App Cleaner & Uninstaller 10.0 — Mac version

People with cluttered Applications folders and mystery login items tend to reach for this one. It's from Nektony and calls itself an app manager, not just a bin-emptier.

Runs on macOS 12 and newer

The current version needs macOS 12. It supports macOS 27, so it's built with newer systems in mind. If you're still on Big Sur or earlier you'd need an older release.

Apple Silicon or Intel?

It's a universal app, so it runs natively on both. No Rosetta gymnastics required whichever Mac you're using.

Hunts leftovers, startup items, and privacy risks

More than chucking apps in the bin. It hunts down leftover files from things you dragged to the Trash ages ago, disables unwanted startup items, and includes a privacy audit and security check. There's even an incompatible applications filter now.

First scan can feel slow, let it finish

First launch can feel a bit slow while it scans every app on your drive. That's normal. Give it thirty seconds before you click anything. If it sticks on 'Scanning extensions', a quick relaunch sorts it nine times out of ten.

The leftover scan is thorough, but it sometimes flags files from apps you still use. Don't blindly delete everything it lists. A leftover from Photoshop might actually be a preset you're still relying on. Tick items off one by one if you're unsure.

People occasionally find the Adobe CC uninstaller tool inside the application, and not knowing that can make removing Creative Cloud a faff. When you select an Adobe app, the leftovers pane shows more than you'd expect — including shared components like the Adobe AIR uninstaller remnants that stick around long after you thought Flash was gone.

If the Privacy Audit refuses to finish, check System Settings > Privacy & Security. App Cleaner needs full disk access permission, otherwise it can't read browser caches or mail attachments. Grant that, then run the audit again.

Menu bar helper uses about 40 MB of RAM idle

Day to day it sits quietly in the background. The menu bar helper sips about 40 MB of RAM when idle, and the main window doesn't cause fans to spin up even on older Intel machines. Scanning a full drive of 150+ apps takes under twenty seconds on an M1 Mac; an older Intel i5 might need a minute.

I've had it crash exactly once in three months, and that was during a beta system update. The regular release is solid. It doesn't install kernel extensions or daemons that phone home — the network access tab added in version 10.0 lets you see exactly what's connecting out and block it if you want.

One thing worth knowing: the app doesn't auto-delete anything. You confirm every removal. That's deliberate, and it means you can explore without fear of nuking something important by accident.

AppCleaner does one thing, this does more

AppCleaner (FreeMacSoft) is the lightweight choice. It does one thing — drop an app on its window, it finds related files. No startup manager, no privacy audit, no extension controls. If all you want is a simple drag-and-drop uninstaller, it's fine. But it won't catch leftovers from apps you already trashed months ago, and it doesn't track updates.

CleanMyMac X is the kitchen sink. It uninstalls apps, runs malware scans, optimises performance, and throws in a VPN. It's also heavier on resources and pushes notifications. App Cleaner & Uninstaller stays in its lane: app management, leftovers, extensions, startup items. If you just want a proper 3rd party uninstaller without the upsells, this is more direct.

Hazel automates file organisation, not uninstalling. Some people try to use Hazel rules to hunt down leftovers, but it's not what Hazel was built for. App Cleaner's leftover database is maintained by Nektony and updates regularly — that's the difference between a rule-based guess and a maintained list of known support-file locations.

If you've used a general app cleaner & uninstaller pro 9.1.1 before, version 10.0 feels like a proper overhaul rather than a point update. The network tab and expanded update database make it useful beyond just tidying up.

Search field finds leftover paths, not just app names

• The search field in the top-right filters apps by name, but it also searches leftover paths. Handy when you remember a folder name but not which app left it there.
• Right-click any app in the list and you get a 'Show in Finder' option — faster than hunting through /Applications yourself.
• The incompatible applications filter (new in 10.0) flags apps that won't run on your current macOS version. Helpful after a major system upgrade when you're wondering why something won't launch.
• Extension management isn't just toggles. You can disable a Safari extension temporarily or remove it entirely, with the leftover sweep catching its container data too.
• The menu bar app's network traffic control lets you block an app's outgoing connections with one click, no firewall rules required. That includes background updaters you didn't know were running.
• When you drag an app directly into the main window, it auto-selects all related files, so you can review and confirm in seconds rather than hunting through nested folders.

• A network access tab so you can see what's phoning home.
• The menu bar app was rebuilt and now includes network traffic control.
• The updates database covers Safari extensions and Homebrew command-line tools now.
• An incompatible applications filter helps spot apps that won't play nice with your macOS version.

• macOS 12 or later (up to macOS 27 supported)
• Apple Silicon or Intel Mac