Is there a reliable Mac disk cleaner to speed up storage cleaning?

[coss1993]

Hey folks, I’m looking for some third-party software to help clean up my Mac’s drive. Can anyone recommend a good Mac cleaner from personal experience?

 

The thing is, I regularly download a lot of files and install various apps for work, so eventually, the drive fills up and my Mac starts slowing down noticeably. I know that builtin storage management through settings lets me delete stuff manually, but honestly, I’d prefer something more automated. Ideally, it should handle system files, caches, and similar things.

 

Any advice would be great - thanks in advance!

[TechieGuru99]

Hi there! Personally, I don’t use dedicated Mac cleaning apps, but my job involves frequent use of various data recovery tools. One of these, Disk Drill, recently improved its “Clean Up” feature. It now offers a neat visual representation that clearly shows how much space each folder occupies. You can select specific directories, such as your user folder or Applications, and view the results in a visual block diagram, quickly identifying the largest space consumers.

For me, this visualization is extremely helpful—not only can I delete unnecessary files, but I also clearly see patterns of file accumulation, helping me understand how to prevent this issue in the future.
P.S. This “Clean Up” feature is free. The paid part of Disk Drill applies only to file recovery, while the cleaning function comes as a nice bonus from the developers.

Edited April 30, 2025 by TechieGuru99

[MikeB76]

Whoa thanks to @TechieGuru99 I just found out Disk Drill updated that feature - I still remember the old version when everything was just a list not nearly as handy as now (played around with it, pretty cool tbh)
As for my recommendation for mac cleaners, it's CleanMyMac. Super easy to use lots of cleanup options even clears system junk files plus it speeds things up by nuking useless apps from autostart etc.
Anyway it’s a dope app only downside for me - it’s not free

[D_Harris_05]

Among the various Mac cleanup tools available, OnyX stands out as my personal favorite. It offers a wide array of features, such as cache cleanup, application removal along with associated files, APFS snapshot deletion, and much more. In fact, OnyX provides so many capabilities that you’ll likely never use even half of them, yet it still effectively addresses the essential needs for speeding up your Mac.

 

Interestingly, it even includes a scheduling feature to automatically turn your Mac off and on. I’m probably one of the few who genuinely appreciates this feature - it actually makes me smile. There’s something deeply satisfying about waking up in the morning to find my Mac already powered on, and knowing it’ll shut itself down at night without my intervention, relieving me of the worry that I might have accidentally left it on.

 

Another advantage of OnyX is that it’s completely free, unlike CleanMyMac, which I previously used. While CleanMyMac served me well for a time, I eventually grew tired of its persistent subscription reminders. Buying a lifetime license seemed excessively expensive, and thus OnyX emerged as a far more appealing alternative.

[surenmunoo]

@D_Harris_05 Do you have a link to the software?

[Anto65]

https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html

[PixelDreamer5]

I’ve been using DaisyDisk for a while now and it’s similar to the Clean Up feature in Disk Drill (like @TechieGuru99 described) but here the chart is round. Makes it super easy to spot big files and delete them from your Mac

 

Some folks might think it’s a basic app and not worth downloading but actually it’s developed by just two people not some big company and they’ve managed to make a really handy app - it even has a 4.6-star rating in the AppStore which I think deserves respect. Also it looks like you have to pay $10 in the AppStore, but you can actually grab it free directly from their site, and the trial doesn’t have a time limit Highly recommend

[UrbanExplorer7]

@coss1993 if you’ve got a few spare minutes, I’d seriously advise you to steer clear of all those fancy Mac cleaners and stuff. I mean, you literally mentioned there’s already Storage Management built right into your settings - so like, why even mess around with third-party cleaners when Apple already hands you tons of ways to clear out junk from your Mac? 🤷‍♂️
You can clear Xcode caches, ditch old iOS backups, uninstall apps with one click, or easily spot huge files cluttered on your drive. It’s basically got all you need - just takes a couple clicks here and there
Honestly, all these so-called “best Mac cleaners” are pretty much scams, especially if they’re tryin’ to charge you money.  They’re aimed at boomers who download movies then have no clue how to delete them without paying someone else to do it.
Just be a pro user - take a minute to choose exactly what you wanna toss, since Storage Management lets you control everything yourself anyway. But hey, at the end of the day, it’s your call

[GeladeN]

Haha, seems like cleaners are a personal trauma for @UrbanExplorer7! Hang in there, breathe deep 😂

 

I actually have the opposite opinion - cleaners exist for a reason, and they genuinely make life easier. Sure, macOS itself keeps improving, but these cleaners simplify your workflow significantly. In most cases, you’re literally one click away from freeing enough storage space for a new app or other files. Here’s my personal list of top Mac cleaners:

• CleanMyMac. Excellent software for those who prefer not to dive deep into macOS storage settings. Open the app, click a couple of buttons, and your Mac is optimized. The only downside -it’s paid software.
• OnyX. A highly versatile tool that goes beyond simple cleaning. Alongside storage cleanup, it includes features for process optimization and more. Definitely worth exploring if you want additional functionality.
• Cleaner One: Disk Clean. Developed by antivirus software creators, which honestly boosts my confidence. It offers features ranging from a detailed visual map of disk usage to duplicate photo detection.
• AppCleaner. A simple-looking utility with powerful capabilities. If you handle many apps daily, you might be surprised by how many residual files remain after uninstalling them. I use AppCleaner constantly in my workflow to remove test apps it quickly identifies and cleans all leftover files, freeing up valuable storage effortlessly.
   

[coss1993]

Wow, thanks a ton everyone for all your suggestions - I really appreciate your input. Honestly, I was kinda expecting there’d be an obvious favorite I could just pick right away, but looks like I’ll need to sit down and think about which features actually matter to me. Anyway, I’ll start testing out each app now; eventually, something will click, haha

[AirPlayAkf]

What I found works for me is unclogging large old files that are sitting and Im unaware about them. 

Most of products mentioned requires you navagiting directory tree or paying a subscription. 

What worked for me was a https://macspaceback.com - it shows you descending list of large unused files. Simple as that.

If you don't want to pay even a one time fee - and my mentioned situation is exactly what you want - I would just use finder with correct filters and sorting options : ) 

Hope that helps!

[MHKAsif]

ran into the same issue recently when my Mac kept showing “Storage Full” and the built-in storage view didn’t really explain what was taking space.

I actually ended up building a small free tool called DiskPilot that scans your drive and visually shows which folders/files are using the most storage (treemap + folder sizes), so you can clean things quickly without digging manually.

It’s free and open-source if you’d like to try it:
https://mhkasif.github.io/DiskPilot/

Would genuinely love feedback if you test it — I’m actively improving it based on user input 🙂

[Johnson William]

I actually built a Mac cleaning app called Cacheless, which might be helpful for what you described.

https://www.cacheless.app/