The Best Mac Antivirus Protection of 2018 Despite what you may have heard, your Apple computer is not immune to malware. We test the top contenders to identify those offering the best Mac. Best Mac Antivirus Software. You need an antivirus program on your Mac. That statement may cause some Apple users to argue or walk away, but 2017 has so far seen more Mac malware and adware than. In 2018, the best Macs are capable of more than ever before. Read on to see which Mac should be on your Black Friday list. Best Cleaning Kits For Mac Your Mac’s accessories will be considered incomplete without a good cleaning kit. There are many cleaning kits in the market and we have tried to round up the best that provide overall cleaning for your computer.
Why You Should Trust Us
My name is JP, and I’m the founder of SoftwareHow. You’ve probably checked out the about page or maybe some of the tips, guides, and reviews I wrote. So, I’m not going to self-introduce too much here. I’m an Apple fan who owns an old mid-2012 MacBook Pro. I love exploring new technology and figuring out what it has to offer to make our life easier, especially when it comes to being more productive and get more work done.
One of the problems I’ve had with my MacBook often is that the hard drive filled up quickly, and I had to transfer important files to another drive (actually just did so with my Seagate external), clean up unnecessary files, and transfer everything back. To be honest, I hate doing it. It’s boring and time-consuming.
Is there a better way to handle this issue? Luckily, yes. If you’ve ever used a Windows PC, you probably know there are PC maintenance tools like CCleaner or other registry cleaners. Unlike PCs, Macs don’t have registries and thus don’t need registry cleaner programs. But there are many wonderful apps that help you reclaim storage space by cleaning unused or unnecessary stuff. We call them Mac cleaners.
My teammate Adrian and I have personally used and tested a handful of Mac cleaner apps. Some are free (CCleaner, OnyX, etc.) while others are not (CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk, Drive Genius, etc.). Depending on your specific needs and personal preferences, the best Mac cleaner app for you may vary. In fact, you may not need to use a cleaning app at all if you’re a power Mac user. Anyway, you can read more about our reasons why below.
The “Hype” and Myth of Mac Cleaning
Below are a few statements and misconceptions about Mac cleaning.
1. Your Mac gets “dirty” over time.
This is a general misconception among new Mac users who switch over from PCs. Windows users are accustomed to running a registry cleaner program because of accumulated web browser caches and system junk files, leading to a belief that your PC is dirty. It’s important to understand that macOS is not Windows. The two operating systems should not be viewed the same way. In general, Macs don’t need the same level of system maintenance thanks to its Unix heritage. You can learn more about the subject here.
2. Cleaning the macOS system will make your Mac machine run faster.
You probably have come across some marketing slogans where app developers claim their programs speed up your Mac, boost your Mac performance, etc. These are generally misleading because there is no research directly proving that cleaning a Mac system can help speed it up, though HDD-based Macs could gain a bit performance increase from defragmentation. If your Mac has a built-in SSD, you don’t need to defrag. Also, in the Mac community, there’s a general consensus that you should keep at least 10% (some say 20%) free disk space in order for your machine to run smoothly.
3. You can’t clean macOS manually, you have to use an app.
This is a false statement that some advertisers take advantage of to help sell their paid products. The truth is, there are many ways to clean your Mac manually without using any utilities or apps. For example, all web browsers (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) allow you to clear the cache, browsing history, and unused extensions. Apple’s macOS also makes it easy to disable startup apps in Login Items (via System Preferences > Users & Groups), and you can uninstall most applications with a simple drag-and-dropEmpty Trash. You see, all these tasks can be done manually without using any third-party apps.
Who Should (& Should NOT) Get a Mac Cleaner App
The main value proposition of a Mac cleaning app is that it should reclaim storage space while spending little time achieving it in the process. Therefore, you should consider using a cleaning app in the following situations:
- If your Mac is running out of disk space, especially if you get that “Your disk is almost full” warning.
- You are relatively new to macOS and uncomfortable handling technical stuff, though you can definitely learn how to deal with the matter on your own.
- You know how to clean your Mac manually, but it’s not worth your time.
You probably won’t benefit from a Mac cleaner app if you own an old Mac and it is running super slow, keeps freezing, or has general performance issues. You’d be better off simply upgrading your computer.
Case in point: I’m on a mid-2012 MacBook Pro. Last year, I managed to replace the internal HDD (a Hitachi hard disk drive) with a new solid-state drive from Crucial, and the performance boost was absolutely crazy. Initially, my machine took at least 30 seconds to fully start up. Now, it only requires ten seconds or so. Plus, it’s much quieter thanks to the advantages SSDs have over HDDs.
Also, if you’re a photographer or videographer who regularly uses an old Mac (prior to 2012) for heavy photo/video editing, you may consider adding extra RAM as this will help increase your Mac’s capability to process requests and avoid app frozen issues. There are many other possible reasons why a Mac may run slowly. Check out this infographic for more details.
How We Picked and Tested
It’s hard to compare different products with the same criteria. These days, app developers understand how to compete by differentiating their products over aspects like features, pricing, and support. We thus disclaim here that the goal of conducting this review and comparison is to help our readers make wiser decisions and find their desired Mac cleaner apps. By no means do we aim to rank these products.
Also, we’ve hand-tested and used each of the programs. With some of them, we also reached out to the developers’ support team for product-related questions. In doing this, we strive to fully understand what an app has to offer and evaluate the support quality of its developer. Below are the key points we looked at when evaluating these apps:
1. The app’s core functions must include cleaning.
Your goal is to make room for your Mac, not to install a number of third-party utilities that eat up more storage. Ideally, the best cleaner app is cleaning-focused, meaning it should aim to help users remove unneeded files and applications. We understand that in reality, it’s hard to find apps that offer exactly the same features without differentiation. Therefore, we expand ed the level of consideration a little bit. As long as one of the app’s core features is cleaning, we put it to the test.
