mess that the software created after use. It’s important to look at the age of any critical comments because many of these appeared in the early days of CleanMyMac. We have tested the more recent version of the software, and have found it to be a fantastic tool.
During our comprehensive testing and research, we’ve found that CleanMyMac is a safe, legitimate piece of software to use. We’ve also found that the software does what it sets out to do, so we can conclude that it is a trustworthy solution.
How does CleanMyMac work?
After downloading the official copy of the software for free, installing CleanMyMac is as easy as drag-and-drop – as you’d expect from a light Mac application. Once the app is ready it will launch with an uncluttered and easy-to-use interface that will guide the user through the cleaning process. We recommend using the default option, Smart Cleanup, which will pop up and prompt the user to scan the Mac for junk data. The app also includes multiple cleaning options and maintenance utilities, is able to remove any discovered junk data and can delete stored caches as well as any other unnecessary files to help optimize the machine’s storage and performance.
Upon hitting the scan button CleanMyMac will scour the system, photos, and iTunes folders and search for mail attachments, caches, and large and old files. Once complete, it will then flag any detected files for removal. The length of time of the scanning process is dependent on the Mac’s hardware, but scans don’t typically take very long. CleanMyMac will then quantify the amount of data that can be safely removed, allowing it to all be removed immediately or providing the user with the opportunity to review the files before they are permanently deleted to free up storage space. Large and old files aren’t removed automatically – they always need user review – so take your time and carefully go through every large file that CleanMyMac has flagged, otherwise you might end up with an important file deleted permanently.
The cleaning process is very simple: after reviewing the files (or not) just hit the “Remove” button and the files will be wiped from the Mac. CleanMyMac offers additional maintenance utilities – scripts that can be run to optimize performance and which we have detailed on our blog – covering categories such as Privacy, Extensions, Shredder, and Uninstaller. These are services that require user input, which explains why the developers didn’t include them in the automated workflow. Each utility includes a set of scripts, tools that we have explained in closer detail in our review, so be sure you check that out to learn more about what you’ll get for your money from a top-rated Mac optimization app.
Does CleanMyMac remove viruses and malware?
No. Unfortunately, CleanMyMac’s feature set doesn’t include an antivirus. It does protect user privacy by removing locally stored items that remain after using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari: cookies, browsing history, downloads history, and more. These services are the first line of defense, but for more advanced malware protection you will need antivirus software or another Mac optimization app that includes this feature, such as MacKeeper.
Should I use CleanMyMac?
If you are looking for a solution to optimize storage and performance, then CleanMyMac is our highest-rated software and therefore can be recommended with confidence. Since the app was first tested we haven’t stopped using it, meaning CleanMyMac is the main app that we use to clean junk files and caches that build up as we use our Macs.
If the Mac is new and fresh then you won’t feel the need for an optimization app, but as time goes by and it is used more and more the startup disk has less and less space available, so eventually you will definitely need to do something about it. The best solution is to remove all of the files that you don’t need, so start with the junk and cache files that build up and occupy tons of space.
In case you’re wondering about how often it is recommended to purge such unneeded data from your startup disk, our advice is either biweekly or monthly. Keep an eye on CleanMyMac dashboard’s storage section and when it begins to drop under a threshold defined by yourself, run the app and enjoy how easily it frees up space.
Is there a free version of CleanMyMac?
Yes. CleanMyMac is available as a free download and it can be used for free for as long as you can handle the program’s limitations. The free version grants access to all of CleanMyMac features, but it only allows the removal of 500MB junk data at a time so if you are looking to free up gigabytes of space then a purchased license is required. Also, the free version only provides basic functionality and can only run a limited number of scripts. However, the secure removal feature can be used within the Shredder module, your Mac’s health can be monitored via the mini CleanMyMac app located in the menu bar, or the system’s RAM can be cleaned without any restrictions.
Of course, the free version should be of help since the 500MB of free cleaning can be used for many purposes, and the few available maintenance scripts are also very helpful. However, a more efficient method for your Mac’s space and performance is to buy a CleanMyMac license.
Is CleanMyMac worth the money?
If you are looking for the best paid software to optimize your Mac, then CleanMyMac is an obvious choice. It packs all of the necessary features to keep the machine free from unnecessary data such as junk files and caches, and it includes utilities to keep the Mac in optimal performance such as a set of maintenance scripts and an application uninstaller that can completely remove any unwanted apps. It also provides the first line of defense for protecting privacy by removing traces of personal data that hackers could use to siphon off information from the Mac.
In addition, CleanMyMac provides information about the Mac’s health and allows users to free up RAM if they deem it necessary. Thanks to the built-in S.M.A.R.T. monitoring system (available for hard drives only) the software will warn you if the startup disk is about to fail.
Why pay for the software? Because along with the features that the app packs in, you also get access to responsive customer support, a detailed knowledge base, video tutorials, and a dedicated page for customer suggestions. And all that’s on top of a clean Mac.
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