AppCleaner alternatives for Mac

Why people look for an AppCleaner alternative

AppCleaner from FreeMacSoft does one job and does it simply: drop an app onto its window, review the related files it found, and remove them together. It's free, and version 3.7 came out on September 22, 2026 with support for macOS 27. Often the right answer is to keep using it. People look elsewhere when they want something it doesn't document.

• An undo history. AppCleaner documents no undo inside the app. Getting something back means finding it in the Trash yourself, if it went there.
• A list of every app's real size. Some uninstallers show what each installed app uses with its support files, so you can see which ones are worth removing.
• Leftovers from apps already gone. If you dragged apps to the Trash in the past, some tools list the support files those apps left behind.
• More than uninstalling. Caches, developer files or a disk map in the same app.
• A privacy policy. FreeMacSoft's site doesn't publish one.

When AppCleaner is enough

If you uninstall an app now and then and want something free and quick, keep AppCleaner. Version 3.7 needs macOS 15, and FreeMacSoft still offers 3.6.8 for macOS 10.14 to 15.6, so older Macs are covered too. It also asks for Full Disk Access in 3.7; without it, its release notes warn, some files may fail to be removed.

How we chose

Every pick finds an app's support files along with the app, and every one except Pearcleaner had a release in 2026. We looked at what happens to removed files and whether there's a way back, using each vendor's own pages and, for Pearcleaner, its published source code. Prices and status are as of October 22, 2026.

The first pick is the closest like-for-like replacement. We make MacClearings, the second pick, so read that section knowing who wrote it. There's also a side-by-side page: MacClearings vs AppCleaner.

Pearcleaner

Pearcleaner began as a hobby project inspired by AppCleaner and grew into a toolbox. You can uninstall by drag and drop, from a list, or from a Finder extension. It finds files left by apps that are no longer installed, manages caches for 26 developer environments (Xcode, npm, pip, Cargo, Go, Gradle and others), manages Homebrew packages, and checks for app updates.

• Status: the README marks it "On Hold". The developer says work effectively stopped at the end of 2025, and the last release, 5.4.3, came out on November 26, 2025.
• Price: free. It's source-available under Apache 2.0 with the Commons Clause, which forbids selling it; that isn't an open-source license in the usual sense.
• Requirements: macOS 13 or later, with Full Disk Access and a privileged helper for system folders.
• Removed files: its source moves files into a dated folder in the Trash. Cmd-Z undoes the last removal, and a saved undo history restores earlier ones while the files are still in the Trash.

Get it from its GitHub page or Homebrew. The README says itsalin.com is its only official website and warns about lookalike download sites.

MacClearings

We make MacClearings; it's a one-person app by Chris Williams. Uninstalling is one view of a larger app, so it only makes sense over a free tool if you want the rest.

The Applications view lists every app with its real footprint, including the support files it keeps elsewhere. Uninstall stages the app and the files you leave checked, then opens the same review sheet every MacClearings cleanup goes through. Launch agents start unchecked, so background helpers aren't removed by surprise. Apple's apps and apps that are running are refused. Another list shows support files from apps that aren't installed anymore. While an app runs, the inspector charts its CPU and memory. An Updates tab compares each app with its own update feed, only when you open it, and downloads nothing. Login items can be switched on and off.

• Price: $25 once, or $12.50 for the first 25 buyers. AppCleaner and Pearcleaner are free. See pricing.
• Requirements: macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
• Removed files: only ever moved to the Trash, and only after you review them. History has Undo for each cleanup and Put Back for single items. MacClearings never empties the Trash, so the space comes back when you empty it. See the safety page.
• The rest of the app: a disk Map, cleanup Suggestions, Duplicates and an explanation of System Data.

Mole for Mac

Mole for Mac's Software tool reviews an app and its leftovers together before uninstalling, offers a quicker uninstall, manages login and background items, and checks for app updates from Sparkle, the App Store and Homebrew. It's one of five tools in the app.

• Price: $19 once, and the license activates 2 Macs. Each paid tool works twice before you buy.
• Requirements: macOS 14 or later.
• Removed files: uninstalls go to the Trash. There's no undo command; an operations log records what ran. Note that the app's cache cleanup is permanent by default.
• Free option: its open-source command-line version has mo uninstall, which also uses the Trash after you confirm and keeps personal data unless you ask otherwise. A --permanent flag skips the Trash.

Sensei

Sensei from Cindori includes an uninstaller that removes apps and their leftover files. Cindori's guide says it moves them to the Trash after you review and confirm the list. The rest of the app is a performance and hardware suite: a menu bar monitor, drive and battery health, a disk benchmark and a cleaner.

• Price: $29 a year or $59 once, each for up to 3 Macs.
• Removed files: the uninstaller uses the Trash. No in-app undo is described.

CleanMyMac

CleanMyMac's Applications module removes apps with their related files, finds leftovers from apps you've already removed and old installation files, and updates apps. The App Store edition can't remove the core files of App Store apps.

• Price: Essential Trio, which includes Applications, is $19.95 a year for one Mac. All-in-One is $39.95 a year, or $119.95 once for the current major version.
• Removed files: MacPaw's uninstaller help page doesn't say whether files go to the Trash, and no undo is documented.