March 27, 2026
Choosing a modern updater for Mac: App Cleaner & Uninstaller vs Updatest
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Speaking of Mac app updaters, 2026 became the year many users started looking for something new after MacUpdater was gone. On Reddit, people share their alternatives. And two names pop up again and again: Updatest and App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
Using two tools for the same purpose might feel like overkill. And in practice, they handle updates differently: one is about deep control and extra settings, but not in-app updating, the other combines updating with broader Mac management, but updates are out of the box. Which one works for you comes down to how much digging you want to do.
That got me curious, so I tested Updatest and App Cleaner & Uninstaller side by side. Below, I compared them by their features, update workflow, and how fast and deep they actually update apps on a Mac.
The way of comparing Mac updater tools
To find out how Updatest and App Cleaner & Uninstaller do their job outside of theory, I tested both tools under identical settings on my MacBook Pro M1 (macOS Tahoe 26.3).
The testing process was based on our standardized uninstaller evaluation methodology.
The installed versions were App Cleaner & Uninstaller 9.1 and Updatest 2.2.1.
My Mac had 58 third-party apps installed, downloaded from random sources. And the checklist, inter alia, included the following criteria:
- UI and usability: how intuitive the interface is and how easy it’s to navigate it.
- Update workflow: whether updates can be installed directly from the tool.
- Scan performance: how long the update scan takes on the same set of apps.
- Detection accuracy: how many updates the tool finds, and if false positives appear.
- Batch updates: whether you can update multiple apps at once or one by one.
- System resources: CPU and RAM usage during scanning and updating.
- Skip list: the ability to exclude specific apps from update checks.
- Extra functionality: additional features that go beyond the update experience.
Table evaluating App Cleaner & Uninstaller and Updatest
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 |
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|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.95/year • $34.95 one-time | $12.99 one-time |
| Trial | 2 days (no card/email required) | 14 days (email required) |
| macOS compatibility | 11.0+ | 15.0+ |
| How fast it scans | ~4 sec | ~9 sec |
| Updates found | 28 | 28 + 2 brew formulae |
| False positives | Occasional cases in Network feature | |
| In-app updates | Partial (redirects outside) | |
| Major update frameworks | App Store, Sparkle, Electron, Homebrew, Squirrel, GitHub | App Store, Sparkle, Electron, Homebrew, Squirrel, GitHub |
| Skip/Ignore list | ||
| Batch update | Limited (not for manual updates) | |
| App permissions box | ||
| App notarization audit | ||
| Manage startup items | ||
| Manage app extensions | ||
| CPU/RAM usage | ~280 MB | ~93 MB |
Overall impression
Updatest and App Cleaner & Uninstaller solve the same task, keeping your Mac apps up to date, but they approach it from different angles. Both tools are fast enough for day-to-day use and detect a similar number of updates (28) on the same set of apps (58). The difference shows up not in how many updates they find, but in how the update process actually feels.
App Cleaner & Uninstaller is about convenience, while Updatest is about deeper control and a more technical workflow. With App Cleaner & Uninstaller, most updates can be installed directly out of the box. Updatest, on the other hand, may redirect you to the App Store or require launching the app itself to complete the update.
Another difference appears in the surrounding features. App Cleaner & Uninstaller treats the updater as part of a broader Mac maintenance toolkit. Updatest stays closer to the classic updater idea, adding features like the Network update discovery, which can sometimes surface updates earlier but may also lead to occasional false positives.
To make the comparison clearer, keep scrolling to look at the differences in more detail:
- UI and usability: how comfortable each tool feels in everyday use.
- Depth of control: how much influence you have over update behavior.
- Errors and edge cases during updates: where each tool occasionally trips up.
App Cleaner & Uninstaller: updater and Mac app manager
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Cost: $14.95/year • $7.95/month • $34.95 one-time |
|---|---|
| Trial: 2 days (full feature set) | |
| Rate: 4.8★ (TrustPilot) |
The first thing you notice about App Cleaner & Uninstaller is how natural it feels inside macOS. The interface stands with the visual style of macOS Tahoe, and the layout is user-friendly even if you open the tool for the first time.
