FreeMacSoft’s AppCleaner vs Nektony’s App Cleaner & Uninstaller: free vs paid

There’s no special utility to properly uninstall apps on macOS, which means you and I have to go looking for one. The first instinct is to try a free solution. But at some point, you start noticing that ‘free’ and ‘complete’ don’t always go together. And the dilemma shows up: whether a free uninstaller is enough, or a paid one is worth it.

To help you figure this out and reveal some eye-opening differences, I took two widely spoken and used tools, namely: AppCleaner (free) and App Cleaner & Uninstaller (paid).

By reading this, you’ll learn what you can and can’t do with the said tools. I’ll tell you in detail about how they differ and do their job – real use cases, real limits, and no fiction.

Why use a third-party uninstaller for Mac

Motivated by cleaning up a Mac, plenty of users seek the right way to uninstall apps, fully and permanently. And this is where things get tricky. Trashing an app might feel like an intuitive step, but not correct on macOS. By doing so, you only remove the visible part, leaving all remaining files behind. That’s why there are a few real options available:

• Delete everything manually by searching through Library folders (Preferences, Application Support, Caches, LaunchAgents, and more).
• Use a third-party uninstaller built specifically to locate and remove app-related files automatically.

The first option takes effort and time. It requires digging through hidden system folders most users never open, understanding what belongs to which app, and hoping nothing important gets deleted by mistake.

Which is why, due to the inconvenience of the manual method, it makes sense to use a third-party uninstaller, whose main purpose is to properly remove apps from a Mac.

Below, I’ve got two most popular Mac app cleaners often confused with one another: AppCleaner and App Cleaner & Uninstaller. So, it’s time to shed light on how they actually differ.

Comparing AppCleaner and App Cleaner & Uninstaller in a table

Tool	AppCleaner	App Cleaner & Uninstaller
Price	Free	$14.95/year $34.95/one-time
Trial	Free	2 days
Compatibility	macOS 10.14+	macOS 11.0+
Scan speed	2 seconds	9 seconds
Apps found for uninstallation	51	60
CPU/RAM usage during scan	~50mb	~346mb (agent & helper included)
Service files cleanup
Update apps
Remaining files
Startup programs
Plugins
Installation files
Screen savers
Widgets
Web browser extensions
Preference panes
Internet plugins
Changing default apps
Finds all service files
Rate	4.9 (MacUpdate)	4.8 (TrustPilot)

AppCleaner by FreeMacSoft: better for quick, no-frills removals

	Price: $0
	Compatibility: macOS 10.14+
	Safety: Apple-notarized
	Rate: 4.9/5 by MacUpdate

AppCleaner is a lightweight uninstaller built around one idea: remove apps and their support files. It’s free, minimal, and intentionally limited. You open it, drag an app into the window or pick it from the list, review the found files, and click delete. That’s it. No tabs, no extra sections, no background tools.

The interface is minimal and easy to understand. You can either use drag and drop or switch to a list view showing detected applications, so you have only two tabs. Unlike App Cleaner & Uninstaller, there are no more sections and no extra management tools.

That simplicity comes with limits, though. With AppCleaner, you can only remove one app at a time, and there’s no multi-selection. Development has also slowed down, the last update was in mid-2023, which led to fewer apps found for uninstallation compared to App Cleaner & Uninstaller and other uninstallation utilities.

AppCleaner features:

• Uninstall applications
• Uninstall widgets
• Uninstall plugins

There are no startup managers, no update checks, no leftover tracking from past deletions, and no background agent. What you see is what you get.

AppCleaner strengths and drawbacks

What works well:

• Free to use.
• Very low system resource usage.
• Simple UI that beginners understand instantly.

What feels limiting:

• Doesn’t clearly explain the need for Full Disk Access.
• Cannot uninstall running apps (no built-in force quit flow).
• Often misses service files, especially with modern or complex apps.
• Apps installed outside the Applications folder may not appear.
• There is no batch uninstallation option.
• No updates for a long time.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller by Nektony: better for full uninstall and complete app management

	Price: $14.95/year • $34.95/one-time
	Compatibility: macOS 11.0+
	Safety: Apple-notarized
	Rate: 4.8/5 by TrustPilot

App Cleaner & Uninstaller is a full-featured app manager, not just an uninstaller. You can uninstall, update apps, manage them, startup items, extensions, and do leftover cleanup, all inside one interface.

