What is AppCleaner?
AppCleaner is a small, single-purpose uninstaller for macOS: you drop an application onto its window and it finds the supporting files that installing the app scattered across the disk — preferences, caches, logs and other support files — so they can be deleted together rather than left behind. It is distributed by FreeMacSoft as a direct download with no price listed and an optional PayPal donation, and it is not open source. The important detail is that, like other Mac maintenance tools, it ships a separate build per macOS range: the current version 3.7 requires macOS 15 or later, while 3.6.8 covers macOS 10.14 to 15.6 and older builds reach back to 10.10. The site publishes no manual, changelog or architecture information.
Verified product facts
- Type
- app uninstallerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- FreeDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- FreeMacSoftDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- Proprietary; the site carries an 'All rights reserved' notice and publishes no licence text
- Current version
- 3.7Developer-stated
- Official website
- freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What AppCleaner does at a glance.
Thorough uninstallation of apps
With their related files
Drag-and-drop an application onto the window to find its leftovers
Deletes preference files, caches and other
Supporting files
Separate builds
For older macOS versions
Small download, about 4 MB
What you can use AppCleaner for
- Removing an application together with the preference files, caches and logs it left behind
- Clearing out an app you no longer use without hunting for its leftover files by hand
Who is AppCleaner for?
- Mac users who want a free, single-purpose uninstaller rather than a maintenance suite
- Users on older Macs who need the build matching their macOS version, such as 3.6.8, 3.6 or 3.4
Who is AppCleaner not for?
- Windows or Linux users — AppCleaner is macOS only
- Anyone who needs more than uninstalling — AppCleaner removes whole applications, unlike a maintenance suite such as CleanMyMac
- Users who want to read the source — AppCleaner is proprietary
Limitations
- The developer publishes no manual, release notes or architecture information in the sources Nuanyue tracks
- Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
- No menu-bar item, background agent or login item is described
Strengths and trade-offs
What AppCleaner does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Free: the site lists no price and offers the download directly, with an optional PayPal donation and no paid tier described.Editorially reviewed
- Single-purpose and simple — drop an application on the window and it finds the related files so they can be deleted with one button.Developer-stated
- Builds are still published for older systems: 3.6.8 for macOS 10.14 to 15.6, 3.6 for macOS 10.13 and 3.4 for macOS 10.10 to 10.12.
Trade-offs
- The current version 3.7 requires macOS 15 or later, so users on older systems must download an older build.
- The site publishes no manual, release notes or architecture information, so version history and Apple Silicon support cannot be established from the developer.Editorially reviewed
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the .zip for your macOS range from freemacsoft.net and unzip; version 3.7 requires macOS 15 or later.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Drop an application onto the AppCleaner window; it finds the related files and they are deleted when you click the delete button.
- System integration Developer-stated
- The site describes only drag-and-drop onto its window; no menu-bar item, background agent or login item is mentioned.
What it does
AppCleaner is a small, single-purpose uninstaller for macOS. Installing an application scatters files across the system — preferences, caches, logs and other support files — and dragging the app from Applications to the Trash does not remove them. AppCleaner finds those related files so they can be deleted together with the application.
How uninstalling works
The workflow is the whole interface: “Simply drop an application onto the AppCleaner window. It will find for the related files and you can delete them by clicking the delete button.” No separate scanning mode, menu-bar item or background agent is described on the site.
One build per macOS range
FreeMacSoft publishes several builds, and the current one is not the right file for an older Mac:
| macOS | AppCleaner build |
|---|---|
| macOS 15 and later | 3.7 |
| macOS 10.14 up to 15.6 | 3.6.8 |
| macOS 10.13 | 3.6 |
| macOS 10.10 up to 10.12 | 3.4 |
Pricing and openness
The site lists no price and offers the download directly, alongside an optional PayPal donation; no paid tier is described. It is not open source: the site carries an “All rights reserved” notice and publishes no source code, manual or release notes.
Apple Silicon
Recorded as unknown. The product page states only the macOS range for each build and does not state the build’s architecture, so Nuanyue leaves the field unestablished rather than inferring it.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for AppCleaner, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
3.7Developer-stated
Current build, for macOS 15 and later; the download file is dated 17 September 2026 and is about 4 MB.
Source: Official website
Questions about AppCleaner
Is AppCleaner free?
The site lists no price and offers the download directly, with an optional PayPal donation and no paid tier described. Nuanyue records it as free on that basis; the site does not state a price in words.Editorially reviewed
Which macOS version does AppCleaner require?
Version 3.7 requires macOS 15 or later. FreeMacSoft also publishes 3.6.8 for macOS 10.14 to 15.6, 3.6 for macOS 10.13, and 3.4 for macOS 10.10 to 10.12.
What is the latest AppCleaner version?
3.7, listed for macOS 15 and later. The site does not date its releases; the download file is dated 17 September 2026.Developer-stated
How does AppCleaner remove an application?
You drop the application onto the AppCleaner window. It finds the related files that were distributed across the system and deletes them when you click the delete button.Developer-stated
Does AppCleaner support Apple Silicon?
The site does not state the build's architecture, so Nuanyue records Apple Silicon support as unknown rather than assuming it.Editorially reviewed
Alternatives to AppCleaner
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Neatwise
Analyze storage, clean unnecessary files and keep your Mac organized.
Both clean files a Mac accumulates, but Neatwise targets caches, logs and large files while AppCleaner removes whole applications.
DiskWise
Open-source SwiftUI disk cleaner whose only deletion path is the Trash, with undo and a cache knowledge base.
Both are free Mac cleaners, but DiskWise is open source and routes deletions through the Trash, while AppCleaner is proprietary and uninstalls apps.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
CleanMyMac
Mac maintenance suite: cleanup, uninstall, malware scan.
Both remove applications with their leftover files, but AppCleaner is a free single-purpose utility while CleanMyMac is a paid subscription suite.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
OnyX
System maintenance utility for cleanup, verification, and hidden settings.
Both can uninstall applications with their related files; OnyX is a broader free maintenance tool and AppCleaner does only uninstalling.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