2. How effectively does the app clean your Mac?
When it comes to reviewing a piece of software at SoftwareHow, the primary factor we always evaluate is effectiveness. This is important because apps should do what they claim to offer: Reclaim a decent amount of disk space by cleaning system junk, identifying and deleting useless items like old iOS backups, finding duplicated or similar photos, uninstalling third-party apps and their remnants, etc.
3. Is the app easy to use?
Software is designed for humans, and we expect a well-developed cleaning app to be simple to use. It doesn’t have to be equipped with a fancy or sleek user interface (if it does, that’s definitely better), but the features, navigation buttons, and text instructions must be clear and easily understood. Also, app crashes or file corruption may be unacceptable depending on how badly it hurts the user experience.
4. How much does the app cost?
Free apps are great and if they do the job they’re even better. But it’s worth noting that a free app isn’t necessarily the best app. We conducted these reviews from the perspective of what these apps offer — in other words, the benefits they provide, i.e, how much storage space they free up on your computer hard drive. In general, paid apps tend to offer more than free apps. Among those paid apps, pricing also varies. For example, CleanMyMac is priced at $39.95 per Mac (one-time fee), while iMobie MacClean costs $29.95 per Mac but it comes with a $19.95 annual subscription model as well. When it comes to evaluating whether a Mac cleaning app is worth it, we often take both its features and price into consideration.
5. How good is the developer’s customer service?
When you have questions or encounter any technical issues related to an app, it’s best that the developer can be reached out in a number of ways like email, live chat, or phone. If they have a knowledge base with FAQs and/or an actively moderated forum, that’s even better. In our opinion, paid cleaning apps usually offer higher-quality, more timely customer support than free apps. This is unfortunate but reasonable, as adding a new channel for support means extra cost to the developer.
6. Is the app compatible with the latest macOS version?
Apple launches a new major macOS version every year. As of this writing, the newest is 10.13 High Sierra. Most Mac users will choose to update their machines to the latest version. For example, I just updated my MacBook Pro to High Sierra (you can read this post for a list of performance issues and fixes I discovered) and found a few apps I regularly use were out of date. One of those was CleanMyMac. I was using an older version, 3.6, which is only usable on Sierra. Luckily, once I updated the app to the latest version, 3.9, it worked perfectly. Therefore, the best Mac cleaner app must support the latest macOS. It’s ideal if it also covers some older macOS versions.
The Winners
Best Choice: CleanMyMac + Gemini
CleanMyMac 3 has a number of cleaning utilities that are helpful in getting rid of system junk, while Gemini 2 shows its power in detecting and removing duplicate photos and files.
Both apps are developed by the same company, MacPaw Inc., and they are extremely easy to use. To be frank, I really wished that MacPaw integrated Gemini’s features into CleanMyMac. I emailed their team my feedback, but it seems they don’t have a plan to do this at the moment.
That’s why I recommend this cleaning bundle — you can get CleanMyMac and Gemini for only $53.95 (with a 10% discount). Of course, you can choose to get them separately. I suggest you try out the trial version, which is free, before committing to the app or the bundle.
I’ve thoroughly tested almost every feature of both these apps. You can read my detailed review of CleanMyMac and the full review of Gemini here. For the sake of time, I’ll highlight a few key features I like and explain what they mean to you. I’ll also point out the things I dislike so you can better understand whether or not it’s right for you.
Here’s the main screen of CleanMyMac v. 3.9 on my MacBook Pro, 10.13 High Sierra based.
CleanMyMac 3 all comes down to convenience, and the feature I like most is Smart Cleanup, which you can see in the screenshot above. It took less than a minute for the app to scan my Mac (which has a 500GB solid state drive), and it found 5.79GB junk that was safe to remove. Please note that I run the app regularly and the last scan was just two weeks ago. If it’s your first time using this app, you’ll probably find a lot more junk.
The second feature I really appreciate is Large & Old Files. A quick scan found close to 112 GB of files. CleanMyMac automatically puts them into different groups, sorting them by size from top to bottom. I found this helpful because I don’t have to take the time to manually check up on every folder.
Pay attention, though! A file that’s old and large doesn’t mean it should be deleted. I highly encourage you to carefully review each item (by clicking the “Reveal in Finder” and “Quick Look” icons within the app) before removing them. For example, on my MacBook, CleanMyMac found a large disk copy of my Lexar flash drive stored in the Downloads folder. The file is 32 GB in size, which caught my attention immediately.
After reviewing, the file turned out to be redundant as I’ve backed up my Lexar data to an external hard drive. So, I knew it was okay to delete. Once I selected this item and hit the “Remove” button, CleanMyMac displayed, “32.01 GB removed. You now have 257.69 GB free on your startup disk.” Boom…how cool is that?
Under the “Utilities” section, you’ll see several tools like Uninstaller, Maintenance, Privacy, Extensions, and Shredder. Those features are pretty self-explanatory and can be useful for many of you. However, don’t use them that often because most of those tasks can be completed in other ways I’m already familiar with. For example, you can disable startup apps and services via Extensions > Login Items.
There are several other things about CleanMyMac that I’m not a fan of. For example, the app menu adds itself to the auto startup list once installed (though you can disable it in the preferences), and sometimes a scan causes my Mac to heat up quickly.
Overall, those issues are tolerable compared to the incredible amount of value CleanMyMac provides. As you can see, I managed to reclaim close to 38 GB in storage, and the whole process took less than ten minutes to complete. In this regard, CleanMyMac 3 is a huge time-saver, and keeping it on my Mac is a no-brainer.
Next, we’ve got MacPaw Gemini 2, the intelligent duplicate finder app.
Here’s the main screen of Gemini v. 2.4.2 on my MacBook Pro, based on 10.13 High Sierra.
These days your Mac is probably the hub for everything. It’s the place to save your backup files (or backup of your backups, like they say) and photos you shot on your iPhone or digital camera, etc. The tricky part is that those items can take up lots of disk space and can result in a lot of duplicates. This can especially be the case if you’ve used your Mac for a long time.
