Getting your disk space back shouldn't be a subscription.
CleanMyMac is a big suite, and since July 2025 it starts at $47.50 a year. If what you actually need is room on your disk, you don't need to pay every year for it.
The short version
Stay with CleanMyMac if you use the whole suite and the yearly price is worth it to you. If you mostly opened it to get disk space back, Disk Forecast does that part for free: it tells you when you'll run out, explains System Data, and sends what it clears to the Trash.
What CleanMyMac is
CleanMyMac is MacPaw's long-running Mac suite, with storage cleanup as one part of a larger set of tools. In July 2025 its pricing moved to a subscription that starts at $47.50 a year, and some users have pushed back on the billing.
If you use everything in it, that may be fine. Many people open it for one reason: the disk is full.
Do you need a cleaner at all?
Regulars on Apple's own support forums have warned against Mac cleaner apps for years, and they have a point. On a modern Mac with APFS and an SSD, there's nothing to tune. A Mac with 100 GB free runs the same as one with 300 GB free.
The real reasons to clear space are practical: room for a macOS update, a project, a phone backup, a video export. That's what Disk Forecast is for. It tells you when you'll need the room, shows you what's taking it, and reclaims it safely.
Disk Forecast vs CleanMyMac
CleanMyMac facts come from MacPaw's store and coverage of the 2025 price change.
| Disk Forecast | CleanMyMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $47.50 a year |
| Tells you when the disk will be full | Yes, in the menu bar | — |
| System Data broken down | Every part, in plain English, with Apple's fixes | — |
| Deletes go to the Trash | Yes | — |
| System fixes use Apple's own tools | Yes: tmutil, mdutil, xcrun simctl | — |
| Account needed | No | — |
| Source available | Yes, on GitHub | No |
| Telemetry | None | — |
“—” means we couldn't confirm it from the vendor's own materials as of October 2026.
What CleanMyMac does better
Scope. It's a suite with many tools beyond storage, a polished interface, and a company behind it with a support team.
What Disk Forecast does better
It costs nothing, warns you before the disk fills, explains System Data in plain English, and uses Apple's own tools for system fixes. The source is on GitHub, so you can see exactly what it moves to the Trash.
Switching
- Install Disk Forecast.
brew install --cask coreyhaines31/tap/diskforecast, or download the app from GitHub. - Clear what's safe. The menu shows a “Safe to clear” total. Click it, confirm, and it all goes to the Trash.
- Look at System Data. Snapshots, simulators, the Spotlight index: each one explained, each fix confirmed first.
- Decide on the subscription. If storage was the reason you paid, you can let it lapse. MacPaw's account page handles cancellation.
Questions
How much does CleanMyMac cost?
MacPaw raised CleanMyMac's price in July 2025, and it now starts at $47.50 a year. Check MacPaw's store for current plans.
Do I need a Mac cleaner app?
For disk space, a careful tool helps when you're running low. Beyond that, usually not. macOS manages its own caches and memory, and on an SSD, free space doesn't change how a Mac runs until the disk is nearly full.
Can I use Disk Forecast and CleanMyMac together?
Yes. They don't conflict. Disk Forecast only moves files to the Trash when you ask it to.
Is Disk Forecast free?
Yes, at home or at work, with no account. The source is on GitHub and the app collects no telemetry.
Other Mac storage apps, compared
Reclaim space, free.
Free. No account, no subscription.
macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon and Intelbrew install --cask coreyhaines31/tap/diskforecast