CleanMyMac vs Latest (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Latest grades higher than CleanMyMac: 2.8 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
Latest grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
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
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 Latest if
- Fits if most of your Mac apps come from outside the App Store
- Works for people who want release notes next to each update
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Linux, as it is Mac only
- Not for you if your apps use their own updaters, as only App Store and Sparkle apps are checked
- Too light for managing installs, since it only checks and updates apps
- Watch out: it is a one-person open-source project with no paid support
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACleanMyMacWeak | 2.8GPALatestGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree and open source under GPL-3.0, with an optional donation. That is under 60% of the cheaper quarter. |
| 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. | AFree outright with no cap and nothing locked. |
| 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. | CLists updates with release notes and updates apps from the list. It covers only App Store and Sparkle apps, so apps with their own updaters are missed. |
| 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. Open it and it lists your updates, with nothing to set up. |
| 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. | DMac only, with Touch Bar support. No Windows, phone or web version. |
| Best for | all-in-one clean-up and malware checks on a Mac | seeing which Mac apps need updating |
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 Latest. 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. Latest has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Latest starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, 13 score higher than CleanMyMac for less, and none scores higher than Latest 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 can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Latest is open source, according to its own site.
- CleanMyMac also covers menu bar app, system monitor and disk cleanup.
- Latest also covers file management.
At a glance
| CleanMyMac | Latest | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $39.99 / year on the US Mac App Store (MacPaw's site: from $3.33 / month) | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with full functionality | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | MacPaw Way Ltd. | max.codes |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | max.codes |
| 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.
Latest
- Covers only Mac App Store apps and Sparkle-based apps; other updaters are not checked.
- Mac only, and the site lists no paid support tier.
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.
Latest
- Update overview
- Lists which installed apps changed, with a summary of what is new in each.
- One-window updating
- Update apps right from the list, or update all apps at once.
- Installed update notes
- Shows release notes for updates already installed, such as one from yesterday.
- Store and Sparkle apps
- Supports apps from the Mac App Store and apps that use the Sparkle updater.
- Touch Bar support
- Browse updates and update all apps from the Touch Bar.
- Source available
- The source code is public on GitHub under the GPL-3.0 license.
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.
Latest
Latest$0
Free and open source; the site offers an optional donation.
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.
Latest
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CleanMyMac or Latest?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Latest is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.33 a month when paid by the year for CleanMyMac. CleanMyMac starts at $39.99 / year on the US Mac App Store (MacPaw's site: from $3.33 / month), and Latest is free.
Which has a free plan, CleanMyMac or Latest?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Latest has a free plan. CleanMyMac does not, though it has a free trial.
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.