Manually checking and comparing those files to identify duplicates is unrealistic. Luckily, there are amazing apps like Gemini 2 that can help you quickly find and delete duplicate files. The best part? It’s extremely easy to use. The latest version, 2.4.3, is also fully compatible with macOS High Sierra.
For example, I selected a random folder on my Mac and let Gemini scan it. In about 30 seconds, it found 654 MB similar files and some exact duplicates. A quick review revealed that they are mostly photos recently uploaded to my Mac, and I hadn’t yet organized them. The number may not look exciting — but considering this is a random test, I was quite happy with the results I got.
Previously, I tested an earlier version of the app and wrote a review based on my findings. That was a little over half a year ago. It found nearly 40 GB duplicate files on my MacBook, and I ended up removing 10 GB within just a few minutes. Gemini 2 is available to buy on Mac App Store at $19.99 USD, but I recommend you get it from the official MacPaw website because there’s a free trial that you can test drive before paying. The price on their site is the same as on App Store.
The support for both CleanMyMac and Gemini are also amazing. MacPaw, the developer of these apps, offers a number of ways to take customer queries including email, phone calls, and social media channels. They’re most active on Twitter.
Also Great: Drive Genius
If you’re willing to pay a bit more for a Mac cleaner in order to get some enhanced security and optimization, Drive Genius 5 from Prosoft Engineering is the tool to beat.
The app includes every feature a cleaner app has to offer, plus additional protection against viruses and malware which helps protect your investment from any threat.
The best part? Drive Genius is also used and recommended by the tech geeks at Apple Genius Bar.
Do Macs also get viruses? The answer is yes, even if Apple says otherwise (watch this old Apple commercial ad). You can read about several examples of Mac malware compiled in Macworld. The article also mentions that there’s been a 230% increase in malware in 2017, and that scam software is coming to Mac App Store — once a small issue, especially when compared to PCs.
Just a couple weeks ago, I chose to update my MacBook Pro to the latest 10.13 High Sierra, only to find that a huge vulnerability was reported all over the world: Hackers could extract text passwords from Keychain. You can read more details in this 9to5mac post. Although Apple quickly responded to this issue and launched a supplemental update for High Sierra, their once bulletproof reputation has yet to recover.
Drive Genius was originally developed to keep your Mac hard drive clean and safe from disk errors. The newest edition, 5, has added a comprehensive feature called Malware Scan, part of the automated DrivePulse utility which monitors your Mac for potential issues and viruses. On its main screen, you can get an idea of what the app offers. You can also read our full review of Drive Genius here.
To clean and speed up your Mac, Drive Genius provides several tools. The first one I’d like to highlight is “Find Duplicates”. It’s pretty much like Gemini 2, which allows you to locate duplicate files and remove them to free up disk space. The “Find Large Files” utility is similar to CleanMyMac‘s “Large & Old Files” feature, which is self-explanatory. Another feature I want to mention is “Defragment”, which makes files stored on your Mac hard drive (HDD only) more organized through defragging. It can give a helpful speed boost, as my teammate Adrian Try pointed out in his reviews.
The customer support team from Prosoft Engineering offers phone and email support (Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM, PST). They also have lots of useful documentation to help users learn how to properly handle Drive Genius and tackle macOS related problems. The latest version of Drive Genius is fully compatible macOS 10.10 Yosemite, 10.11 El Capitan, and 10.12 Sierra. 10.13 High Sierra support is coming soon.
Honorable Mention: Dr. Cleaner
Dr. Cleaner is a product developed by Trend Micro, an enterprise cybersecurity solution provider most famous for its anti-malware and application control software. The app caught my attention while I was testing Dr. Cleaner (the free version) and found that the app offers a lot more free features than most of its competition, and I instantly felt the app developer’s ambition. This is a good thing for Mac users because we have another good “free” cleanup tool, though Dr. Cleaner’s cleaning capabilities still have room for improvements while compared to that of CleanMyMac (you can real my full review for details).
Dr. Cleaner has a free version that allows you to clean your disk (e.g. removing cache and temp files, user download folders, web browser junk, etc.), optimize memory usage by closing apps, and monitor usage of the CPU and network. The professional version, called Dr. Cleaner Pro, is offered at a $14.99 price point. The Pro version allows you to access several advanced features including Smart Scan, Duplicate Finder, App Manager, and File Shredder.
There’s also the Dr. Cleaner Menu (see above), a mini app that shows up on Mac menu bar once you install Dr. Cleaner. At first glance, it’s like the Apple’s Activity Monitor app built into macOS. But I find the Dr. Cleaner Menu much convenient and easier to use because I don’t have to launch Activity Monitor via Spotlight search every time I want to know what’s going on with my Mac’s real-time status.
Dr. Cleaner is free to get from the Mac App Store. The app requires OS X 10.10+ and 28.9 MB space to run and fully supports latest macOS High Sierra. I didn’t encounter any issues during my tests. Trend Micro offers customer support for the app. You can read more from my Dr. Cleaner review here.
The Competition and Comparison
iMobie MacClean wants to be the all-in-one cleaning suite for Macs. At first glance, it’s a combination of CleanMyMac and Gemini, but even more powerful because the app claims it can clean malicious cookies and scan your Mac’s Applications and Downloads folders for potential security risks. The app looks attractive and is simple to use, as you can see from its main navigation panel on the left part of the main interface.
Like other cleaning apps, MacClean has a number of tools for the job as you can see from this screenshot. Version 3.2.0 built on 20170920.
My teammate Adrian reviewed MacClean thoroughly and found that it was able to free up around 35 GB storage from his MacBook Air with a 128 GB SSD drive. Most scans were quite fast, usually completed in seconds — very helpful, as Adrian said. However, the app definitely has room for improvement, as Adrian encountered several crashes, and failed to find some large files he hadn’t used for a while. That said, MacClean is well worth it considering as it costs only $29.99 for personal license and $39.99 for a family license (which allows you to install the software on up to five Macs and earns you priority support). We gave it a 4-star rating in both Effectiveness and Support (they were responsive via email tickets). The latest version, 3.2.0, supports macOS High Sierra.
