All comparisons

MacWipe vs CleanMyMac

CleanMyMac is a Mac cleaning and maintenance app from MacPaw Way Ltd., registered in Limassol, Cyprus. MacPaw's About page names its Kyiv headquarters. MacPaw says the app has been on the market since 2008 and counts 29 million downloads. The version we checked was 5.7.2, dated 15 October 2026 on cleanmymac.com.

CleanMyMac covers more ground than MacWipe, including malware detection, performance monitoring and cloud cleanup, so the prices below are not a like-for-like feature comparison.

Every fact about CleanMyMac below was checked on 27 October 2026 and links to its source. MacWipe's facts were checked against the app on the same date.

The facts side by side

Price and what it covers

MacWipe

£5.99 a month, £11.97 every 3 months, £23.99 a year or £59.99 for Lifetime, tax included. Scanning and your first clean are free.

CleanMyMac

UK store prices. All-in-One (the full app): £30.95 a year for 1 Mac, £49.95 for 2, £99.95 for 5; monthly from £8.95 for 1 Mac. Essential Trio (Cleanup, Applications and My Clutter only): £15.95 a year for 1 Mac. One-time purchase: £101.95 for 1 Mac, £162.95 for 2, £325.95 for 5.

Number of Macs

MacWipe

Up to 3 Macs on one licence, shareable with family or friends.

CleanMyMac

Store plans cover 1, 2 or 5 Macs. The Mac App Store edition uses your Apple Account's devices. Setapp plans cover 1, 2 or 4 Macs.

Renewal and one-time terms

MacWipe

Cancel any time from your account. Lifetime is one payment and includes all future updates.

CleanMyMac

Subscriptions renew at the then-current rate unless cancelled. MacPaw "may, but are not required to" warn before renewal. A one-time purchase includes updates for the current major version only; major upgrades are paid, with a discount of up to 50%. The 7-day trial needs payment details and converts to a paid plan automatically.

Refund policy

MacWipe

14-day money-back guarantee on your first payment.

CleanMyMac

Direct purchases: 30 days from the first purchase, but 14 days for plans billed monthly or more often (purchases on or after 23 November 2024). Auto-renewal payments are not refundable. The Mac App Store edition is refunded by Apple. MacPaw's help pages and store still say "30-day money-back guarantee" without the 14-day detail.

How to uninstall

MacWipe

Drag MacWipe.app to the Trash. A few small files stay in your user Library (listed below the table).

CleanMyMac

MacPaw says dragging the app to the Trash works like for any other app but "will leave application leftovers". It recommends Applications, then Uninstaller, inside CleanMyMac, selecting CleanMyMac itself.

Background helpers and agents

MacWipe

MacWipe installs no privileged helper, launch daemon, launch agent, XPC service or system extension. The optional "Open MacWipe at login" setting is off unless you turn it on, and macOS removes it when the app is deleted.

CleanMyMac

The website edition installs a privileged helper, CleanMyMac Agent, with an admin password on the first privileged task. MacPaw says it exits when the app quits, and it can be switched off with Action, then Deauthenticate. Background items are Menu (a menu-bar app that starts at login when "Enable Menu" is on), Health Monitor and Updater (wakes every 6 hours; website edition only; can be disabled). The Mac App Store edition has no Agent and no Updater, and fewer features.

Data and network use

MacWipe

Network use is limited to licence checks (website edition) and the update feed. The app has no analytics, advertising or crash-reporting software.

CleanMyMac

The privacy notice (updated 5 Oct 2026) lists data including cleanup activity logs with file paths and sizes, the list of applications on the device, device information including serial number and UUID, security settings and Mac Health data. It names payment, support, analytics, error-reporting and marketing-email providers, and says personal data is not sold. Advertising and some analytics rely on consent.

What stays on your Mac after you drag MacWipe to the Trash

These small files are yours to delete if you want them gone:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/MacWipe/ (the scan history database, plus Quarantine/ only if you chose Quarantine)
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.macwipe.direct.plist (website edition), or the container at ~/Library/Containers/<bundle id> (App Store edition)
  • The Keychain item "com.macwipe.direct.licence" (website edition licence)

What reviewers say

Trustpilot has two CleanMyMac-related listings. The macpaw.com listing covers all MacPaw products, so some reviews are about accounts or billing rather than the app. The cleanmymac.com listing invites customers to review, which Trustpilot flags on its page.

Trustpilot, macpaw.com: 4.4 from 3,816 reviews

The 50 most recent 1 and 2 star reviews, published 14 May 2025 to 1 October 2026. MacPaw replied to all 50. A review can count towards several themes, and the two billing lines marked "part of billing" are included in the billing count. These are counts within a sample of low-rated reviews, not shares of all customers, and they are customers' opinions rather than verified facts.

Trustpilot, cleanmymac.com: 4.7 from 3,375 reviews

The 40 most recent 1 and 2 star reviews, published 2 October 2025 to 24 October 2026. MacPaw replied to 38.

Where CleanMyMac is better

  • A long track record

    On the market since 2008, with 29 million downloads (both MacPaw's figures).

  • Much broader features

    Malware detection with real-time monitoring, performance and RAM/CPU monitors, a menu-bar health monitor, the Space Lens storage map, duplicates and similar photos, cloud and email cleanup, a Browser Care extension and app updating. Several of these are outside MacWipe's scope.

  • More ways to buy

    Available on its website, the Mac App Store and Setapp, with one-time purchase options for 1, 2 or 5 Macs.

  • A large review base

    3,816 reviews on the macpaw.com Trustpilot listing (85% 5 stars) and 3,375 on the cleanmymac.com listing (83% 5 stars). Setapp shows 97% positive from 18,525 ratings.

  • Support

    24/7 support is advertised on the store, and recent positive Trustpilot reviews mostly praise support. MacPaw replied to every review in the 50-review macpaw.com sample.

  • Design recognition

    MacPaw lists a Red Dot 2021 award, UX Design Awards and the Asia Design Prize.

  • Detailed public documentation

    MacPaw publishes help pages on its helper, background items and the differences between editions. They are also the source of the footprint facts in the table above.

Try MacWipe and decide for yourself

Scanning and your first clean are free, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

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Facts checked on 27 October 2026. Spot something out of date? Email support@macwipe.com and we'll fix it.