Originally published at: https://tidbits.com/watchlist/cleanmymac-4-6-9/
Brings improvements and bug fixes to the all-purpose cleaning and maintenance app. ($89.95 new, free update, 57.4 MB)
Have you or someone on the crack staff done a review of CleanMyMac? I am wary of any cleaning applications, but I trust Tidbits.
I have had it for years. I has never caused my any problems. You control exactly what it does or doesn’t do.
I like it because it has some extra features That don’t mess with any system files.
In fact, I don’t think it does anything at all in the system files or libraries. It works strictly in the user space.:
- Proper uninstall of apps and supporting files.
- All available app updates, and in most cases you can update through tbe app, although it does take longer because it is downloading and installing the app.
- Identify what large or old files or app are taking up the most space on your HD.
- Virus and maleare checks.
- Gets rid of temp and log files.
Everytime I run it it finds 69-80 GB of junk and moves it to the trash. If you have Time Machine nothing it does is permanently destructive.
Having this I got rid of MacUpdate, Malware Bytes, AppZapp, and a few other utilities that CleanMyMac makes redundent.
That is my experience going back to Sierra. I have been a customer along time. They have responsive support. Your mileage may vary.
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I’m going to reiterate what I said in a previous thread. I would never let an app like this loose on my Mac, nor any of the many Macs I support. I also would not want to have to rely on Time Machine to repair any damage such an app could cause. I have seen waaay too many problems caused by using ‘clean-up’ apps. Of all the apps mentioned, I use only Malwarebytes. Perhaps these apps (including ant-virus apps) have become less troublesome/destructive lately, but I won’t find out. Just my $0.02.
You are certainly entitled to you opinion. Lots of people think toads cause warts. They are called old wives tales. I think rattlesnake tastes terrible, although I have never tried it.
Can you produce any evidence of this particular app causing any problems say in the last 3 to 5 years. Now that would be valuable information.
The app isn’t free. Don’t you think the publisher would have gone out of business if this app was dangerous?
Please do not confuse CleanMyMac with malware like MacCleaner. There are a lot of garbage cleaners and first-aid apps out there. CleanMyMac isn’t one of them. It isn’t advertised as magic. What it does is documented.
I only have one Mac, and I will bet you mine is way more complex with utilities and add ones than the average corporate machine. I load a lot of software to try out and get rid of a lot too. I run beta software. My point is my machine is in a constant state of flux.
And I have never had a problem running CleanMyMac. Ever.
It is not like Cocktail or Onyx both of which can really screw up your machine if you change settings without knowing what you are doing and why. It isn’t a substitute for Etrecheck.
I have had a lot more problems running Apple software than CleanMyMac. Just to be clear, I don’t work for them nor am I being compensated in any way for writing this. I am not an affiliate with a link so I can get a commission if you buy it. I just like it a lot and use it frequently. And it has never caused any harm.
If you support a lot of Macs, the next time you have a spare machine, load it with your standard setup and run CleanMyMac on it.
The only way you will know for sure is to test it in an environment where there is no harm if it proves you are right.
As they used to say on TV: Try it! You’ll like it!
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Due the huge amount of BAD reviews for this app over many years, I’ve always steered clear of it. If you want to read a LOT of reviews on it, go to Macupdate.com page: https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/30017/cleanmymac-x
Most of the complaints are about the price and the switch to an annual subscription model. Others are not a conplaint but how you can get 5 other cheaper or free apps to do what CleanMyMac does.
One guy wrote it slows down his Mac. It doesn’t run in the background so he was clearly writing about a different product.
I see that confusion all the time, from Google maps and TripAdvisor to Yelp and MacUpdate. The reviewer is writing about a different place or product and it is almost always a strongly negative review. Reviewers damage good places and products when they get them confused with crappy places and producrs.
Now maybe you can configure it to run in the background and check all your downloads and e-mails as they arrive but If it even does that, I don’t use it.
I use UBlock Origin running in the background to filter adware, malware, and other junk. I turn it off on sites I trust like this one. I will accept ads from this site. Never click on them but not nearly as annoying as the YouTube ads that interrupt whatever I am watching for 4 or 5 seconds before I am allowed to click skip ads.
I use Social Fixer to have an ad free Facebook on my laptop and filter stuff in my time line that I believe is fake news
I use CleanMyMac once a month, run once and done. It has never scrambled my file structure. Again it is a maintenance utility and it isn’t running in the background. Or I don’t allow it too.
It runs when I launch it and stops running when I quit.
Some guy complained that he has to run each scan individually. Not true. I choose what to run and press one button called scan. It does nothing during the scan. It is read only.
After the scan you can examine the results in whatever level of detail you wish. You don’t need to run the fix after the scan if you have any concerns.
Maybe these guys had older hardware? I only have a single MacBook Pro 2018 model. 2017 before that. 2012 model before that. Got a lot of use out of that 2012 MBP
Apple’s Sierra to High Sierra update bricked my 2012 MacBook Pro. So Apple replaced the bricked machine with a brand new 2017 MacBook Pro.for free. Apple even allowed me to increase the RAM and SSD for $200 bucks. Took 10 days without a computer to get the new one from China. Apple shipped it to the wrong address.
As I said originally I have had more problems with Apple software than with CleanMyMac.
I have Adobe Creative Cloud. No issues at all with CleanMyMac. But I am not running them at the same time.
Maybe I am just more technical that most of my peers? Or more lucky. I don’t use MacUpdate (used to a long time ago. It is a subscription which CleanMyMac eliminates the need for.)
I also don’t read MacUpdate reviews. They still have products onnMacUpdate from 2003 that aren’t even sold anymore.
I read App Store reviews or professional reviews by professional writers. I read reviews here too.
Different opinions is what makes horse races. You don’t want to use it. Then don’t. I run it with no worries whatsoever.
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Just to add my voice: been using CMM for years, never had a problem.
I will add another positive voice to this thread as a longtime happy user of Clean My Mac. Never a problem, just does what I want it to do quickly and efficiently. Well worth the money for a license.