PruneoPruneo vs CleanMyMac: speed, safety and price compared
Pick CleanMyMac if you want one paid app that also handles malware checks, app updates and photo clutter, or if your Mac runs a macOS older than 14. Pick Pruneo if you want a free cleaner that scans much faster, is lighter on your Mac, lets you undo what you clean and also finds development and creative-app junk.
CleanMyMac is a very complete, paid general cleaner. Pruneo also finds the development junk CleanMyMac doesn’t check, and it does it faster, lighter and for free.
That is the short version. Below are the measured numbers, the places where CleanMyMac is clearly ahead, and what each app does to keep your files safe. Everything in the table was measured on the same Mac, on the same day.
The numbers, side by side
| Pruneo 1.0.3 | CleanMyMac 5.7.2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Scan time (median warm; first cold scan) | 4.2 s (12.4 s) | 66.3 s (1 min 6 s) |
| Junk to clean, general use | 18.0 GB safe (31.2 GB total) | 19.4 GB |
| Idle CPU | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| Peak memory while scanning | ~160 MB | 582 MB |
| Installed size | 10.4 MB | 392 MB |
| Helper processes | 0 | 2 |
| Can be undone | Yes, from quarantine | Not verified |
MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro, 16 GB, macOS 27, 10/21/2026. Pruneo 1.0.3, CleanMyMac 5.7.2. Median warm scan.
CleanMyMac was measured in its App Store version, which has less disk access than the version MacPaw sells on its own website. The website version may find more, and its numbers could differ.
What the table says, in plain words:
- Scan time. Pruneo’s median warm scan took 4.2 s against 66.3 s for CleanMyMac. That is 16× faster. The very first scan, with nothing cached, took Pruneo 12.4 s, which is still 5× faster.
- Junk found in general use. This is a tie, not a win. CleanMyMac found 19.4 GB. Pruneo found 18.0 GB that it marks as safe, and 31.2 GB in total once you count what it asks you to review.
- Weight on your Mac. At rest, Pruneo used 0.1% CPU and CleanMyMac 0.7%. In our test Pruneo ran no helper processes in the background (just its menu bar icon); CleanMyMac ran 2. Installed, Pruneo takes 10.4 MB and CleanMyMac 392 MB. Peak memory while scanning was about 160 MB for Pruneo and 582 MB for CleanMyMac.
Where Pruneo pulls ahead: professional sections
The general-use numbers above are close. The gap opens with Pruneo’s work sections, which show up based on what you use: Development (projects, Xcode, Node, Python, Docker, local AI, editors), Design, photo and video (Adobe, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, Lightroom, Figma, CapCut) and Music and audio (Logic, Ableton, GarageBand). With those profiles on, Pruneo found 79.2 GB on the same Mac, 40.4 GB of it marked safe, in 7.1 s.
If you write code or edit video, that is where most of your lost space usually lives. Our guides on deleting Xcode DerivedData and cleaning node_modules and package caches show how to do it by hand, too.
Where CleanMyMac wins, and where Pruneo is weaker
Being honest about this helps you choose well.
- More features in one app. On its official page, CleanMyMac lists threat protection against malware, a performance module, an app uninstaller that also updates apps, duplicate and similar photo finding, and cloud storage cleanup. Pruneo is focused on freeing disk space. It adds a few maintenance tools (a monitor, processes, startup items, DNS cache, Spotlight), but it has no malware protection. If you want a full maintenance suite in one place, CleanMyMac covers more ground.
- Older Macs. Pruneo needs macOS 14 or later. The App Store listing for CleanMyMac says it runs on macOS 11.0 or later. If your Mac is stuck on an older system, CleanMyMac is the option that works.
- Track record. CleanMyMac has been around for many years, and MacPaw says its Safety Database has been maintained since the first release in 2008. Pruneo is a new app (current version 1.5.2). It has had far less time in the real world.
