Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AppCleaner VS MacMonitor

Compare AppCleaner VS MacMonitor and see what are their differences

AppCleaner logo AppCleaner

AppCleaner is a small application which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps. Installing an application distributes many files throughout your System using space of your Hard Drive unnecessarily.

MacMonitor logo MacMonitor

Real-time Apple Silicon system monitor for your menu bar
  • AppCleaner Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25
Not present

AppCleaner features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    AppCleaner features a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and operate, even for those who aren't tech-savvy.
  • Effective Uninstallation
    It effectively removes applications and all associated files, ensuring that there are no leftover files taking up space on your hard drive.
  • Free to Use
    AppCleaner is completely free, with no hidden costs or subscription fees, making it accessible to everyone.
  • Lightweight
    The application is lightweight and doesnโ€™t consume much system resources, ensuring it doesn't slow down your Mac.
  • Drag and Drop Functionality
    Users can simply drag and drop applications into AppCleaner to uninstall them, which streamlines the uninstallation process.
  • SmartDelete
    The SmartDelete feature monitors the trash bin and offers to clean up residual files when applications are moved there, adding an extra layer of convenience.

Possible disadvantages of AppCleaner

  • Limited Platform Support
    AppCleaner is only available for macOS and does not support other operating systems such as Windows or Linux.
  • Occasional Misses
    While generally effective, AppCleaner sometimes misses certain hidden or system-level files associated with an uninstalled application.
  • No Advanced Features
    It lacks advanced features such as real-time monitoring, automatic updates, or detailed system analysis which some paid alternatives might offer.
  • Support and Documentation
    Being a free application, the support and documentation available are somewhat limited compared to commercial products.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    There have been occasional reports of stability issues or crashes, although these are not overly common.

MacMonitor features and specs

  • Native macOS Integration
    MacMonitor is designed specifically for macOS, leveraging native system APIs and tools to provide accurate and relevant system monitoring tailored to the Mac ecosystem.
  • Open Source
    The project is open source and hosted on GitHub, allowing users to inspect the code, contribute improvements, and customize the tool to their specific needs without licensing costs.
  • Lightweight System Monitoring
    MacMonitor provides a straightforward way to monitor system resources such as CPU, memory, and disk usage without the overhead of heavier commercial monitoring solutions.
  • Simple and Focused
    The tool appears to have a focused feature set aimed at essential system monitoring tasks, making it easy to understand and use without a steep learning curve.
  • Free to Use
    As an open-source project, MacMonitor is completely free, making it accessible to anyone who needs basic system monitoring on macOS without paying for premium tools.

Possible disadvantages of MacMonitor

  • Limited Community and Support
    The repository has a small community with limited stars, forks, and contributors, which means fewer resources for troubleshooting issues and slower response times for bug fixes or feature requests.
  • Limited Documentation
    The project appears to have minimal documentation, which can make it difficult for new users to understand all features, configuration options, and how to get started effectively.
  • Uncertain Maintenance Status
    With a small development team and limited activity, there is uncertainty about long-term maintenance, regular updates, and compatibility with future macOS versions.
  • Limited Feature Set Compared to Alternatives
    Compared to established monitoring tools like iStat Menus, htop, or Activity Monitor, MacMonitor may lack advanced features such as detailed network monitoring, GPU tracking, or historical data analysis.
  • macOS Only
    The tool is exclusively designed for macOS, meaning users who work across multiple operating systems cannot use a unified monitoring solution and must rely on different tools for other platforms.

Analysis of AppCleaner

Overall verdict

  • AppCleaner is generally well-regarded because of its effectiveness, simplicity, and lightweight design. It is easy to use, requiring only a drag-and-drop action into the AppCleaner window, and it helps keep your system free from unnecessary residual files, aiding in optimizing system performance.

Why this product is good

  • AppCleaner is considered a good tool for macOS users because it allows for thorough uninstallation of applications. It not only removes the main application files but also cleans up related files such as preferences, caches, and other associated data, which would otherwise be left behind if the application is simply dragged to the trash.

Recommended for

  • Users who frequently install and uninstall applications on their Mac
  • Anyone looking to free up space by removing leftover files
  • Users who are keen on keeping their system tidy and organized
  • Those who want a simple yet efficient tool without a steep learning curve

Analysis of MacMonitor

Overall verdict

  • MacMonitor is a solid, open-source system monitoring tool for macOS that provides real-time visibility into system events, making it valuable for security research and endpoint observability, though as a community project it may lack the polish and support of commercial alternatives.