A scanning result of DaisyDisk 4.4 on my MacBook Pro, High Sierra based.
DaisyDisk is a beautiful yet different disk space analyzer that allows you to quickly find what’s taking up the most storage on your Mac. A quick scan showed me that 215 GB had been used. The funnest part is that DaisyDisk shows those files in a sunburst diagram. If you hover your cursor over each block, it will blink and further file details in that “block” will show up. You can then move the unneeded files to the collector (located on the bottom left corner), or directly drag and drop them there. Unfortunately, deleting files or applications from the collector is restricted in the free trial (as you can see from this popup warning). You’ll need to buy a license, which costs $9.99, either from the official website or Mac App Store. The DaisyDisk app was reviewed and covered by 9to5mac, MacRumors, and a few other prestigious magazines. I especially liked and appreciated the design of the app, which gives me a different and cool feeling. It’s also inexpensive. Just save two cups of coffee per month and you get this beautiful app — totally worth it.
However, I’d like to point out that Apple has a built-in function that allows you to do pretty much the same thing. Click on the Apple logo on the top left, then About This Mac > Storage > Manage, here you’ll get a detailed overview of your system storage information. For example, when I select Documents, macOS automatically sorts them based on size (from big to small). I can then remove those old large files to free up some space. If that’s all that you want to do, you probably don’t need to buy DaisyDisk. Again, it’s a paid app ($9.99) and the developer offers email support for it. It requires OS X 10.10+ to run and is compatible with 10.13 High Sierra.
Main interface of IObit MacBooster, version 5.0.5.
MacBooster is neck-and-neck with CleanMyMac in terms of features, though MacBooster has added several features that CleanMyMac doesn’t offer including Defragment, Duplicates Finder, and Photo Sweeper. All of those features are categorized into four main modules as you can see from the main interface above: System Risks, Cleaner, Booster, and Tools. The program looks attractive, with three main dashboards clearly laid out in the center, resembling a car dashboard.
Under “System Status”, a quick scan will show you all the “issues” on your Mac. Note that I use a quote here because I feel IObit, the maker of MacBooster, is a bit over-serious in making users believe those “issues” are problems that deserve attention. For example, after using the app to scan my Mac, it found close to ten thousand issues and my system was marked as “Dangerous”. A closer examination revealed that most of those issues were privacy data e.g. cookies, browsing histories, etc. left behind in the Chrome browser. I regard those as a false report. However, I do like the Duplicates Finder and Photo Sweeper features, which are quite similar to what Gemini 2 offers. Photo Sweeper is most useful for those who are used to syncing photos across your mobile devices without cleaning them; you can use this feature to locate those duplicates or similar files and remove them safely. This should help you free up a decent amount of storage considering these days digital assets are larger in size.
Similar to the CleanMyMac Menu which shows up as a shortcut in the menu bar, MacBooster Mini also allows you to get a quick overview of your Mac, e.g. how much memory has been used, your real-time network download or upload speed, and how many GBs are available to use for storage. In general, MacBooster is a nice app that aims to clean and speed up a Mac machine. Its features are a combination of what CleanMyMac and Gemini offer, and even go beyond. However, choosing the best Mac cleaner software is not simply a game of comparing the number of features. Personally, I still prefer the user experience of CleanMyMac and Gemini, and recommend them because they are more lightweight in nature, as well as the way MacPaw markets their products.
MacBooster is priced at $39.95 for Lite (1Mac), $59.95 for Standard (3 Macs), and $89.95 for Premium (5 Macs). The app runs on Mac computers with OS X 10.7 or later (High Sierra included). IObit offers support via email, and they have an active forum specifically dedicated to monitoring customer feedback.
The Cleanup interface of MacFly Pro, version 1.0.48.
MacFly Pro is a new player in the Mac cleaning app market. Initially, it appeared on ProductHunt about three months ago, branding itself as “a simple-yet-powerful tool to keep your Mac’s drive sparkling clean and junk-free…with a clean and intuitive interface, without irritating pop-ups or needless permission requests”, as its maker, Tomasz Jesko, posted in the discussion. I installed and ran the app on my High Sierra-based Mac without any problem. After a quick system scan, I was surprised to see that the app discovered 2.69 GB junk files on my Mac, while CleanMyMac could only locate 1.39 GB.
However, after carefully reviewing the results, I finally discovered MacFly counts the content in /private/var/folders as junk while CleanMyMac doesn’t. Out of the 2.69 GB of junk it found, 1.45 GB was from this folder. You probably shouldn’t delete files in this folder unless you know what you’re doing, as you could break something or cause a problem with macOS. Currently, MacFly Pro offers a free 7-day trial; after that, it requires a $4.99/mo subscription. At this moment, I wouldn’t recommend this app, considering that it’s still in the preliminary stages and needs more work to make it compete against CleanMyMac. Plus, the cost will add up quickly if you commit to its subscription-based pricing. It’s definitely worth watching, however.
What about Those Free Apps
CCleaner Free – CCleaner has racked up millions of downloads from PC users, and Piriform definitely wanted to replicate its success on Mac. I’ve used the app on both my HP laptop and MacBook Pro. The interface and feature set on both the Windows and macOS versions are almost the same, except that the Windows version has a registry cleaner feature. macOS doesn’t have a registry (learn more about the reason from this Quora discussion), so no registry cleaner is needed.
You can use CCleaner to quickly remove your web browser cache files, history, cookies, etc. It also offers a few utilities (mainly under “Tools” section) that allow you to uninstall third-party apps, disable or remove startup items, and erase a whole disk volume (do so with extreme caution!). The app is really good, but frankly, I still prefer CleanMyMac because it’s way more powerful than CCleaner and much easier to use. If you have tried both apps, you’ll probably agree that CCleaner Free is far behind in cleaning features, and the results (i.e. extra disk space) you get will be night and day. Another reason that might hold you back from considering CCleaner is the recent malware issue involved with the app. You can read more about that in this TechCrunch report; I covered the issue here as well.
