Looking for a CleanMyMac alternative?
CleanMyMac is a polished, mature Mac cleaner — it’s the best-known name in the category for a reason. This page isn’t here to trash it. It’s here to explain, honestly, where Vaulith takes a different approach — and to help you pick the right tool, even if that turns out not to be us.
The short version
- Choose Vaulith if you want everything to run on your device — files are never uploaded, and even the AI analysis (on paid plans) runs locally — you use Windows as well as macOS, you’re a developer sitting on gigabytes of Xcode/npm/Homebrew caches, or you want to pay once — $99, all v1.x updates included.
- Choose CleanMyMac if you want the most mature, feature-broad Mac maintenance suite from a large team — malware removal, app updater, years of polish — and a subscription fits how you pay for software.
Side by side
| Vaulith | CleanMyMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS 13+ and Windows 10/11 | macOS only |
| AI & analysis | 100% on-device (local Ollama models). Your files, photos, and their contents never leave your machine. | Mature cleanup engine refined over many years; no on-device AI file-analysis assistant advertised (MacPaw’s AI assistant is a separate product). |
| Developer caches | A core focus: Xcode DerivedData, npm, pip, Homebrew — each location safety-verified before it’s ever offered. | General system-junk cleanup; developer-specific caches are not the product’s focus. |
| Deletion safety | Quarantine-first, always recoverable — removals go to a restorable Quarantine, then your OS Trash; the engine physically has no code path that permanently deletes. You review every file. | Reviewable cleanup with its own safety database. |
| Pay once? | $99 lifetime — includes all v1.x updates. Or $59/yr ($9.99 month-to-month), or a $6.99 one-time Deep Clean Pass. | $119.95 one-time (All-in-One plan, 1 Mac — the only tier sold one-time) covering the current major version; new major versions cost extra. Or subscribe from $19.95/yr (Essential Trio) to $39.95/yr (All-in-One). |
| Free tier | Free forever — 500 MB cleanup/month, no credit card. | 7-day free trial with full functionality; no permanent free tier. |
| Extras | Duplicate & similar-photo detection, near-duplicate documents, large files, quarantine & restore. | Malware removal, app updater, menu-bar monitors, duplicate/similar-file removal (My Clutter), and a broader utility suite. |
Comparison reflects publicly documented pricing and features as of July 2026. CleanMyMac is a trademark of MacPaw; Vaulith is not affiliated with or endorsed by MacPaw.
Download Vaulith free — scan first, decide later. 500 MB/month free, no credit card.
The three differences that actually matter
1. Where your files go
Vaulith’s defining constraint is architectural: scanning, AI analysis, and deletion all run locally. Photo analysis uses a local vision model (LLaVA via Ollama), not a cloud API. There is no code path that uploads your files — and you can verify that yourself with a network monitor. If “a cleaner that reads every file on my disk” makes you want receipts, read how your privacy works.
2. The gigabytes other cleaners leave behind
If you’ve ever built an iOS app or run npm install, you’re probably sitting on gigabytes of developer caches — Xcode DerivedData alone often runs to tens of gigabytes on an active development machine. General-purpose cleaners treat these conservatively or skip them. Vaulith treats them as the main event, with each location verified safe-to-clear before it’s offered. See the DerivedData guide and npm/pip/Homebrew guide for what’s typically recoverable.
3. What “pay once” actually means
Both apps offer a one-time license — the fine print differs. CleanMyMac’s $119.95 one-time license (All-in-One plan, 1 Mac — the only tier sold one-time) covers the current major version, with future major versions at extra cost. Vaulith’s $99 lifetime license includes every v1.x update, and there’s a $6.99 one-time Deep Clean Pass (every Pro feature for 30 days) if you only need a single deep clean — no subscription either way.
Fair is fair: CleanMyMac has a bigger feature surface (malware removal, app updates) and a decade of polish. If those matter more to you than on-device AI, Windows support, or lifetime pricing — buy CleanMyMac. We’d rather you pick the right tool than regret ours.
Try the on-device approach — free
Scan your disk, see what’s reclaimable, and clean 500 MB/month free. No credit card, no cloud, everything recoverable. First-time subscriptions and the Lifetime license carry a 7-day money-back guarantee.
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