Why this product is good

  • Open-source and free to use, offering transparency into how it works
  • Provides real-time monitoring of system events on macOS, useful for detecting suspicious activity
  • Built around Apple's Endpoint Security framework, giving deep visibility into low-level system behavior
  • Helpful for security researchers and developers who want to understand malware or process behavior on macOS
  • Community-driven with the ability to inspect, modify, and contribute to the code

Recommended for

  • Security researchers analyzing macOS malware and system behavior
  • macOS developers who need visibility into low-level system events
  • Blue teams and incident responders investigating endpoint activity
  • Enthusiasts and power users who prefer open-source tooling over commercial solutions
  • Anyone learning about Apple's Endpoint Security framework

AppCleaner videos

AppCleaner (Uninstall Mac apps completely)

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MacMonitor videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AppCleaner and MacMonitor)
Mac
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Monitoring Tools
93 93%
7% 7
Performance Monitoring
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AppCleaner and MacMonitor

AppCleaner Reviews

Top 9 CleanMyMac X Alternatives in 2022 (Free & Paid)
AppCleaner is a minimal program that helps users to fully remove unnecessary applications. Updating a program allocates a quantity of data inside the network, by using the capacity for its disk. AppCleaner can identify so many tiny items as well as it is easy to uninstall it. Only decrease the program to that same AppCleaner tab. Users can find specific documents so you can...
Source: www.imymac.com
The Best CCleaner Alternative You Can Grab Today!
This is a small CCleaner alternative that allows you to thoroughly remove the unwanted applications within your system. When you install an app on your Mac, a lot of files are distributed all throughout the system. Thatโ€™s when FreeMacSoftโ€™s AppCleaner comes in. It helps find these unnecessary files all around the system and deletes them when you remove an app. The best thing...
Source: www.imymac.com
AppCleaner Vs CleanMyMac: Which Is the Best Mac Cleaner
If Optimized Storage relocates junk to iCloud, costs for extra storage may nickel and dime you to death as you babysit trash. AppCleaner and CleanMyMac have gained a foothold in Appleโ€™s turf as maintenance tools. While AppCleaner specializes in foolproof uninstallation without leaving residual behind, CleanMyMacโ€™s rich features and super-sleek interface have won over many...
Source: www.imymac.com

MacMonitor Reviews

We have no reviews of MacMonitor yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AppCleaner seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 308 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AppCleaner mentions (308)

  • Samsung Magician disk utility takes 18 steps and two reboots to uninstall
    Me, too. There is Mac Cleaner https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/ which does a good job of removing preferences as well as the application. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Unofficial Microsoft Teams Client for Linux
    Use this app to uninstall it https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/ it should remove all traces of the app from computer. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Can you uninstall Notion from macOS?
    7. Restart the computer Edge cases: 1. If the app is not installed or uninstalled correctly, before all these steps, first re-install the app again, then try uninstallin. 2. If a system service (extensions) cannot be deleted, first follow the steps above and then login to safe mode and delete the system extension files manually. [0]: https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Look up macOS system binaries
    There's `brew uninstall --zap $application`[1], and there's pretty decent coverage, but it's by no means comprehensive. If you feel inclined to contribute, the process is quite streamlined, and there's a helper script[2]. I used Appcleaner[3] for many years, and it's still perfectly serviceable I've recently switched to Pearcleaner[4], which is additionally open-source and written in Swift. [1]... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Troubleshooting Docker Desktop: Tips and Alternatives for Developers
    Backup and Reinstall: When all else fails, a clean re-install of a reliable Docker version might save time in the long run. William clears Docker-related files using an application called AppCleaner. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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MacMonitor mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MacMonitor yet. Tracking of MacMonitor recommendations started around Apr 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AppCleaner and MacMonitor, you can also consider the following products

Rectangle - Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

ActiveStat - High-fidelity Mac performance telemetry from your menu bar

Revo Uninstaller - Free fully functional download of Revo Uninstaller Pro and Revo Uninstaller Freeware.

Grafana - Data visualization & Monitoring with support for Graphite, InfluxDB, Prometheus, Elasticsearch and many more databases

Bulk Crap Uninstaller - Free and open source program uninstaller. Can remove large amounts of unwanted applications quickly.

Better Stack - Everything you need to ship higherโ€‘quality software faster.