CleanMyMac vs DaisyDisk

CleanMyMac

• Mac owners who want cleanup, malware scanning and app removal in one app
• People running low on disk space who want guided cleanup
• Setapp subscribers, since CleanMyMac is included in that subscription

DaisyDisk

• Mac users who keep running out of disk space
• Finding what is behind large System Data or Other storage figures
• People who want a one-time purchase that covers their personal Macs

CleanMyMac

• macOS 11 or later only. The App Store edition omits some tools found in the MacPaw Store and Setapp editions, such as several system junk and maintenance tasks.
• There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial a subscription or a one-time purchase is required.
• A one-time purchase covers only the current major version; moving to a later major version is a paid upgrade.
• Plan prices here are from the US Mac App Store. MacPaw Store plans cover 1, 2 or 5 Macs, and its price list was not readable when checked.

DaisyDisk

• macOS only; the current version needs macOS 10.13 or newer, and the FAQ says there is no Windows or iOS version.
• The free trial cannot delete files, show them in Finder, scan as administrator or scan cloud storage, and shows purchase reminders.
• The Mac App Store edition cannot scan as administrator and only detects hidden and purgeable space without revealing or purging it.
• It does not find duplicate files, and deletion is permanent, not a move to the Trash.

CleanMyMac

Smart Care

One scan that runs five routines together: junk cleanup, a check for threats, performance tasks, software updates and a storage declutter.

Cleanup and Space Lens

Removes system junk such as cache and log files, mail attachments and trash. Space Lens maps the drive as an interactive view of folders sorted by size.

Malware protection

Malware scans run on MacPaw's Moonlock Engine, with real-time monitoring and background scanning. Privacy tools clear browsing traces and review app permissions.

App uninstaller and updater

Uninstalls apps completely, clearing their leftover data and old installers, and updates installed software from inside CleanMyMac.

Clutter, cloud and email cleanup

Finds duplicates, similar images and large or old files, reviews files in iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox, and from version 5.7 scans a Gmail inbox for mail to remove.

Menu bar monitors

The CleanMyMac Menu stays in the menu bar with monitors for Mac health, protection status, storage, memory, battery, CPU, network and connected devices.

DaisyDisk

Sunburst disk map

Scans a disk or folder and draws its contents as a sunburst map that you browse to locate the largest files and folders.

Fast scanning

The vendor quotes 12-20 seconds for an APFS SSD startup disk and 6-12 seconds for an HFS+ one, and 3-5 minutes for NTFS, FAT and exFAT volumes.

Collector and deletion

Drag items to the Collector, review them, then click Delete, with 5 seconds to cancel. Files are removed permanently, and system folders are not accepted.

Hidden and purgeable space

Detects space that regular scanning cannot account for, reveals it by scanning as administrator, and can purge purgeable space and local snapshots.

Cloud scan

Connects Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Box and scans them over the network like a local disk, without allocating local disk space.

Quick Look preview

Pressing Space previews any file with the built-in Quick Look, so you can identify it before deciding whether to delete it.

CleanMyMac

• Basic (yearly)$39.99

  per year (US Mac App Store price)

  Yearly subscription to the Basic plan in the App Store edition, charged after a 7-day free trial.

• Monthly$9.99

  per month (US Mac App Store price)

  Month-to-month subscription, listed as CleanMyMac Monthly with a 7-day free trial. The listing does not name its feature plan.

• Plus (yearly)$65.99

  per year (US Mac App Store price)

  Yearly subscription to the Plus plan in the App Store edition, charged after a 7-day free trial.

• Plus (monthly)$15.99

  per month (US Mac App Store price)

  The Plus plan paid month to month in the App Store edition.

DaisyDisk

• Lifetime License$9.99

  one-time purchase

  Stand-alone edition for up to 5 personal Macs. Minor updates and bug fixes are included, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Mac App Store edition$9.99

  one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)

  Sandboxed edition without scanning as administrator. The vendor offers App Store customers free migration to the stand-alone license.

CleanMyMac

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing costs about a third of monthly

  On the US Mac App Store, Plus is $65.99 a year or $15.99 a month, so twelve monthly payments ($191.88) cost almost three times the yearly price.

• Education

  30% off for students and teachers

  MacPaw gives teachers and students a 30% discount on CleanMyMac. Submitting a .edu email address returns a discount code.

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase with no expiration date

  Sold at the MacPaw Store and the App Store. It includes updates and fixes for the current major version only; later major versions are offered at a special price.

• Other savings

  30% loyalty discount for MacPaw customers

  Anyone who has bought any MacPaw product gets 30% off purchases at the MacPaw Store. It does not apply to App Store or Setapp purchases.

• Other savings

  40% off a one-year plan for switchers

  Users of another Mac cleaning or protection app can request 40% off a one-year CleanMyMac subscription by submitting proof of purchase.

• Other savings

  Up to 50% off upgrades from older versions

  Owners of a paid earlier version, such as CleanMyMac X, can move to the current version at up to 50% off through the MacPaw Store.

DaisyDisk

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license with no subscription

  One payment buys a lifetime license with no recurring charges. Minor updates are included, and a paid major upgrade would not invalidate the license.

• Education

  Student discounts on request

  The pricing page says student discounts are offered and asks buyers to contact the vendor for details.

• Other savings

  Corporate and portable IT licenses

  Corporate licenses and portable licenses for IT services are available on request, according to the pricing page.