MacSweep Free Mac Cleaner — Open Source Mac Optimizer & Security Tool | Best Free CleanMyMac Alternative
MacSweep Free Mac Cleaner — The best free, open-source Mac cleaner for macOS. Clean junk files, remove malware, optimize memory, and protect your privacy. The #1 free alternative to CleanMyMac X, CCleaner for Mac, and DaisyDisk. No subscription. No tracking. 100% open source.
| File | Size | Action |
|---|---|---|
| MacSweep-3.3.dmg — Disk Image Installer | 4.46 MB | ⬇ Download .DMG |
| MacSweep-3.3.dmg.zip — Compressed (faster download) | 4.43 MB | ⬇ Download .ZIP |
macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) & Intel · Free forever · No subscription required
MacSweep Free Mac Cleaner is a free, open-source Mac cleaner and security app for macOS 13 Ventura and later. It is the most complete free alternative to CleanMyMac X — covering everything CleanMyMac does and more, at zero cost with no subscription, no paywall, and no data tracking.
Whether you want to free up disk space on your Mac, remove Mac malware, clean junk files, speed up your Mac, or protect your privacy, MacSweep Free Mac Cleaner does it all in one native SwiftUI app — no third-party frameworks, no background telemetry, no hidden costs.
Key highlights:
- Completely free — no trial, no paywall, no in-app purchases
- Fully open source (MIT) — inspect every line of code
- No subscription — download once, use forever
- No tracking — zero analytics, zero data collection
- Native SwiftUI — built for macOS, not ported from iOS or Electron
- Works on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs
| Dashboard — Mac System Overview | Smart Scan — One-Click Mac Cleaner | Smart Scan Results |
|---|---|---|
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| Malware Scanner — Free Mac Security | Space Lens — Mac Disk Space Analyzer | App Manager — Mac App Uninstaller |
|---|---|---|
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| Dev Cleaner — Xcode Cache Cleaner | Dev Cleaner Scanning | Applications Manager |
|---|---|---|
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| Settings | About MacSweep | Space Lens Disk Map |
|---|---|---|
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| Menu Bar Overview — Live Mac Stats | Quick Actions — 24 Mac Optimization Tools | Running Apps Monitor |
|---|---|---|
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Looking for a free CleanMyMac alternative? Here's how MacSweep compares to the most popular Mac cleaning tools:
| Feature | MacSweep (Free) | CleanMyMac X ($39.95/yr) | CCleaner (Freemium) | DaisyDisk ($9.99) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $39.95/yr | Freemium | $9.99 one-time |
| Open Source | Yes | No | No | No |
| No Subscription | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Junk File Cleaner | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Malware Scanner | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Real-Time Protection | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Ransomware Guard | Yes | No | No | No |
| System Integrity Monitor | Yes | No | No | No |
| Network Monitor | Yes | No | No | No |
| Adware Cleaner | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Browser Privacy Cleaner | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Memory Optimizer | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Startup Manager | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Disk Space Analyzer / Map | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Duplicate File Finder | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Dev Cleaner (Xcode/npm/pip) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| App Uninstaller | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Menu Bar Live Stats | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| No Tracking / No Analytics | Yes | Unknown | No | Yes |
| Native SwiftUI | Yes | No | No | No |
| Apple Silicon Optimized | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Bottom line: MacSweep is the only Mac cleaner that is completely free, fully open source, has no subscription, and includes malware scanning + real-time protection — features that CleanMyMac X charges $40/year for.