OnyX version 3.3.8, the interface of the Maintenance module).
OnyX – OnyX is a freeware app that gets lots of love in the Apple community. Personally, I feel it’s best for power users and techies. Unlike cleaning software primarily designed for non-tech users, you’ll probably have a hard time using OnyX. Its user interface looks quite different from the other apps reviewed here, with lots of checkboxes and buttons to click. It’s powerful, can do the job for you, and offers a number of other utilities; however, I find it’s not best for me.
Just a side note: It definitely caught my nerve when my MacBook froze up for about ten seconds while the app verified my startup disk. During that time, I couldn’t even move the cursor until a pop-up window said, “The disk has been verified, the startup disk appears to be OK.” Though OnyX had an important disclaimer about this freeze, users who don’t carefully read the disclaimer might think the issue was permanent and give their Mac a hard reboot. OnyX supports all versions of OS X and macOS, including latest 10.13 High Sierra.
AppCleaner version 3.4, compatible with macOS High Sierra
AppCleaner – Like its name indicates, AppCleaner is a utility specially designed to help users clean unwanted apps and related files associated with those apps. It’s quite similar to the “Uninstaller” feature in CleanMyMac; however, CleanMyMac shows you a complete list of apps installed on your Mac, while AppCleaner doesn’t.
Pro tip: AppCleaner supports batch operations, meaning you can drag multiple unwanted apps and drop them into the main zone. I found this very efficient (see the screenshot above): You first open AppCleaner and drag the app to the left part of your screen. Then, just open Applications and select those third-party apps you want to remove, and drag them into AppCleaner. The apps and their associated files will be removed immediately. I really like this small utility; it’s simple and well-designed. If you are an “app junkie” who has installed scores (if not hundreds) of third-party apps on your Mac, AppCleaner is definitely a go-to tool — and it’s free.
A loading result in Disk Inventory X, version 1.0.
Disk Inventory X – This app, developed by Tjark Derlien, claims it can scan a disk and show the sizes of all files and folders in visualized “treemaps”. In this sense, it’s similar to DaisyDisk — both apps give you a colorful overview of your Mac files. I almost gave up on Disk Inventory X because it took about five minutes to fully load the content on my startup disk with 180.3 GB used (as you see from this screenshot). During this process, it seemed like the app would stay in the loading process forever. I even had a hunch that the app isn’t fully optimized for scanning an APFS-based drive.
Luckily, the magical results showed up (patience is a virtue :-)) and I was able to navigate through the treemap to see what kind of files are taking up disk space. You can click “Reveal in Finder” for further review, or click “Move to Trash” to remove the content. In my opinion, Disk Inventory X offers some value, but I still prefer the “Manage Storage” overview as a default in macOS.
Monolingual – This is an app for deleting unnecessary language files built into Apple macOS by default. By utilizing this app, you can free up several hundred megabytes, or a little over 1 gigabyte in space. Simply open the app, select those languages you don’t want to keep and click the “Remove” button. Note: Monolingual auto-selects all other languages (except the ones you regularly use like English). It’s worth double checking just to ensure you only remove those unwanted language packs. I choose to keep those languages on my MacBook Pro, mainly because it currently has about 50% free storage space, and some language files may be useful for an international friend just in case he/she borrows my Mac. Monolingual requires a 64-bit Intel-based Mac with macOS 10.12 Sierra or 10.13 High Sierra.
The main interface of dupeGuru for macOS, version 4.0.3.
dupeGuru – dupeGuru is an app that finds duplicate files on your Mac; in that vein, it’s similar to Gemini 2. As you see on the main screen below, it has three modes (Standard, Music, and Picture) for you to choose from depending on what kind of files you want to scan. You can also define a specific “Scan Type” under each mode. For example, for Standard, you can scan by contents or by file names, whereas Music allows you to scan by tags as well. I used it to check my Downloads and Desktop folders for duplicates. The scan process was very quick. The results were clearly displayed like a table, and from there I was able to easily identify which ones are copies, as they are marked in blue. The app also shows you file size, which folders those files are stored in, and a match percentage (in my case, mostly 100%).
It’s a great app, does what it does well, and is free. I don’t believe dupeGuru is less powerful than Gemini 2. But in terms of user experience, Gemini 2 is definitely superior: It looks more attractive and has “Smart Selection” and “Smart Cleanup” buttons which allow you to select all duplicates and remove them in just one click. Though the developer, Hardcoded Software, notes on its official website that the app is for OS X 10.8 to macOS 10.12, I ran dupeGuru on my Mac with 10.13 High Sierra without any problems.
Fair Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on one of them and decide to buy the app, I may get a commission (at no additional cost to you). If you do not feel comfortable with this, you can do a quick Google search, enter the app developer’s official website, and get to it that way. I’d appreciate it if you would support my work and buy from my affiliate links. By doing so, you’re helping me create more thorough, unbiased software reviews on SoftwareHow (without putting any flash ads on the site). Again, please note the price you pay will be no different, and you won’t be charged any extra cost. Thanks!
Update History:
- dupeGuru is no longer maintained by Hardcoded Software and thus changed its homepage.
- Drive Genius 5 decreased the price from $99 to $79.
Apple has been working on its gadgets for a very long time to heighten and enhance the power and beauty of your MAC with different accessories. There are also many third-party manufacturers that sell awesome stuff. It is very tough to pick the best MAC accessories because we have our cupboard brimming with some extremely stylish, useful and utilizable items that easily snap the user’s attention. This time, we are highlighting products on the basis of their price, effectiveness, durability and users’ reviews.
