MacWashing vs Pearcleaner
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 |
| Pearcleaner | 3.21 GB | 32.34 GB | 3.53 GB | 369 MB | 1.64 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.
Pearcleaner
alienator88- Free
- Open source
A free, source-available uninstaller: removes apps with their files and finds files left by apps already gone. It doesn’t look for system or app caches.
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
Pearcleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingPearcleanerjunk: caches, logs, leftovers of appsdependencies of old projects (found, not ticked)
Versions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · Pearcleaner 5.4.3
An iPhone developer’s Mac
Test 2 of 5- Xcode, CocoaPods, Proxyman, Xcodes
- Slack, Discord, Chrome, Safari
MacWashing after the scan1 of 2
Pearcleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingPearcleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · Pearcleaner 5.4.3
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
Pearcleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingPearcleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · Pearcleaner 5.4.3
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
Pearcleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingPearcleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · Pearcleaner 5.4.3
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
Pearcleaner after the scan2 of 2
How much each app found
MacWashingPearcleanerVersions: MacWashing 2.3.4 · Pearcleaner 5.4.3
Is Pearcleaner safe?
In our tests Pearcleaner offered to remove 5 things that could break something — marked ⚠ in the charts above.
- The whole Visual Studio Code data folder (1.0 GB) is offered as one row with «Delete Folder» — in 1 of 5 testsBesides caches it holds the user's settings (User/settings.json, keybindings, snippets), local history, unsaved-file backups and extension state.
- Visual Studio Code's user settings, keybindings, snippets and local file history — the user's own data, not a cache — in 1 of 5 tests
- Visual Studio Code's installed extensions and their settings (the rules database marks it as data) — in 1 of 5 tests
- The whole Xcode UserData folder is offered — in 1 of 5 testsBesides the SwiftUI preview devices it is where Xcode keeps the user's key bindings, code snippets, themes and breakpoints (the rules database marks it as data).
- The whole Adobe folder (3.37 GB) is offered as an «orphaned file» although Adobe Premiere Rush is installed — in 1 of 5 testsBesides the media cache it holds the media cache database (Media Cache) and Adobe's settings.
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.