Comparison · CleanMyMac
AI Repair vs CleanMyMac: which one does your Mac need?
CleanMyMac, from MacPaw, is one of the best-known Mac utilities: a suite for cleaning, maintenance and malware protection. AI Repair is a different kind of app: an AI troubleshooter that starts from the problem you describe and fixes it with tested repairs. We make AI Repair, so we’ve kept to facts from MacPaw’s own pages, and we say where CleanMyMac is the better choice.
In short
Choose CleanMyMac if you want an all-round cleaning and maintenance suite: a storage map, an uninstaller, duplicate finding and malware removal in one app. Choose AI Repair if something is wrong, like a slow Mac, a printer that won’t print, Wi-Fi with no internet, battery drain or a full disk, and you want the cause found and fixed, explained in plain words, with your OK before each change. For routine upkeep, many people need neither: macOS does much of it by itself.
At a glance
| CleanMyMac | AI Repair | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cleaning, maintenance and security suite | An AI troubleshooter for the problem you describe |
| Made by | MacPaw | A&S LOMOND LIMITED |
| Works on | macOS 11 or later | Apple silicon, macOS 12 or later |
| How you start | A one-click scan, Smart Care | Describe the problem, or choose “Check my whole Mac” |
| Junk cleaning | Yes, across many kinds of files | Caches, logs and old installers |
| Undo after cleaning | None documented; its large-file and duplicate tools delete for good, bypassing the Trash | Cleaned files are held for seven days, so a clean can be undone |
| Uninstaller, duplicates, large files | Yes | No |
| Malware protection | Yes, including real-time protection | No; macOS has its own protection |
| A slow Mac | Maintenance tasks, login items and a memory monitor | Finds the busy app, memory pressure and login items, then fixes what it found |
| Printer, Wi-Fi and battery problems | Monitors battery health and rates Wi-Fi security; no printer or connection fixes | Diagnoses and fixes them |
| Before a change | You review what it will clean | Asks first, unless you set that kind of fix to Auto, and says if it can be undone |
| Price | 7-day free trial, then a subscription or a one-time purchase | Free: 1 fix a month. Plus: $7.99 a month. Family: $14.99 a month |
What CleanMyMac does well
- Breadth. Cleanup, a visual map of what fills your disk, an uninstaller and app updater, duplicate and large-file finders, cloud-storage cleanup and malware protection, all in one app.
- Real-time malware protection from MacPaw’s Moonlock engine, the one behind its separate Moonlock security app.
- Monitoring. Its menu-bar app shows battery health and temperature, memory and network at a glance.
- One click for routine upkeep. Smart Care runs the main tasks together, and you review what it plans to remove.
- Finding big files. If your disk is full of your own forgotten files, its storage map and clutter tools make them easy to spot. AI Repair doesn’t look through your files.
- A long track record. MacPaw has made CleanMyMac for years, and says the app is notarized by Apple: Apple’s automated check found no known malware in it.
What AI Repair does differently
- It starts from your problem. Type “my printer won’t print” or “my Mac is slow”, and it runs the checks that matter for that problem, then tells you in plain words what it found.
- It fixes more than files. Resuming a paused printer, renewing your Wi-Fi address, switching DNS, turning on Low Power Mode, quitting the app that’s slowing your Mac: problems no amount of cleaning touches.
- Only tested repairs. The AI picks from a fixed catalog of repairs we wrote and tested. It can’t run commands, scripts or code of its own.
- You stay in charge. Each change waits for your OK unless you’ve set that kind of fix to Auto, risky ones always ask, and the card says whether a change can be undone. Cleaned files are held for seven days, so a clean can be undone; their space comes back when the holding folder is emptied. MacPaw’s help, by contrast, says files removed with CleanMyMac’s large-file and duplicate tools are deleted for good, bypassing the Trash.
Which one should you choose?
- Your disk is full of your own files, photos, videos, downloads, duplicates: CleanMyMac’s storage tools will help more, or try the free steps in our guide Mac storage full?
- You want malware protection in the same app: CleanMyMac has it; AI Repair doesn’t.
- Something isn’t working, a printer, the Wi-Fi, the battery, a Mac that’s suddenly slow: AI Repair, which finds the cause and fixes it.
- You’re not comfortable with technical settings: AI Repair explains each step in plain words and asks before it changes anything that matters.
Can you use both?
Yes. They don’t get in each other’s way. Some people keep a cleaner for occasional tidying and AI Repair for the day something breaks. If you only want one app, ask yourself which you need more often: cleaning, or fixing.
Common questions
Is AI Repair an alternative to CleanMyMac?
For fixing problems, yes: a slow Mac, battery drain, printers, Wi-Fi and a full disk. As an all-round cleaner, no: AI Repair doesn’t uninstall apps, find duplicates or scan for malware. Choose by what you need more often.
Does AI Repair remove malware like CleanMyMac does?
No. AI Repair has no malware scanner. macOS has its own built-in protection, XProtect, which Apple updates automatically; if you want more, choose a dedicated security app.
Can CleanMyMac fix a printer or a Wi-Fi problem?
Is there a free version of CleanMyMac?
MacPaw offers a seven-day free trial with every feature. After that, CleanMyMac is paid, by subscription or with a one-time purchase. AI Repair’s Free plan has no time limit: asking and checking are always free, with one fix a month.
Compared on 18 October 2026 using MacPaw’s own pages and its help on removing large and old files. Features and prices change, so check there before you buy. CleanMyMac is a trademark of MacPaw; AI Repair isn’t affiliated with MacPaw.