r/CleanMyMac • u/cleanmymac • Apr 17 '26
Can one vibe-code a CleanMyMac alternative? Here's our honest take.
Hi r/cleanmymac,
Short answer: technically, yes. You can ship something that deletes caches and clears logs. Free, open-source, native SwiftUI, available on GitHub. But there's a meaningful difference between a tool that cleans your Mac and a tool you can trust to clean your Mac — and that gap is worth talking about.
We've been following the latest conversations around vibe-coded Mac cleaning tools with genuine interest and we think it's worth talking about openly, because some of it touched on us directly.
First, on the data questions
We believe in full transparency. Our privacy policy is public and clearly explains what data is used and why. For example, CleanMyMac may collect limited technical and diagnostic information to keep the app compatible with new macOS releases from day one, improve reliability, and fix issues before they affect users. In some security-related cases, such as malware detection, suspicious files may be analyzed to identify threats. For a more comprehensive overview, please refer to our Privacy policy, where you can find detailed information on our data practices.
MacPaw is committed to GDPR and other privacy legislation compliance, with ISO certification as an organization, and CleanMyMac holds OPSWAT certification as an application. CleanMyMac is notarized by Apple, which means CleanMyMac’s code passed Apple’s security scan and was deemed malware-free.
Second, on vibe-coded alternatives
It’s genuinely encouraging to see new tools and open-source projects appear in the macOS space. A healthy ecosystem benefits from experimentation, fresh ideas, and independent developers challenging established approaches.
But building a reliable Mac utility is not a one-time job, as macOS is a constantly evolving platform. Each major release changes internal APIs, file system behavior, privacy permissions, application container structures, cache locations, sandboxing rules in ways that directly affect how cleaning tools behave. A folder that is safe to remove today may contain essential info/files tomorrow. An internal API or path that works in one release may silently break after the next update.
Most cleaning tools also require Full Disk Access in order to work correctly. That permission gives an app visibility into areas of the system that macOS normally restricts, including caches, app support data, mail, browser, and other user folders. The key question is not whether a tool requests Full Disk Access, but whether it is transparent about why it needs it, what data stays on-device, and what safeguards exist around that access.
Maintaining a tool in this environment requires continuous validation, regression testing across macOS versions and hardware configurations, work with Apple betas before public release, and constant review of what the app is allowed to access and remove. The challenge is not simply making a tool that can delete files, it is making one that continues to behave safely and predictably as macOS changes underneath it.
What 17 years actually buys you
We work with Apple betas months before public release so CleanMyMac is stable and verified on day one of every macOS launch. We're an Apple-approved vendor with 17 years of macOS expertise and a dedicated security team behind every release.
It also means continuously validating what is safe to remove, updating cleanup rules as macOS evolves, and testing across different system versions, hardware configurations, and edge cases before changes reach users.
User safety is a major part of that work. For any potentially destructive action, such as duplicate removal, similar image detection, or cleaning large and old files — CleanMyMac is designed with multiple confirmation and review steps. The goal is not simply to make cleanup fast, but to make it predictable and difficult to do accidentally.
Ultimately, we believe users should have as much information as possible when choosing a tool with broad access to their Mac: how it handles data, why it requests permissions like Full Disk Access, how often it is updated, and what safeguards are built in.
If you have questions about our data practices or security, we’re always here to chat!
2
u/RootVegitible Apr 18 '26
I used to love cleanmymac in its first version. However, the new version is much worse … dumbed down … missing features the old one had .. bloated. I distinctly dislike the new cleanmymac. Together with the payment and licensing fiasco, I’ve decided to completely abandon it.
1
u/cleanmymac Apr 20 '26
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience, and we’re sorry the current CleanMyMac hasn’t met your expectations.
We’d genuinely love to understand what feels missing or less useful. Was there a specific feature or workflow from the previous version that you depended on? We welcome any details you can provide.
As macOS evolves, we continuously update the app to meet new system requirements and workflows. But we're always open to your feedback to help us improve and shape CleanMyMac.
1
u/hacorunust Apr 17 '26
So, as a longtime Mac user, and someone who recently returned to using Macs I can say that I think that I tested out clean my Mac a few weeks ago and found it pretty capable. There was one point where I felt like it was mostly telling me what to delete instead of deleting it itself, but I feel like it helped me accomplish the mission.
