MacUpdater alternative: How Nektony App Cleaner & Uninstaller updates apps

Mac app updates are still messy in 2026. Some updates come through the App Store. Others pop up inside the app. A few never show up anywhere unless you manually visit the developer’s website. Checking dozens of apps is not exactly how you want to spend your day. That’s the problem MacUpdater tried to fix and did it well till it was discontinued.

If you’re moving on from MacUpdater, chances are you want one dashboard to track all installed apps, update them safely, and avoid jumping between websites. And Nektony’s App Cleaner & Uninstaller bridges this gap.

In the sections below, see how MacUpdater compares to App Cleaner & Uninstaller for updating apps on a Mac. You’ll also find a detailed comparison, test results, the main differences, and whether App Cleaner & Uninstaller is a solid alternative to MacUpdater.

Methodology: How I compared tools to update apps on Mac

To figure out how MacUpdater and App Cleaner & Uninstaller handle app updates in practice, I ran both tools on a single MacBook Pro M1 2020 running macOS Tahoe 26.2. My setup included 50 third-party apps downloaded from the App Store and dev sites. Here’s what I focused on during testing:

Table comparing MacUpdater vs. App Cleaner & Uninstaller

Criteria	App Cleaner & Uninstaller	MacUpdater
Price	$14.95/year $34.95/one-time	$0 (project closed 01.01.2026)
Trial	✅ 2 days full access	✅ Free version
macOS compatibility	macOS 11.0+	macOS 13.0+
Scan time	~4 sec	~30 sec first scan
Updates found (out of 50)	23	25
False positives	✅ None detected	⚠️ Yes (Free Ruler, agent updates)
Updates inside app	✅ Yes	❌ No (redirects to App Store, developer websites)
Major update frameworks	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Skip/Ignore list	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Batch update	✅ Yes (one click)	⚠️ Limited
Scan limit	✅ No daily limit	⚠️ 2 full scans per day
CPU/RAM usage	~280 MB	~165 MB
Update database status	✅ Actively maintained	❌ Last updated 12/31/2025
Rating	4.8 (Trustpilot)	4.9 (AlternativeTo)

MacUpdater: Discontinued tool, unfortunately

	Priced at: $0
	Compatible with: macOS 13.0 or newer
	Notarized: Apple-notarized
	Rated: 4.9/5★ by AlternativeTo

MacUpdater was and, technically, is still a focused updater. Nothing more, nothing less. When you open it, you see a list of installed apps, scan and update buttons, and get a clean overview of what needs attention.

The interface feels natural. Even if you’ve never used an app updater before, you’d figure it out in seconds. Unlike App Cleaner & Uninstaller, this tool is just about updates: no extra tabs, which is convenient for a single purpose.

MacUpdater supported most major update frameworks: App Store apps, developer-site apps using Sparkle, Electron, Squirrel, Homebrew, and others. But there are limitations. MacUpdater allows only 2 full scans per day. For some users, that may be enough. For power users who install and remove apps often, that restriction becomes noticeable.

The bigger issue is that the project officially ended on January 1, 2026. The final version (3.5.0) is now free, but the update database was last refreshed on December 31, 2025. Based on version history notes, the database is expected to remain active only till the end of this year. After that, detection may stop working altogether.

What does the update flow look like in MacUpdater?

Meanwhile, it doesn’t change the way you update apps in MacUpdater. It’s still easy:
You select an app → click Update App → see progress and status. Everything happens in a single window dedicated only to updating - no extra panels. The progress bar shows what’s downloading and whether the installation succeeds.

But here’s where things get less convenient. For many apps, especially those from the App Store and quite a few downloaded from developer websites, updates don’t install inside MacUpdater. Instead, it redirected to the App Store or required launching the app itself to trigger its internal updater.

That’s why there are Open Updater, Open AppStore, and Manual Update buttons next to the apps to be updated. So technically, MacUpdater detects the update. But you have to finish the job manually.

There are Select QuickUpdate Apps and Update All Selected buttons for those few apps, which can be updated inside the tool. There is also an Ignore List with a security angle. You could block specific apps from updating, which helped avoid touching risky software.

MacUpdater’s update KPIs

MacUpdater found 25 updates, which is a little more than App Cleaner & Uninstaller. That’s strong detection. But one of them — Free Ruler from the App Store — turned out to be a false positive. The App Store showed the latest version already installed. It seems MacUpdater misclassified it as a non-App Store app.

I also ran into something more confusing. The tool flagged updates for background agents (not actual apps). In practice, those agents couldn’t be updated at all. So you end up clicking Update, and nothing meaningful happens.

The first scan on my MacBook Pro M1 took around 30 seconds. After that, scans were faster, but still noticeably slower than App Cleaner & Uninstaller. The good value was about RAM usage. It consumed about 165 MB, which is actually quite lightweight.

To wrap up, I’ll be honest. I liked using MacUpdater. But once support stops, even the best detection engine slowly becomes unreliable.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller: Modern updater

	Priced at: $14.95/year • $34.95/one-time • $7.95 monthly
	Compatible with: macOS 11.0 or newer
	Notarized: Apple-notarized
	Rated: 4.8/5★ by TrustPilot

App Cleaner & Uninstaller feels like a 360° Mac app control center. Recently, it became an updater in addition to its main uninstallation and leftover removal features.

The design looks attractive, very much in the spirit of macOS Tahoe. Nothing looks outdated or overloaded. The layout is structured, spacing feels natural, and navigation is obvious from the first launch.

The Updates section is among five other tabs on the left - Applications, Startup Programs, Extensions, and Remaining Files. Switching between them takes one click. Even if you’ve never used a maintenance tool before, you won’t feel lost.

There is also a helpful info panel on the right side. It shows version numbers, app details, and update status in a structured way. The only thing occasionally missing is the developer’s What’s New notes. Not a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning.

The biggest difference is that updates happen directly inside the app. No redirects. No extra pop-ups. You click Update, and it installs right there, including App Store apps. As MacUpdater, App Cleaner & Uninstaller also works with multiple update frameworks (App Store, Sparkle, Electron, Squirrel, Homebrew, GitHub).

What does the update flow look like in App Cleaner & Uninstaller?

Updating an app takes you four clicks after you open the tool:

Go to the Updates tab → select app(s) to be updated → review the list → click Update.

The tool detected 23 updates. A little bit fewer than MacUpdater’s 25. But here’s the key difference: zero false positives. Every update was real and installed without an issue. The full scan took around 4 seconds. That’s fast enough that you don’t even think about it.

RAM usage during scans was around 280 MB. That’s higher than MacUpdater, but still reasonable for a multi-functional utility, which also handles uninstalling apps, cleaning leftovers, managing startup items, and extensions.

The good news is, updates are in-app. So, you don’t get pushed to the App Store or somewhere manually like with MacUpdater. There is also a Skip List. You can exclude specific apps from future scans. Helpful if you rely on a specific version for work. I also tried selecting all available updates and installing them at once. It worked well, too.

The most important thing is that the app is notarized, actively maintained, and updated regularly. A developer claims they extend the update database all the time in order for detection to stay accurate.

Final thoughts

MacUpdater feels like one of those classic utilities we all had on our Macs for years. But once development stops, even the best tool starts aging fast. And software is not just about how it feels. It’s about how it works tomorrow.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller is actively developed, works directly inside the app, supporting major update frameworks. Its update KPIs are impressive and closest to MacUpdater. So, if you’re looking for a true MacUpdater replacement, App Cleaner & Uninstaller could be the tool to try next.