Speaking of which, the design follows modern macOS patterns and feels closer to a system utility than a standalone uninstaller. Navigation is split into five tabs:

Applications · Startup Programs · Extensions · Remaining Files · Updates

You switch between them in one click. Every action is visible. Every result is structured.

How this paid tool stands over a free one is clear: you are free to delete remnants from previous deletions, manage startup items, extensions, and update apps. You are also not limited to uninstalling apps: you can reset applications or clear caches.

Most actions are straightforward: select an item, review the list, and remove or update. Progress indicators and status messages are written in plain language, so you always know what’s happening. Settings are straightforward and intuitive. You can:

• Customize scan locations for apps
• Create a Skip List for items you don’t want touched
• Adjust how results are displayed in the interface

As opposed to AppCleaner, regular updates keep this tool in step with macOS changes, which matters for a tool that depends on knowing where Mac and apps store their files.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller features:

• Uninstall apps
• Update apps
• Reset apps
• Clear app caches, logs, etc.
• Remove remaining files from past deletions
• Removal History for restoring files
• Manage startup programs
• Manage extensions
• Change default apps via Open With
• Built-in background agent

App Cleaner & Uninstaller strengths and drawbacks

What works well:

• Full set of features available during the trial and after purchase.
• Solid uninstallation and update features.
• Deep scan using Bundle IDs to match real app data.
• Option to delete residuals of previously uninstalled applications.
• Option to clear caches and other temporary data in Expert Mode.
• Removal History for recovery.
• Ongoing development with frequent updates.

What feels limiting:

• The trial is only 2 days.
• After the trial ends, removal actions are locked, though lists remain visible.
• Slightly heavier on RAM during scans due to its agent and helper processes.

Uninstall metrics: How each tool scores in uninstalling apps

To see how both tools behave outside of theory, I tested them on my MacBook Pro M3 with macOS Tahoe 26.2 with the same set of apps and under the same conditions.

Total apps detected: AppCleaner – 51 | App Cleaner & Uninstaller – 60.

*Shows ‘size on disk,’ not actual file size.

How AppCleaner uninstalls apps

• Found 51 apps.
• Google Chrome: 5 items (1.99 GB).
• BBEdit: 7 items (72.8 MB).
• Little Snitch: 12 items (160 MB).

Uninstalls look clean at first glance. However, when comparing results with another uninstaller on the same apps, the difference in detected data is tangible. That makes it hard to say AppCleaner always removes everything.

How App Cleaner & Uninstaller uninstalls apps

• Detected 60 applications.
• Google Chrome: 10 items (7.93 GB).
• BBEdit: 9 items (71 MB).
• Little Snitch: 19 items (297.3 MB).

The uninstallation scan and overall flow feel fast and thorough, with no leftovers behind. One detail to note: installation files like googlechrome.dmg are separated into Extensions → Installation Files. This prevents accidentally deleting the installation file.

Difference in uninstall approach

The difference comes from how each tool searches for files.

• AppCleaner relies on simpler file association logic and provides less context around what may be left behind; as a result, it finds fewer related files.
• App Cleaner & Uninstaller seems to use Bundle IDs to match real app-related data across the system accurately without touching unrelated data. That balance between depth and precision is what separates it from AppCleaner.

Plus, uninstalling ChatGPT Atlas via AppCleaner and App Cleaner & Uninstaller resulted in a difference of nearly 1 GB of remaining data, which forms another proof of how deeply each tool handles the uninstallation process.

Final verdict

Both tools solve the same problem, but at very different levels. So, choosing between them depends on what you expect from an uninstaller.

• Choose AppCleaner if your expectation is simple app removal with zero cost to remove apps one by one, and you’re okay with possible leftovers.
• Choose App Cleaner & Uninstaller if your expectation is deeper uninstall results, a broader app management feature set (update, reset, etc.), and leftover detection.