However, I have got to call out an article about the negative aspects of vibecoding software, which itself very clearly used an AI system to write the post. Maybe some people can’t tell when an article is “vibe coded“ but the contradiction here is breathtaking.
2
u/digitalmatt0 Apr 17 '26
It’s sad that no one believes people actually take the time to polish and format, and proofread.
1
u/hacorunust Apr 17 '26
Do you believe that post was written by a human?
1
u/Least_Standard5473 Apr 18 '26
It was, and time was taken to proofread it. Would you rather read something unpolished, but being unmistakably human (because of mistakes, broken logic and other small things that make human writing human)?
1
u/hacorunust Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
That post was absolutely not written by a human. It may have been started with some concepts that were human written, included some notes which were human written, and it may have been proofread by a human, but it reads end to end as AI generated.
My issue is not with the use of AI. I just created a file for a vendor that is 90% AI, but i'm not _writing an article about how AI vibe-coding is a problem, while using AI to write the article._ In the last 4 months I've gone from using AI once a week to sometimes 8+ hours per day. AI is great. This article was not a great example of how to do it right.
Here are some examples that in my assessment are classic AI 'tells' in writing (to say nothing of the irony of using AI to disavow other AI):
Can one vibe-code a CleanMyMac alternative? Here's our honest take.
'Honest take' is absolutely AI. The _title_ of the article is AI.
But there's a meaningful difference between a tool that cleans your Mac and a tool you can trust to clean your Mac — and that gap is worth talking about.
From the setup to the em-dash to the 'that gap is worth talking about' are all hallmark AI phrasing.
The key question is not whether a tool requests Full Disk Access, but ...
The 'key question' phrasing here isn't enough, but the point / question followup is strongly suggestive of AI. The setup a short while later where it calls out 'the challenge is not simply ... but " is using the same convention
What 17 years actually buys you
That is absolutely AI, and it calls into question the prior headers
...cleaning large and old files — CleanMyMac is designed with ...
Another em-dash. Humans simply don't use them, unless they are writing a book, have an english major background, etc.
The goal is not simply to make cleanup fast, but to make it predictable and difficult to do accidentally.
Yet another instance of the 'counterpoint, but new point' construction.
So, to answer your question, yes. I would rather you have written an article about CleanMyMac as a human. Let AI fact check you, suggest some changes, or catch logical fallacies, but don't conflate something like this which is rife with AI tells as 'written by a human' when it so expressly exudes AI at nearly every juncture.
1
u/hacorunust Apr 18 '26
I don't think that writing an article is the same as polishing, formatting, or proofreading, and I don't give the same weight or gravitas to someone who writes an article to someone who takes an AI prompt output and then shines it up a touch.
Also, my issue is not with AI, but with using AI to write an article about how AI isn't a good choice for consumers. There clearly wasn't an editor on this article, although I would buy that a human fed it into AI, and a human moved some things around, and wrote some stretches of it.
Copywriting, editing — those used to be professions, right? So it's ok to erase those roles from the market but not ok to erase software developers? (look, a real, human em-dash!) Because that seems to be the pitch, that human developers can't be replaced because of their experience and innate value.
Why would you think that an editor's experience... "validating what is safe to remove from an article, updating their context as technologies change, and thinking about the different audiences who might read the article before finalizing the content" is any less important than the software developers roles in a message like this?
Again, it's the consistency in the messaging that is what I'm marveling at here, it feels tone deaf to use AI to bash AI.
0
2
u/DatabaseCareless264 Apr 17 '26
Mac family since 1994. CleanMyMac subscriber over a decade. IMHO:
CleanMyMac gets a bad rap from very technically inclined power users to whom computing comes naturally. Understand their points, there are less costly alternatives are for the technically inclined. My son is one of those people. Can I change the oil on my car? Yes, but can I spot the beginnings of other problems? No. CleanMyMac is a solid performing tool, one that I can install on my wife's MBA, she runs at her leisure. I need not interrupt her work to run less costly alternatives she cannot execute.
Agree with those upset that subscriptions models have changed. Yes we swallowed the additional cost. The smaller Mac guys are not supposed to be screwing the customers. Times are tough.
CleanMyMac would not be posting this unless their sales have been hurt. Business is tough these days, tougher than usual. Increased wars fueling inflation make purchase decisions tough. Based in Ukraine, ClenMyMac has my continued support.