SpotlessSpotless vs CleanMyMac
Spotless is a Mac cleaner and storage manager that shows every item before it moves, sends removals to the Trash and keeps a Restore list. It costs $9 once. If you use CleanMyMac, Spotless is the upgrade that leaves each decision with you. This page compares the two feature by feature.
Where Spotless wins
- You choose what goes. Every box is empty after a Spotless scan. CleanMyMac's Smart Care tiles are ticked by default and a tile's Clean button runs without a review step. With Spotless, the list you confirm is the list that moves.
- Every removal can be undone. Spotless moves items to the Trash and lists them under Recently Deleted. MacPaw's safety and how-to pages do not say whether CleanMyMac's removals go to the Trash or can be restored.
- Every item explains itself. Select a row in Spotless and it tells you what the item is, which app owns it and what happens if it goes.
- A 10 MB download. Spotless is a single universal build for Apple silicon and Intel. The CleanMyMac download on MacPaw's product page is 320 MB.
- One price. $9 once, taxes included. A CleanMyMac one-time licence covers only the current major version, and its yearly plans bill per Mac.
- No telemetry. Nothing about your files leaves your Mac, and there are no analytics.
Also in Spotless
- Every item can explain itself: what it is, which app owns it, and what happens if it goes.
- Developer storage that understands projects: Xcode, Gradle, Cargo, pnpm, CocoaPods, Homebrew, Docker.
- System Data split into named folders, with sizes you can check against macOS.
- Space map, folder explorer, duplicates with keeper rules, app uninstaller with Reset and a shared-data guard.
- Startup items, memory and a menu bar monitor for disk, memory, processor and network.
- Export what would be removed as a text list. Keyboard shortcuts for everything.
- Scheduled cleaning: weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, Spotless moves only items marked Safe to the Trash and notifies you. Restore any of it from Recently Deleted.
CleanMyMac and Spotless, feature by feature
| Feature | CleanMyMac | Spotless |
|---|---|---|
| Junk cleanup | System and app caches, logs, browser data | Caches, logs, Trash, browser caches, Mail attachments, iOS backups and updates, installers, add-ons, unfinished downloads. Each item explains itself |
| Default selection | Smart Care tiles ticked by default | Nothing ticked after a scan |
| App uninstaller | Uninstaller with leftovers | Leftovers, Reset app, shared-data guard, orphan scan |
| Duplicates | Duplicate finder | Any folder or drive, hard-link aware, keeper rules for each group |
| Space view | Space Lens bubble map | Treemap space map, folder explorer, large and old files, System Data breakdown |
| Menu bar | Menu bar app | Disk, memory, processor, network and Docker, with free-space history |
| App size | 320 MB download | 10 MB download, Apple silicon and Intel |
| Privacy | App Store labels list email, device ID, product interaction and crash data | No telemetry. Nothing about your files leaves your Mac |
Price
MacPaw's own store lists CleanMyMac from $39.95 a year for one Mac, with a $119.95 one-time licence that covers the current major version only (prices seen 2026-11-11). Spotless is $9 once, with every feature included. See Spotless pricing.
Switching from CleanMyMac to Spotless
Install Spotless, open it and run a scan. Nothing is ticked, so your first cleanup is the list you pick. Whatever you remove sits in the Trash and in Recently Deleted until you empty it. If you already know which CleanMyMac modules you use, start with Clean for junk, Apps for the uninstaller and Storage for the space map.
See also: Review before you clean, App uninstaller, Space map.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spotless an upgrade from CleanMyMac?
Yes. It shows each item first, moves removals to the Trash with a restore list and charges once. Spotless covers junk cleanup, an app uninstaller with leftovers, duplicates, a space map, developer storage and a menu bar monitor.
How much does Spotless cost compared with CleanMyMac?
Spotless is $9 once, taxes included, with no subscription. CleanMyMac is priced by plan, number of Macs and store.
Can I undo a Spotless cleanup?
Yes. Removed items go to the macOS Trash and appear in Recently Deleted, where you can put them back.
Does Spotless run on Intel Macs?
Yes. One universal build runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 14 or later.
Keep comparing
- Spotless vs CCleaner for Mac: A one-time cleaner with scheduled cleaning, a space map and undo against a tiered cleaner.
- Spotless vs MacKeeper: A one-time cleaner with disk views against a subscription suite.
- Spotless vs BuhoCleaner: A cleaner built around review, locks and restore against a one-click cleaner with RAM tools.