FreeMacSoft AppCleaner is a free Mac utility that removes applications completely — hunting down every preference file, cache, and log that a simple drag-to-Trash uninstall leaves behind.
What is FreeMacSoft AppCleaner?
AppCleaner is a lightweight, donation-supported uninstaller for macOS that intercepts app deletions and surfaces all the hidden support files tied to that application, so you can delete everything at once instead of leaving digital lint scattered across your Library folder. It has been a quiet staple of the Mac power-user toolkit for well over a decade, maintained by FreeMacSoft and updated regularly to keep pace with macOS releases including Apple Silicon.
The premise is deceptively simple: drop an app onto the AppCleaner window — or enable SmartDelete so it triggers automatically when you drag any app to the Trash — and it immediately lists the associated preference plists, Application Support folders, launch agents, and caches. You tick what you want gone, click Remove, and you're done. No wizard, no reboot, no upsell.
What does AppCleaner do best?
AppCleaner excels at thoroughness without complexity. Where a casual user might drag Sketch to the Trash and leave a dozen plist files sitting in ~/Library/Preferences forever, AppCleaner finds those remnants in under a second and presents them in a clean, scannable list. I've used it to remove creative-suite apps that leave behind gigabytes of support data — the savings in disk space are immediately visible in About This Mac.
- SmartDelete: monitors the Trash in real time and intercepts any app you move there, presenting the companion files before the deletion is finalised.
- Drag-and-drop removal: drop any .app bundle onto the AppCleaner window without needing to find it first in Finder.
- Search: type an app name directly into AppCleaner's search field to locate it and its remnants instantly.
- Widgets and preference panes: not just apps — AppCleaner handles login items, Safari extensions, and system preference panes with equal precision.
The file list is always editable before you confirm removal. That matters: occasionally an app shares a support folder with a sibling app (Adobe's ecosystem is the obvious example), and being able to deselect a file prevents collateral damage.
Is AppCleaner free?
Yes — AppCleaner is completely free to download and use. FreeMacSoft accepts voluntary donations via their website, and that model has sustained the app for years without any feature gating, trial limits, or subscription creep. There is no paid tier, no in-app purchase, and no nag screen.
Who should use AppCleaner?
Anyone who installs and removes Mac software regularly belongs in AppCleaner's natural audience. That covers developers rotating through beta tooling, designers trialling competing creative apps, and power users who treat their Mac like a workshop rather than an appliance. If you've never cleaned up orphaned Library files, running AppCleaner on a handful of apps you've removed in the past and checking what's still lurking there is a genuinely revealing exercise.
It is less critical for people who install very few apps or who use sandboxed App Store apps exclusively — those are constrained to a container that macOS cleans up more reliably on its own. But for anyone installing apps outside the Mac App Store, AppCleaner is close to mandatory hygiene.
What are the best AppCleaner alternatives?
AppCleaner's main competition comes from paid utilities. CleanMyMac X bundles a similar uninstaller inside a broader system-cleaning suite — more features, annual subscription, arguably more than most users need. AppDelete and iTrash offer comparable drag-to-remove workflows but have fallen behind in maintenance cadence. Pearcleaner is a newer open-source challenger with a polished interface worth watching. For most users, AppCleaner's combination of focus, reliability, and zero cost makes it the rational default before reaching for any paid option.
How does AppCleaner compare to CleanMyMac X?
CleanMyMac X is a full Mac maintenance suite that happens to include an uninstaller; AppCleaner is a dedicated uninstaller that does one thing exceptionally well. CleanMyMac's uninstaller surfaces similar file lists and adds batch removal and a "leftover" scan for apps already deleted — genuinely useful extras. But at its subscription price, it bundles malware scanning, speed optimisation, and space analysis that many power users already cover with other tools. If you only want clean uninstalls, AppCleaner wins on simplicity, cost, and the absence of background daemons running when you're not using it.
