MacWashing vs BuhoCleaner
Checked both apps on the same Mac
Both apps checked the same Mac with the same files. Five tests: a Mac with a classic web developer stack, an iPhone developer’s Mac, a video editor’s Mac, a photographer’s Mac and an everyday user’s Mac. Below is how much junk each one found.
In short
| App | Web developer | iPhone developer | Video editor | Photographer | Everyday user |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacWashing | 25.34 GB | 37.77 GB | 25.76 GB | 23.35 GB | 22.75 GB |
| BuhoCleaner | 8.22 GB | 38.07 GB | 4.64 GB | 5.76 GB | 22.62 GB |
How much junk each app found: the user’s large files and the space macOS frees by itself are not counted. Green is the best result in a column.
The apps in this comparison
MacWashing
MacWashing- Free up to 25 GB
- Subscription or lifetime
Checks every removal against its rules database: what it doesn’t know, it leaves alone. Apps and large files go to the Trash by default, so they can be put back.
BuhoCleaner
Dr.Buho- Subscription or lifetime
- Has a trial
A light cleaner by Dr.Buho: quick cleanup, large files, duplicates, removing apps, login items. The trial removes the first 3 GB automatically. Beyond that, a subscription or a lifetime license.
Developer’s site ↗A Mac with a classic web developer stack
Test 1 of 5- 10 projects: Node.js, PHP, Python
- 8 of them untouched for over 90 days
- VS Code, iTerm2, Chrome, Postman, Docker Desktop
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
BuhoCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsdependencies of old projects (found, not ticked)space macOS frees by itself
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0
An iPhone developer’s Mac
Test 2 of 5- Xcode, CocoaPods, Proxyman, Xcodes
- Slack, Discord, Chrome, Safari
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
BuhoCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
BuhoCleanerMacWashingjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsspace macOS frees by itself
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0
A video editor’s Mac
Test 3 of 5- Premiere Rush, iMovie, CapCut
- HandBrake, LosslessCut, Kap, VLC
- The user’s projects and original footage
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
BuhoCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsspace macOS frees by itself
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0
A photographer’s Mac
Test 4 of 5- Lightroom Classic, GIMP, ImageOptim
- The user’s RAW photos and exports
- Chrome, Telegram, Spotify
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
BuhoCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsspace macOS frees by itself
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0
An everyday user’s Mac
Test 5 of 5- Chrome, Safari, Brave
- Telegram, WhatsApp, Zoom, Discord, Slack, Teams
- Spotify, VLC, Steam, OBS Studio
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
BuhoCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingBuhoCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsspace macOS frees by itself
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · BuhoCleaner 1.17.0
Is BuhoCleaner safe?
In our tests BuhoCleaner offered nothing risky to remove.
MacWashing removes only what its rules database knows, and leaves alone what it can’t explain. Apps and large files go to the Trash by default, so they can be put back.
What to choose
MacWashingFound the most in the “Web developer” test: 25.34 GB. Dependencies of old projects (node_modules, vendor, .venv) are shown apart and not ticked.
BuhoCleanerFound the most in the “iPhone developer” test: 38.07 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Video editor” test: 25.76 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Photographer” test: 23.35 GB.
MacWashingFound the most in the “Everyday user” test: 22.75 GB.
MacWashingRemoves only what its rules database knows. Apps and large files go to the Trash first.