CleanMyMac 5 Review

Mac optimization and cleaning apps, including CleanMyMac, have crossed my radar dozens of times over the past several years. Some of these apps are terrible, malware-ridden headaches that you should stay away from — but many others are quality applications worth downloading.

Having worked as a computer repair technician for over ten years now, I know exactly what to look for in various software applications to tell the good from the bad. In the case of CleanMyMac 5, the latest in the long-running optimization apps designed by MacPaw, you are looking at one of my favorite apps.

There isn’t much, if any, bad press surrounding CleanMyMac. But still, if you’ve seen ads about CleanMyMac and are wondering if you should try it out, there isn’t much to go on. In fact, the reviews are mixed.

In this CleanMyMac review, I’m going to offer my unbiased opinion on the app. Whether you’re thinking about downloading it, or if you’ve been using it for a while and wondering if you should keep it around or not, this article is for you.

Quick Summary of CleanMyMac 5

Pros	Cons
Fully updated intuitive user interface and design	High price compared to less powerful utility programs
A comprehensive suite of cleaning and maintenance tools	The free trial version is limited
Includes protection against malware and other threats
Built-in tray application to monitor system vitals

My Ratings

• Features: 8/10 – It covers all essential Mac cleaning and optimization needs, although it could offer more advanced features like a VPN.
• Pricing: 6/10 – The high cost could be a barrier for casual users.
• Ease of Use: 9/10 – The effortless navigation couldn’t be easier to use, even for complete beginners.
• Support: 7/10 – Support is decent but lacks 24/7 live chat.
• Overall Value: 7.5/10 – Good for frequent users but may not be worth it for everyone.

My Verdict: CleanMyMac is a popular utility that promises to keep your Mac running smoothly by cleaning junk files, uninstalling unwanted apps, and removing potential malware. Its user-friendly interface and all-in-one approach make it a go-to choice if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy, or if you just want a simple way to manage your device.

Why Does CleanMyMac Got So Many Mixed Reviews

Even though CleanMyMac offers a bunch of useful features for your computer, opinions are divided — especially among more tech-savvy users. Critics argue that much of what the app claims to do is already handled by MacOS’s built-in tools, such as periodic maintenance scripts, and Finder’s file management.

For example, features like Junk Cleanup often identify files that are possible for you to find and delete manually. Many users also criticize the design choices and find that frequent notifications asking to update or scan the system can be intrusive.

CleanMyMac appeals most if you value convenience and a streamlined interface over manually managing your Mac’s maintenance. If you’re comfortable with your Mac’s native capabilities or if you prefer a free alternative, CleanMyMac can feel a bit redundant.

My Experience Using CleanMyMac 5

I first started using CleanMyMac X several years ago. So I’ve witnessed the earlier iterations of the app and seen it evolve notably over time.

With the current iteration, the most noticeable improvement is the user interface. It looks much cleaner and more modern, while still retaining all the useful features it’s always had, and even adding a few new ones.

Setup and User Interface

Installing the app is very straightforward. The first step is to decide where to download the app from. The only risk is downloading from an unreputable source. Luckily, you can find it easily on the Mac App Store, from MacPaw, or the CleanMyMac website.

To download it from the App Store, simply search CleanMyMac in the App Store’s search bar. You’ll find it among the first results. Download it with your Apple ID and follow the steps for installation.

Once the setup is complete, you can get to exploring CleanMyMac’s features and optimizing your computer. Let’s check out all of the app’s features next.

Smart Care

All of CleanMyMac’s key features are located along the sidebar on the left of the app’s main window. We’ll work our way down the list and explore each one. The first tool to check out is the Smart Care feature. This is the primary utility that allows you to run a quick scan of the contents of your Mac and get a breakdown of anything that can be done to optimize it.

Just hit Scan and wait for the app to show your results. Once the scan completes — which took me about 2 minutes — you’ll see a screen like the one pictured below.

As we can see, CleanMyMac found a few items worth taking a closer look at. There are 2.2GB of junk files, performance tasks, and duplicate files to take care of. Your scan results will likely show something different, especially if you’ve been using your Mac for a while.

Running this scan is always a good idea if you want to get a quick overview of how your Mac is doing. You can get results quickly, so it is perfect for performing a routine check of your Mac’s health.

Junk Cleanup

The “Junk Cleanup” feature is another type of scan, designed to locate and eliminate junk files that can take up extra space on your computer. If your Mac is running out of space, and you’d like to safely remove items without damaging your computer, running this Cleanup is a good option.

