Moving from Pearcleaner
Pearcleaner is built around apps; macleanup is built around numbered kinds of file. Its orphan search has a direct match here. Its Finder extension and its Homebrew manager do not.
What maps to what
| In Pearcleaner | In macleanup |
|---|---|
| Orphaned file search | Section 12 |
| App uninstall | Section 21 |
| Homebrew manager | Section 3 clears the cache only |
| Development environment manager | Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 as --profile dev |
| Right-click in Finder | Nothing |
Move across
-
Compare the orphan lists. Run this and look at the same folders in Pearcleaner. An item must be unmatched by any installed app and untouched for
--idle-days.npx macleanup --only 12 --dry-run -
Preview the part Pearcleaner does not list: caches, logs and temp files.
npx macleanup --profile minimal --dry-run -
Preview the developer profile. Section 23 inside it deletes build folders permanently, and Docker volumes are only touched if you say so.
npx macleanup --profile dev --dry-run
Leave --brew-autoremove off unless you have read
what it can break.
The facts, dated
Last checked . Check Pearcleaner yourself
| Pearcleaner plan | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FreeSource-available under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause | $0 | Source7 November 2026 |
macleanup's own prices are on Plans and allowance.
| What | Pearcleaner | macleanup |
|---|---|---|
| Clears caches | Not stated on the pages we checked | YesSections 3, 5 and 19. |
| Clears logs | Not stated on the pages we checked | YesSection 7. |
| Finds orphan files from removed apps | YesSource | YesSection 12. |
| Uninstalls apps | YesSource | YesSection 21, moved to the Trash. |
| Disk usage map | Not stated on the pages we checked | PartialA text report from section 26. No visual map. |
| Free to use | YesSource | YesThe command line has no limit. The app has a Free plan with a monthly run limit. |
| Mac App Store or notarised | Not stated on the pages we checked | NoNot notarised by Apple and not on the Mac App Store. |
| Open source | PartialSource-available under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause.Source | PartialThe command line is MIT and public. The desktop app source is private. |