1MachineTool vs CleanMyMac
A dedicated cleaner with malware scanning, or a cleaner that never deletes outright and comes with ten other tools.
Checked against CleanMyMac’s own site, 18 October 2026
Short answer
Pick 1MachineTool if you want a careful cleaner without a subscription; pick CleanMyMac if malware scanning matters to you.
- Everything 1MachineTool removes waits 30 days in quarantine with undo. It cleans from an allow-list, not a guess.
- CleanMyMac adds anti-malware, a duplicates finder and cloud cleanup, which 1MachineTool does not do.
- CleanMyMac on the Mac App Store is $39.99 a year or $89.99 one-time. 1MachineTool Pro is $29 once and includes a monitor, battery, power and more.
Two ways to do the job.
1MachineTool
Clean is a Pro module: an allow-list scan, a space map, uninstall with leftovers, a privacy sweep of caches and recent-items lists, and trash auto-empty. Every removal goes through a 30-day quarantine with undo.
CleanMyMac
MacPaw's cleaner (version 5.7 in October 2026): Smart Care one-click scan, junk cleanup, anti-malware, an uninstaller and app updater, login-item management, cloud cleanup, a duplicates finder and the Space Lens disk map. macOS 11 or later.
cleanmymac.comSide by side.
| Feature | 1MachineTool | CleanMyMac |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Price | Free, or Pro $29 once (one year of updates) | $39.99/year or $89.99 one-time (Mac App Store); 7-day trial |
| Runs on | macOS now; Windows (v1.1) and Linux (v1.3) on the same licence | macOS 11 or later |
| What it covers | Eleven tools: launcher, clipboard, windows, monitor, clean, power, battery, menu bar, network, security, VMs (when shipped) | Cleanup, malware, uninstalls, app updates, login items |
| Tells you why the machine is slow, hot, full or draining | Yes: one sentence, the evidence, the fix and an undo | Smart Care scans and recommends, within cleanup |
| Cleaning | ||
| Junk and cache cleanup | Allow-list scan | Yes |
| What is filling the disk | Space map | Space Lens |
| Uninstall with leftovers | Yes | Yes |
| Undo after cleaning | Nothing deleted outright: removals wait 30 days with undo | Not stated on the vendor page |
| Privacy sweep | Browser caches, recent items, Quick Look thumbnails | Not checked |
| Malware scanning | No | Yes (Moonlock engine) |
| Duplicate finder, cloud cleanup | No | Yes |
| Beyond cleaning | ||
| Outdated apps | Security check lists them (Sparkle, Homebrew, App Store) | App updater |
| Battery charge limit, keep-awake, menu bar | Pro | No |
| Clipboard history, window snapping, launcher | Free tiers included | No |
| Windows and Linux | Windows in v1.1, Linux in v1.3; your Pro licence covers them | No |
Scroll the table sideways.
Which one is for you.
Choose 1MachineTool if
- You want every removal to be undoable for 30 days.
- You'd rather not add another subscription.
- You also want a monitor, battery limiter and menu bar organiser in the same app.
Choose CleanMyMac if
- You want malware scanning in your cleaner.
- You need a duplicates finder or cloud storage cleanup.
- You already have it through Setapp.
Questions.
Will 1MachineTool delete my files?
Never outright. Clean only touches locations on its allow-list, and anything it removes waits 30 days in quarantine where you can restore it. It leaves your documents, mail, photos and media alone.
Does 1MachineTool scan for malware?
No. It runs a security checklist (firewall, disk encryption, updates and more) and inspects apps, but it is not antivirus. If you want malware scanning, CleanMyMac does that.
What does CleanMyMac cost?
On the US Mac App Store in October 2026: $39.99 a year, $9.99 a month, or $89.99 one-time. MacPaw's own site says "starting at $3.33/month". A one-time purchase covers the current major version only.
CleanMyMac’s column comes from its own site on 18 October 2026. Prices and plans change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
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