Do you know how to delete apps on Mac correctly so as not to leave their leftovers on your disk? If not, then we recommend that you read the article about the ways to delete applications completely. But if you are looking for a good app remover for Mac, stay with us. In this article, we will share our review of 5 popular app cleaners with a comparison chart to help you choose the best software to uninstall apps on your Mac safely and efficiently.
AppCleaner from FreeMacSoft
- Price: free donation
- Distribution: downloading directly from its website
- Version: 3.5
- Requirements: macOS 10.13 or later
- Rating: 4.3 based on 213 reviews on macupdate.com
AppCleaner is one of the oldest Mac cleaning apps to uninstall software with its service files. The program has a simple drag and drop interface. It can remove applications, widgets, plug-ins, configuration files and other unnecessary files. There is also a SmartDelete option, which works when you simply drag the application to Trash. AppCleaner also finds all the files associated with this application and will propose that you delete them as well.
If you look at the interface, first you will see a window in which you can simply drop a specific app. Click on the hamburger menu in the upper right corner to see all the applications and widgets that are on your Mac and delete unnecessary ones right there.
The FreeMacSoft AppCleaner states that it uninstalls apps completely. However, if you check for leftovers of the apps, you may find broken service files that were not detected by AppCleaner. You can learn more about it in our previous AppCleaner review.
Pros
- ✓ Free
- ✓ Simple interface
Cons
- 𐄂 Does not find all the leftovers of the apps to be deleted
- 𐄂 Not available on the Mac App Store
App Uninstaller from Pocketbits
- Price: $5.99
- Distribution: available on the Mac App Store
- Version: 1.0
- Requirements: Mac OS 10.11 or later
- Rating: 4.4 based on 116 reviews on apps.apple.com
If you want to see the service files of the apps, click the Details button next to each app. To remove applications from Mac, select them from the list of all apps and click the Remove button.
Pros
- ✓ Simple to use
Cons
- 𐄂 Not free
- 𐄂 Does not provide a trial
- 𐄂 Does not delete apps completely (leaves some leftovers)
AppZapper
- Price: $12.95
- Distribution: downloading directly from its website
- Version: 2.0.2
- Requirements: Mac OS 10.6.8 or later
- Rating: 4 based on 118 reviews on macupdate.com
After dragging into the window the application you want to uninstall, AppZapper will display a list of all the files associated with this program. Just remove the checkmarks from the files you want to save and then click the “Zap” button.
Among its additional options are logging all deleted files and programs, and the ability to protect apps from deletion.
In short, when comparing AppCleaner with AppZapper, the first one is definitely the better choice for its free cost and performance.
Pros
- ✓ Simple to use
- ✓ Provides a trial version
Cons
- 𐄂 Not free and even more expensive
- 𐄂 Does not delete apps completely (leaves some leftovers)
Delete Apps from FIPLAB
- Price: Free
- Distribution: downloading from the Mac App Store
- Version: 2.0
- Requirements: Mac OS 10.10 or later
- Rating: 7 based on 114 reviews on apps.apple.com
Delete Apps displays the current free space on your Mac, amount to be freed, and new free space after the app’s removal. What’s more, you can sort the apps by size on the window so as to make it easier to analyze your apps and get rid of “space eaters.”
Pros
- ✓ Free
- ✓ Simple to use
Cons
- 𐄂 Does not delete apps completely (leaves some leftovers)
App Cleaner & Uninstaller from Nektony
- Price: free, additional features – $19.90
- Distribution – available to download directly from its website
- Version: 7.0
- Requirements: Mac OS 10.10 or later
- Rating: 4.9 based on 91 reviews on macupdate.com
If you test all the Mac app cleaners, you will find that App Cleaner & Uninstaller accurately finds all the service files of apps and uninstalls them efficiently.
Once you launch the program, it starts scanning all your applications and, in less than a minute, displays a list of installed apps, extensions and remains – the leftovers of the previously deleted apps. If some of your apps are not stored in the Applications folder, you can drag and drop them from anywhere to the uninstaller’s window.
In the Extensions tab, you can remove unneeded internet plugins, browser extensions, installation files, screensavers and so on.
This Mac app cleaner has a nice interface and displays the list of apps and their support files in one window, which is more convenient, as you don’t need to switch from one window to the next.
It also shows unused apps and allows you to skip specific applications from being searched. In the Preferences, you can switch on the Apps Tracking option to allow it to find the leftovers of apps when you remove them to Trash.
Pros
- ✓ Nice interface
- ✓ Free to use basic features
- ✓ Simple to use
- ✓ Supports 1000+ apps to delete and uninstall them completely
Cons
- 𐄂 After the trial period additional features cost $ 19.90
- 𐄂 The Extensions tab may be difficult for users who are not computer savvy
Comparison chart of app uninstallers for Mac
 AppCleaner |
 App Uninstaller |
 AppZapper |
 Delete Apps |
App Cleaner |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $5.99 | $12.95 | Free | Free (PRO features – $19.90) |
| Complete Uninstalling | ✔ | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Service files cleanup | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Leftovers | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Widgets | ✔ | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Plugins | ✔ | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Launch agents | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Login items | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Installations | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Browser Extensions | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Screensavers | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Preference Panes | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Smart Delete | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Finds all service files* | – | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Rating | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
Conclusion
We have reviewed the top 5 application removers for Mac. As you can see, not all programs are able to find all the service files of apps to be deleted. Yes, you can find and delete them manually. But it usually requires too much time or additional software since such files are usually hidden and not so easy to find. Therefore, we recommend that you save time and let App Cleaner & Uninstaller does all this work for you.
In the table above, we’ve provided some brief information about each type of software so as to make it easy for you to compare them and choose the best app to clean your Mac of unneeded apps.