- Smart Scan — one-click intelligent scan that detects all junk across every category and shows exactly how much space you can recover
- System Junk Cleaner — remove macOS caches, system logs, temp files, mail attachments, and photo library junk
- Large Files Finder — instantly locate the biggest files consuming your Mac's storage
- Duplicate File Finder — detect and safely remove duplicate files across your entire drive
- App Leftovers Cleaner — find and remove support files, caches, and preferences left behind by deleted apps
- Browser Cache Cleaner — clear cookies, caches, browsing history, and saved passwords from Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Edge
- Dev Cache Cleaner — clean Xcode DerivedData, iOS Simulator caches, npm/yarn node_modules, pip packages, gem caches, and IDE caches (VS Code, JetBrains)
- Space Lens — interactive disk usage treemap showing every folder and file visually — like DaisyDisk but free
- Memory Optimizer — identify the top RAM consumers and purge inactive memory to speed up your Mac
- Startup Manager / Login Items — manage startup apps, launch agents, and launch daemons to improve Mac boot speed
- Maintenance Scripts — run macOS daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance scripts; repair disk permissions; flush DNS cache; rebuild Spotlight index
- App Manager — view all installed Mac apps sorted by size or last-used date; uninstall with all leftover files removed
- Mac Malware Scanner — deep heuristic scan for suspicious files, hidden scripts, auto-run threats, and known malware patterns
- Real-Time Mac Protection — FSEvents-based live monitoring of your Downloads, Desktop, and Documents folders — catches threats the moment they arrive
- Adware Cleaner for Mac — remove browser hijackers, suspicious extensions, adware login items, and launch agents linked to adware
- Ransomware Guard — monitors file-change rate with encryption pattern detection to stop ransomware before it spreads
- Network Monitor — live view of all active TCP connections with automatic flagging of suspicious ports and known malicious IPs
- Quarantine Manager — safely isolate detected threats and restore false positives with one click
- System Integrity Monitor — scan launch agents, launch daemons, hosts file modifications, SSH config changes, and unauthorized kernel extensions
- Privacy Cleaner — erase recent document history, clipboard contents, browser traces, and app usage logs
- Browser Privacy Sweep — clear saved passwords, autofill data, download history, and form data from all major browsers
- Live menu bar icon showing real-time CPU%, RAM usage, free disk space, and network speed (turns red when CPU > 80%)
- 24 Quick Actions — Empty Trash, Purge RAM, Flush DNS, Kill All Simulators, Clear Clipboard, and more — all from the menu bar
- All Tools Grid — launch any of MacSweep's 21 tools directly from the menu bar without opening the main window
Slow download? GitHub CDN can occasionally be slow. Try the ZIP option (faster) or use Homebrew for the most reliable install. All releases: github.com/MehmedHunjra/MacSweep/releases
brew install --cask macsweepHomebrew automatically handles installation with no Gatekeeper warnings and no Terminal tricks needed. This is the fastest and most reliable install method. Install Homebrew first if you don't have it.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MehmedHunjra/MacSweep/main/install.sh | bashDownloads the DMG, removes quarantine, installs to /Applications, and opens MacSweep automatically.
- Click the Download MacSweep v3.3 button above
- Prefer the ZIP version if your download is slow — it downloads faster and contains the same DMG inside
- Open the
.dmgand drag MacSweep to Applications - Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
- Scroll down and click Open Anyway next to MacSweep
If download is slow: GitHub CDN speeds vary by region. Try at a different time, use Homebrew, or use the GitHub CLI:
gh release download v3.3 --repo MehmedHunjra/MacSweep
gh release download v3.3 --repo MehmedHunjra/MacSweep --pattern "*.dmg"Requires GitHub CLI. Often faster than browser download.
git clone https://github.com/MehmedHunjra/MacSweep.git
cd MacSweep
bash build-dmg.shgit clone https://github.com/MehmedHunjra/MacSweep.git
open MacSweep.xcodeprojSelect the MacSweep scheme → My Mac destination → press Run (⌘R). Builds with no warnings locally.
macOS Gatekeeper blocks unsigned apps downloaded from the web. Fix it in one command:
xattr -cr /Applications/MacSweep.appOr use the Homebrew install method above, which bypasses this entirely.
Same fix as above. This happens because MacSweep is distributed without an Apple Developer certificate ($99/yr). The source code is fully open — you can build it yourself to avoid this.
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later (14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia supported) |
| Architecture | Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel |
| Xcode | 15 or later (only needed to build from source) |
| Swift | 5.9+ (only needed to build from source) |
| Disk Space | ~12 MB |
| RAM | ~50 MB typical usage |
No third-party dependencies. No Swift Package Manager packages required. Zero external frameworks.