See also: These Are The Top Mac Keyboards To Buy In 2019
List of best Mac Accessories to buy in 2019
Best Cooling Devices for Mac
When you use a computer for intense applications, as well for gaming and watching videos for hours, your computer may heat up. When that happens, its performance goes down and over a period of time it may lead to permanent damage. A cooling pad helps prevent this issue by providing increased airflow to your computer. Most of the cooling pads have powerful fans which push a stream of air constantly through your system. This helps your MacBook stay cool and also increases the longevity of your laptop. Laptop cooling devices focus on cooling, ensuring comfort for the users by providing adjustability option and the noise created by the fans to cool the device. A good cooling device will be less noisy and more effective.
TECKNET – 15 inch Laptop Cooling Pad
While a USB fan is good, a cooling pad can be even more helpful if you are using an Apple laptop. The TECKNET cooling pad has powerful dual fans which help in keeping your machine cool. The good thing about this cooling pad is that it can be adjusted to six different levels which ensure that you get the best and most comfortable viewing experience. If you use you MacBook for long hours or if you are a gaming enthusiast then the TECKNET cooling pad can be of help. It is available in different sizes.
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Mini USB Flexible fan
Mini USB Flexible fan is a highly ingenious and useful item which comes at a very reasonable price of $19 USD. With extremely small power consumption of only 1.2W and workability with almost every PC and Laptop or other USB powered device, it has its place in the market. It is pretty applicable and productive when your Mac is getting hot and it helps in generating less humid environment around your MAC making it convenient for its processor to work.
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Best Mac Decals
Everyone likes to add some swag to their computer by enhancing its looks in one way or another. While most of the times, it is simply enhancing the beauty of the Mac, we will also cover preserving the original looks of the MacBook. Decals come in a variety of designs and shapes. You can choose any decal that suits your personality and helps your MacBook transform into a more personalized device. Your MacBook can then be identified as a thing of your choosing because it reflects your persona. While most of the decals are good for laptops, you can also use them on desktops. We have also chosen to talk about a guard that helps you keep your laptop’s original looks.
Moshi Palm Guard
If you would like to protect the palm rest of your MacBook from dust, dirt, and grease and preserve its looks then the Moshi Palm Guard can help in doing so. It helps in preserving the original look of your MacBook for a longer period of time and ensures that sudden spilling of foods and liquids on the palm rest will not make it look messy. The semi-rigid Moshi Palm Guard film is designed to complement the look and feel of your MacBook. You also get a trackpad protector that will increase the longevity of your trackpad too. The good thing about using this Palm Guard is that you can remove it without messy residue.
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Iron Man Decal
Is Avengers your favorite movie? Then Iron man Decal is the right choice for you. With its eye-catching colors and stylish decal, it provides its users with distinctive and special air escape technology that allows any trapped air to escape through fixative. It is highly adhesive as well as can easily protect the appliance in case of any contact with the hard abrasive material. Its special high-quality material helps it in lasting for at least 7 years. The cover lights up in bright sunlight and can also be easily removed without causing any harm to the surface when needed. The decal is available at a reasonable price of $5USD only.
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Top Best Stands For Mac
Whether it is for your desktop or your laptop, a stand can be very helpful. Stands are very helpful for your Mac because they allow a comfortable viewing position. With the help of a stand, you can increase the height at which your computer is placed which will ensure that you can get the right view. When it comes to your laptop, a good stand can get you the right comfort when using your laptop. We have handpicked the right stand for your Mac as well as MacBook so that you get the most from the stand to make it more than just a stand but a good utility accessory.
Drawer Monitor Stand by Just Mobile
If you need additional space on your desk then this drawer monitor stand can be just the thing for you. In addition to lifting your monitor to a better height, the drawer monitor stand also provides an extra drawer designed in the stand. This means you get a better viewing level for your Mac and you also have more space where you can place your extra desk items which can be easily accessed while you are working.
It ensures that your desk remains as clean as possible with the ample storage amount that you have. It has enough space to fit your tablet in it and it can easily accommodate your smartphone, pens, stationery and other gadgets. The back of the stand has a slot which allows you to connect cables to the gadgets inside the stand without making your desk look messy.
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Rain Design mStand Laptop Stand
The List of Best MAC book pro accessories can never be completed without this great laptop stand. Rain Design mStand laptop stands delivers solid stability thanks to the single piece aluminum design. With this stand, you will be able to easily raise the screen to the eye level and work on your Mac. It has a beautiful and stylish design. This stand is compatible with all the laptops with depths less than 10.4 inches, including MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. You can buy it on Amazon. Its price starts from $43.
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Best Mac Keyboards and Mice
Keyboards and mice are a very important part of the computer. A good keyboard and mouse will help you use your Mac comfortably even for long hours. Keyboards have continuously evolved to ensure that the placement of the keys and the way in which the keyboard is created helps provide the best comfort to the users. The same thing applies for the mouse as well. We have covered a trackpad that is comfortable for you as well. With the mouse becoming increasingly uncomfortable for people who suffer from joint pains and those who use the mouse for very long periods of time.
Photoshop Shortcuts Keyboard Skin
The Photoshop Keyboard Cover designed by KB covers is an essential for Photoshop enthusiasts. If you are not thorough with the Photoshop shortcuts, this keyboard cover will help in reducing your problems of finding the right shortcut key. This means you can complete your Photoshop products more quickly. You do not have to spend time any longer memorizing the keys for Photoshop shortcuts because the Photoshop Shortcuts Keyboard Cover will help you identify them easily. The keyboard provides shortcuts which work on most of the versions of Photoshop starting from CS2 till CS6.
The colorful keyboard is color coded to make things easier for you. The clear silicone material used for the keyboard ensures durability while the prints are heat fused on the silicone to make sure that they do not come off with regular use.
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Apple Wireless Magic Trackpad
If your Mac came with a mouse, you may think about switching to a trackpad because of the convenience with which you can work on your Mac using the Trackpad. It is good for those who work very long hours and suffer from wrist pains because they use the mouse over long periods of time. With the magic trackpad, you will be able to move the cursor of your Mac like you would be using a trackpad on a laptop. It is compatible with your desktop as well as your Macbook Pro. Power users will find the trackpad to be more convenient and easy to use than the usual mouse or the trackpad that comes on the Macbook Pro. It costs you $92.99 and is a great accessory for those who spend a lot of time in front of their Macs.
