I should be upfront: I make a much smaller, cheaper Mac app called Shiny. So you should treat my opinion on CleanMyMac with appropriate scepticism. I've tried to write this honestly. Where CleanMyMac is the right tool for someone, I'll say so.
Is CleanMyMac safe?
Yes, on the evidence that can be checked. Each point below says where it comes from.
- It is notarized by Apple. MacPaw's own page says so. Apple's page on safely opening apps explains what that means: Apple checked the app for malicious software and none was detected. It is a check for known malware, not a review of how good the app is.
- You can confirm it yourself. One Terminal command tells you whether macOS accepts your copy as notarized. The steps are in the next section.
- It is sold in three places. MacPaw's purchase page lists its own store, the Mac App Store and Setapp. MacPaw's safety page advises downloading only from its official site or the App Store, and staying away from cracked copies.
- It relies on your consent for analytics. MacPaw's privacy policy, updated 24 April 2026, says it relies on your consent for in-app analytics events. Read it for the full list of what MacPaw collects and why.
- The company is real. MacPaw's own timeline dates the company to 2008, when it started around CleanMyMac, and gives it an office in Kyiv. Its safety page cites more than 500 staff and more than 30 million users, and lists Setapp, ClearVPN and CleanMy®Phone among its products.
How to check the notarization yourself
Gatekeeper, the macOS feature that checks apps you download, can tell you whether macOS accepts an app as notarized. Install CleanMyMac, open Terminal, and run this, using the app's name exactly as it appears in your Applications folder:
spctl --assess --verbose /Applications/CleanMyMac.app
A notarized app prints "accepted" and then "source=Notarized Developer ID". I ran the same command on Shiny, which is notarized, to confirm that is the exact output. I have not run it on CleanMyMac, so run it on your own copy. If you see anything other than "accepted", stop and delete that copy. Apple's Platform Security guide describes what Gatekeeper checks.
Is CleanMyMac the same as MacKeeper?
No. They are separate products from separate companies. CleanMyMac is made by MacPaw. MacKeeper's own refund policy names its operator as Clario Tech FZCO. For a side-by-side read of the two, see CleanMyMac vs CCleaner vs MacKeeper.
What a "safe" result does and does not tell you
It does not mean you need it. Notarization is about malware, not usefulness. MacPaw's own page lists nine tools in the app: Smart Care, Cleanup, Performance, Applications, My Clutter, Menu App, Protection, Space Lens and Cloud Cleanup. Most people use one or two.
It does not mean the malware scanner catches everything. MacPaw's page says its Moonlock Engine detected 93.3% of the samples in an AV-TEST check, and adds that it may not detect some threats. Apple's built-in XProtect runs underneath either way.
It does mean you should read the pricing before you click. MacPaw's page lists $39.95 a year, auto-renewing, or a $119.95 one-time purchase that covers updates to the current major version only, with a free 7-day trial. MacPaw's own purchase page says prices vary by store and country, so check the store you are buying from. Its refund policy, updated 31 July 2025, allows refund requests within 30 days of the first purchase, or within 14 days for monthly subscriptions bought since 23 November 2024. Figures checked on 2 October 2026.
Do you actually need it?
This is the question worth asking. The honest answer for most people is "probably not, but it depends what you're trying to do".
CleanMyMac bundles nine tools, by MacPaw’s own count. If you do all of them regularly, the bundle is worth it. If you only need one or two, you can usually find a cheaper, more focused alternative. Here are CleanMyMac's main jobs and what most people end up actually using:
System junk & cache cleanup. macOS already cleans up after itself most of the time. Caches refill on use; cleaning them daily isn't doing anything. This is mostly cosmetic.
Memory cleaning. Useful when memory pressure goes red (see what memory pressure means). One-click frees up RAM. Smaller apps like Shiny ($4.99 once), Memory Cleaner (free, per Nektony's own page), or just running sudo purge in Terminal do the same job.
Malware scanner. Genuinely useful, but macOS already has a built-in malware scanner called XProtect that runs silently. CleanMyMac's scanner adds a second layer, which is fine but not essential. If you only want malware protection, Apple's free XProtect documentation explains what's already there.
Uninstaller. Cleanly removes apps and their leftover files. AppCleaner does this for free, and is widely considered the best of its kind.
Large & old files finder. Helps you find what's eating your disk. macOS already has this built in: Apple menu › About This Mac › More Info › Storage Settings. Or for a more visual version, DaisyDisk ($9.99 once).
Maintenance scripts. Things like clearing old logs, repairing permissions, rebuilding Spotlight. Apple's free tool OnyX does these and is highly regarded.
When CleanMyMac actually is the right choice
I'll be honest: for some users, CleanMyMac is the right tool.
You should consider it if:
- You want one app to do everything Mac-maintenance-related and don't want to think about it.
- You like having a malware scanner with a friendly interface that flags things visually.
- You'll genuinely use 4 or more of its features regularly (not just open it once a year).
- You don't mind the subscription model and find $39.95 a year (or the $119.95 one-time purchase) reasonable for the breadth.
You probably don't need it if:
- You only want one of its jobs (memory clearing, app uninstalling, disk visualisation).
- You prefer pay-once tools to subscriptions.
- You're already comfortable with built-in macOS tools (Activity Monitor, Storage Settings).
The smaller-tool alternative
If you only want some of CleanMyMac's jobs, here's a kit of single-purpose tools that costs less than one year of CleanMyMac and gives you more control:
- Memory clearing: Shiny ($4.99 once) or Memory Cleaner (free).
- Uninstalling apps: AppCleaner (free).
- Disk visualisation: DaisyDisk ($9.99 once) or built-in Storage Settings.
- Malware: macOS XProtect (built in) and Malwarebytes free scanner if you want a second opinion.
- Maintenance scripts: OnyX (free).
Total cost: about $15 once. Versus $39.95 a year for CleanMyMac. The trade-off is that you have to know which tool to open for which job, and you don't get the unified dashboard.
Bottom line
On the evidence above, CleanMyMac is safe to install. It is a real product from a real company, and Apple's check on your own copy will tell you in seconds.
Whether you need it depends on how much of its breadth you'll actually use. If you'll use most of it, it's a fair deal. If you only need one of its jobs, a smaller tool will probably serve you better at a fraction of the cost.
And as the maker of one of those smaller tools, I'm of course biased. I'd still tell anyone whose Mac genuinely has malware concerns or wants the all-in-one experience that CleanMyMac is a reasonable choice. It's just not the only one.