Nothing feels buried in menus, and the Updates tab is exactly where you expect it to be. Unlike Updatest, the biggest advantage of App Cleaner & Uninstaller is the update flow. Here, you can install updates out of the box, including many apps downloaded from the App Store or elsewhere. Plus, there are a skip list and batch update features.
In practice, that means you can select all the apps to be updated and update them all in one click. No bouncing between the App Store, browser tabs, and app launchers. If your goal is to keep apps current without extra steps, this workflow feels strong. You just: open the Updates section → pick apps you want to update → click Update → confirm.
Another helpful detail is the information panel on the right. It shows useful details about the selected app: permissions granted to it, notarization status, signature information, and a short AI-generated summary describing what the app actually does.
The tool also includes a small helper agent that gives you a quick overview of available updates, unused apps, startup apps, and installed apps.
All 28 updates found by App Cleaner & Uninstaller were installed without errors. During scans, App Cleaner & Uninstaller used a little more RAM than Updatest. But in return, it comes with a broader set of tools, like:
- Uninstalling apps;
- Deleting leftovers from previously deleted applications;
- Resetting apps and clearing caches;
- Managing startup items and application extensions;
- Setting a default app for a particular file format.
Pros:
Updates happen out of the box
High update KPIs
Batch updating
No false positives
Additional Mac maintenance tools
Cons:
Short trial period (2 days)
Updater available in a trial or paid version
Higher RAM consumption (280Mb)
No notifications for new updates
No autoupdate feature
Updatest: updater-only tool with extra technical control
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Cost: $12.99 one-time |
|---|---|
| Trial: 14 days (email required) | |
| Rate: TBD (new tool) |
Updatest takes a more technical route. Compared to App Cleaner & Uninstaller, the tool focuses totally on update tracking, It is aimed at more advanced users who don’t mind tweaking settings or occasionally touching the Terminal.
It is so because of asking to install two utilities via the Terminal for Homebrew apps. You’ll also face a pop-up requesting to install the command-line developer tools for the ‘lipo’ command.
The Updatest design aligns with the Tahoe patterns. Most core actions take 2–3 clicks. The main window contains the update functionality, so you immediately see the list of installed apps and which ones may need updates. The tool organizes software by update source: App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle, Electron, GitHub, and Manual updates. This grouping helps you understand where your apps come from and how they update.
The settings menu reflects lots of options and controls (interface, locations, etc.). However, the update process works differently from that in App Cleaner & Uninstaller. While there is an Update All button, not every app will update directly from the tool. Under the Update button, you can see Open App or in App Store, which means you’ll be redirected to finish updating there.
One interesting feature appears in the full version only: Updatest Network, which collects update info from users’ Macs to find updates faster. Cool in theory, but false positives can appear (e.g., test versions from other users).
There’s also a small agent showing the current number of available updates at a glance. Like App Cleaner & Uninstaller, Updatest also includes an info panel on the right. It shows security-related details about the app: potential permissions, sandbox status, code signature, and certificate information.
It found 28 app updates plus 2 updates for Homebrew formulae. The scan took around 9 seconds, which is still quick enough for routine checks. The tool also proved to be light, using around 93MB of RAM. These numbers look good on paper until you remember that not every app can actually be updated from inside the tool.
Pros:
Lightweight system usage
Finds Homebrew formula updates
Wide range of advanced settings
Network feature for deeper detection
Cons:
Many updates happen not out of the box
Requires installing extra utilities
Only updates with no extra features
False positives might be in using Network
Final: two modern Mac updaters, two different philosophies
So, you’ve seen two modern tools that can be pretty helpful in your attempts to deal with updating your Mac software. But they’re built with different types of users in mind.
- App Cleaner & Uninstaller works best for people who want a simple in-app update workflow, plus additional Mac management tools in the same app.
- Updatest is better suited for advanced users who want deeper insight into update sources and don’t mind completing some updates outside the app.
Both tools are actively developed, catch more updates than many other Mac updaters, and are safe to rely on.