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Top Best Chargers For Mac
Your keyboard, as well as your mouse, often requires batteries. Those who use the computer regularly end up changing batteries very often. In addition to this, your MacBook may also require charging while you are on the go. All of this brings us to an important Mac accessory which is the charger. Whether it is for your keyboard, mouse or your MacBook, a charger can help make things easier. We will talk about chargers that can help your keyboard and mouse charge so that they can run without using batteries. In addition to this, we have also looked up charging options for your MacBook that help you keep your MacBook running while you are on the road and do not have access to a charging point.
GBatteries Energy’s Battery Box
The Battery box is an external battery for your MacBook while you are on the road. If you know that you are not going to have access to a power outlet for a long time, then take the battery box along with you and your battery needs can be met by it. It offers 5 to 13 hours of power to your MacBook depending on the model of MacBook you are using. One thing that you may want to be careful about is that its boxy shape does not have the most appealing looks and the chunky size of the battery box requires a spacious laptop bag for it. With this in mind, if you can deal with a chunky battery box, it will extend the battery life of your MacBook for a notable period of time. It will set you back by $220 but if you were a regular traveler it is worth the amount you spend.
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Magic bar wireless charger from Mobee Technology
If you are tired of wrecking and dismantling your devices to change batteries, then this is the right thing for you. With its installation time of one minute and reasonable price of $9USD, the Magic bar wireless charger from Mobee Technology is the world’s first inductive charger for Apple keyboard that easily falls into the list of best buying MAC accessories. Charging your Apple Bluetooth keyboard and magic trackpad will be as plain as sliding your device in the magic bar. The Magic bar operates with the apple Bluetooth keyboard and Apple magic trackpad. Plug in the base station to any USB port to start charging without any need of external power supply.
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Best Mac Laptop Covers
Laptops look good in a good cover. There are a variety of laptop covers from leather ones to colorful ones. Depending on your choice and personality you can look for a case or cover that suits your MacBook. You can find covers of different sizes too. Covers are mainly focused on design and comfort. A laptop cover that looks good can be carried anywhere with pride. Another thing to keep in mind when buying a cover is the accessories that you will be carrying along with the laptop. If the accessories are limited then you would prefer a sleek looking cover, but if you carry a lot of accessories especially bulky ones then a laptop cover that can easily accommodate such accessories will be more suitable for you.
Incipio Feather Case
When it comes to a minimalist look for your MacBook’s case, then Incipio has created one that can suit you very well. The snug Incipio cases are very thin and light. The feather cases created by Incipio intend to add the protective covering to your MacBook so that it can be safe from unwanted scratches and regular wear. The case fits snugly on your MacBook and it provides openings for ports so that your usage of the MacBook does not suffer when you are using the Incipio Feather Case. At a cost of $50, these translucent cases are just the thing for the regular use of your MacBook.
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Top Best External Drives For Mac
Very often, the amount of space provided by your computer’s inbuilt hard drive is not enough. This is especially the case for people who store a huge number of photos and videos on their computers. This is where an external drive steps in. To help you solve your storage problems, an external drive helps you with extra space where you can store your data. External drives come in varied storage spaces. While some hard drive focuses on looks, other are more focused on providing the ability to withstand pressure and different amounts of mishandling. Additional storage can ensure that you have free space on your computer.
Apple Time Capsule
In addition to helping you back up all your data over a Wi-Fi connection, the Time Capsule also doubles as a Wi-Fi base station. The storage space varies and backing up becomes a lot easier with the Time Capsule. If you have a range of Apple products in your house then all of those devices can be backed up on the Time Capsule. You can choose from 2 to 3 TB of storage which is usually ideal for backing up data.
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Seagate Seven
The slim and portable Seagate Seven is a 500 GB hard drive which is considered to be the smallest of its kind. But make no mistake to think that its sleek look makes it unreliable. It is a sturdy hard drive which can easily withstand a few bumps here and there if you are traveling with this hard drive. It costs $89.99 and is a great accessory to have for your Mac if you need additional storage.
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G-Tech G-Drive ATC
If you travel a lot and are prone to taking your laptop and its accessories to places where it may suffer a lot of punishment, then the ATC – All-Terrain Case has been designed especially for such a purpose. It has the ability to take a lot of shock, pressure and falls without damage to the drive inside. All of this is possible because of the All-Terrain Case which houses the external drive. And for those who are curious enough, you can take out the drive and use it without the case too, but that will not guarantee the ruggedness that you get along with the case. It can also be dropped in water for 30 seconds without hurting the drive. The case is made of such material that when you submerge it in water, it automatically floats up. The drive offers a storage capacity of 1TB and it costs $179.95.
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Bet Mac Flash Drives
Flash Drives help come handy in many ways. They can be used for transferring data from one device to another or to store a certain amount of data. Their small size makes it very easy to fit and it does not require a lot of space.
SanDisk Cruzer Fit
At about $20, the SanDisk Cruzer Fit is a flash drive that does not let you get the feeling of a chunky piece of flash drive sticking out of your Mac. It is designed to be small and powerful. Pick a storage size that you are comfortable with and you will find the SanDisk Cruzer Fit to be a handy device for your Mac.
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SanDisk 64GB Dual Drive USB-C Flash Drive
This flash drive has been created by SanDisk exclusively for Apple users. It takes advantage of the USB-C Drive which offers amazing speeds. This means that files can be quickly transferred from the Mac to the flash drive. The design looks elegant and at the same time, it can be connected via USB C or you can use the commonly used USB 3.0, 3.1 and 2.0 ports too. At $79.95, this little device can be very helpful for your Mac.