MacSweep/
├── MacSweepApp.swift # App entry point, MenuBarExtra, live stats label
├── ContentView.swift # Main window shell, section routing
├── Models.swift # AppSettings, AppSection enum, design system (DS)
├── NavigationManager.swift # Navigation history & routing (24 sections)
├── ScanEngine.swift # Disk, CPU, RAM, network live metrics + junk scanning
├── CleanEngine.swift # File deletion engine
├── SecurityEngine.swift # Malware, Adware, Network Monitor, Ransomware Guard,
│ # Real-Time Protection, Integrity Monitor, Quarantine
│
├── SmartScanView.swift # One-click smart scan
├── SystemJunkView.swift # System junk cleaner UI
├── LargeFilesView.swift # Large files finder
├── DuplicateFinderView.swift # Duplicate file finder
├── BrowserCleanerView.swift # Browser cache & privacy cleaner
├── AppLeftoversView.swift # App leftovers cleaner
├── DevCleanerView.swift # Xcode/npm/pip dev cache cleaner
├── SpaceLensView.swift # Interactive disk usage treemap
│
├── MemoryOptimizerView.swift # RAM optimizer
├── PerformanceManagerView.swift # Startup manager & performance
├── MaintenanceView.swift # macOS maintenance scripts
├── ApplicationsManagerView.swift # App manager & uninstaller
│
├── MalwareScannerView.swift # Malware scanner UI
├── RealtimeProtectionView.swift # Real-time file system protection
├── AdwareCleanerView.swift # Adware detection & removal
├── RansomwareGuardView.swift # Ransomware monitoring
├── NetworkMonitorView.swift # Live TCP connection monitor
├── QuarantineManagerView.swift # Quarantine & restore
├── IntegrityMonitorView.swift # System integrity scanner
│
├── PrivacyView.swift # Privacy cleaner
├── ProtectionManagerView.swift # Security overview hub
├── DashboardView.swift # Main dashboard & freed-space history
├── SidebarView.swift # 24-section navigation sidebar
├── MenuBarView.swift # Menu bar popover & quick actions
├── SettingsView.swift # Full settings & preferences
└── Assets.xcassets/ # App icons and images
Is MacSweep really free? Yes. MacSweep is 100% free — no trial period, no in-app purchases, no subscription, no premium tier. It is MIT-licensed open source software.
Is MacSweep safe to use? Yes. The full source code is publicly available on GitHub — you can review every line before running it. Unlike closed-source cleaners, there are no hidden behaviors.
Does MacSweep collect any data? No. MacSweep has zero analytics, zero telemetry, and makes no network requests except to check for app updates on GitHub Releases (opt-out available in Settings).
Does MacSweep work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)? Yes. MacSweep is compiled as a universal binary and runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
What macOS versions does MacSweep support? macOS 13 Ventura, macOS 14 Sonoma, and macOS 15 Sequoia.
Is MacSweep a good CleanMyMac X alternative? Yes. MacSweep covers every major feature of CleanMyMac X — junk cleaning, malware scanning, real-time protection, disk analysis, memory optimization, startup management — for free, with no subscription.
Can MacSweep replace CCleaner on Mac? Yes. MacSweep provides everything CCleaner for Mac does (junk cleaning, browser privacy, startup manager) plus adds malware scanning, real-time protection, and a disk space visualizer.
Does MacSweep have a malware scanner? Yes. MacSweep includes a full heuristic malware scanner, real-time file system protection, adware cleaner, ransomware guard, and a system integrity monitor — all free.
MacSweep was built in 2026 using vibe coding — describing ideas in plain English and iterating with AI tools. No prior macOS or Swift expertise was needed to ship a production-quality native Mac app.
AI Tools Used:
| Tool | Role |
|---|---|
| Claude Code (Anthropic) | Primary architecture, all SwiftUI views, all engines, bug fixes, CI/CD setup |
| OpenAI Codex | Code suggestions, logic patterns, algorithm optimization |
| Google Gemini | Research, Apple API references, problem-solving |
| Google Antigravity | Agent-first IDE — agentic task orchestration, multi-agent code workflows |
This project proves that anyone — with the right AI tools and determination — can build a professional, fully featured native Mac application from scratch in 2026.
| Contributor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mehmed Hunjra (@MehmedHunjra) | Founder, Product Vision, Project Lead |
| Claude Code — Anthropic | AI Pair Programmer — architecture, SwiftUI, engines, CI |
| OpenAI Codex | AI Code Assistant — logic, algorithms |
| Google Gemini | AI Research Assistant |
| Google Antigravity — Google | Agent-First AI IDE — agentic code orchestration, multi-agent workflows |
MacSweep is developed by besttech.pk — a software studio specializing in native app development, web platforms, and digital product design.
We build production-grade software across macOS, iOS, and the web. If you have a product idea, get in touch.
Contributions are welcome from developers worldwide. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting a PR.
Quick start:
- Fork the repo
- Create a branch:
git checkout -b feature/your-idea - Make your changes following the code conventions in CLAUDE.md
- Open a Pull Request against
main
MIT License — free to use, modify, and distribute. See LICENSE.
MacSweep performs real system operations including file deletion, DNS cache flushing, memory purging, and system scanning. Always review items before confirming any cleaning operation. The authors are not responsible for data loss caused by misuse.
Built in 2026 by besttech.pk using AI-assisted development














