The best disk cleaners for Mac in 2026, compared

A full Mac disk usually has one or two big causes, and the right tool depends on what they are. Below are eight options, from the Storage settings already on your Mac to free disk maps, a Terminal cleaner and paid apps, with who each suits, what it removes and how, whether it explains items, what it costs and which macOS it needs.

How we put this together. We haven’t run these apps side by side on one Mac. This comparison is based on each tool’s own documentation, store listings and published prices as of October 2026, linked so you can check them. Prices are US list prices, and some vary by region. We make Disk Whisk, one of the apps below, so weigh that section accordingly.

Start with Apple’s Storage settings

Every Mac already has a free storage tool. Choose Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage. Apple’s guide describes a chart of what each category uses, followed by three recommendations:

• Store in iCloud keeps Desktop and Documents files, photos and messages in iCloud, and leaves only recently opened files on the Mac when space is needed.
• Optimize Storage removes Apple TV movies and shows you’ve watched, and keeps only recent email attachments.
• Empty Trash automatically erases items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

Below that, categories such as Applications, Documents, iOS Files and Trash have an Info button. Open one, select a file and click Delete, or click Show in Finder to look first. Apple’s guide doesn’t say whether that Delete goes through the Trash, so read the confirmation before you click. System Data is managed by macOS, and you can’t clear it from here.

• Suits: everyone, as a first look.
• Explains items: by category, not folder by folder.
• Price: free, built in.
• Needs: Apple documents this layout for macOS 13 and later.

CleanMyMac

CleanMyMac is MacPaw’s all-in-one Mac maintenance app. Alongside cleanup it covers uninstalling apps, malware scanning, performance tools, duplicate and similar files, cloud storage cleanup and Space Lens, a visual map of your storage. If you want one app for general Mac upkeep and not only disk space, it’s built for that.

• Removes: system junk such as caches, logs and language files, plus large and old files, and apps with their leftovers. Its System Junk scan pre-selects items by rule: for example, all Xcode junk except module caches and archives, and user caches except the Gradle cache. MacPaw’s guide for Large & Old Files says those files are deleted permanently, bypassing the Trash. Its other guides don’t say.
• Explains items: results are grouped by type, and a Smart Insights button gives more detail on an unfamiliar item on macOS Tahoe 26 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on.
• Price: a subscription or a one-time purchase, with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. MacPaw’s US site lists plans from $3.33 a month, billed yearly. The Mac App Store listing is a free download with yearly access at $39.99 and monthly at $9.99. Prices vary by plan, region and number of Macs (see the store).
• Needs: macOS 11 or later.

DaisyDisk

DaisyDisk, from Software Ambience, draws your disk as an interactive sunburst: rings of folders sized by what they hold. You click into the biggest segment, then the next, until you find what’s using the space. It can also reveal hidden space when it scans as administrator, purge purgeable space, and scan cloud storage such as Dropbox and Google Drive. It suits anyone who thinks in pictures.

• Removes: anything you drag into its Collector, once you click Delete. DaisyDisk deletes permanently by design, so the space comes back at once: it doesn’t use the Trash, and you get 5 seconds to cancel.
• Explains items: it shows sizes and lets you preview files; deciding what’s safe is up to you.
• Price: $9.99 one-time for up to 5 personal Macs, with minor updates included. The free trial scans and browses the map but can’t delete. The Mac App Store edition is also $9.99, has no trial and can’t scan as administrator.
• Needs: macOS 10.13 or later for the direct download, or macOS 12 or later from the App Store. Apple silicon and Intel.

OmniDiskSweeper

The Omni Group’s OmniDiskSweeper is the plainest tool here: a list of your files and folders, largest first, that you drill down through. Omni made it freeware in 2009 and still updates it. It suits anyone who wants a free, no-frills list.

• Removes: whatever you select, by moving it to the Trash.
• Explains items: no. It shows names and sizes.
• Price: free.
• Needs: Omni lists version 1.16 as supported on macOS 11 through macOS 26, with older versions for older systems.

GrandPerspective

GrandPerspective, by Erwin Bonsma, draws your disk as a tree map: each file is a rectangle with an area proportional to its size, so large files stand out at a glance. It’s open source under the GPL. If you want a visual map without paying, this is the one to try.

• Removes: files or folders straight from the map, if you turn deletion on in Preferences (off, single files or whole folders, with optional confirmation). Deleted items go to the Trash.
• Explains items: no. It shows sizes.
• Price: free from SourceForge, or $2.99 on the Mac App Store, which adds automatic updates.
• Needs: macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Version 3.8.1 came out in September 2026.

DevCleaner for Xcode

DevCleaner, by Konrad Kołakowski, does one job for anyone who builds with Xcode: it finds the caches Xcode leaves behind, which can run to tens of gigabytes. It’s open source under GPL-3.0.

• Removes: device support files, old archives, DerivedData, documentation caches, old simulator and device logs, and old documentation downloads. Its source code deletes items directly rather than using the Trash, and a dry-run mode lets you rehearse first.
• Explains items: it groups files by Xcode category, and its README says what each category holds. The author notes it relies on Xcode’s internal folder layout, so a new Xcode can change what it finds.
• Price: free on the Mac App Store, with optional tips from $1.99.
• Needs: macOS 14 or later. The latest version, 2.8.0, came out in November 2025.

