CleanMyMac vs Disk Drill (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Disk Drill grades higher than CleanMyMac: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Disk Drill grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CleanMyMac
Mac cleanup, malware removal and maintenance in one app
Disk Drill
Data recovery app for Mac and Windows with free disk tools
Which one is for you
Pick CleanMyMac if
- Fits if you want clean-up, malware scanning and app removal in one Mac app
- Works for Setapp subscribers, since CleanMyMac is included there
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free cleaner, as there's no free plan after the 7-day trial
- Pricey if you pay by the month, at $9.99 against $39.99 for a year, and Plus is $15.99 a month
- Not for you if you want every tool, since the App Store edition leaves out some system junk and maintenance tasks
- Watch out: the trial runs through the App Store with payment details on file and charges you when it ends
- Watch out: a one-time purchase covers the current major version only, and it's Mac only, on macOS 11 or later
Pick Disk Drill if
- Fits if you need one recovery after a deleted folder or a formatted card
- Works for people who want to see what is recoverable before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to recover files without paying, as free is scan and preview on Mac and capped at 100 MB on Windows
- Watch out: every PRO purchase is non-refundable except where consumer law says otherwise
- Tight if you need more than 3 devices, as a PRO licence covers one user on up to 3
- Watch out: deep scans of Mac system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs
- Pricey if you only need it once, since a year is $49
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACleanMyMacWeak | 2.6GPADisk DrillGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $39.99 a year on the US Mac App Store, about $3.33 a month, which is above this category's middle of $2.99 and a subscription besides. Pay monthly and it's $9.99, right at the dear end of the whole category. Plus is $65.99 a year. | BPRO Lifetime is $69 once, under two years of what the category's middle subscription costs. The yearly option is $49, which is mid-range for the category. |
| Free plan and trial | DThere's no free plan. The 7-day trial has full functionality, but it runs through the App Store with your payment details on file and charges you for the plan when it ends. A week isn't long to judge a cleaner you'd only run now and then. | CThe free edition scans and previews but, on Mac, does not recover; the Windows page says up to 100 MB. The disk health, cleanup and duplicate tools are free. |
| Features | COn paper it's the lot: Smart Care's five routines in one scan, Space Lens, malware scanning, an uninstaller, a duplicate finder and clean-up inside iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Gmail. But the listing says the App Store edition, the one priced here, drops several system junk and maintenance tools. | BRecovers from drives, cards, cameras and RAID, reads Time Machine, and adds disk health, cleanup, duplicates and backups. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record, but there's nothing to set up: one Smart Care scan does five jobs, so you never need to know what a cache file is. The menu bar monitors sit there on their own too. | BNo rating on record. You install it and run a scan, though deep scans on Macs need a kernel extension it installs. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 11 or later, so one operating system. It reaches into iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Gmail to tidy those, and it's included in Setapp. | CMac and Windows desktop only. No phone app, web version or published integrations. |
| Best for | all-in-one clean-up and malware checks on a Mac | getting back deleted files on a Mac or PC |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CleanMyMac and Disk Drill. How we grade
Price against what you get
CleanMyMac starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Disk Drill starts at $4.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Disk Drill scores higher, and starts $0.75 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, 32 score higher than CleanMyMac for less, and 1 scores higher than Disk Drill for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CleanMyMac also covers menu bar app and system monitor.
- Disk Drill also covers file management.
At a glance
| CleanMyMac | Disk Drill | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 / year on the US Mac App Store (MacPaw's site: from $3.33 / month) | $49 per year, or $69 one-time |
| Free plan | None | Disk Drill Basic scans storage and previews every recoverable file; the Windows page says it recovers up to 100 MB for free. Disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools are included in the free edition. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with full functionality | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | MacPaw Way Ltd. | CleverFiles Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | cleverfiles.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Disk Drill
- Unlimited recovery needs PRO; the Mac page describes the free edition as scan and preview only.
- All PRO purchases are non-refundable except where consumer law requires a refund, according to the vendor's FAQ.
- A PRO license covers 1 user on up to 3 devices; business use is allowed, and larger teams get a custom Enterprise quote.
- On Macs, deep scans of system disks rely on a kernel extension the app installs.
Key features
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.
Disk Drill
- File and partition recovery
- Scans drives, SSDs, memory cards, USB sticks, cameras and RAID arrays for deleted files and lost partitions, and previews results before recovery.
- Time Machine and snapshots
- On Mac it reads Time Machine backup disks and local snapshots as extra places to find overwritten files.
- Disk health monitoring
- Free S.M.A.R.T. monitoring watches connected disks for signs of trouble.
- Cleanup and duplicate finder
- Shows what is using disk space and finds duplicate files in several locations.
- Byte-to-byte backups and recovery drive
- Creates disk and partition images and a bootable USB drive for recovery.
- Data protection
- With protection enabled, recovery of protected files is free, according to the vendor.
Plans
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.
Disk Drill
Basic$0
Scan and preview recoverable files, plus the free disk health, cleanup, duplicate finder and backup tools.
PRO One-Year Subscription$49
per year, renews yearly
Unlimited recovery on Mac and Windows, all updates while subscribed, 1 user on up to 3 devices.
PRO Lifetime License$69
one-time
Same as the subscription, with updates included permanently. Shown as $69 against a crossed-out $119 with no end date given.
Ways to pay less
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.
Disk Drill
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CleanMyMac or Disk Drill?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CleanMyMac is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against $4.08 a month when paid by the year for Disk Drill. CleanMyMac starts at $39.99 / year on the US Mac App Store (MacPaw's site: from $3.33 / month), and Disk Drill starts at $49 per year, or $69 one-time.
Which has a free plan, CleanMyMac or Disk Drill?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Disk Drill has a free plan. CleanMyMac does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do CleanMyMac and Disk Drill run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Disk Drill lists a Windows app. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.