MacWashing vs CCleaner
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 |
| CCleaner | 7.83 GB | 23.94 GB | 4.65 GB | 22.07 GB | 19.23 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.
CCleaner
Piriform (Gen Digital)- Free version
- Pro by subscription
The Mac version of the well-known Windows cleaner: browser and app caches, logs, the Trash, login items. The free version cleans the basics, the rest is in the paid Pro.
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
CCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingCCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsdependencies of old projects (found, not ticked)
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CCleaner 2.11
An iPhone developer’s Mac
Test 2 of 5- Xcode, CocoaPods, Proxyman, Xcodes
- Slack, Discord, Chrome, Safari
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
CCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingCCleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CCleaner 2.11
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
CCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingCCleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsyour files, not junk (the app’s «large files»)
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CCleaner 2.11
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
CCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingCCleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CCleaner 2.11
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
CCleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingCCleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · CCleaner 2.11
Is CCleaner safe?
In our tests CCleaner offered to remove one thing that could break something — marked ⚠ in the charts above.
- «Large Files» (38.9 GB) offers five whole iMovie libraries (Patagonia Series, Rossi-Chen Wedding, Harper-Lee Wedding, iMovie Library, Olive Thyme Summer) — the user's projects with their original footage — in the same cleanup list as caches; unchecked by default — in 1 of 5 tests
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.
MacWashingFound the most in the “iPhone developer” test: 37.77 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. One app offered something risky — the ⚠ sign in the charts.