Mole

Mole is an open-source command-line Mac cleaner by the developer Tw93, licensed under GPL-3.0. You install it with Homebrew (brew install mole) and run mo. Its commands include mo clean for caches, logs and leftovers, mo uninstall for apps and their related files, mo analyze for a disk explorer in Terminal, and mo purge for project build folders such as node_modules, target and dist. If you’re at home in Terminal, it covers a lot in one free tool.

• Removes: it depends on the command. mo uninstall and mo analyze move items to the Trash after you confirm; mo clean, mo purge and mo installer delete permanently. mo clean also empties your Trash by default, unless you protect it with mo clean --whitelist. clean, uninstall, purge and installer all take --dry-run to preview first, and mo purge leaves anything with activity in the last 7 days unselected.
• Explains items: it groups results by category and gives a reason when it skips something.
• Price: the command-line tool is free. The same developer sells a separate native app, Mole for Mac, at $19 one-time for 2 Macs. Scanning in it is free, and each paid tool works twice before you need a license.
• Needs: macOS 12 or later for the command-line tool, Apple silicon or Intel. The Mac app needs macOS 14.

Disk Whisk

Disk Whisk is our app. It explains what’s filling a Mac, including developer storage that disk maps show only as large folders: OrbStack, Docker Desktop, Colima and Lima, virtual machines, build folders and AI models. It’s in public beta.

• Removes: only what you approve. Scans are read-only: you approve a plan, each item is checked again just before it moves, and approved items go to the Trash with a receipt you can restore from in History. A few steps are permanent and say so before they run: container images and stopped virtual machines are removed through each tool itself, and Empty Trash deletes for good.
• Explains items: yes. Each item says why it’s there and what happens if it goes, and carries one of three labels: Safe to remove, Review first or Protected.
• Price: free to scan, explore, read every explanation and plan a cleanup. Pro runs cleanups and adds Compress (macOS’s built-in file compression), Storage Story and Maintain. Pro is $20 one-time for the first 500 licenses, then $40, or $20 a year, or $3 a month. Every plan covers 2 Macs. There’s a 7-day Pro trial with no card, and a 30-day refund on one-time and yearly plans (license policy).
• Needs: macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

Where others fit better: Disk Whisk covers storage only, so for malware scanning, app uninstalling and performance tools, CleanMyMac does more. If a visual map is the main thing you want, DaisyDisk is built around one, and GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper do the looking for free. On a Mac older than macOS 14, Disk Whisk won’t run.

Side by side

Which one should you use?

You want space back today without installing anything

Use Storage settings, then Finder. Turn on the recommendations that suit you, open the largest categories, and empty the Trash when you’re done.

You want to see where the space went

DaisyDisk, if $9.99 is fine and you like a map. GrandPerspective, if you’d rather not pay and you’re on macOS 14 or later. OmniDiskSweeper, if you want a free list that moves things to the Trash.

Xcode is filling your disk

DevCleaner. It’s free and focused, and its dry-run mode lets you rehearse a cleanup first.

You live in Terminal

Mole’s command-line tool. Run --dry-run first, and decide whether you want mo clean to empty your Trash.

You want one app for general Mac upkeep

CleanMyMac. It’s the only option here with malware scanning, alongside cleanup, app uninstalling and performance tools.

Containers, VMs and build folders are the problem

Disk Whisk, if you want each item explained and cleanups that go to the Trash first. If you prefer free tools, Mole’s mo purge handles build folders, and Docker’s own commands handle Docker (see below).

You want to be able to undo

Pick a tool that uses the Trash: OmniDiskSweeper, GrandPerspective, Disk Whisk, or Mole’s uninstall and analyze. DaisyDisk and DevCleaner delete directly, and DaisyDisk does so on purpose so the space comes back at once.

You’re on an older Mac

On macOS 13 or earlier, look at DaisyDisk (10.13 or later from its own site), CleanMyMac and OmniDiskSweeper (macOS 11 or later) and Mole’s command-line tool (macOS 12 or later). GrandPerspective, DevCleaner and Disk Whisk need macOS 14.

When you don’t need any of these

If this is a one-off, the free route is usually enough:

• Follow the Storage recommendations and open the biggest categories. Old iOS backups, apps you no longer use and the Trash are common wins.
• Sort folders by size in Finder. In List view, choose View → Show View Options and turn on Calculate all sizes, then sort by Size.
• Leave caches alone unless they’re huge. Apple says macOS already clears caches and logs that are safe to delete when space is needed, and apps rebuild their caches as you use them, so clearing them by hand buys less than it seems.
• Use Docker’s own tools for Docker. docker system df shows what images, containers and build cache use. docker system prune removes unused containers and networks, dangling images and build cache after asking, and leaves volumes alone unless you add --volumes.
• Empty the Trash. Moving files to the Trash doesn’t free any space until you empty it, whichever tool moved them there.

We make Disk Whisk, and we’d rather you pick the tool that fits your Mac than the one we sell.