Hit the Scan button and you’ll quickly be presented with another screen showing the results of your scan.

As you can see from the image above, my Mac found 2.4GB of files. We can take a closer look at these by hitting the Review button, or remove them right away by hitting Clean.

If you hit Review, then you’ll see a detailed breakdown of the results. This way, you can decide if there are any specific items that you would like to keep. All of these files, user cache files, system logs, and other types of temporary files, can be safely deleted.

Malware Removal

The Protection feature is another helpful utility within CleanMyMac. Malware can be an annoying problem at best, or a security and privacy issue at worst. So, having a way to quickly get rid of it is invaluable. Just hit the Scan button to run a test for threats.

I frequently run scans on my personal Mac, so CleanMyMac didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. But your scan results may show something more concerning. Once you finish examining the report, just hit Remove to clear out any potential threats.

Performance Tools

Nothing is quite as frustrating as an achingly slow computer. Even more frustrating, though, is when you don’t know what’s causing your computer to act so sluggish. This is where performance optimization tools can be a lifesaver. Hit the Scan button to start checking your performance and see how you can optimize your Mac to run better.

Running a quick scan will give you a rundown of what you can do to optimize your Mac. CleanMyMac can run maintenance tasks like flushing the DNS cache to repair DNS problems, reindexing the Spotlight to speed up search, repairing disk permissions to resolve access-related issues, or thinning bulky Time Machine snapshots to regain storage space.

App Remover

Applications piling up on your computer over time and taking up valuable space is a tale as old as computers themselves. Forgetting to remove applications you no longer use, or not being able to remove problematic apps, can cause your computer to run slower, and prevent you from using all of your Mac’s storage space.

Fortunately, CleanMyMac has a built-in tool to allow you to remove these apps systematically. Hit the Scan button and you’ll get a helpful report showing the status of your computer’s apps.

As you can see from the image above, my Mac has a few tasks that need to be done: updating the OS, cleaning up App Leftovers, and removing unneeded Installation Files. There are also 18 apps to sort through. If you want to remove specific apps, you hit the Manage Applications button to bring up the list.

CleanMyMac will show you all of your apps, letting you sort them based on usage, where you got them from, and whether they are suspicious or not. If you want to remove a specific one, just hit the check box next to its name and select Uninstall.

Clutter Cleanup

Clutter cleanup is another neat feature you’ll find in CleanMyMac. This tool is designed to help you find and remove large and old files, duplicates, similar images, and old downloads. Hit the scan button to generate a report of everything that can be safely removed fitting this description.

In my case, CleanMyMac located 51 files to check out. Hitting Review All Files brings up the Clutter Manager report to find out exactly what these files consist of. Clearing out these files might free up a ton of storage space, so it’s worth sorting through to see if there is anything you need.

FAQs

Can Macpaw and CleanMyMac be trusted?

Yes, CleanMyMac is developed by MacPaw, a reputable company based in Ukraine with a solid track record. The app has also passed Apple’s stringent notarization process, ensuring that it is safe and malware-free.

Does Apple recommend CleanMyMac?

While Apple does not officially endorse any third-party app, CleanMyMac is widely used and compatible with macOS.

What’s the main difference between CleanMyMac 5 and CleanMyMac X?

CleanMyMac X is the previous version of the app. CleanMyMac 5, now known simply as CleanMyMac, introduces a more modern interface, along with better performance, and new features like real-time malware monitoring.

Can CleanMyMac slow down my computer?

CleanMyMac does start a background process and it also loads on startup. However, it doesn’t consume your Mac’s processing power to the point of slowing it down. In fact, having it on your computer to keep it running smoothly by running optimization tasks and removing unnecessary apps can actually speed up your Mac.

Final Verdict: Is CleanMyMac Worth It?

While CleanMyMac doesn’t work miracles, it is great at cleaning junk files off your computer and running maintenance tasks. Sure, many of the tech-savvy critics argue that you can do most of what CleanMyMac does on your own, manually. But it can also be a lot of work, and even risky if you don’t know what you’re doing.

My experience using CleanMyMac has been stellar. Even though I know how to run maintenance tasks, remove malware, free up storage space, and get rid of unwanted apps, CleanMyMac still has a place in my toolbox because it makes all of this work quicker and easier.

If you know your way around your Mac’s inner workings and prefer a free alternative, it might not be for you. But if you want something simple and intuitive that takes the hassle out of performing a ton of different tasks at once, CleanMyMac is worth it.