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Top Best DVD Recorder Drives For Mac
DVD Recorder drives gained importance when Apple stopped adding a DVD drive to their devices to make them slimmer and sleeker. While the design is certainly one of the best parts of Apple products, it means that you do not have a DVD drive in some of the products. With the help of an external DVD Recorder drive, you will be able to achieve a lot more with your Mac. They are good for the installation of software that comes in DVD drives and if you need to burn a CD or a DVD then you can do that without looking for help elsewhere.
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Apple USB Superdrive
It was introduced when Apple started creating MacBooks that did not feature an optical drive any longer. The USB Superdrive is a small DVD recorder which allows you to read and record CD and DVD optical disks. The Superdrive uses a USB connection to connect to your Mac and is powered by the same connection. It is helpful to have one of these when you need to install software with the help of a DVD or a CD. For a cost of $65 the Apple USB Superdrive is good for simple read-write tasks.
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Samsung Slim Retail External 3D Blu-Ray Writer
If you prefer watching Blu-Ray movies then you will find the Samsung Slim Retail External 3D Blu-Ray Writer to be a better accessory for you. It will set you back by $77.88 and can be helpful in making large scale back of photos and videos too.
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Best Mac Headphones
Headphones are a necessity especially if you play immersive games or watch videos when others in the house do not want to be disturbed. They are also great for enjoying music. There are a variety of headphones in the market that you can choose from, and we are going to talk about some of the best ones.
Beats Solo 2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones
The Solo 2 is a superb option which provides a lot of natural clarity to the music you listen to. The sounds are balanced and outside noise is minimized with the help of the earcup padding. The foldable design of this headphone makes it easy to carry it wherever you go while the 12-hour rechargeable battery ensures that you have enough battery to go on for the day without having to charge your headphone. The wireless connection makes it even better with no messy wires to deal with. At $299.95 the price is steep but Beats ensures that it is completely worth the money.
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JBL Reflect Mini BT
These headphones are right for those who love to work out while listening to music or do their usual tasks without wearing a chunky piece of the device over their head. The JBL Reflect Mini BT is an amazing headphone which delivers powerful music through a Bluetooth connection. It is sweat resistant and the secure fitting makes it one of the best choices for those who like minimalistic looks for their headphones. At $99.95 the headphone delivers a powerful audio performance and is an amazing accessory to use along with your Mac.
Best Cleaner For Mac Free
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Best Cleaning Kits For Mac
Your Mac’s accessories will be considered incomplete without a good cleaning kit. There are many cleaning kits in the market and we have tried to round up the best that provide overall cleaning for your computer. Be it a MacBook or a Mac with a good cleaning kit, you can keep your computer looking new and ensure that it stays dust and dirt-free. When you do not clean your computer regularly, you will end up with a murky looking screen and a dusty keyboard. On the other hand, a good cleaning kit can ensure that the computer looks like new all the time.
iKlear Complete Cleaning Kit
The alcohol and ammonia free iKlear Cleaning Kit is a good way to keep you Mac’s screen and body clean. When you buy this kit, you get two bottles of cleaning solution and a micro-chamois cloth. It is suggested that you spray the cleaning solution to the cloth instead of spraying it directly to your Mac’s screen. The kit also has a micro-fiber terry cloth which helps in giving a polished look to your Mac’s screen and an anti-microbial cloth comes with the kit which can be used for a regular dusting of the Mac. You also get 12 travel wipes in the kit. Overall the kit is your complete solution for keeping your Mac clean and dirt free. For a price of $20, it meets all your Mac’s cleaning needs.
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Microfiber screen protector and cleaner
Screen clean wizard offers a microfiber screen protector that works as a protector of your MacBook’s screen when the laptop is closed and it also cleans your screen when it is dirty. It has been created in such a way that you can clean the screen with the dry cloth and remove the dust and dirt effectively. You will not need an extra screen cleaner for it. The pack has four different cover sizes for different Mac devices. It starts at 11 inches and goes up to 15 inches.
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Top Best Additional Accessories For Mac
There are some additional accessories which are hard to put into a special category but their requirement and functionality make them absolutely useful for Mac users.
Powercurl
We like the length of the charging cable that comes along with the MacBook. It makes it easy to use a power outlet that is located far away. However, if you have a power outlet close to where you use the laptop or if you are traveling, this lengthy charging cable can become tangled. For $9.99 you can buy Powercurl which is a simple thing but a very effective device for solving the problems of your charging cable’s length. It comes in blue or gray color and it works by holding the power cable in the center as you wind it up. It is compatible with old as well as new models of your MacBook.
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Apple Thunderbolt Ethernet Adapter
If you bought the MacBook for its sleek and stylish design then you can hardly complain about the Gigabit Ethernet port which does not exist on the laptop. While Wi-Fi connections are available almost everywhere and you may not feel the need for an Ethernet all the time, however, there are certain times when you resort to a wired connection. With the Apple Thunderbolt Ethernet Adapter, you do not have to worry about the connection. The adapter is small and does not take up a lot of space so you can put it in your laptop bag and it is there for you when you need it.
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Twelve South Plug Bug
If you own a lot of gadgets and you feel the need to charge them at the same time, then the Twelve South Plug Bug will be a helpful accessory for you. If you do not have too many wall outlets in the same room and wish to charge your MacBook and iPad through the same wall outlet then Plug Bug will help you combine the MacBook charger with a 2.1A USB charger. This means you do not have to go looking for additional wall outlets and you can also carry the Plug Bug which easily attaches to the MacBook charger. At $34.99 this charger is helpful especially if you are dealing with a shortage of wall outlets.
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Sugru
Last but not the least, we have Sugru in the list of Best MAC mini accessories befittingly regarded as “The ultimate gadget enhancer.” With its ability to easily get molded, this sticking material acts like a super glue and can adhere to almost whole lot. From repairing of cables to mounting the components, from tidying leads to protecting phones, from repairing earphones to temporary damage control, this wonder material is an excellent essential piece of kit for a variety of purposes. It is super useful and it comes at a very reasonable price of $12 USD.
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You can always improve your experience when using your computer. That is why we have listed top best Mac accessories to buy in 2019. You will certainly find something interesting and useful.