- Slightly more junk in general use. In our test CleanMyMac reported 19.4 GB against Pruneo’s 18.0 GB marked safe. Small, but it is there.
Safety and undo
Both apps try to avoid deleting the wrong thing, but they do it in different ways.
CleanMyMac
MacPaw describes a Safety Database: a set of cleaning rules, exceptions and app-specific instructions that CleanMyMac checks during each scan. According to that page, it keeps system locations such as /System/Library on an ignore list, blocks the removal of critical folders such as Documents, and accounts for apps that keep licenses or settings in cache folders. We did not find a feature on MacPaw’s site to restore items after a cleanup, so the table says “Not verified”. That does not mean it does not exist; it means we could not confirm it.
Pruneo
Pruneo marks every item with a traffic light: green is safe, yellow means review it first, and a padlock means it is protected and will not be touched. Everything Pruneo cleans goes to a quarantine first, so you can bring it back if something was needed. Emptying the Trash is the only exception, and Pruneo asks you to confirm it first.
Some things Pruneo never touches: the system, SSH and GPG keys, credentials, Keychain, iCloud Drive, Mail, Messages, .git folders, .env files, certificates, your Photos library, the Docker disk, the root of git projects and the Spotlight index.
If you prefer the terminal, the pruneo command does the same:
pruneo scan # see what can be cleaned
pruneo clean <sections> # without --yes it only simulates
pruneo clean <sections> --yes # cleans, and items go to quarantine
pruneo quarantine restore # bring items back from quarantineScheduled cleanups, if you turn them on, only touch green items. You can read more on our security page.
Price
Prices below were checked on Oct 22, 2026, in the US stores, in US dollars. They change by country and with promotions, so check again before you buy.
- CleanMyMac. The official CleanMyMac page shows “Starting at $3.33/month” and offers a free trial. The full plan list in MacPaw’s online store did not load for us, so we cannot list every web plan. In the Mac App Store, CleanMyMac is a free download with in-app purchases, including CleanMyMac Yearly at $39.99, CleanMyMac Monthly at $9.99, CleanMyMac Plus Yearly at $65.99 and an item listed as a one-time purchase at $89.99.
- Pruneo. Free, with no account and no subscription. If you want to support the project, there is an optional one-time contribution from $5.
Which one should you choose?
Choose CleanMyMac if:
- You want one app for cleanup, malware checks, app updates and photo clutter.
- Your Mac runs macOS 13 or older.
- You are happy to pay a subscription for a mature, well-known product.
Choose Pruneo if:
- You mainly want disk space back, and you want to see results in seconds.
- You are a developer, designer, video editor or musician, and your space goes to build caches, project folders and app libraries.
- You want a light app: in our test it used 0.1% CPU at rest and ran no helper processes.
- You want a safety net for anything you clean.
You can also use both. They do not conflict, and Pruneo’s quarantine means a cleanup in Pruneo can be reversed if you change your mind. If you are not sure where your space went yet, start with our guide on how to free up space on a Mac, or see how Pruneo compares with Mole, Cleaner One Pro and BuhoCleaner. To try Pruneo, go to the home page.
CleanMyMac, Cleaner One Pro and BuhoCleaner are trademarks of their respective owners. Pruneo has no relationship with them. CleanMyMac was measured in its App Store version, which has less disk access than the web version.
FAQ
Is Pruneo a free alternative to CleanMyMac?
Pruneo is free, with no account and no subscription. It focuses on freeing disk space and adds a few maintenance tools, but it does not replace every CleanMyMac module, such as malware protection or app updates.
Which one finds more junk on a normal Mac?
In general use they are roughly tied: CleanMyMac found 19.4 GB and Pruneo 18.0 GB marked safe (31.2 GB total). The difference shows up with Pruneo's professional sections, which found 79.2 GB on the same Mac.
Can I undo a cleanup in CleanMyMac?
We could not confirm an undo feature on CleanMyMac's official site, so our table says Not verified. Pruneo moves everything it cleans to a quarantine you can restore from.