DiskFox vs CleanMyMac

Short answer. CleanMyMac is an all-in-one maintenance suite: cleanup, malware removal, speed tools, app updates, uninstalling, and a storage map called Space Lens. DiskFox does one job: it shows where your storage went, what changed and when, and helps you remove safe items after you review them. Choose CleanMyMac if you want one app for general upkeep. Choose DiskFox if you only care about storage and want to know why it keeps shrinking.

We make DiskFox, so weigh our view accordingly. Everything about CleanMyMac below comes from MacPaw's own pages, linked at the end, and was checked in October 2026. Where we didn't find something on those pages, we say "not advertised": the app may still do it.

Side by side

	CleanMyMac	DiskFox
Price	From $3.33/month; also yearly or one-time	One-time, for up to 2 Macs (your local price is shown above)
Upgrades	A one-time licence doesn't include major versions	One-time purchase, no subscription
Free trial	7 days, every feature	14 days, every feature, no card needed
Storage map	Yes, Space Lens	No, lists and groups
History of what changed	Not advertised	Yes: what grew, when, and the likely cause
Cleanup	Yes	Yes, review-first; most items move to the Trash
Uninstall apps	Yes	Yes, Review Uninstall moves an app and the folders you pick to the Trash
Malware removal	Yes	No
Speed and maintenance tools	Yes	No
App updates	Yes	No
Where to get it	MacPaw, the Mac App Store, or Setapp (subscription)	Direct download only
macOS	11 or later	14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel

When CleanMyMac is the better choice

• You want one app for everything. Malware checks, app updates, speed tools and cleanup in one place.
• Your Mac runs macOS 11, 12 or 13. DiskFox needs macOS 14 or later.
• You already pay for Setapp. CleanMyMac is included there.

When DiskFox is the better choice

• Storage is the only problem. If you only want to know what's using space, a full suite is a lot to pay for and learn.
• Your free space keeps shrinking and you don't know why. DiskFox compares each scan with the last and tells you what changed, for example "Storage use grew by 30.2 GB this week", with each change dated and labelled Cause or Likely cause.
• You want to see inside System Data. DiskFox estimates what's inside it, such as caches, logs, backups, virtual machines and developer data, and tracks how it changes.
• You want a single payment. DiskFox is one-time for up to 2 Macs, with no subscription.

Can you use both?

Yes. If you already use CleanMyMac for upkeep, DiskFox can sit alongside it and show what grows back between cleanups.

Sources

• CleanMyMac: macpaw.com/cleanmymac, editions and trial and Space Lens, checked October 2026. Prices change, so check before you buy.
• For more apps, including DaisyDisk, GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper, see the best Mac storage analyzers compared.